Shoei XR1100

[steve_t]

I don't like my XR1100. I wear it because it seems to be the only thing that actually fits me properly but compared to my Shark RSX its very noisy and the visor system is inferior.
Its quite a noisy helmet and I find it whistles like a mother at anything over 80ish kmh. The visor fogs up a lot in colder weather but in its defense I haven't used a pinlock insert yet.
My next helmet will definitively be another Shark if I can find one that fits my oval head-shape. The Speed-R looks very nice but if it doesn't fit it I could maybe try a different Shoei like the X-spirit 2 but $1100+ seems a bit excessive for a helmet.

The Pinlock insert is the best anti-fogging system hands down. If you're getting a whistle at speed you might need to adjust the visor mechanism as it's designed to pull the visor snugly against the helmet when fully closed. I think there was a batch where they needed adjusting from factory Does it even happen when you have the visor "locked"?

[BoristheBiter]

I don't like my XR1100. I wear it because it seems to be the only thing that actually fits me properly but compared to my Shark RSX its very noisy and the visor system is inferior.
Its quite a noisy helmet and I find it whistles like a mother at anything over 80ish kmh. The visor fogs up a lot in colder weather but in its defense I haven't used a pinlock insert yet.
My next helmet will definitively be another Shark if I can find one that fits my oval head-shape. The Speed-R looks very nice but if it doesn't fit it I could maybe try a different Shoei like the X-spirit 2 but $1100+ seems a bit excessive for a helmet.

Shoei are the nosiest helmets I have ever used, but on saying that they are the most comfortable I have ever used.

I have the XS2 and would highly recommend it. the biggest thing is at high speeds you can move your head around without it being blown off due to the wind and also when riding in very windy conditions it doesn't get blown around like others do.

[imdying]

I don't notice any whistling in mine... possibly because I'm not crazy enough to ride without ear plugs!

[Maha]

Shoei are the nosiest helmets I have ever used, but on saying that they are the most comfortable I have ever used.

I have the XS2 and would highly recommend it. the biggest thing is at high speeds you can move your head around without it being blown off due to the wind and also when riding in very windy conditions it doesn't get blown around like others do.

I just sing louder.

[BoristheBiter]

I just sing louder.

is that what that noise is.

[vifferman]

I just sing louder.

... or turn up the music and sing along to it.
Had a bit of a fettling session last night. Where the Sena headset was mounted the rubber trim on the helmet is a bit thick, angling the bracket so it was tight against the helmet. This meant that the clip for the unit didn't work well, not clicking into place well. I took the metal bracket off, beat it with a hammer a bit so it wasn't so bent, and after a couple of these panelbeating sessions I ended up with 2-3mm between the backof the unit's clamp and the helmet shell. (Need some photos here, as this doesn't make much sense in words). I don't think I will be using the DualLock option, unless I go with the wired miscrophone + earbuds option.

This morning I was going to wear my stinky old XR1000 again like I did yesterday, but after all the feedling getting the Sena headset set up OK last night, decided to use the XR1100 instead.
So, this morning, I fired up the music player on the N8, stuck it in my jacket pocket, turned on the Sena, and away we go. It was weird riding along with the N8 playing random songs, underpinned by the whine of the cam gears and snarl of the Satantune. Not too distracting, but it kind of made me feel a bit like I was in my own personal bubble. The sound quality was pretty good despite a little wind noise and the V4 song, with just the very odd crackle. A couple of times the music cut out momentarily, which I suspect may have been due to other vehicles' handsfree kits (?). Once I went to change the volume and accidentally pushed the jog control in as I turned it, which made it change tracks. No-one phoned me, so I didn't get to experience how that was handled.
I had the chin curtain fitted, which I didn't on the inaugural ride, and it cut out some of the faint booming previously noted.
Overall, a good road test, albeit only at speeds briefly up to about 100 km/h.

About whistling of the XR1100: I've found that if I have the little visor lever NOT locked, it whistles slightly, as this is actually making the visor infinitesimally ajar. Quite different to the XR1000, where I could ride with it open to the first position, and it would only whistle if I turned my head. I almost never locked the visor on that. If I have things right, the 'locked' position on the XR1100 forces the visor in tight, so if adjusted right it shouldn't whistle at all.

I really like both Shoei helmets, as they fit my head well, are comfortable, the visors are easy to change and adjust, and they are well designed. I've found only one other helmet that fits like this, and that is the Arai RX7 (?) which is considerably dearer, and has that crappy shield mechanism. Before the XR1000, I had a series of AGV helmets (3), before realising that my head isn't quite the right shape, and that Italian engineering isn't up to the same standard as Japanese. Prior to that, I had a crappy secondhand FFM, and a couple of Star helmets before that.

