I've been wearing various models of Shoei full face helmets for at least 10 years, and been pleased with them. My current well-worn model is an RF-1000, and fits nicely in size medium.
I am looking at getting a new helmet, and would like to take advantage of after season sales/closeouts to get a good price on one.
I would welcome feedback from others who may have used Shoei RF's, and switched to another brand. Particularly if you found the new brand and model to your liking, and the points to why you like it.
I know the old adage, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it.", and it may be best to stick with Shoei on my next purchase, but if you've switched yourself and are happy with a different brand, by all means, I'd like to hear from you.
Thanks in advance.
Marty
I had both Shoei RF1000 and X-11's in the past.
When Bell sponsored our race team I purchased a Bell Star and found that it compared very favorably to the X-11 in all ways with slightly better venting. I am also a huge fan of the shield mechanism and the availability of a light sensitive shield.
However the BellI have, which is an early model is by no means a quiet helmet. This is not a big deal to me as I always wear earplugs or earbuds with music. I do not know if this has changed in the newer versions.
The rider for our team was one of the developement riders for the RS-1 helmet and it seemed like a very nice lid for the money. He claimed that it was considerably quieter than the star and just as stable at speed.
Quote from: FJ1100mjk on September 05, 2014, 07:01:38 AM
I know the old adage, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it.", and it may be best to stick with Shoei on my next purchase, but if you've switched yourself and are happy with a different brand, by all means, I'd like to hear from you.
Thanks in advance.
Marty
I thought the old adage when it came to helmets was "the helmet chooses you"
It's a fact, it's been my experience that different brand helmets suit different shape heads and that limits your choice.
Noel
motorcyclegear.com, aka the old newenough.com guys, always have killer deals on helmets. after the rf700 that bill got for me at a great price, i've used newenough for my helmet purchases.
Shoei and Arai (astral/Signet line) for me. Have tried to cheap out a couple times but it didn't work out end up selling at a loss and getting the high dollar helmet anyway. I actually get a better fit from Arai > Shoei, but the flaky shield swapping process pisses me off. My current A-team helmet is an RF1100.
Since the RF12 came along last summer, RF1100's are being phased out and you can get great deals on them.. Competition accesories has them for $199 (solids) - half of what they were last summer. I paid $279 for mine over the winter and that was a smokin deal at the time.
I've never had a Shoei. Always worn Arai. I purchased a Bell Rs1 last year and I love it. Light. No buffeting around at high speed. The self tinting shield is perfect. They have different sized cheek pads you can get to help with fit. Fully removable interior for washing. And the shields come off and back on super easy. Going to get another one... When I need a new one.
I've worn Shoei for quite a long time previously. I think I must have had 4 of them.
They fit me well, and I had no complaint with them other than cost.
I've been wearing HJC helmets now for the last 20years, and I've also been happy with them.
Biggest advantage of the HJC is cost with (seemingly) comparable protection.
My current active helmets are both HJC, an open-face "jet" helmet, and the flip-front SymaxII.
In my almost 50 years of street riding, I've never had to really test the protection qualities of any helmet,
and only once touched a helmet to the pavement. Luck?, Skill?, no claims.
Both Shoei and HJC fit my shape head comfortably.
I also like HJC. For the price I think you get a very good helmet. I moved from a Shoei to HJC and the fit is very similar.
For me, it's all about the proper fit.
I have a Irish noggin, a long oval, and when I had my Shoei I developed painful pressure points on my forehead about 2 hours into the ride.
I love my Arai Signet Q.
I understand the Solfx Transitions face shield the Bell helmet users enjoy, will now be available for my Signet Q.
I bought the Shark Race-R Pro last year, and I havent regreteted it yet!
Fits well, is super light and very good when it comes to wind noise.
The shields are thicker then most others shields and are a bit overpriced perhaps (?), but excellent quality. Super easy to replace.
Cheek pads can also be rplaced to fit your needs.
I've had Shoei for off-road helmts. For street I liked the features of the Bell and got the Vortex. The fitment was near identical (large).
I have used a number of helmets over the years. Fulmer, Shoei, Nolan, HJC, Icon, and Bell. I must have a head shape that is neutral, as I have had no fit or hot spot issues with any of the helmets that I have owned. The Shoei helmets that I had were of the late 80's early 90's models. I currently own a HJC C16, Icon Domain II and a Bell Vortex. They all fit a bit differently. The HJC is the quietest, The Icon is the heaviest and has a snug fit without causing any hot spots, and the Bell has the best venting and the most comfortable fit. I use the Bell as my main helmet. I can not give enough praise to the Bell Transitions face shield. As for as switching from a Shoei to another brand. IMO the Bell reminds me of my old Shoei's the most.
Fred
I guess I'll have to look into Bell, they sound interesting.
My first helmet was an international orange Bell Star. The original full face helmet back in the '70s.
I wore that thing until the liner degraded and fell out.
The Bell Vortex has a removable washable liner, and cut outs in the helmet for head phones. I find the helmet a touch too noisy to actually hear the music, so it's just a nice place for my ears to rest.
The easily replaceable shields, especially the transitions shield, is the key selling point. That and good venting. If I forget to close the top vent ports in the cold, I get a localized brain freeze.
