There's a helmet city at west bay, it's where we're going on Sunday after brekkie, char said you might come along, they can post for a tenner I think too
Your best bet is always to get a last year colour, john Hopkins etc. I paid £400 for my Kagayama x-spirit 2 and that's a cracking deal!!
:smile:Helmet City?? Fuggin love it... Whaddabout 'Floppy Knob Central' Childish I know but its just the way my mind works. Drives the wife crackers at times... Tee heee Oh, and I use the RX7 GP. Great lid but as pointed out noisy due to airflow. Fits me great and feels plush and comfy. I heard the Chaser is a different shape as Arai aim some of their lid ranges at different parts of the world where swede shape changes.
Helmets with good ventilation are noisy. You either get used to the noise or wear earplugs. Shimples :smile:
Ive used Helmet City 3 times. Each time was a pleasure. Although had I realised earlier that they are 5mins from me, i'd have gone to the shop instead of online. But never mind. Ive had umpteen RX7's, great lid. The best currently available IMO for my shaped bonce. I always wear earplugs.
It isn't that shimple at all. I've had a fair few helmets in my time and you can easily (or could) get a helmet that ventilates adequately without you feeling as if you are sitting in a wind tunnel. The Quantum was such a lid, as were the Shoeis. The Shark is insufficiently ventilated which prompted the purchase of the Arai. I always wear a Foggy mask thing in the Shark which is great when it's not too warm, but no good on a hot day. But the RX-7 is just disappointing. I don't need ventilation over my ears, and ventilation is ventilation - it's not a swirling hurricane. But I appreciate that heads are different and that one man's meat is another man's rissole.
I enjoyed our little jaunt to Helmet City at the weekend and it was clear (after trying on a few more lids) that the RX7 seemed to fit best. Ive been to the local Infinity this afternoon and got the below. I was a little unsure about the design initially but its really grown on me and with the matte finish its really very nice. Lining is extremely plush and the vents seem better made and fitted than on my Chaser....definitely a step up, but then it should be for the price hike! I'll bung up some thoughts when Ive worn it on the bike. Biggest point of interest (rather than concern) is the noise level. I wear earplugs (don't want to do more damage) but I'm intrigued to see what the difference is to the Chaser.
I currently have an X-spirit 2 'Vermeulen' and an X-lite 802 'Lorenzo'. The X-lite is nowhere near as good as the Shoei it's a much noisier lid and doesn't shift anywhere near as much air as the X-spirit 2. Going back a few years ago I had an X-spirit 1, unfortunately for me I had a bad bump where I was T-boned and did a superman impression up the road! The Shoei saved my head big time! So the moment I got the money together the replacement had to be another Shoei. I had previously tried the Arai RX7 GP and unfortunately it wasn't as comfy for me. From a personal point of view I didn't like the fact that the small and medium in the Arai were the same shell with different thickness lining, where as the Shoei has 4 individual shell sizes. For me too the look of the Shoei also seems a bit more modern, I don't like the side pods on the Arai and the spoiler on the back makes an annoying whistle at certain speeds. The fact the Shoei XR1100 and X-spirit have the auto adjust visor seating is worth it's weight in gold too, plus there is far greater peripheral viability than anything else I've tried. No I don't work for Shoei lol but seriously I can't honestly see how anyone could regret buying into the brand they are awesome lids, the only negatives are the prices if you want a current paint scheme and the fact that there aren't too many paint options. I got mine from the NEC show for £349 also had a choice of RX7 GP for the same sort of cash too.
I've just been for a quick trip into Southampton with the new helmet on. I didn't wear earplugs to get a feel for the level of noise. Its not warm (about 11 degrees) and I included a bit of motorway to get up some speed. I was on a Triumph Speed Triple so its naked rather than a faired sports bike. First impressions? Not noisy...or at least not as much as I was expecting and not markedly worse than the Chaser. There's no whistles from wind with the noise being more of a constant rushing - a pleasant surprise given the amount of holes and the protruding brows down the helmet. The vents make a massive difference, with icy tendrils of cool air whipping around when the vents are open. The pull down chin skirt makes a slight difference, deflecting the air downwards a bit. It feels stable (up to about 100) even though it's pretty breezy today, with little buffeting. There seems to be a fair amount more room around the ears than the Chaser I had - it feels like you could get headphones in there quite happily if you wanted to - and you can certainly feel a draught around the lug' oles. If it was really cold I'd be plugging up vents with earplugs or wearing one of those necktubes over my head like a bandana which should keep things warmer. One of the major differences was doing lifesavers as the aperture is slightly bigger. It might only be 5mm either side but when its that close to your eye it feels like you have lots more peripheral vision....a bit like sticking a fish-eye lens on a camera. I'll be interested to see how it does on the 848 as the air will hit it and pass over it differently but first impressions are good.
and you have the Brucie- bonus of a visit to Beaver Water World, or the Reptile Zoo whilst you are there - locally. And no, afore the smutty types come out blinking into the daylight, they are not euphemisms (although i grant you they could be....... fnarrrr, fnarr)
Ive been whilst Warehouse M/C was there. Visited the zoo. Just never knew Helmet City was there...lol. They could have thrown the delivery to me, i'm that close.
I did a bit of Googling for a new lid today. A vague Googling, as I haven't got the cash, but the helmets I do have are getting somewhat long in the tooth - rather longer than I would like, ideally. Having liked the Quantum so much, and having understood that Arai re-released it, does anyone here have any thoughts about it? I am now suspecting that the only Quantum that is current is the Quantum ST, in very boring colours. But there is a nice Quantum you can still get hold of which quite tickles my fancy. It looks like this: Although the RX-7 is supposedly the all-singing, all-dancing Arai helmet, amazingly, this Quantum seems to be more expensive - about £408 - although I suppose I could get the VAT knocked off. Anyone know if the visors are interchangeable with the RX-7? That would be quite a point in its favour, as I have various serviceable visors for my current lid.
I got the Premier Dragon Evo recently. I needed a new helmet and freaked about paying for a new RX7. I couldn't find anyone who'd owned a Premier, let alone crashed in one, until I remembered that Nannelli had been sponsored by them. He recommended them for being crash proof! I got mine for about £400 with a pinlock and a spare visor. It's made out of carbon and titanium weave - same stuff on the new Pagani. I'll be doing a write-up soon, but it's here: http://www.premier.it/en/sport-helmet/dragon-evo-titanium.
A current rx7 is £700... which is part of the reason I went for last year's design! The quantum looked good and at the end of the day any Arai or Shoei is going to be good as both are premium lids.... Just about best fit as much as anything as always. Unfortunately I threw away the wrapping for the spare visor I got with the helmet.... It had a list of fitments. Worth checking as the visors are very expensive. £55 for a tinted and then you've got to put a £20 pinlock insert in it. Might be best to contact Arai to get a definitive list... Especially if your current visors are older.
Ive had a good few rides with the RX7 now and its noticeable how much more noise there is when on the 848 in comparisson witht he Speed Triple. This is simply down to the angle my head is at on the sports bike. Again, its not too much of a bother but Id definately be wearing ear plugs now if I wasnt already. If you want a well designed, plush helmet with lots of effective air vents, this is a great lid.....but its not quiet!
