Shoei Neotec

[caspernz]

Ah yes, I couldn't help myself. My four year old Shoei Multitec was getting a bit tatty and smelly after many clicks. Saw the Shoei Neotec being advertised, had a look and ordered one. It's a pricey helmet, but oh well, it's only money.

First impressions after a couple of hours today. Take into account this is comparing the Multitec I have had for the last four years with the new Neotec. Venting is much improved, it's quieter, the visor seems to lock back against the helmet to help with noise reduction, less buffeting so I'm guessing the aero profile has changed somewhat, clever venting to help the visor stay clear inside....oh and the integrated dark visor thingee is rather cool. Be interesting to see how it fares on a 1000 km day.

Anyone else taken the plunge with a Neotec yet?

[lesliec]

Hi Caspernz.

I replaced my old Shark with a Neotec a couple of weeks ago. Seems I may be the only one, but I get a lot of noise from the top vent. Unfortunately, when I took the helmet for a test ride it was on a loan bike, the CBR being in for a service that day, and the riding position was very different (Hyosung cruiser thing. Horrible!). When I'd parted with my dollars, got back on my own bike and headed back to town there was a huge increase in the noise.

There might be a couple of reasons for this. This is my first flip-up hat; maybe I should expect more noise than from the old full-face. Or maybe my riding position needs some work - I can tone the noise down a bit by tilting my head back, but that feels a bit unnatural. Earplugs certainly help, and maybe it's something I'll get used to (this may already be happening).

My other gripe, and again I think I'm getting used to it, is it's really warm inside - quite stuffy - when I'm waiting for the lights to change. Two problems with that; if I'm wearing glasses they steam up solid, and I'm not sure how it's going to feel on a hot day. But I guess the answer to both is simple: pop the visor or flip up the whole front. Ain't it good to have choices?

Apart from that, I agree with what you've said about the venting (so good my head gets cold!), the buffeting and the cool (and useful) built-in sunnies. And of course you can't beat one of them Pinlock inserts (or the Fogcity in a non-Pinlock helmet) for fog resistance.

[caspernz]

Yep the crown vent makes noise, going from the Multitec to the Neotec the noise itself has decreased though, so I'm happy. If you've swapped from a fullface to a flipface then the noise is likely worse. On my commute I don't normally bother with earplugs, but I do wear them when going for a decent strop.

In town I must admit I crack the visor open one click, always have done even before the flipface helmets came along. Early days for me, but overall I'm impressed with the improvements over the Multitec.

[BMWST?]

Yep the crown vent makes noise, going from the Multitec to the Neotec the noise itself has decreased though, so I'm happy. If you've swapped from a fullface to a flipface then the noise is likely worse. On my commute I don't normally bother with earplugs, but I do wear them when going for a decent strop.

In town I must admit I crack the visor open one click, always have done even before the flipface helmets came along. Early days for me, but overall I'm impressed with the improvements over the Multitec.
does the neotec(or multi for that matter) have a just cracked open visor position?My raid 2 does and i use it when tootling round town whenit might fog up otherwise.The neo comes with a pinlock?

[caspernz]

does the neotec(or multi for that matter) have a just cracked open visor position?My raid 2 does and i use it when tootling round town whenit might fog up otherwise.The neo comes with a pinlock?

Yes the Neotec has pinlock, and it also can have visor left open just a little. In all honesty I find that unless I stop at a set of lights I can run pretty much cruise around town visor closed, with the pinlock insert in place of course.

[stamen]

Missus bought me a neotec when she was overseas, to replace my 10 years old shoei.

No contest really, it's quieter, warmer on cold mornings but less fogging due to the pinlock, so far I have never needed to crack the visor open to clear the fog.
This is my first flip up and i dont think i would buy a non-flip again, it's just really handy. The sunnies is handy too, although I feel its quality isnt that good.
I feel that the space in front of my space is quite cramped compared to my old helmet, or maybe it's just me.

Pinlock is the only add on that gives mixed feeling; clears the fog alright, but reduces the visibility quite a lot,
also an idiot stuck a sticker right in the center of the pinlock :facepalm:, which was difficult to remove, ended up with scratch on the pinlock.

[Flying Mouse]

Does anyone know if the Neotec is legal to ride with the flip-front up? Do the NZ police frown on this?

Here in the UK coppers have the Neotec or the older Multitec and I've seen them riding at low speed with the chin up, but you know they have slightly different rules ;-)

[nzspokes]

Does anyone know if the Neotec is legal to ride with the flip-front up? Do the NZ police frown on this?

Here in the UK coppers have the Neotec or the older Multitec and I've seen them riding at low speed with the chin up, but you know they have slightly different rules ;-)
Well if you crash when its open......


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[rastuscat]

Does anyone know if the Neotec is legal to ride with the flip-front up? Do the NZ police frown on this?

