are shoei and arai helmets worth the $

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Lonewolf

Member

May 30, 2002

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• Mar 28, 2004

• #1

i am going to buy a new helmet soon and i am wondering if i should spend the extra money and buy a high dollar one. do the high dollar helmets made by shoei and arai offer better protection and have better ventilation than the other manufactures? right now i am wearing a hjc clx-4 i think, its a few years old and getting pretty beat up.

 

J

JTT

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Aug 25, 2000

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• Mar 28, 2004

• #2

Tough question. I've had both Shoei and Arai helmets and they are truely great helmets in every way. I've also had mid range helmets that are...lets say 75-85% of what my Shoei or Arai was, as far as quality, comfort and features. The big difference is they cost half as much or less. :think:

Are the "top end" helmets better? ...yup. Are they worth 2x as much cash...tougher question. The quality of the "mid range" helmets has gotten so good now that I personally don't feel the gap is big enough to justify the cost of the top of the line lids. I'll probably buy another "mid range" helmet next time, only I may (in fact will) replace it sooner, as the cost is not so prohibative.

That said, if a good deal came up on a Shoei or Arai tomorrow, I'd likely be all over it :cool:

Is a Porsche safer than a Subaru? ...probably not, but they are real cool :thumb:

 

SpectraSVT

Member

Apr 17, 2002

720

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• Mar 28, 2004

• #3

You should try on all the helmets you can. I tried on the Aria and didn't like it at all. The biggest differences would probably be weight and paint job. The quality is slightly better too but not a huge one. Also if your a crasher I would stay away from top $ helmets cause $400 is a lot to drop on helmet you gonna wreck in 6 months anyways.

 

M

Moto Squid

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Jul 22, 2002

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• Mar 28, 2004

• #4

I recently replaced my year old shoei with a HJC AC-X2. I put them on a good scale and they are really close. I liked the shoei but didn't justify spending the dough on another one. IMO the graphics are saawwwwweeeet on the shoei and pretty kick ass on the hjc's. One other thing is shoei has great customer service. After my accident I sent in my helmet and for free they checked it over and had it back to me in a few days. It check ok but I've already created too many defunct brain cells and bought a new one anyways.

 

J

JTT

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Aug 25, 2000

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• Mar 29, 2004

• #5

I set my last Shoei on the ground next to the bike, while the bike warmed up on the stand (I know, dumb, very dumb). Well, the bike fell over onto the helmet...I couldn't have done more damage with a sledge hammer. Total right off.

Definitely not the fault of the helmet in any way, just the way the bike landed on it split the shell up both sides, from chin bar to peak screws.

By the way, Shoei VXRs are very near $1000 Cnd up here....it hurt. Guess it beats having my head in it (like my last Arai :ohmy: ) Moral of the story....don't leave your helmet lying around, particularly near a running bike :|

 

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Fred T

Mi. Trail Riders

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Mar 23, 2001

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• Mar 29, 2004

• #6

The fit of the Arai is pretty awesome. Some heads fit differently in different helmets. The Arai is the best helmet I've ever worn, very comfortable.

 

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SULLY

Member

Apr 17, 2002

147

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• Mar 29, 2004

• #7

If it's for MX then I would go in order of the following (after trying them on don't buy a helmet mail order)
1. Standard of protection (In the UK we have ACU gold or Silver standard you probably have similar in the US?)
2. Fit - everyones head is different, if you find a lid that fits just perfet it's probably got your name on it :-)
3. Weight
4. Can the inside be taken out to wash it- MX WILL make it stink!
5. Goggle fit- no gaps
6. Colour etc...
If I had two helmets that equally met all the above criteria and one was an Arai and one was 50% less I know I would go for the 50% less.
Often Lower priced helmets are made in the same factory under licence.
(All the above is for off road use only, does not apply to Road/Road racing where safety is even more paramount, and often this costs more period.)

 

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Lonewolf

Member

May 30, 2002

494

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• Mar 29, 2004

• Thread starter
• #8

thanks for all the responces guys. i have looked at the new one industries helmet too, it has a unique look to it. also a far as colors go, i was planning on buying an all white helmet. mx south has a pretty good price for the shoei, its $377 i think.

