Thinking of Buying a Shoei Helmet...Is It Worth the $$ | GTAMotorcycle.com

Thinking of Buying a Shoei Helmet...Is It Worth the $$

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mjack

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I'm onto my 2nd helment (scorpion) and been seriously thinking about getting a new one. Just wondering if a Shoei RF-1100's with the price tag of approximately $550 is worth it? I do a fair bit of highway riding as well.

Has anyone been in a similar situation - will a shoei make a considerable difference?

Thnx
 
Hi mjack,

I'm about to pull the trigger on a couple of Shoei's myself, (for the wife and myself). Currently wearing HJC's that are past their best before date. I've had Shoei's before for the street and find they fit better then most other helmets out there. They've got the best shield release system out on the market which makes swapping between clear and tinted very simple. The paint, interior lining and general build quality are all excellant.

I wear a Shoei VFX-W offroad helmet for the woods right now and it's much nicer then the helmet it replaced so I'm expecting the same improvement in comfort when I change up my street lid. Get onto their website also, pretty good information on there about how they build them and the quality that go's along with the name.

It's going to be just a matter of how they fit your head at this point. Different manufacturers build their helmet shells for different shape heads. Try one on and see what it feels like for you.

Cheers,
John
 
I recently purchased a Shoei X-12 to replace my Scorpion EXO-400, It's worth the extra $$$ IMO. The Shoei fits my head better and is much quieter on the highway, on the street it's almost dead quiet!
I am not going to say that 500$+ helmet protects your head better than a 200$ one, they're all DOT approved and most of them are SNELL approved as well. I tried to wear my Scorpion the other day and the feel of the liner on my face/head is no where near as comfortable and soft as the Shoei. I personally paid the extra $$$ for comfort and features and feel that it's well worth it IMO.
 
The two above posters pretty well summed it up. I have an RF1100 Hadron TC. My only complaint about it is during cold weather riding, say 6C or less the visor fogs up instantly unless you have the chin vent open enough that it blows cold air uncomfortably on your eyeballs. If you don't foresee those conditions then by all means go for it.
 
was not specifically after a Shoei as I normall wear a Bell open face but scored a Shoei TZ-R as new for half price and pretty impressed.
Very quiet and well built - visor stays in place in any position - quiet and most impressive a very wide field of view - been wearing it a bit to break it in and get the comm set up .

Can ride it with the visor up and it's very quiet for me.
Flip it down to use the Scala.

Worth the money ? only you can tell .....I got lucky with this for a very good price.
 
Inglis has a little stack of 2010 RF1100s for $369 right now. Probably a few dozen. Might be worth a drive to London.

A few Hadrons, Diabolic Revelations, Warlords and Firestrikes.... maybe a few other styles. Give them a call to see what sizes/styles they have. Link is in my sig.
 
MacDoc said:
was not specifically after a Shoei as I normall wear a Bell open face but scored a Shoei TZ-R as new for half price and pretty impressed.
Very quiet and well built - visor stays in place in any position - quiet and most impressive a very wide field of view - been wearing it a bit to break it in and get the comm set up .

Can ride it with the visor up and it's very quiet for me.
Flip it down to use the Scala.

Worth the money ? only you can tell .....I got lucky with this for a very good price.
Click to expand...

LOL... I can't believe this.
After all your bashing on full face helmets you are now sporting one?... Might as well drive a cage :rolleyes:
Good for you man, good for you!
caboose483 said:
Inglis has a little stack of 2010 RF1100s for $369 right now. Probably a few dozen. Might be worth a drive to London.

A few Hadrons, Diabolic Revelations, Warlords and Firestrikes.... maybe a few other styles. Give them a call to see what sizes/styles they have. Link is in my sig.
Click to expand...

Great price...
 
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LOL... I can't believe this.
After all your bashing on full face helmets you are now sporting one?... Might as well drive a cage :rolleyes:
Good for you man, good for you!
Click to expand...

you missed my point
a) it's a secondary helmet I scored on a good deal $160 - I'm just breaking it in - I won't be wearing regularly

b) I don't use the visor down at all except for phone calls as people can hear me better with less wind on the microphone. The field of vision is decent on the Shoei so running with the shield up as a sun shade like the Bell has works okay.

Open face is my first choice always with few exceptions ( James Bay because of the bugs. )

Clear now :D
 
You can pick a Shark RSR2 helmet up on special occasionally for half the price. It was a top of the line helmet up until a year or so ago. People talking about the best fitting helmet are missing the point, if your head is not the type to fit in a Shoei then it's a useless investment, if it fits then great it becomes one of many options a lot of which are less expensive, sometimes quieter, and just as comfortable. The top ranked helmet in WebBike world tests has often been a helmet a fraction the price of the top brands and with Shoei and Arai a hefty part of the price comes from marketing. Personally I refuse to pay for that marketing and I'm happy with my Shark, that being said, if I could pick up a Shoei Quest for the price of my Shark I'd give it a go.
 
