Which helmet?

[firefighter]

This is'nt the topic of popular coversation at the mo......

But anyway

I'm getting a new helmet. And probably one of these;

Shark RSR2
Shoei XR1000
Suomy Spec 1R

Anyone have any reasons I should chose one over the other?

They all fit pretty well, and all come with cool graphics that I can choose......so i'm basically going to end up flipping a coin if someone else does'nt decide for me!

[vifferman]

Firefighter, eh?
Big, burly, brave guy who laughs in the face of danger, and faces death on a weekly basis? :confused:


Make your own fucking decision, ya poof! :Pokey:

:lol:

If you want an opinion, I've had an XR1000 for a couple of years now, and love it. If you want an even better (though dearer) helmet, the XR-1100 has got very good reviews - check out this one (http://www.webbikeworld.com/r2/shoei/rf-1100/shoei-rf-1100-overview.htm) f'rinstance.

[howdamnhard]

The one that fits best. I like the Sharks(safety wise and thick visor) but can't wear them as they nail right in the forehead.

[YellowDog]

You can't afford one of those.

Have you not seen the new ACC Rego hike?

[firefighter]

You can't afford one of those.

Have you not seen the new ACC Rego hike?

I'm downsizing to a 600cc supersport so I can afford the new rego costs, so now that i'll be riding a more dangerous bike i'll need a betterer helmet! :rolleyes:

[p.dath]

Do they all fit well? Assuming they do;

The Sumoy has a 3 star SHARP rating.
The Shoei has has a 3 star SHARP rating.
The Shark has a 5 star SHARP rating.

So I would take the SHARP hands down.

EDIT: Oops, That should had said I will take the Shark.

[ital916]

Shoei have brought out the new xr1100. They go for the same price as the old xr1000s. 649 plain colours. 700 metallic. 849 decals. The old xr1000 at motomail have a hundy off whilst in stock. plain 549. decals 749.

The xr1100 is an awesome helmet in my opinion and gets the thumbs up. Three frontal vents and four top and rear vents make ventilation excellent. A wider field of view too with no helmet bit in view through the visor slot. They come with pin lock visors and a anti fog insert. Have a fully removable inner liner and many different cheek pad sizes, to tailor fit to what you want.

Very nice. Well at least give it a try before you buy haha. Go into motomail and take one for a test ride (if you live in auckland). Commitment free.

[Sidewinder]

shoei or aria only or dont borther getting a helmet

[ducatisl]

do yourself a favour and try on an Arai before you buy anything , they are the ducks nuts!!!! i wouldnt wear anything else. colemans has heaps in stock.

[HQfiend]

How bout this one?http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=247749020:hijack:

[sAsLEX]

do yourself a favour and try on an Arai before you buy anything , they are the ducks nuts!!!! i wouldnt wear anything else. colemans has heaps in stock.

I cant get my head in to them....... without them being waaayyyy too big..

Strange head shape maybe?

[Owl]

I cant get my head in to them....... without them being waaayyyy too big..

Strange head shape maybe?

Try them all, as they have various head shapes depending on model!

As for the OP, seriously look at the new XR1100, though the XR1000 is still a nice lid.

[What?]

...so i'm basically going to end up flipping a coin if someone else does'nt decide for me!

You've got a three-sided coin?

Can I borrow it??

[H00dz]

Can you just flip the f******G coin so I can go back to being pissed off about the ACC Levies:Oi:, I got two 1200cc in the Garage, who the fucks gonna be able to afford to buy another lid in the future!!!:headbang:

[Mully]

I cant get my head in to them....... without them being waaayyyy too big..

Strange head shape maybe?

Yeah, generally you fit either a Shoei or an Arai.

Personally, I fit Shoei and I'm finally getting one next year. Om nom nom.

[firefighter]

You've got a three-sided coin?

Can I borrow it??

Sure......but are'nt all coins three sided?

[pritch]

The Sumoy has a 3 star SHARP rating.
The Shoei has has a 3 star SHARP rating.
The Shark has a 5 star SHARP rating.

So I would take the SHARP hands down.

Well, here we go again... :whistle:

The Sharp ratings may make sense one day, but that day is yet to come.

