New lid...

Motorcycling
1

Aloha,

Took a flyer at the weekend (luckily off the vespa, not the zx9r!) and landed on my head (safest place for me!).

So, I was in Infinity today looking at a replacement for my trusty HJC that I ‘borrowed’ about a year ago after coming off during a track day and needed to get home. I’ve had Shoei and Arai in the past so figured I’d go back to using them and was trying them on today…

However…I’m not sure it’s reallly worth it now, are Arai and Shoei really that far ahead in terms of quality and style when you take away the branding? Like for like I can replace the HJC for about £150, the others start at double that and I’m not sure there is as much in the whole quality argument as people say…

I’ve used my HJC for about a year and I take the bike to Scotland at least once a month, I’ve found it comfortable and quiet enough that I’ve ended up putting off replacing it for this long, so it can’t be that bad!

So, do I fork out for a new Aria Viper GT, or a Shoei XR1000…or something else like that (suggestions welcome!), or do I just carry on with what I’ve been using and spend the spare £150 on something else?!

Any thoughts…

2

I’m in a similar position, always worn a XR1000 and need a new lid.

Really like the look of Schuberths, but I tried one on and it was comfy but felt really big, like I wouldn’t be able to turn my head properly. Pretty heavy as well.

I like the look of X-Lite as well, especially the N-Com ones…

I always thought Arai didn’t fit me but I tried a Chaser and it felt amazing. It may be true what they say about Arai being the most comfortable.

HJC look really interesting and pretty cheap, especially the carbon ones.

Shark also interest me, but I haven’t had a chance to try any of these on yet.

I also think that BMW helmets must be worth a look…they seem to be very highly rated and aren’t too expensive. They also have an intercom option which attracts me.

I may just end up buying another XR1000; I’ve covered 40000 miles in mine and never felt like I needed to take it off…surely that’s a good thing…I’m scared that another helmet will be an expensive mistake when I realise a few hours down the road that it bugs me in some way comfort wise…this makes me think I should just stick to what I know.

Ideally I’d like something that feels like the Arai Chaser inside, but with the quietness of a Schuberth, a flip down sun visor and an inbuilt intercom.

Anybody tried the Dainese DNect helmets?

Also, I’d like to have an intercom put in, and looking inside some helmets it looks like the earphones/earpads won’t go in too well.

If anybody has any experience of any of these helmets (I’d be particularly interested to hear from previous XR1000 users), or any experience of putting intercoms in any of them, I would very much like to hear from you.

3

thanks…i had a wee look at the schuberths and know exactly what you mean…not sure they’re really for me either…

4

If you know your HJC size the look at busters accesories online, they usually got them on sale upto £100 less than the shops :):slight_smile:

5

Caberg V2R, about £110, shell size not huge, inbuilt sun shield, SHARP 5 star rating.

Recently replaced my Shark (dropped it) with one of these and like it a lot.

6

Also might be worth to look at Scorpion. good lids (but underated). they also did well on Sharp.

not too sure about the inflatable cheek pads on the exo-1000 tho :ermm:

7

Sounds like the pump technology I had in a pair of Reebok hi-tops back in the 80s !

Probably just as pointless as well… :slight_smile:

Schuberth are very well made & a lot quieter than most other helemts, the sun-shield is great too. But the downside is that they are a little bigger & this makes them (well at least my S1) quite literally a pain in the neck on a sports bike 'cos you need to tilt your head back further to see much into the distance.

It’s my helmet of choice when on the Bandit, but I’ve got an XR1000 for sportsbike riding, which is notably lighter if also noisier. You can get them for £200 if you’re not too bothered about having the latest replica-graphics.

8

I had a Raid II that was really comfortable, tried the XR1000 but it wasn’t a very good fit. The Viper GT on the other hand was snug as a bug in a rug.

Try both and see which one you prefer.

Schuberth, nothing but trouble. Build quality terrible, and despite having a batch of dodgy visors I am still hearing problems with the anti fog coating two years on.

9

yep me thinks its very pointless

do you think they’ll replace the d-ring with a disk that you twist to tighten?

:w00t:

10

thanks guys, plenty of food for thought…