More of a moan, being annoyed and hopefully advice to others. Bought a Shoei Neotec couple of years ago and soon after bought the Sena 10U dedicated intercom. The neotec is great although not my head shape and the Sena is fantastic. Clear, loud and no problem with my custom earplugs. Last week tried on the latest Neotec 2 and it felt much better but to my surprise my Sena won't fit. Between them they made sure that a new Sena needs to be purchased. Very annoying. I accept ( well we have to accept it) that the helmet must be replaced after 5 years but no one pointed out that the Sena will be useless after the 5 years as well. All, be aware of dedicated accessories - be prepared to write them off at the same time as well. As a matter of principle I will not buy the new Shoei helmet or a Sena when due for a new helmet.
Why does a helmet have to be changed every 5 years ? Depends on the materials used in its constrction, how many times it’s been worn, what weather conditions blah, blah. Shoei got together with Sena and designed a helmet and comms system. Nothing stuck to the outside of the helmet to cause wind noise, nothing to catch and get ripped off the helmet. FWIW, if I was you and you are happy with what you have, keep it. Andy
You could get one of the other Sena models? I like my 20s for this reason, fits to almost any helmet. I've got a couple of cradles on other helmets and can switch the expensive bit between them. If you prefer slim line, the R model is very low profile. One of the reasons I avoided the Sena specific to my GT Air helmet, Shoei have a habit of quite drastically changing helmets between revisions. eBay is also your friend. Second hand Sena units fetch good prices. I've bought a couple of used units for friends getting into biking and they are never as cheap as I'd like. Does the Neotec 2 have a different head shape? Most Shoei's fit pretty similar (why I like them) if your current helmet doesn't fit you well, you'd likely be best jumping to another brand anyway..? It's a rough guide but my understanding is that the EPS foam degrades from exposure to oils and contaminants from our sweaty heads. Obviously if you don't ride daily, you may be safer stretching it out, as long as you store the helmet well. Dry, out of direct sunlight etc... Still, there are lots of areas to save a few pennies in life and 5 years is a long time. I wouldn't want to risk my helmet not performing as good as it possibly can. If I need it, a few hundred quid after a few years won't seem like a lot!
As Andy said the dedicated design is great. All hidden away and that what attracted me to it. The neotec 2 seems to be a different shape - I think a bit more oval. Please note that's my opinion when I tried it out. I am sure they could easily use the same unit for the new helmet - but hey...that's not the way to increase sales and revenues.
The Neotec looks like a a pretty different helmet from the first gen. The shell and cheek pads have changed a lot. It's pretty annoying Shoei keep putting these extended neck roll pieces on the outer shell of their helmets, preventing the use of the normal Sena mount. So maybe you're on to something with them trying to force us into buying new head units... but I suspect it's mostly just the Japanese doing as they please and Sena being an after thought. I've not heard of Shoei implementing the new MIPS/rotating liner technology into any of their line, which seems to be a pretty drastic safety improvement, so maybe you might be best served trying something else. I've been a Shoei fanboy for a long time but thinking about going elsewhere when my GT Air gets replaced. The paint finish is crazy good and it's been quiet and comfortable but it fogs way more than a much cheaper Shark & AGV helmets I own do and the venting has never seemed to work brilliantly.
I purchased a open face lid back in 1998 for my black buell s1 and i still use it today,,,it's very clean
