Shoei GT Air - avoid

[Mauddib]

I have bought a white shoei GT air and i love it but when you ride with the visor up it can be nosier then any other shoei helmet but when you close it is very quiet, i think where the extra part on top of the helmet where the drop down visor is where the extra noise comes from but i have got use to it now.
With the pinlock on the visor at night its not that bad just make sure you keep the visor clean you you will be fine.

[nzspokes]

Am intrested in one of these. Noticed on the Shoei vid that it has a ratchet system but here we get D ring?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1--l...layer_embedded

[JayRacer37]

Am intrested in one of these. Noticed on the Shoei vid that it has a ratchet system but here we get D ring?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1--l...layer_embedded

Morning - to explain myself prior to the below, I work for the importer (Whites).

Yes, here we have had GT-Air spec'ed with the Double-D system rather than the ratchet. The reason for this is it means every time you are putting on the helmet, you are physically checking and tightening the strap. No doubt there are some advantages to the micro ratchet system in terms of speed, but the Double-D is widely known and very secure.

We do have the Neotec (which is essentially a flip-front GT-Air) that uses the Micro Ratchet - this is the only helmet in the Shoei lineup here that doesn't use Double-D.

[Ender EnZed]

I've had one for a while and I think it's the best helmet I've had.

I was perfectly happy with my old helmet but this one has 3 features that actually make a noticeable difference. There's a chin guard that can very effectively hold a neck warmer snug in order to have 0% of your skin exposed to the air without having to wear a balaclava. There's a pinlock visor that works much better than any stick-on insert I've tried in the past. And the internal sun visor which is so much more efficient than stopping to put on sunglasses if it's bright or swap out a tinted visor if it gets dark. Plus, being a Shoei it's made in Japan and you know it's about as high quality as you're going to get.

[nzspokes]

Morning - to explain myself prior to the below, I work for the importer (Whites).

Yes, here we have had GT-Air spec'ed with the Double-D system rather than the ratchet. The reason for this is it means every time you are putting on the helmet, you are physically checking and tightening the strap. No doubt there are some advantages to the micro ratchet system in terms of speed, but the Double-D is widely known and very secure.

We do have the Neotec (which is essentially a flip-front GT-Air) that uses the Micro Ratchet - this is the only helmet in the Shoei lineup here that doesn't use Double-D.

Would the Ratchet not also be secure? Ive been using a ratchet system for a year and I dont know if I would bother with D rings again. Would be a while before I can afford one anyway.

[JayRacer37]

Would the Ratchet not also be secure? Ive been using a ratchet system for a year and I dont know if I would bother with D rings again. Would be a while before I can afford one anyway.

The ratchet is definitely secure (and being fully metallic is strong) but the greatest positive with Double-D is that every time you put the helmet on you tighten it securely. The ratchet does have some leeway (being multi click rather than the single like the safety buckle style) but can still loosen over time, and as its not part of your normal routine, some people just leave them to go slack. Having double-D negates this and means that you get a good secure strap right under the chin every time.

[Fatjim]

I've found the double-d does sag after a while as well, ending up as an E or even a double-F if things really go pear shaped.

[Morcs]

I wouldnt go telling people to avoid a helmet because of 1 bad experience. Different heads fit things differently, and you can have two people who both fit a certain helmet well but given shapes and sizes of people can experience different things with regards to wind noise.

The general feedback from the internet worldwide and from our own customers has been excellent. Only one complaint which i believe might be the OP.

On the GT air, all helmets now come with the visor adjusted, and the manual also stipulates keeping the double visor seal lubricated regularly with the supplied silicone.

As for wind noise, yes there is a fair bit of noise outside of the helmet - of which you get with almost anything unless you happen to be sat behind a large screen without turbulents, but the main plus is the lack of wind noise inside it. All the Arai's i have owned all have air blowing up inside the helmet especially between face and visor, even with a buff on etc.., whereas the Shoei doesnt have this issue - it really is a well sealed unit whilst still being easy to get on and off.

