Shoei or Arai....What's your preference and why!

[SA-Muscles]

I have been out of the riding scene for 10 years and now that I'm returning via a Busa I am concerned that I have the best protection for my wife and myself. Does anyone have any reports of safety records on Shoei vs. Arai as far as like injuries prevented, deaths due to, etc....Hopefully it's just a preference of fit but I keep getting different opinions. I know there are other brands but these are my two of choice. This is however an opinion poll so let's here it if there are others worth mentioning.



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[FLCN72]

Both brands are premium helmets that will perform equally well in a crash.  Provided they fit properly.  I've had several different brands and so far a Shoei is my favorite.  All the helmets I've had have been medium.

I have a Shoei X11 now.  It fits my head comfortably and is snug.  The visor has clicks to stop it at various points in its movement.  On the left side there is a tab that can lock it closed, open it slighly to vent condensation, or set to be unlocked.  It is light and has good ventilation.  The liners are removable for cleaning.  It has a nose guard to keep breath off the visor.

The Arai Quantum F was a great helmet, but was tight in the jaw and forehead for me -- Arai describes this helmet as being made for people with a more round shaped head.  Its visor does not have click stops through its movement.  Instead it has a more constant resistance.  It also has a lock that can hold it closed or partially open -- though this lock is on the lower left edge of the visor.  The chin has a small pull down spoiler that worked to keep cold air off my chin and neck.  Again it is light

The KBC VR1 has click stops in its visor movement like the Shoei, but no lock.  The lack of a visor lock resulted in the visor sometimes opening when I turned my head sideways to the wind (to check a blind spot.) There was no way to open the visor slightly.  This helmet tended to buffet on me and fit much looser than the other brands, especially along the jaw.  Its medium was more like an Shoei large.

The AGV helmet was the heaviest of the bunch.  It had a visor like the KBC, but tended to stay shut better.  Again, no lock or way to pop the visor slightly.  The padding was dense and didn't seem to mold to the shape of my head very well.  The venting was poor and it had no nose piece to keep breath off the visor.  This helmet tended to fog easily.



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[MET]

I have used them all over the years. I love my Nolan helmets with the flip up face. It has a lock on both sides insead of some that just have one. it is also very quiet as helmets go. I love to have the abilty to flip it up in heat when i stop. Also great when waiting at the drag strip lines.

 

[Haywood]

All the top names meet the same safety specs.. go for the best fit.

 

[dezzy7]

Both are great helmets, but I like Shoei more because of its fit and its a lot quieter than the Arais I've tried

Proud owner of his and her's Shoei X-SPII

 

[grabntwist]

It's obvious that a premium helmet meets all saftey requirements. So the only other requirements that are important are appearance and comfort.

I have a Arai RX-7rr4 and a AGV -X- vent. I had a Shoei RF-900 in the past and it felt like a coffee can on my head. It was the heaviest and loudest lid I had ever seen. Going to my Arai from the RF felt like not even wearing a lid at all. The Arai is the most vented and lightest helmet I have ever tried. The AGV is also good but no where near the Arai in comfort and quality.

Now, having said all this I hope not to offend anyones intelegence or choice in helmet. I feel the most important thing is personal fit. Many helmets are designed w/ different shapes ie.. Arai tends to fit a longer shaped head as a Shoei leans more for the rounded head rider. So comparing my mid-line RF-900 to the &quot;top of the line&quot; Arai or AGV may not be fair but its right for me. My point being, you shoudn't choose a helmet by just reading about it. You should try them on and even better, take one for a ride. Just my .02cts

 

[dezzy7]

I agree with Grabntwist take them for a ride. Borrow one from a friend or dealer. Before I purchased my X-SPII I borrowed one from a dealer and took it for a little spin to check the wind noise and to see whether or not it lifted when I turned my head. And as they say I have a Shoei head --a BIG BLOCK so the shoei just fit me better

 

[pure_ego]

both are really comfortable, quiet, and lightweight to me.. but the arai's just seem steeper in price.. so i' got a rf900 and love it

 

[ks-waterbug]

Shoei...... Twenty plus years of riding on the street! But, just like said before its a personel preference thing.

 

[TIMMYDUCK]

I go with the Shoei also.
I have last years TZ-1 &quot; Hot Wheels&quot; by Troy Lee, feels like home to me when I strap it on.
Plus my 2 different RF's 200's have been great for a long time also.

 

[MET]

Just like a bike. They need to fit for you. If it does not feel right it will just annoy you later.

 

[Revlis]

Yeah, I think Arai is prolly the best for me. The Quantum F series is part part of their Round Oval shape and tends to be a little longer and narrow. The fit is perfect, I agree the Arai is a little noisier than the last Shoei I had but the fact that I wear a size smaller in Arai than I do Shoei means I do not have to walk around looking like a bobble head while wearing my helmet makes all the difference. Easily the highest quality helmet on the market. The finish, and fit are flawless. The one area where Shoei shines is the quality of their visors, they seem to be more scratch resistant.

Most importantly you need to have a helmet that fits right wihout creating hot spots or wobbling around on your head so be sure to try on a lot of helmets. Specifically try on an Arai Quantum, Astral, and their RX series, find a shape that fits.

 

[arey]

I have an Arai Rx-7 Corsair very comfortable.
Arai has also won the J.D. Power Award for 5 straight years.

http://www.araiamericas.com/news/hotnews_home.html



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[the grinch]

i have an arai rx7 corsair,great fit(custom fitted),vents are unbelievably good,however,the thing is seriously noisy compared to the shoeis i've had,it broke twice the first month i had it(cheek pad retention clip,and the visor latch)both incidents covered by warranty,visor latch broke again and i havn't bothered fixing it;but the thing that convinced me to never buy another arai again is that the mother f&amp;#$ing visor is a pain in the ass to take on and off.

 

[vincent]

Shoei.

It just fits me better. I have been very happy with both Shoei and Arai after being put down by lil' ole ladies trying to see over their steering wheels while turning left ( no brain damage! ) but the Shoei just fits.

 

[paistes5]

My current helmet is the RF-900. I like the way it fits and I love the ventilation. It is quiet, until I crack the visor, then it whistles more than any other helmet I've had. It is a bit annoying, but when the shield is buttoned up, I wouldn't trade it for any other, but I have to agree with most of the opinions here on the board, go with what fits you the best.

 

[motoman]

Ive used agv all my life, They fit my head good and the price wont break you....

 

[bacharles]

I can personally attest to the Shoei. I have two RF900's and like pure_ego said, &quot;I Love It!&quot; I was going to go with the Arai Quantum as a second helmet, but I got a deal from my local Suzuki dealer on the Shoei RF900 in the custom Hayabusa paint scheme, so I purchased it. Couldn't pass up the deal, but I am planning on a third helmet in the near future and it will more than likely be an Arai. But like most have said here, both are great helmets, but it will ultimately come down to personal preference.



Brian

 

[tbonebusa]

I like my quantum, but I is a bit noisier than the Shoeis I have tried. Like everyone else said, proper fit is the critical factor for comfort/safety.

 

[Rich]

I have always had an Arai, because that is what I have read about and it fit me perfect. Then for christmas I bought a Shoei for my girl and I tried it on and it feels the exact same as the arai to me. So I think when I get another helmet that I am going to get a shoei and save myself some money.