I had an Arai for a short while in the Eighties and I've worn them since I returned to motorcycling in 2006. Arais fit me perfectly and I rate them very highly from a protection point of view. But they've tried my patience too much in other areas- in my opinion they are ridiculously noisy due to the cover over the visor pivot, the pivot and visor removal & re-fitment is a piece of appalling design, the plastic ancillary bits are weak & brittle and they have inadequate ventilation.
When I tried Shoei helmets in the past (up to the XR-1000) they didn't fit me. I don't know what they've done but their latest top-of-the-line helmets, the X-Spirit II & the XR-1100, fit me perfectly. I take a Medium size. Anyway, I shelled out (that's a pun) for an XR-1100 'Conqueror'.
My findings:
It is relatively quiet but there is some wind noise when I sit upright on the Tiger with my head in fresh air. If I point my head down a bit it reduces a lot and when I duck down a bit behind the screen it is very quiet. I found that with the reduced (compared to what I am used to) wind noise I can hear more. I was braking for a robot, with the Leo Vince popping, crackling & backfiring, when I distinctly heard a whooshing noise high behind my right ear. I turned my head to look; it was the Gautrain electric train up on the monorail! Now that is one quiet piece of machinery so to hear it at all was indeed special. I could also hear the traffic better, especially behind me, when I was in town- useful.
The visor fitment mechanism is brill & it’s so easy to change visors.
The air vents work pretty well.
There was discernible aiflow over my face & eyes- too much at times. But I haven’t yet fitted the curtain thingey that goes under the jaw.
With every helmet I’ve ever owned I’ve always experienced a very slight amount of oscillating movement requiring me to sometimes consciously tense my neck muscles to hold my head as still as possible. I guess it’s due to very small amounts of buffeting & I’ve always considered it to be the norm and have never fussed over it. Well not any more. I don’t know what it is about theShoei- the fit, the lighter weight, possibly less weight at the front of the helmet or the aerodynamics, but I found that I didn’t even need to try and hold my head still. It was just still the whole time, except of course when I hit a bump. It is like sitting behind a huge touring windscreen. This makes it so easy to simply look at where I am going. It makes concentrating on the road ahead much easier and adds to the whole pleasure of riding. I would imagine that it will prove to be a lot less fatiguing on a long run. Totally absolutely brilliantly phenomenal and well worth the price of the helmet just for this one aspect of its performance IMO.
I’m chuffed to bits!
When I tried Shoei helmets in the past (up to the XR-1000) they didn't fit me. I don't know what they've done but their latest top-of-the-line helmets, the X-Spirit II & the XR-1100, fit me perfectly. I take a Medium size. Anyway, I shelled out (that's a pun) for an XR-1100 'Conqueror'.
My findings:
It is relatively quiet but there is some wind noise when I sit upright on the Tiger with my head in fresh air. If I point my head down a bit it reduces a lot and when I duck down a bit behind the screen it is very quiet. I found that with the reduced (compared to what I am used to) wind noise I can hear more. I was braking for a robot, with the Leo Vince popping, crackling & backfiring, when I distinctly heard a whooshing noise high behind my right ear. I turned my head to look; it was the Gautrain electric train up on the monorail! Now that is one quiet piece of machinery so to hear it at all was indeed special. I could also hear the traffic better, especially behind me, when I was in town- useful.
The visor fitment mechanism is brill & it’s so easy to change visors.
The air vents work pretty well.
There was discernible aiflow over my face & eyes- too much at times. But I haven’t yet fitted the curtain thingey that goes under the jaw.
With every helmet I’ve ever owned I’ve always experienced a very slight amount of oscillating movement requiring me to sometimes consciously tense my neck muscles to hold my head as still as possible. I guess it’s due to very small amounts of buffeting & I’ve always considered it to be the norm and have never fussed over it. Well not any more. I don’t know what it is about theShoei- the fit, the lighter weight, possibly less weight at the front of the helmet or the aerodynamics, but I found that I didn’t even need to try and hold my head still. It was just still the whole time, except of course when I hit a bump. It is like sitting behind a huge touring windscreen. This makes it so easy to simply look at where I am going. It makes concentrating on the road ahead much easier and adds to the whole pleasure of riding. I would imagine that it will prove to be a lot less fatiguing on a long run. Totally absolutely brilliantly phenomenal and well worth the price of the helmet just for this one aspect of its performance IMO.
I’m chuffed to bits!
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