I was looking inside the shell of my old faithful Shoei RF700 the other day when I noticed that it was made back in 1994. Wow - time really flies! Therefore I decided it was time for a new helmet. I've owned 3 Shoeis over the years and definitely have a Shoei shaped head. However I decided to also try on the Arais, Sharks and Suomys (all available within a 1 minute walk of each other on lower Manchester Street) in order to see which fitted best. As much as I like some of the Arai paintjobs (especially the Re-entry) they just didn't fit my head properly and at the end of the day I decided to go with the Shoei XR1000 with the new (06) Diabolic 3 paintjob (the one with skulls on one side and a cherub on the other) for $799 from Eric Woods. Now that I've had the chance to go for a decent ride with it I thought I'd give it a bit of a review. It's also a chance to compare it to a 94 vintage RF700 and to see how far they've moved on in the last decade or so.
Weight - Shoei claim (with a sticker on the side) that the new XR1000 weighs 1400g (in my size L). My trusty kitchen scales indicte 1350g so they're (the scales) probably about right. The same scales put my size 59cm RF700 at 1650g. That's quite a difference and you can certainly feel it.
Ventilation - the vents on top of the helmet work really well and help keep your head cool. The old RF700 top vent was hardly noticeably different between open and closed but this one works well. The lower vent for the visor doesn't seem to work as well as the old model (it was quite autumnal early Saturday).
Finish - this is a well made helmet. Including this I've had 4 Shoeis now (1 dirt and 3 road) and they've always been good. The paint job (okay decals) is beautiful.
Fit - if you have the right shape head then the fit is excellent. I read a review somewhere that stated XR1000s fit differently to other Shoeis but this Large (59-60cm) fits exactly the same as my old 59cm RF700. One thing I do notice is that the cheek pads on the XR1000 don't come as far forward leaving you feeling a little less enclosed. Both are very comfortable helmets. You can get sunglasses on pretty easily too.
Noise - this helmet makes about the same low frequency rumble as my old one but unfortunately the new top vents add an annoying high frequency whistle. Definitely a step backwards.
Aerodynamics - the XR1000 doesn't exhibit the lift problems the the RF700 does. However it's light weight causes your head to be buffetted around much more (you can really notice the difference).
Fastening - the XR1000 has a double D type fastener with a rather useful clip on the end of the strap to secure the left over length to the snugged up D rings. The RF700 had a quick release type system and this has always functioned well. I believe that double D type fasteners are now required for racing. I prefer the quick release.
Impact resistance - haven't tried it (and hopefully I never will).
Features - Shoeis visor attachment system is the best there is (IMHO of course). Cheek pads are removable for washing/replacement. It comes with a lovely carry bag and a few stickers and manuals. I didn't buy the optional breath deflector or chin curtain available for this helmet. Note this helmet uses the new Shoei visor (CX-1V) which looks almost identical to the older style (CX-1) but they are not interchangeable (apparently).
Warranty - I'm not actually sure how long the warranty is.
Images - I didn't take any photos because you can find good professional images of this helmet on the web at http://www.shoei-europe.com/en/swf_p...p?name=XR-1000
Conclusion - this is a lot of Helmet for $799 (only $599 for a plain one). It has a love it or hate it paint job (I love it). Overall I'm very happy with it. If you are in the market for a new helmet you may be suprised to see how affordable Shoeis have now become.
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