[Jezxa]

The Pinlock insert is the best anti-fogging system hands down. If you're getting a whistle at speed you might need to adjust the visor mechanism as it's designed to pull the visor snugly against the helmet when fully closed. I think there was a batch where they needed adjusting from factory Does it even happen when you have the visor "locked"?

I never really ride with it locked but Ill give it a try. Might have a go at tightening up the visor as well if that makes a difference.

[vifferman]

Dunno why I resisted getting one for so long.
The XR1100's visors come with Pinlock fittings as standard, making me go "Grrrrrr..." when considering the helmet. However, the salesdude talked me into fitting one when I bought the helmet, and kindly fitted it and gave me a discount on it and the tinted visor. However (but!) on Tuesday, it decided to be all thunderstormy and shit, and I realised two (2) things:

1. I had all my wet-weather gear (yay!) because I was too lazy to take them outta my tank bag, but because I decided it would be fine'n'sunny, I'd worn my vented summer gloves (distinctly not waterproof).
2. Because it was precisp... pre.. precipimi.. pissing down with rain, and I wasn't sure if having the vents open to reduce fogging would fill the helmet with water, turning it into a mobile goldfish bowl (probably sans goldfish), it would probably fog up badly if I instead left the visor clamped shut.
3. I had the tinted (non-pinlocked) visor because my illogical logic was that despite wearing a tinted visor most of the year round, it would be moar betterer to have the pinlock fitted to the clear visor. Which of course was at home.

Hmmmm... what to do... what to do...
Of course! Get one of those as yet untried and unproven Pinlock thingies fitted! So, off I trotted in the rain, clutching my shiny new helmet, up the road to Motomail, where I asked the friendly Motomaildude to fit a pinlock to my tinted visor, which he did, while I blathered on about all sorts of crap. Then trotted back to work in the rain, girded my loins with bike gear, bunged on all my wet-weather gear over my leathers over my work clothes , climbed on my motovelocipede, and trundled a few metres down the road into the mobile chicanery. (Why is it that everyone seems to leave work at the same moment in time when it's raining?) [Why do dumbarse car drivers all pile into an intersection, already clogged by non-moving traffic? I'm sure there's summat in the road laws about not entering an intersection unless you're certain of egress from said piece of tarmac?] So - there I was, stuck in heavy traffic, in the now distinctly non-raining weather.

Impressions:
Very hot, with three layers of gear.
The visor, despite being clamped more shut than a nervous virgin's knees, and despite me being very warm because of the vents and visor being shut, was most definitely non-fogged.
The view through a couple of inches of steamy atmosphere, a pinlock, and a dark-tinted visor, was extraordinarily clear.
Hot. Very hot. Must ride around, through, over traffic - get some air movements.

[imdying]

Dunno why I resisted getting one for so long.

Same as me probably... how could anything so simple be as awesome as everybody makes out... I'm still looking for the catch!

[vifferman]

This mooning, I tried the new hemblet again, and also the Sena (of course - it's attached to the hemblet).
This time, instead of using the N8, I charged the Walkman, plugged that into the SM10, turned both on, chucked it in my tankbag, and headed off, with the sound cranked up so the VFR tune was just a vague background symphony. It all worked splendidly once again, but this time there was no interruption whatsoever, so maybe using the N8 as a music source causes some cellphone network trickery to be happening. Whatever - it's alleviated the sameole/sameole of commuting the same route every day, and the VFR is running splendidly well since GeorgeTheMotorcycleDoctor did his thang. Still haven't sorted out if I'll persist with the headphones in the helmet, or try my earbuds and the mike-on-a-wire. I should really test that too, see which is moar betterer.

[FruitLooPs]

Going to have to try this visor locking business, lost my XR1000 a good while back (don't ask ) and went the XR1100 when they first came out, its definitely louder (which pissed me off to no end when they pitched it as an ultimate sport touring helmet) but the pinlock is awesome and its comfy as. I've started to use earplugs, which help a whole heap

[steve_t]

Going to have to try this visor locking business, lost my XR1000 a good while back (don't ask ) and went the XR1100 when they first came out, its definitely louder (which pissed me off to no end when they pitched it as an ultimate sport touring helmet) but the pinlock is awesome and its comfy as. I've started to use earplugs, which help a whole heap

I think the Qwest is the 'sport touring' helmet. The XR1100 is the racing/road sport version which is definitely louder due to the vents. The Qwest is very quiet IMHO

[CHOPPA]

Shoei are the nosiest helmets I have ever used, but on saying that they are the most comfortable I have ever used.

I have the XS2 and would highly recommend it. the biggest thing is at high speeds you can move your head around without it being blown off due to the wind and also when riding in very windy conditions it doesn't get blown around like others do.

Have you owned an Arai or Suomi?

[BoristheBiter]

Have you owned an Arai or Suomi?

No as I don't fit Arai, never tried on suomi.