[Nat]

I wouldnt go telling people to avoid a helmet because of 1 bad experience. Different heads fit things differently, and you can have two people who both fit a certain helmet well but given shapes and sizes of people can experience different things with regards to wind noise.

The general feedback from the internet worldwide and from our own customers has been excellent. Only one complaint which i believe might be the OP.

On the GT air, all helmets now come with the visor adjusted, and the manual also stipulates keeping the double visor seal lubricated regularly with the supplied silicone.

As for wind noise, yes there is a fair bit of noise outside of the helmet - of which you get with almost anything unless you happen to be sat behind a large screen without turbulents, but the main plus is the lack of wind noise inside it. All the Arai's i have owned all have air blowing up inside the helmet especially between face and visor, even with a buff on etc.., whereas the Shoei doesnt have this issue - it really is a well sealed unit whilst still being easy to get on and off.

Meh, like you said, everyone's probably got a different shaped head etc, so up to you if you want to take my advice or not. However, it's a much noisier helmet than my previous shoei, and I now have to go to the trouble of wearing earplugs for every ride, whereas I would previously not bother for say, popping down to the supermarket. Also, to your point about the air inside the helmet, I find that with the sun shade down and the front vent open (ie most likely what I'll do most days in summer) there's plenty of wind blowing directly into my eyes. Not the end of the world, but not ideal on a $700+ helmet.

So if I had to buy a new helmet again now, no way I'd get this one again. Other people can make their own minds up of course, and no doubt plenty of people out there will find it great. Good for them.

[Morcs]

Meh, like you said, everyone's probably got a different shaped head etc, so up to you if you want to take my advice or not.

Advice not required. I own one and have sold heaps

[russd7]

always good to hear of peoples experiences, good or bad, i will be looking for a new helmet very soon as im not happy with the shark evo3 i have, i wont be going back to a modular due to the excessive noise and i did try on a shoei the other day and the fit was perfect, as i wear glassses i was thinking along the lines of the internal sun visor but it is interesting to read peoples comments on the extra noise that is maybe caused by the extra visor space in the helmet, but as with anything i will do a lot more research yet.
cheers for the info from the OP, but also other peoples experiences with them

[JayRacer37]

I've found the double-d does sag after a while as well, ending up as an E or even a double-F if things really go pear shaped.

'Tis indeed a real issue, I would recommend frequent adjustment or failing that trading in on a younger model.

I wouldnt go telling people to avoid a helmet because of 1 bad experience. Different heads fit things differently, and you can have two people who both fit a certain helmet well but given shapes and sizes of people can experience different things with regards to wind noise.

The general feedback from the internet worldwide and from our own customers has been excellent. Only one complaint which i believe might be the OP.

On the GT air, all helmets now come with the visor adjusted, and the manual also stipulates keeping the double visor seal lubricated regularly with the supplied silicone.

As for wind noise, yes there is a fair bit of noise outside of the helmet - of which you get with almost anything unless you happen to be sat behind a large screen without turbulents, but the main plus is the lack of wind noise inside it. All the Arai's i have owned all have air blowing up inside the helmet especially between face and visor, even with a buff on etc.., whereas the Shoei doesnt have this issue - it really is a well sealed unit whilst still being easy to get on and off.

Couldn't agree more!

[ozjohnno]

any helmet with a flip up face is going to be noisier than a standard one.

I loved my shoei XR1000 and gave it a hearty 2 thumbs up on the high speed headbutt test (highsided my zx14 and speared head first into a rather large tree)

If you want a quiet helmet the quietest one I have owned was a BMW sport integral.
Aweome helmet

OZ

[Owl]

any helmet with a flip up face is going to be noisier than a standard one.

GT-Air does not have a flip up face.

[ozjohnno]

OH...... oops

Try the BMW helmet, quietest I have ever owned