 

A

aus426

Member

Mar 7, 2004

26

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• Mar 29, 2004

• #9

Here in aus, bike shops are not allowed to sell any helmet that doesnt meet australian standards. It can meet snell, DOT, whatever, but no AS, no sale. This limits our choices, but arai's vx-pro is still the best available. I believe it uses the same construction as the corsair road helmet, and the liners are interchangable = very comfortable and awesome fit.

 

B

biglou

• Mar 30, 2004

• #10

I bought my Shoei from Jeff at MXSouth. $377 is a pretty good price for an almost $600 list helmet. Another new helmet that looks pretty trick and is in the same price range (~$400), is the TLD line. I think Blackhawk mentioned that the eye opening was a little small, though, and tended to move your goggles around. Ventilation was good, though. I love my Shoei. It's like someone mentioned above, it's just got a lot of fine details to it.

 

bclapham

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Nov 5, 2001

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• Mar 30, 2004

• #11

I know the Shoei rep and these helmets are good- one of his reasoning points is the size fitting- most helmets have only a couple of shell sizes, then they make them fit all heads by running different thickness padding- thats what cuts the costs. Shoei run a different shell for each size.

its only second hand knowledge, but i wonder if the $400 TLD with its very intricate paint jobs has the same quality of the Shoei or Arai

 

nikki

Moto Junkie

Apr 21, 2000

5,802

1

• Mar 30, 2004

• #12

I will NEVER spend more than $200 on a helmet.

Both Red and I have sucessfully knocked ourselves out and had to retire a few helmets way before their time. There is no way I am going to spend $400 on a helmet just to take a trip over the bars and have to replace it.

We have owned all of the Thor SVR's (they have had 3 model years) and we love them. MXSouth has the SVR2 for around $150 I believe. They are light, very comfortable, protective, well vented, easy to clean, and look cool.

 

nephron

Dr. Feel Good

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Jun 15, 2001

2,551

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• Mar 30, 2004

• #13

Me too, Nikki. The Thor SVR is a sweet helmet for the price. And , I wreck a lot and usually hit my head on the ground. Snell and DOT's all you need.

 

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biglou

• Mar 30, 2004

• #14

Snell, DOT and *Bling-bling! :laugh:

 

L

Lemooreaces

Member

Apr 12, 2005

7

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• Apr 14, 2009

• #15

biglou said:

I bought my Shoei from Jeff at MXSouth. $377 is a pretty good price for an almost $600 list helmet. Another new helmet that looks pretty trick and is in the same price range (~$400), is the TLD line. I think Blackhawk mentioned that the eye opening was a little small, though, and tended to move your goggles around. Ventilation was good, though. I love my Shoei. It's like someone mentioned above, it's just got a lot of fine details to it.

Click to expand...

I am having the same problem with my Shoei VFX-W and my Scott 83/89 goggles. The googles put pressure on the bridge of my nose and cut off my breathing because of the tight fit of the Shoei. I am constanly pushing up with my shoulders to push on the helmet with my Leatte, which intern pushed the goggles up and off the bridge of my nose. Does anyone recomend a better goggle for this helmet? I did not have this problem with my Fox V3 helmets and Scott goggles which sucks, because I love Scott goggles and I love the ne3w Shoei VFX-W lid. :yell:

 

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biglou

• Apr 14, 2009

• #16

I bought that Shoei 4-5 years ago? I wear Smith Warp goggles and had no fit issues. I had the VFXR-Air (I think) helmet. I'm not sure about with the new Shoei models. I looked hard at them recently but wound up buying an Arai VX-Pro3 Windham replica. As great as I thought my Shoei was, the Arai is that much better. The instant I put it on I knew without question it is the most comfortable, best fitting helmet I've ever had on my head. Unless I find something better, I won't ever buy anything else but an Arai. Hopefully not for 3-4 more years, though...
.

 

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SpDyKen

LIFETIME SPONSOR

Mar 27, 2005

1,237

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• Apr 14, 2009

• #17

Lou, I'm with you on the Arai. I'll never ride with anything else. Yes, they are a lot of $$. The comfort, quality, safety, and convenience are all wort the money, IMHO. :cool:

I've had fit issues with my Scott goggles and my Arai helmets, as well. Same thing, top of eyeport pushing the goggles down on my nose, pinching my nostrils closed. I've resorted to using exact-o knives and files to resolve these issues.