Here in the UK coppers have the Neotec or the older Multitec and I've seen them riding at low speed with the chin up, but you know they have slightly different rules ;-)

The Police training manual says they have only to close the helmet if exceeding 50 kmh.

There's no law saying so, it's just a policy. Given that it's still legal to ride with an open face helmet, they could hardly make it illegal to have your helmet open.

ACC says that 35% of head injuries are in the face and jaw area. Just sayin.

[Gremlin]

Does anyone know if the Neotec is legal to ride with the flip-front up? Do the NZ police frown on this?

Here in the UK coppers have the Neotec or the older Multitec and I've seen them riding at low speed with the chin up, but you know they have slightly different rules ;-)
If you want to get very technical, there are very few helmets that are certified crash test wise, both open and closed. One that comes to mind is the jaw that loops around to the rear of the helmet... I forget the name. So technically, unless the Neotec has been crash tested in open position, it's actually not allowed to be ridden like that.

As said, very technical, and I use my Nolan N104 in the open position a fair bit for stuff like events inc closed road ones (so there is a new point... the road is closed :D). However, getting up to 100kph I'm pulling the jaw down and making sure it clicks shut.

[Ulsterkiwi]

If you want to get very technical, there are very few helmets that are certified crash test wise, both open and closed. One that comes to mind is the jaw that loops around to the rear of the helmet... I forget the name. So technically, unless the Neotec has been crash tested in open position, it's actually not allowed to be ridden like that.

As said, very technical, and I use my Nolan N104 in the open position a fair bit for stuff like events inc closed road ones (so there is a new point... the road is closed :D). However, getting up to 100kph I'm pulling the jaw down and making sure it clicks shut.

a salesperson told me not so very long ago that the Shoei Neotech is the only flip front helmet where the flip section is also certified. Two potential confounders for consideration, it was a salesperson telling me that and they could not explain who did the certifying or what was meant by "certified".
I have a certificate to tell me I came second in a canoe race with only two competitors. True story.

[rambaldi]

a salesperson told me not so very long ago that the Shoei Neotech is the only flip front helmet where the flip section is also certified. Two potential confounders for consideration, it was a salesperson telling me that and they could not explain who did the certifying or what was meant by "certified".
I have a certificate to tell me I came second in a canoe race with only two competitors. True story.

At least you tried!

[Viking01]

a salesperson told me not so very long ago that the Shoei Neotech is the only flip front helmet where the flip section is also certified. Two potential confounders for consideration, it was a salesperson telling me that and they could not explain who did the certifying or what was meant by "certified".
I have a certificate to tell me I came second in a canoe race with only two competitors. True story.

Hi,
Similarly interested in the Shoei Neotec. Purchased another Shoei Qwest about 3 years ago, as I was unsure just how robust the locking mechanism was for the Neotec (and I couldn't find any significant certification information online). I see from the Sharpe website that they are both certified to European std ECE 22.05 . Had a close look at a Neotec again several days ago, and while the locking mechanism felt reasonably secure, the metal used for the locking mechanism still looked very thin. Might upgrade to a Neotec when the next helmet replacement cycle comes due in about 2 years. If you can find any decent certification online, I'd be interested in a link to the material. Cheers.

[Ulsterkiwi]

Hi,
Similarly interested in the Shoei Neotec. Purchased another Shoei Qwest about 3 years ago, as I was unsure just how robust the locking mechanism was for the Neotec (and I couldn't find any significant certification information online). I see from the Sharpe website that they are both certified to European std ECE 22.05 . Had a close look at a Neotec again several days ago, and while the locking mechanism felt reasonably secure, the metal used for the locking mechanism still looked very thin. Might upgrade to a Neotec when the next helmet replacement cycle comes due in about 2 years. If you can find any decent certification online, I'd be interested in a link to the material. Cheers.

In fairness I had gone into this dealership out of nosiness, not actually wanting to buy anything. I have a Caberg Konda, which I bought on the basis of its SHARP rating. I bought it a size too large so, after a break in period its now pretty loose. I use it when going to the shops or short (less than 30 minutes) rides. Its heavier, noisier and clearly not as comfortable as my #1 helmet which is a SHOEI GT Air. The Neotech interested me as I am impressed with SHOEI build quality. I have not pursued the certification thing because a) I wasnt that pushed and b)the whole thing sounded like sales spin to me when no explanation of the sales spin was forthcoming.
To be honest I think the best thing to do is next time you see someone who wears one, stop them and talk to them about it. Any gumpf on them would likely have been supplied with the helmet and they can give you a realistic reflection on the ergonomics of the thing in action.

[Moi]

... I have a Caberg Konda, which I bought on the basis of its SHARP rating...

I have a Caberg Duke with which I'm very pleased.

It can be locked open and so ridden as an open face if you should wish to do so...