For instance, Sharp rate an open face helmet as safe as a full face helmet.
If that makes sense to you I guess you'll be happy buying according to their recommendation.

When the not-so-sharp testers chose the points at which they would test helmets the chin bar was not one of them. But that isn't much more weird than the points they did choose...:weird:

[Jonno.]

Well, here we go again... :whistle:

The Sharp ratings may make sense one day, but that day is yet to come.

For instance, Sharp rate an open face helmet as safe as a full face helmet.
If that makes sense to you I guess you'll be happy buying according to their recommendation.

When the not-so-sharp testers chose the points at which they would test helmets the chin bar was not one of them. But that isn't much more weird than the points they did choose...:weird:
Err, if you need a test to tell you if a helmet is half face or full face maybe you should drive a car :dodge:

NZ/AU standard doesn't test chinbar either.

[p.dath]

Well, here we go again... :whistle:

The Sharp ratings may make sense one day, but that day is yet to come.

For instance, Sharp rate an open face helmet as safe as a full face helmet.
If that makes sense to you I guess you'll be happy buying according to their recommendation.

When the not-so-sharp testers chose the points at which they would test helmets the chin bar was not one of them. But that isn't much more weird than the points they did choose...:weird:

It was based off the COST report, and I guess not many people suffered injuries on the chin. The impact points were simply selected based on the most common head impact points.

Consider your chin comment. What kind of accident is going to result in you coming off your bike *and* hitting your chin? I think those kinds of injuries would be unlikely.

[caseye]

It was based off the COST report, and I guess not many people suffered injuries on the chin. The impact points were simply selected based on the most common head impact points.

Consider your chin comment. What kind of accident is going to result in you coming off your bike *and* hitting your chin? I think those kinds of injuries would be unlikely.

Oh boy!:Pokey:

[sAsLEX]

What was Lorenzo wearing? I would not vote for that one, Nolan.

[Pussy]

I've had a Shoei X-Spirit for the last six years.
I replaced it last week with a new run-out XR1000. The XR1000 is primo! It's quieter than the X-Spirit, a bit lighter, and VERY comfortable.
There are some good deals on XR1000s at the moment.... grab one while they're available

[ital916]

Well, here we go again... :whistle:

The Sharp ratings may make sense one day, but that day is yet to come.

For instance, Sharp rate an open face helmet as safe as a full face helmet.
If that makes sense to you I guess you'll be happy buying according to their recommendation.

When the not-so-sharp testers chose the points at which they would test helmets the chin bar was not one of them. But that isn't much more weird than the points they did choose...:weird:

Well there are different testing standards for both open face and full face helmets. I believe flip face helmets get tested under the open face helmets methods and standards.

[ukusa]

It was based off the COST report, and I guess not many people suffered injuries on the chin. The impact points were simply selected based on the most common head impact points.

Consider your chin comment. What kind of accident is going to result in you coming off your bike *and* hitting your chin? I think those kinds of injuries would be unlikely.

I suggest you re-think that question

[sAsLEX]

I've had a Shoei X-Spirit for the last six years.
I replaced it last week with a new run-out XR1000. The XR1000 is primo! It's quieter than the X-Spirit, a bit lighter, and VERY comfortable.
There are some good deals on XR1000s at the moment.... grab one while they're available

The X spirit is not designed for quiet, the XR 1000/1100 are touring based so are.

The new xspirit has the ability to remove the cheek pieces whilst worn by a medic so if needed they can more easily remove it......

[extGamer]

i prefer the Shark RSR2 :D , quite comformable for me and that the one i have been using for a while

[firefighter]

Well I finally purchased a new helmet. RF/XR1100 Sever.

Here's some pics below, was taken after the protest ride so not right out of the box but close enough!

The Helmet is a little quieter than my old Suomy Vandal, and about as comfortable. I will still wear ear plugs with it, and it does have a slightly irritating whistle on the left where the visor clip/thing sits, although i'm sure this won't be noticeable with plugs in. It is a little noisier than expected but far from bad.

To be honest it's not much more comfortable than my old Suomy Vandal, but I have tried on the XR1000 and it definitely has a nicer feel.

It has great peripheral vision with the new visor.