I say Arai is the way to go. Best fitting helmet I've tried to date.
 
FitzR6 said:
I say Arai is the way to go. Best fitting helmet I've tried to date.
Click to expand...

I think it all comes down to the shape of his head. Arai is more of a round fit where the Shoei is more of an oval/round oval fit (depending on model).
OP, try all the helmets you can and see which one fits you best. Good Luck!
 
Just recently got the RF1100 Warlord (TC50) - to be honest, I can't tell ANY difference between the Shoei and my less expensive AGV Stealth Dragon (at half the cost). Wind noise is comparable (I'm still looking for those "quiet" helmets people talk about...). Fit is good, finish is good, but again, I can't spot what makes a $500 that much better than a $200 helmet (I found both shield release mechanisms fairly easy to use).

As a few posters have mentioned, if they fit your noggin, and you're comfortable in 'em, can't really go wrong.


P.S. Weight is a non-factor, as both are comfortable for me on long rides (and really, maybe I'm a Neanderthal here, but can't say I've ever complained about the weight of a helmet in my riding career).
 
My X-12 isn't quiet at all but it's a great helmet. The better the ventilation the louder the helmet, there's no way around it. If a large amount of air is flowing through the helmet you are going to hear it. As stated, the shield system is the best out there.
 
dr_sarcasm said:
Just recently got the RF1100 Warlord (TC50) - to be honest, I can't tell ANY difference between the Shoei and my less expensive AGV Stealth Dragon (at half the cost). Wind noise is comparable (I'm still looking for those "quiet" helmets people talk about...). Fit is good, finish is good, but again, I can't spot what makes a $500 that much better than a $200 helmet (I found both shield release mechanisms fairly easy to use).

As a few posters have mentioned, if they fit your noggin, and you're comfortable in 'em, can't really go wrong.


P.S. Weight is a non-factor, as both are comfortable for me on long rides (and really, maybe I'm a Neanderthal here, but can't say I've ever complained about the weight of a helmet in my riding career).
Click to expand...

The Qwest is Shoei's touring helmet - quieter but less ventilation. The X12 is their light weight race helmet - better ventilation but not as quiet. The RF1100 falls somewhere in between.
 
caboose483 said:
The Qwest is Shoei's touring helmet - quieter but less ventilation. The X12 is their light weight race helmet - better ventilation but not as quiet.
Click to expand...

weird, i always thought a quiet helmet = better aerodynamics, which is what a race helmet should be... (?)
 
Great helmet. I loved my black RF1100 so much, I grabbed a graphics RF1100's as well.

Superb quality, quiet, light, and excellent fit.


.
 
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I have had a few Shoeis over the years along with a couple of HJC and one Arai. My current helmet is a Shoei RF1000 that replaced my RF900. I've found all the helmets are comfortable and well ventilated, so it basically comes down to how it fits your noggin first and then how easily the shield detaches for changing/cleaning etc. Also, if you wear glasses, make sure you can wear your glasses properly with the helmet on (I had to rule out a Scorpion for this reason.) Different helmet brands accommodate different shaped heads, so make sure you get one that fits your head nicely. I havent found any of the helmets to be particularly quiet... have to wear ear plugs with all of them. Although a lot of people love their Arai helmets, I dont like the way the shield attaches... the Shoei and HJC helmets seem much better in this regard.

All I can say is to try on each helmet in the shop and wear it for 10 or 15 minutes. Any pressure points (indicating a less-than-perfect fit) should become evident during that time.
 
Check out the Shoei Qwest. I have been wearing a TZ-R for 4 seasons, very satisfied, and will probably replace with a Quest when the time comes. Read review here: http://www.webbikeworld.com/r2/shoei/qwest/

Great site for helmet info. Fit is of course the most important criterion so try on lots, and buy local.

Bell is making nice helmets now too.

Shoei, Bell, and Scorpion are the 3 I'll be shopping (these brand are good quality and seem to best fit my head-shape).
 
I dig my HJC RPS-10. Comfortable, good ventilation, light weight, easy visor swap, quiet (though I still wear ear plugs), Snell approved, Pin Lock included, priced far less than Shoei or Arai. Available in solid or far out, funky graphics.

rps10front.jpg


Check the full review: http://www.webbikeworld.com/r2/motorcycle-helmet/hjc/rps-10/
 
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I hope this is not considered as hijacking. I have the Shark RSF3. It fits my head extremely well. I am now considering a Shoei RF-1100. Does anyone know the comparison between the Shoei Rf-1100 and the Shark RSF-3?
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