I've also been a life-long Shoei wearer. I've tried on numerous brands in the showroom and the Shoei helmets always seem to fit the best. It's like they made it to fit all 4 corners of my Dutch head just so. That being said, I was in a local dealership a month or so ago and tried on one of these: http://gpbikes.com/kaos-ether-carbon-street-helmet.html (http://gpbikes.com/kaos-ether-carbon-street-helmet.html). The first thing I noticed when I picked up was how friggin light it was! It felt like it was half the weight of my RF1000. It also seemed to have a good fit and the price was pretty reasonable too. Fit and finish looked to be on par with just about anything out there as well. It may be worth checking out.
Zwartie
I've had numerous helmets from Arai to Shoei , Simpson , Vega now a Gmax all different for there own reasons...I now look to a helmet for easy shield removal from day to night....Going to look at the Bell and HJC for my next purchase
Quote from: Sabre093 on September 06, 2014, 12:18:05 AM
...I now look to a helmet for easy shield removal from day to night....
Interesting point. After 40 years of riding with 2 screens (day & night) I found myself increasingly raising my dark screen many times through the day as conditions changed. There are many times through the day when the dark screen, IMO, limits my vision. Not for seeing where I'm going but things like gravel on corners, picking damp from shade, riding under tree canopy etc.
I like a dark screen but just find there are too many times through the day when it's not suitable and my view of the road not the best it could possibly be.
In the last few years I have taken to wearing sunglasses with a clear visor and find this much more satisfactory as I can pop them on and off at whim while riding, or even just pull them down and look over the top if it's only for a short time.
It also gives me the option of waaay better lenses for glare and colour.
I still carry a spare visor though. A while back I had to remove my visor when a screw fell out of the mechanism on one side. The aerodynamics of the helmet without it made riding even at a 100 kph near impossible and I still had many hundreds of Km's to go. I could have duct taped it on but, like many, find a helmet I can't raise the visor on uncomfortable and quite claustrophobic.
Just another option.
Noel
Switching shields on the bell rs1 I have isn't necessary with the transitions shield. But I do take it off to clean it. It is the easiest shield I've ever seen, to change. In fact part of their advertising is that you can change it with one hand.
Quote from: ribbert on September 06, 2014, 06:25:32 AM
Quote from: Sabre093 on September 06, 2014, 12:18:05 AM
...I now look to a helmet for easy shield removal from day to night....
There are many times through the day when the dark screen, IMO, limits my vision. Not for seeing where I'm going but things like gravel on corners, picking damp from shade, riding under tree canopy etc.
I like a dark screen but just find there are too many times through the day when it's not suitable and my view of the road not the best it could possibly be.
The Bell Transitions face shield automatically takes care of this issue. When riding at dawn, dusk, or in shady/cloudy conditions the shield may darken, but not full dark.
I have not been in any conditions when the shield has been too dark. In bright sunshine the shield does get very dark and there is no need for sunglasses.
I do use a 1" visor shade to help with glare when riding into the sun.
Fred
Quote from: giantkiller on September 06, 2014, 09:32:15 AM
Switching shields on the bell rs1 I have isn't necessary with the transitions shield. But I do take it off to clean it. It is the easiest shield I've ever seen, to change. In fact part of their advertising is that you can change it with one hand.
The bell is definitely one of the easiest to change. I have a buddy who is a die hard Arai guy and we were teasing him about the shield change once at a track day.
When challenged about how easy a Bell was, I changed mine out in about a minute... while still wearing it.
The Bell Mag 9 I'm wearing is probably the most comfortable lid I've owned. Noise and wind control are excellent. It is light, provides very good peripheral vision and the adjustable vents provide a cherry on top
Head shape does not to be an issue with the comfort level. I have a narrow head and my son got his noggin' from his momma's gene pool (German) It's pretty much a pumpkin. When he tried mine on he instantly regretted his recent purchase of a quality helmet t twice the price.
There's somethings I don't like about it: The styling is a bit "Buck Rogers" for my taste. The flip shield provides as much protection as any full face helmet I've worn but it does not flip up completley out of the way; the bottom edge remains in my field of visiom. Also that shield is a bit fragile. If you drop the helmet it will probably break (mine did). It costs 40 bucks and most retailers are usually out of stock I've notoced. Also, the inner tinted shield has a rather flimsy feel to its acutuator/retractor.
The newer versions come pre-wired for blue-tooth ear phones (I have the old one)
It's under $200.
Thanks everyone for all of the feedback. A lot of good info, and some options for me on brands.
I had a Bell Magnum back in the mid-80's, and liked it. Perhaps it's time to revisit that brand. I like the potential benefits of Bell's Transitions shield, and quick detatch and re-latch of the shield on the brand that was noted. Enhanced air flow over what I have experienced with a Shoei RF, would be a nice benefit too.
Still though, I never considered HJC helmets, so they are worth a look too.
I will keep a watch out for some clearance deals on helmets.
Thanks again!
Don't forget, you can get different size cheek pads for the rs1 to fine tune the fit. Don't know if the other bell helmets offer that or not.
Quote from: FJ1100mjk on September 07, 2014, 08:23:17 PM
Thanks everyone for all of the feedback. A lot of good info, and some options for me on brands.
I had a Bell Magnum back in the mid-80's, and liked it. Perhaps it's time to revisit that brand. I like the potential benefits of Bell's Transitions shield, and quick detatch and re-latch of the shield on the brand that was noted. Enhanced air flow over what I have experienced with a Shoei RF, would be a nice benefit too.
Still though, I never considered HJC helmets, so they are worth a look too.
I will keep a watch out for some clearance deals on helmets.
Thanks again!
I tried the Transitions helmet and found it uncomfortable. It may fit your head though.
The electric tint LCD visors look interesting.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?autoplay=1&v=LHv0jeqTwpc