There are nice big spaces in the ears for your speakers, and you can comfortably wear glasses if that's your thing.

The wind today gave a great test for the way it sits, and it felt "heavy" against the stronger headwinds.
My bike being an upright style bike I really noticed the buffeting. Head checks were however very easy, and I had no lifting or issues with turning my head, it just kinda felt "heavy" with the stronger winds.

The graphics and paint is superb and the pics do not do it justice. I was a little worried as flames and skulls are'nt really my kind of design preference, but when pulling it out of the box I was pleasantly surprised.

Overall i'm happy with the helmet, it is quieter than my last helmet (which is no great feat as it's notoriously noisy) It has good quality graphics, good ventilation and is comfortable.

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/album.php?albumid=2624&pictureid=34579

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/album.php?albumid=2624&pictureid=34578

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/album.php?albumid=2624&pictureid=34577

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/album.php?albumid=2624&pictureid=34576

[firefighter]

Bump for those who were interested.....

[scracha]

Personally, I fit Shoei and I'm finally getting one next year. Om nom nom.
Got a Shoei head meeself but I could never justify another one after having successfully tested out 3 Shark helmets. I honestly believe the Shark anti-scratch visor (is an option on their cheaper S500 and 650 models) is the best on the market. Mine has a few ickle dents from stones hitting it at speed but none of the associated scratch marks. My ridiculously expensive Shoei visor is scratched to hell in comparison.

[Gizzit]

I'm on my second Shoei XR1000. I am biased obviously .... as they fit me real well, but I do think they are a very nice helmet.

I have owned a Shark (can't remember which model now ... ), and it was a good quality helmet, but I found it a bit noisy. It wasn't a top of the range Shark though.

[Toaster]

shoei or aria only or dont borther getting a helmet

Agreed. Both Arai and Shoei are very good brands, high quality with a price tag to match.

[firefighter]

Agreed. Both Arai and Shoei are very good brands, high quality with a price tag to match.

True, although i've asked 2 different US companies via email for their opinion on the best helmets (sportbiketrackgear, helmet harbour), and the RSR2 was by far the most popular, noise, comfort, weight, quality and safety wise, consistently between both companies.

The reason I ended up choosing the Shoei over the Shark was that after re-trying them all on, it fit just a little more comfortably for my head shape, otherwise I actually would have gone for the RSR2.

Yes I am aware that the RF1100 is a sport touring helmet and the RSR2 is a track helmet. The question I asked was for a general consensus on the favourite helmet amounst thier staff.

Both companies do pretty good reviews on you tube so I value their opinion.

[Toaster]

True, although i've asked 2 different US companies via email for their opinion on the best helmets (sportbiketrackgear, helmet harbour), and the RSR2 was by far the most popular, noise, comfort, weight, quality and safety wise, consistently between both companies.

The reason I ended up choosing the Shoei over the Shark was that after re-trying them all on, it fit just a little more comfortably for my head shape, otherwise I actually would have gone for the RSR2.

Yes I am aware that the RF1100 is a sport touring helmet and the RSR2 is a track helmet. The question I asked was for a general consensus on the favourite helmet amounst thier staff.

Both companies do pretty good reviews on you tube so I value their opinion.

I agree. Good comfort in a helmet is vital, especially on a long ride!!

By the way, I loved your signature about the cat and jam toast.... good laugh!

[firefighter]

I agree. Good comfort in a helmet is vital, especially on a long ride!!

Yeah pretty much. I was a bit gutted that the Shark was'nt quite as good a fit, I have a weird head shape for a Kiwi so I thought it'd fit me being a euro helmet (they usually do)


By the way, I loved your signature about the cat and jam toast.... good laugh!

I ca'nt remember where I stole that from but it had me in hysterics when I first read it too!

[SPman]

They'll all do as good a job as one another so comfort on your head, is the ultimate decider. I've got a Shark - I like it but the ventilation isn't as good as my previous Arai. The most comfy, and lightest helmet I've had was a '97 Bell Race Star Chili replica..

[el_scor_cho]

get yourself an agv stealth from ebay. cheap as at the mo and a really decent helmet. got mine for a tidy $380 with a tint visor.:niceone: