Hello everyone, While i am waiting for my bike to arrive i've started looking for a helmet. So far the top contestants are Schuberth C3, Schuberth S2, Shoei GT Air, Shoei XR-1100. So far C3 looks like the best of out of them all. As i will drive in town only, mostly home-work-home and there are like traffic lights every 50 meters here i think it will suits me best. I am looking for a helmet with best ventilation. Could you guys give me some tips out of these 4 helmets which one is the best. I know its hard to compare modular with a full face helmet...but still... Im my country the price of the C3 is like 500-550 EUR. As i was looking for a cheaper one i found this on ebay http://www.ebay.com/itm/270745054892?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649 . Could you guys get a look at it? I am abit scared of all these fake/replica helmets out there. And this one is like 130-150 EUR cheaper. P.S I just read alot of good reviews on Shoei Neotec...so now there are 5 helmets to choose from...
You need to try them on and make sure you get a good fit. That €130 saving looks lame when your helmet has caused more injury because it isn't right for you. I have the GT-Air and it's fine but you're not comparing like for like. Go somewhere and try them all on and you'll get the idea. I'd never buy a helmet off eBay.
I've tried C3 and Shoei Neotec today. I wore them for like 3-4 mins each but they seems to fit fine. Haven't had a chance to try Gt-Air as it wasn't available at the time.
There is a theory that Shoei and Arai suit different shape heads. I would strongly advise that if you've never tried a particular helmet before, don't buy online, buy from inside proper dealers of specialist supplier. Somebody like LidsDirect, Onyerbike or Bikestop for example would be a great places to do it. I would only buy off the net if I have experience of that type of helmet. Buy the best you can afford it really is as simple as that. HJC are very good value for example and you get a lot for your money. Shoei and Arai and pricey, but are quality products.
I have had Shoei in the past and find that as with Arai they suit a different shape head to the Schuberth, which I also have. The Schuberth is not as comfortable for me as the Arai and you can feel the difference in shape through the pressure the shell applies to different sections of your head Although not on your list I find the Arai gives me better ventilation, probably the Shoei too and gives best peripheral vision. The Schuberth I have is an older S1 and it is a scarily quiet helmet, but the ventilation is not as good as the Arai. Its purely personal choice. Trying them out is an absolute must do, if your not comfy it will distract and annoy you. Comfort should always come first. When trying them try to mist the hemet by breathing heavy and quick to look for misting, pay attention to the peripheral vision you get. Noise well you just wont know, as shape as well as padding plays a large part If I was town riding noise would not be a factor, peripheral vision and ventilation would be my top priorities John
I've use the xr1100 and can't recommend it enough. I've never tried a schuberth to be fair but compared to my old arai it's miles in front. Very comfortable,very light and is by far the easiest visor changes I've ever seen. Shop around though because there is loads of deals out there and the old fashion cash deal can still help too.
Thank you all for the great help. So far i have narrowed the selection to two helmets - xr1100 and nexx xr2. According to few magazines and webBikeWorld the nexx have great ventilation and the noise level is low. I just love the look of the xr2. Sadly i cannot try it out because the shops in our town does not have it in stock.
I think you'll find that if a lid has great ventilation it is shit at keeping the noise down. And vice versa. I have an Arai RX7GP with great ventilation. I also wear ear plugs.
Trust me, its worth making the trip to somewhere that does have stock. If you're really adverse to traveling, I believe Sportsbike shop do a returns service, so may be worth dropping them a line and explaining the situation etc
I'm currently running a GT-Air. I got a reasonable deal in-store at Infinity in Clapham and then did 2000 miles on a Euro tour straight away with a Sena SMH10 and Drift Ghost tacked to it. The fit is pretty tight and the tops of my ears sometimes fold over but the finish is good, the vents work and the helmet is very light. The inner sun-visor is way better optically than Schuberth's one which scratches if you breathe on it and costs a fortune to replace. However, it is prone to serious misting. I see that dark primary visors are now available for this helmet but exorbitantly priced (something like £80 for an iridium). My biggest annoyance with the lid is the overly stiff visor mechanism. There is a stepped action and the mechanism is self adjusting on springs. I find it a pain to open which I do at just about every stop light when commuting around town. My other helmets are the Schuberth C3 and a now ratty Arai Tour-X3. The Shoei is not as quiet as the Schuberth but definitely lighter and has better quality matt paint. The C3 and regular Arais probably have plusher, more luxurious interiors.
seen that on dun. who'd of thought a cheep and nasty could have a better rating than some of the most pricy?
I am bit old school, in the fact you used to be a "shoei or arai shaped head", my first helmet was shoei then after that always arai. Nowaday I think they are similar, but even after liking the agv rossi reps etc, I always go back to arai. And my limited advice would be to stick to arai or shoei still, even tho schuberth have great reputations. But as someone else said you need to go try them on and see what fits you best rather than designs, you only have one head so look after it... its pretty precious.
I have a Schuberth C3 and a Shoei XR1100. The Shoei is a bit more comfortable, but a lot noisier. The Schuberth visor does not stay open as well as the Shoei, but the ventsand pinlock works fine. I wear mine mostly when I'm on blood bike duty, so being able to flip the front on calls is a huge benefit, as is the comms collar. I mostly wear the Shoei when on my 749. I am definitely a Shoei head, Arai never fit very well. I did consider the Neotec, but it did not have integrated comms and was more expensive than the Shuberth.
I've gone from an Arai Chaser to a Shoei XR1100. Fair to say I've got a sizable noggin (not bragging btw) and my Arai was a XXL but the Shoei is only an XL. Strangely the Shoei's shell is effing huge compared to the Arai. Caught the reflection of myself on the bike in a shop window recently and could only compare the image to the MCE big Ed! My advice would be to try on as many as possible until your totally happy.
There are still some Shoei Multitecs out there brand new for around £250, I managed to pick one up last year for that price and it's a superb helmet. Just doesn't have the internal sun visor.
my top tip is make sure you don't buy too big, i brought XL ,1st helmet , then L now I'm a medium and its hard to get on but then fits like a glove and comfy. They all give from being in the shop. Ive always brought Arai top of range but just switched to shoes spirit 2 , they are both good bit wear ear plugs it really is fit followed by finish , no good being safe but not looking cool is there, i mean what next a flip front
