Now I have finally invested in a Shoei, I no longer have sore shoulders and the breathing is far superior to previous “bargains”. Money well spent
For years I couldn't get an Arai to fit due to my head shape, Shoei's were fine but Arai's were always too narrow, even the biggest sizes. Strange thing is my junior school teacher used to call me "fathead". Anyway, I digress but Arai must've changed the shape of their shell at some poing because I eventually found one of their new range that fitted. My first one, can't remember the model, was fine and I had it sprayed in Joey Dunlop colours. the last one I had was a RX7 in black, about 12 years ago but found it very noisy. I decided I wanted the convenience of a flip up shell and bought a Schubert C3 Pro but I'll not be buying another one, I think they're over priced for what they are. Next helmet will be a Shoei Flip up.
I felt the same about my GT Air.....until it was stolen along with my bike! That gave me the opportunity to look at alternatives. I went for the Shark Spartan Carbon.....all the same features, much lighter and a fraction of the cost. 2 years later I'm still so pleased with the helmet....won't be rushing back to Shoei anytime soon (except maybe for an Ex-Zero ) https://shark-helmets.com/pulse/spartan-gt.html?___store=english
Those are nice helmets, I've been impressed with the Shoei's I have tried in the past. I have never fit in an Arai, but I do fit in a Shoei large. I think I have more of a round oval, where the Arai are long oval (at least traditionally). I'm trying to find a new retro-inspired lid to match the look of my Speed Twin (and work with my glasses), but so far it's just frustrating. I love the look and the fit of a Bell Bullit, but not the price, especially considering it doesn't have a seal around the visor. All reviews I've read say it's loud and leaks, what a shame. The grey one with black stripes is beautiful in person. I didn't like the fit of the Torx T1. I have an AVG x3000 and a Builtwell GringoS on order coming for me to try. I am really hoping the AGV works out. No option to find a Shoei Glamster on this side of the pond yet, and I'm not keen on paying return international shipping.
If I had the money... https://www.thevisorshop.com/en/Arai-Renegade-V-Fury-Silver-Motorcycle-Helmet/m-24751.aspx (Good people by the way) AFAIK Arai are not as traditionally steadfast in their basic shape anymore. And absolute quality.
Great helmet OsteKuste. I've had 2 Arai, both comfortable etc, but was disappointed in the drop in quality of the interior of the newer helmet, even though it was supposedly the same level in the range. I find Shoei don't quite fit so I've gone to AGV - having looked at the SHARP ratings, reviews, etc, they offer the same safety standards so I'm happy with the switch. Designs though are either too lairy or a bit bland!
I used a "SHARK Speed-R Blank" the last years. The integrated sunshield is one of the biggest on the market I think. But I was not satisfied with the wind noises, especially at higher speeds. Therefore I bought some ear plugs which you can see in the following pictures. A few months before I changed to my actual Triumph I also bought a new helmet. Now I am using a "SCORPION Air 1400". This helmet has a very big visor. Because of that my riding is much safer than before. It is also equipped with a integrated sunshield an a Pinlock anti-fog visor.
It's a personal thing, you gotta love your helmet! My HJC is like a girlfriend you stick with only because nothing better has come along and you need one, once and a while. Still keeping an eye out for that supermodel tho
I kinow that feeling. My Shoei X-Spirit is about 15 years old. I'm lookin for a new un, and have mi eye on a couple of winter bargains. Seen a couple at Motorcycle Live, but don't know whether to wait til t'post Christmas sales.
I went for a modular helmet for a change last time and chose the Shoei Neotec, it has a 4* Shark rating. Comes with a built in flip sun visor. Very please with it, I doubt I would go back to a normal full face.
I gave up on retro styled helmets. I finally admitted I am 45 and fat, who the hell am I trying to impress? They look great but just lacked fit and features for the price - so no supermodels for me! Settled on a Nolan N1000 modular. I found one in large in gloss black on Amazon for $325, so I jumped on it. I was considering getting silver or white for better visibility, but not for +$85 (or more) Ordered it Monday and it arrived today, took it out for a spin before everything iced back up. I still have some reflective sheet vinyl, thinking I may throw some stripes on it for better visibility like I did on my last helmet. I tried one of these Nolans on at the stealership ("on sale for $449!") and liked the fit, snug but no pressure points. Thought it had a lot of features for the price, including a Pinlock in the box. The thing that really sold me was the NCom with the ESS light. I figure a flashing brakelight easily makes up for a black hat. Pretty trick piece of kit they way it integrates into the helmet. I found the 901LR on a black Friday sale for $230 shipped. I never had a com on my bike before (still not taking phone calls, that is part of the joy of riding for me) but music or gps directions would be nice. I loved the look of the AGV x3000, but the fit wasn't quite right, ventilation was poor and wtf is up with the $80+ visor cost and no Pinkocks on the amber or smoke? That was the deal-breaker for me. It fogged the visor and then my glasses just walking around in the cold of my backyard. Instead I got the Nolan and the NCom kit for about the same as the AGV with another clear visor (only option for Pinlock) and a Pinlock.
A little follow-up on the Nolan N1000 and N901i now that I have about 600mi with it. I love this helmet. It broke in just right and fits great. Visibility is excellent and it only fogs slightly at stops in the coldest temps (35F/1C) so I consider that excellent. (I am using the neck roll and chin skirt too, so it is pretty closed up. The functionality of the visor is great. Sometimes it takes a second push to get the front to lock in place, but I think that is just an issue of muscle memory, which will probably go away in the spring when I pull the chin skirt off as I think it catches my beard. Sound quality on calls for the com set is excellent, ppl only know if I am on a bike when I rev the engine hard (Speed Twin w/cross pipe so yeah they should hear it!). I didn't realize how much I would enjoy listening to music while riding! I wouldn't say the speakers are audiophile quality, but for my heavy metal-damaged ears, they work just fine. Nothing like listening to Maiden, Priest and Motorhead while riding a Triumph through the countryside! It may be subjective, but I seem to notice less people riding up on me from behind when I engine brake since adding the ESS light. It's a real problem in the US, where 98% of drivers don't know about, understand or accommodate for manual transmissions and engine braking. For me this was a major safety factor and I have had several people ask me about it at stop lights, so it is obviously getting their attention. My one complaint is the control pod for the com doesn't seem to click tight enough into the helmet and it created a slight whistle and vibration. It goes away when I hold it, and I am going to try running a bead of rtv silicone around the pod to address this. The interior sun shade could be a tad darker for my liking, but in Colorado we typically drive straight into the blinding sun, so it is probably just fine anywhere else. Overall I love this setup. One note for ppl in the US if you are ordering the com from overseas: I got mine from a vendor in Spain and the instructions were in Spanish and the charger is a euro style 2-prong plug! The usb charger cable fits any standard charger and I found a manual and videos online, so that wasn't a big deal. Just something to think about.
Many years ago I had a Arai Giga in the Kwaka Green colours. Best helmet I ever had. When you popped open the air vents that went through the visor you could feel cool air flowing over your head. The colour scheme was spot on with all the right proportioning of the Green, Blue and White. Wish I still had it, be abit old now having though, bought it in about 1998
I've got a GT Air Shoei and an NXR. They aren't cheap, but they are excellent IMHO. I used to buy Arai's, but always found them quite noisy, even wearing earplugs. Helmets, like tyres and bikes themselves of course are a personal choice, but I'll stick with Shoei for now.
