Shoei or Arai? Which is best?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Newbiechick
  • Start date Start date
Nothing much to add other than, don't limit your selection to just the two brands. Both are highly respected and regarded. But, you can have the best made helmet with the best protection and it doesn't feel comfortable. Bell and Scorpion are others I'd look into.
 
Thank you for all of the replies! I actually ended up with a Suomy. It fit the best and is also a great quality helmet!

Special thanks to R6! ;)
 
I road today for the first time with an Arai Profile. It seemed lighter and did not fog up as much as my RF1000 does in cool weather. I also noticed the venting seemed to work much better. A couple of clicks and I could feel the cool air circulating in it. A nice feature is the Aria has a couple of vents in the shield itself.

I not sure but I think it might be a bit louder than the Shoei. I guess that's the trade off for better ventilation.

The profile fits my noggin better. The Shoei always had a slight pressure point at my forehead.
 
I just ordered a RF 1100 online for 519
 
^ Sounds a bit pricey unless you got nifty graphics.

This past weekend I tried a parcel delivery service across the border at a UPS store that holds packages for Canadian customers for $5 a week. Super smooth and a bonus that the border crossing is really convenient for me, it's about 20 mins out of the way of my normal trip. I've added 5-6 more online retailers to my favourites than I had before now. Declared everything at the crossing and was waived through with no tax or duty to pay.

As an aside, I'm a massive fan of Shark helmets. I have three now and they are all awesome. Extremely light helmets and the shields are nice and thick.
 
jc100 said:
^ Sounds a bit pricey unless you got nifty graphics.

This past weekend I tried a parcel delivery service across the border at a UPS store that holds packages for Canadian customers for $5 a week. Super smooth and a bonus that the border crossing is really convenient for me, it's about 20 mins out of the way of my normal trip. I've added 5-6 more online retailers to my favourites than I had before now. Declared everything at the crossing and was waived through with no tax or duty to pay.

As an aside, I'm a massive fan of Shark helmets. I have three now and they are all awesome. Extremely light helmets and the shields are nice and thick.
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The cheapest I have ever seen a rf1100 was 399 and that was only the hadron ones.

I got the merciless.
 
OpenGambit said:
The cheapest I have ever seen a rf1100 was 399 and that was only the hadron ones.

I got the merciless.
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There were several graphic RF-1100 at the December show, I believe at SoN of them all, for 399+tax. I got my 1100 in early December at GP Bikes for 459 if I remember correctly. So unless you're looking for a specific design, you can get them relatively cheap locally.
 
i was looking for a specific design. GP didn't have it and they wanted full price to order it in. Same with a few other places. Went to a show, didn't find it.

I am buying this helmet just for looks, Its not like I "needed" another one.
 
Got my corsair v graphic brand new for $600 taxes in @ duke of cycle in rexdale. Not much of a selection but awesome deal.
 
Last Arai i owned was about 20 years ago.Hated it (fit),and sold it after a month for $50.Tried my new Arai Vector2 yesterday.Most comfortable helmet ever! Everything about it was awesome except i couldn't open the visor.Grrrrrrrrr! Pulled over and pried it open to get my glasses off and figure out what was wrong with it.Bahahaha....i'm an idiot! It has a lock.
 
Arai's visor mechanism and sidepods are pathetic. I won't buy one for that reason alone. Shoei for me.
 
mmmnaked said:
Arai's visor mechanism and sidepods are pathetic. I won't buy one for that reason alone. Shoei for me.
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Arai has a perfect fit and feel for me, but I too, won't buy because of this. The visors are a joke, poorly designed, in my opinion. Replacement visors are also very expensive.
 
I've crashed in Shoei and Scorpion.Both visors popped off even before impact (i think) I really don't want to test the Arai,it was expensive.The old Arai visor pod and visor retention was a pain.The Vector2 seems to be a bit better.Correct me if t'm wrong.
 
Yes arai is a pain at first but once you know how to do it it's very easy and stays on the helmet.

For me I would sacrifice learning how to take on/off the visor for fit
 
daisoman said:
Yes arai is a pain at first but once you know how to do it it's very easy and stays on the helmet.

For me I would sacrifice learning how to take on/off the visor for fit
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The trouble is that while you're learning to re/re the visor, you're weakening the crappy little tabs that hold the pods in place. After that, even if you 'know' how to change the visor its probably only a matter of time before the pods break. In fact, a friend of mine lost his visor on the highway while we were riding on the east coast... it was properly installed for a thousand kilometers and then *FLING* gone. The really crappy part of the design is that the visor can't stay in place without the pod. For this, Suomy's pod design is way better.
 
mmmnaked said:
Arai's visor mechanism and sidepods are pathetic. I won't buy one for that reason alone. Shoei for me.
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Here is Arai's reasoning for their sidepod design (see below)...seems to make sense to me.


"Even though pod-less shield systems are easier to make - a simple deep, flat recess in the shell surface to hold the shield pivot mechanism - Arai's experience tells us these deeply-recessed pockets (some as deep as ½ inch!) aren't a good idea. Either the interior EPS liner must be thinner and harder in the recessed area, or the shell must be made larger to accommodate a thicker, softer liner. Mainly though, the deep recesses can have sharp edges that may impede the desired smooth dispersal of impact energy along the shell's naturally-curved surface.
Arai's pod system lets us maintain a shallow recess (as much of the pivot mechanism is within the shield itself) with round edges, so energy can fl ow more smoothly over the entire shell shape. The pod system isn't easy to design, or cheap to build, because the shell surface beneath the pod continues the three-dimensional shape of the shell with a series of difficult compound curves, that the pod's base plate mechanism must conform to. But it enables the shell do a better job of dispersing impact energy, allowing the use of a softer and more consistent liner thickness and allowing the shell to be smaller, narrower and more aerodynamic."
 
ARAI fits better, SHOEI is quieter. Aside from this I feel and see no difference.
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