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Helmet Demo

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gnatwest

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I know this sounds kinda brutal, however I keep hearing how great Shoei/Arai helmets are etc due to fit, low wind noise etc.

Is there any way of road testing a helmet? Id like to tryout an RF1100 based on all the great reviews, but before I fork over 300-500 Id like get one a quick whirl to see(hear) the difference between that and my current lid.
 
I'm not sure any places offer this, unless you possibly rent a helmet to try it out? I myself just picked up the RF-1100, upgrading from an ICON Alliance SSR. Big difference in any category I can think of (quieter - yet way better venting, the optics are a massive improvement, comfortable and light). Great helmet IMO.
 
Never heard of anyone letting you try on a helmet outside the store. There are no returns on helmets as soon as you use them on your bike. The RF1100 is a great helmet, and the best venting I have ever felt in a helmet before. Any vent you open of the 7 vents on the helmet you notice. The RF1100 is very quiet when I have ear plugs obviously, but don't have anything to compare to really as the rest of the time I ride with a BMW enduro helmet, the RF1100 is only for touring. The bad I have noticed with the RF1100 is the visor fogs up very easy, but opening up the chin vent helps that quickly, but is not great when its cold as it works so well, it lets the cold air in. I go by reviews of the helmet, then how it feels in the store, wearing it for an awkward amount of time.
 
I think the whole Shoei/Arai reputation is just a marketing con. I bought a RF-1100 last fall, before that I had an Icon Mainframe. I don't see the Shoei as being a huge step up. In some ways it feels cheaper than the Icon. The neck curtain and breath guard both feel flimsy and cheap. The vents on top are hard to operate. It also whistles at speed. Overall the Shoei seems a bit quieter but the whistle is annoying. The Icon had it's issues too: a snap for the cheek pad wouldn't hold, the lower vent lost whatever holds it open.

See http://www.webbikeworld.com/r2/shoei/rf-1100/

My point? Just buy the most comfortable helmet and forget the label on the box.
 
before buying another helmet that even fits right, check this handy website out that rates helmets on a 5 star system. It's pretty vigorous and helpful if you want the safest helmet in a world where all the helmets for sale are pretty much DOT/ECE/BSi, blah blah.

http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/
 
aircav said:
I think the whole Shoei/Arai reputation is just a marketing con. I bought a RF-1100 last fall, before that I had an Icon Mainframe. I don't see the Shoei as being a huge step up. In some ways it feels cheaper than the Icon. The neck curtain and breath guard both feel flimsy and cheap. The vents on top are hard to operate. It also whistles at speed. Overall the Shoei seems a bit quieter but the whistle is annoying. The Icon had it's issues too: a snap for the cheek pad wouldn't hold, the lower vent lost whatever holds it open.

See http://www.webbikeworld.com/r2/shoei/rf-1100/



My point? Just buy the most comfortable helmet and forget the label on the box.
Click to expand...

This is what Im talking about. Im fairly happy with what I havenow (Scorpion 400) There is all this hype about the RF1100 that I would like to give it a shot before plopping down $500. 20 minutes one 401 exit to another just to see if I feel a noticible difference that is worth the price premium.
 
aircav said:
I think the whole Shoei/Arai reputation is just a marketing con. I bought a RF-1100 last fall, before that I had an Icon Mainframe. I don't see the Shoei as being a huge step up. In some ways it feels cheaper than the Icon. The neck curtain and breath guard both feel flimsy and cheap. The vents on top are hard to operate. It also whistles at speed. Overall the Shoei seems a bit quieter but the whistle is annoying. The Icon had it's issues too: a snap for the cheek pad wouldn't hold, the lower vent lost whatever holds it open.

See http://www.webbikeworld.com/r2/shoei/rf-1100/

My point? Just buy the most comfortable helmet and forget the label on the box.
Click to expand...

I recently bought a Shoei RF1100 and before that I had a TZR for 5 years that I put 30k km on. But I also wore an HJC, AFX, Shark and Arai for some time, and I tried every single helmet that I could find on display in Toronto. The bottom line, for my shape of head, the Shoei wins hands down. The build quality may not seem that good, but the TZR is still in great shape, and the liner, visor and visor hinges would have easily lasted at least another couple of years. But I crashed twice with it, and both times my head hit the pavement fairly hard (no cracks, but deep scratches in the shell), so I had to replace it. I wanted to buy a cheaper helmet, but nothing to match the weight, ventilation and comfort.

And why are the top pents hard to operate? Never had an issue with them.
 
gnatwest said:
This is what Im talking about. Im fairly happy with what I havenow (Scorpion 400) There is all this hype about the RF1100 that I would like to give it a shot before plopping down $500. 20 minutes one 401 exit to another just to see if I feel a noticible difference that is worth the price premium.
Click to expand...

I don't know about your Scorpion 400, but my Shoei RF1100 has TWO golden dragons on it. It's common knowledge that every regular dragon adds at least 50hp at the rear wheel and 62 degree lean in turns. So it's safe to say with my 2 golden dragons I will be invincible. :D

Seriously though, when buying a helmet the rating should be comfort, weight, ventilation, build quality, brand. In my case the Shoei fit the best. I picked mine up from Z1, and they had Arai, AGV, Shoei and something else (Suomi?) on display. The AGV was the cheapest, but it created odd pressure spots on my head. The Arai fit well, but felt heavier and I personaly dislike the side pods. The Suomi again did not fit as well as the Shoei...
 
In September I went for an East Coast tour (5000 km) and I’ve used my RF-1100. This spring I did a trip to Florida (6500 km) and use my Scorpion EXO-700.
Both fit my head great, but I prefer Scorpion as it is quieter. I see absolutely no signs of Shoei having better build quality either.
 
Mine has two blue dragons on it. :D

Actually I just picked the helmet up here at home and played with the vents. I guess they're OK but you have open them in a diagonal direction. I've been riding in cold weather up til now and hadn't needed to adjust them. Then when I went to do it at a stop light I couldn't get them to budge with my gloves on. I might have better luck next time.
 
I have the RF-1100, only issue is the fogging, they sell pinlock ready shield for $60 and another $35 for the inner lens. So another $95+taxes would solve that issue. Now, if Shoei knows that their anti-fog coat does not work (which they do because they are selling pinlock shields), why not make pinlock ready shields standard for helmets that retail for $500+? I know they want to make money, so let people fork out cash for the inner lens inserts and the mirror/hi-def shields....Other than that, RF-1100 FTW
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