My helmet is needing pensioned off (snigger) and I'm looking for a replacement. My current lid is a Shark Vision-R and it has been OK except for one really annoying feature which also happens to be it's main selling point. :Facepalm: The Vision-R has wider peripheral vision than most helmets, great, but it also has a taller visor than most helmets. This means that when the sun isn't directly above or behind you, it's in your eyes and, you know that thing where you tilt your head forward and look up, it doesn't work, not even with your chin on your chest. It's like having a sunroof. It's probably a good thing on a sports bike but my last three bikes were naked or sit-up-and-beg style. It has an internal sun visor but the tint isn't dark enough to help. "Christ! Is this guy ever going to get to the point?" You ask. OK. The question is, does anyone have recommendations for a good helmet for naked bikes. By "good" I mean comfy, quiet, sun visor, non leaky visor that doesn't steam up, something that reduces buffeting (if anything can) and no fecking sun roof. I was considering the Shoei GT Air but I think they've maybe got a tall visor too. Not sure whether it's as excessive as the Vision-R. Anyone tried one? One last thing. Reviews talk about some helmets being aggressive. So, it tries to bite you when you're trying to clean it? Aggressive helmet - the phrase tells me nothing. Complete twaddle speak. What does it mean?
You could always spray paint the sun visor black opaque, thus turning it into a sun shade. Wouldn't that help?
I didn't know such things existed so didn't consider it but a quick web search sorted that. Thanks for the pointer. I'd consider spraying the top third because I'd want to keep the rest clear for night. Has anyone tried a spray tint? Any good?
hello Wally, i dont know if you like the brand HJC. But i had a sports helmet, full carbon fibre with an in built sun (glasses) visor system that you push down from the top of the helmet (very easy even with full gauntlets) and pushed a button and it snaps back up. You could also buy the glasses in different shades. I had a dark smoke for full on bright days. I found that helmet most convenient. Helmet was good too. OK, its not a Shoei or an Arai etc... but HJC are also in MotoGP, i think lorenzo wears one. Anyway, it could help you in this instance? And it was crash tested by myself in the mountains of Cyprus and i can vouch for its safety. It saved my Noggin as i went tumbling ass over tit down the ravine after hitting a diesel patch in 40 degree heat.... Not fun..
Thanks LeDuke, I don't have a brand in mind. I know HJC started as a budget brand but have upped their game and have been getting good reviews.
My bruv rides an MT-07 and he bought one of these, lightweight quiet internal shade, prefers it over his Shoei 1100 or Arai Quantum
I've got a Shoei GT Air and I'm riding a naked - SF. Its a great lid. I have no complaints about noise or turbulence but I'll be trying something else next time. I do have trouble with misting when its slightly damp or cold. Tried new visor and pinlock insert, cleaning, anti-fog sprays etc but it does mist especially on cold mornings. Hot summer's day its fine but early morning runs in the autumn when it a bit misty first thing and it can be a real pain. Very comfortable and very light though. Can't say I've had any issues with sun glare. I've got a cheaper AGV lid as well and that has a narrower visor but with the fairly sporty posture of the SF I find the top edge Pinlock strip passes right through my field of vision. That doesn't happen with the Shoei and it doesn't happen with the AGV when I'm riding my KTM which has an upright riding position. It may be more to do with the position of the Pinlock in the AGV than the height of the visor. I don't know. But I think I'd rather have a taller visor and have to drop the sun visor for riding into the sun than have a line running across my sight all the time. Don't know what to try next, probably a Schuberth S2 or S2R
I changed from an Arai Quantum (£300) to an HJC RPHA ST (£220). Riding the SF the HJC seems to suffer from less buffeting. That could be due to it being lighter than the Arai and therefore my neck muscles are more able to keep my head still or it could be the shape of the helmet causing less buffeting. The sun visor is great. In low winter sun it works really well. Both have Pinlock visors which work really well. The HJC is a bit more comfy than the Arai. The only issue I have with the HJC is that I have a problem opening and closing the visor. As I have only used it a couple of times I put that down to technique. I've had Arais for over 15 years so having a central visor catch is a bit of a change.
Thanks Gimlet, I had a Shoei a few years ago and, where misting up is concerned, it was exactly the same as you describe your GT Air to be and it put me off getting another Shoei. I'd completely forgotten about that so thanks for reminding me. The Vision-R is my 2nd Shark and I've never had a misting problem with either of them. Misting is a real pain, especially when it's raining because you have to open the visor a bit to clear the misting and when you do that then you get water running down the inside of the visor. We're not short of cool mornings or cool evenings or rain up here so misting would be a problem and that's enough for me to kick the GT Air into touch. C'mon Shoei, road test your helmets in the cold and pishy wet UK, you'll learn a lot about misting up.
Thanks SunEye, the HJC RPHA ST seems like a good lid. I'll defo seek it out and try it on. So far it looks like it and the Shark Speed R are the front runners. I'm trying a Shark on tomorrow and looking for a local source for the HJC.
I've got a shoei gt air and I have no problems with misting up (pinlock inserted). I did have an issue with wind noise and the shop tried to adjust the visor mount but no good. I sent shoei a message on foolsbook and they replied within 30 mins. Told me to take it back to shop and have it sent back for them to look at. They returned it within a couple of days and it was perfect. Light, comfortable, quiet and I couldn't be without an internal sun visor again.
Thanks Isaac. I'd certainly miss having an internal sun visor though I did survive without them for decades And do the swingometer starts to swing back the way. I've never been a fan of pinlock inserts. They may have improved but my memory is that car headlights used to flare like crazy and make night rides a nightmare. Maybe they've improved. I'll hunt down and try the Shark Speed-R, the Shoei and HJC too.
have an aria rebel patriot in large for sale, these are designed for the naked bike, its been used twice and is in brand new condition, has a genuine tint visor to go along with it as well as the clear one, in box with cover/ pinlock insert, manual etc £200 ive sold my superduke r and bought my 999 only reason I'm selling
I have the GT-air and have used the internal visor as a sun blind just peeping out half an inch to keep the low winter sun glare down but giving me clear vision of the road itself - very useful. Not noticed misting, even in cold rain I had nothing at all on the pinlock, just some misting on the outer edges so seemed to be working fine for me. I tend to ride with the vents open, not sure if that makes a difference.
I thought I'd bring this thread to a close. I tried on a few including the Shark, Shoei and an X-Lite. None of the local bike shops stock HJC. I went for the GT-Air because it feels higher quality than everything else I tried. It's a quality act. The fact that I could pick it up for less than the shark helped.
