Shoei X-11 and RF-1000

[kay bill c]

It's winter here in the northeast a good time for me to helmet shop.Tried on several brands,walked around shop's with different makes on tring to find a good fit and comfort, both of these seem to work but like always it seems you never really know to after a couple hundred miles.Thinking of purchasing either one of these helmet's,would like to hear any thought's out there from owner's of either.Thanks Bill

[lewellen]

The Shoei helmets used to be my all-time favories, but it feels like they switched their head moulds some time ago and I no longer find them comfortable. So, sorry, no direct comment.

I have had very good luck recently with HJCs and, most recently, Scorpion. When the smiling local friendly motorcycle accessories dealer had a very good sale, I picked up one of the Scorpions with the integrated / retractable sun visor. Kinda gimmicky - until you're riding at the sun, the )(@*&)(& Transitions lenses aren't dark enough, and you just reach up a finger and flick 'em into place. Then they're pretty sweet, albeit could be darker.

Good roads,

- Lewellen180

[MJB]

I just purchased a Scorpion helmet
I believe their top of the line model....EXO
It has that extra half flip down visor.

I hate trying on helmets as getting the right fit can be tricky.
Also, once bought you cannot return.

It took me a few months before I made the decision.

[snag]

I've had Shoeis for years and have always liked them. Having said that, I'm having trouble with my current one with the seal at the top of the faceshield. My 20" Cee Bailey dumps turbulent air right in my face and the helmet is wonderfully noisey. I'm off to Phoenix for three days to ride and I'm going to weatherstrip the helmet at the shield line to see if I can stop the noise. I've been using beeswax earplugs to stop the noise, but want quiet to put my new Etymotics to the test (for my Zumo's directions, not the two gigs of tunes loaded on it!). Thundering wind noise ruins the ride for me.

Doug

[NeilS]

I've been a Shoei fan for years, ever since I walked away from a fairly hard hit when a comatose cager knocked my bike out from under me. I currently use an RF-900, soon to be replaced by a RF-1000. It also helps that Shoei's importer sells helmets to MSF instructors at dealer cost My only complaint on the RFs is that you can't remove the interior padding--it would be nice to take the pads out and throw them in the washer.

I've tried helmets with the drop-down sunshades and concluded they don't work for me. The lower edge of the shade always seems to end up right in the middle of my field of vision.

[LumpyCam]

In the market for a helmet too and have tried a lot on. A few hours and the bike show here last weekend was trying on helmets from AGV, Scorpion, HJC, Arai, Bell, and BMW.

Bell seems to have the best quality for the price, but don't quite fit. Arai fit okay but seem terribly expensive for the quality.

After spending way too much time wearing them in the stores the Shoei X-11 will be my next helmet if i can satisfy one hangup: water leakage from the ample air vents. I've seen reports stating good and bad results for this. I expect that it won't be a quiet helmet either, although i hope it's not too loud! As a size M one thing i really like about the X-11 is the shell size. My understanding is that Shoei uses a separate mold for the M and L so they look proportionate and don't have excess or sparse padding. Removable padding is a deal breaker for me too as regular cleaning is one of the best things you can do to aid the effective lifespan of a helmet.

I want to like the RF-1000 because it's so much cheaper, but the fit is way off my my head as it seems to fit round. This leads me to wonder, won't you either be a RF-1000 type head or a X-11 type head? Do both really fit you?

[Tr250Tom]

Santa brought me an RF-1000, in Axis Yellow (bright enough to melt snow at 10 feet.)

I would swear it has a removable liner, contrary to an earlier post, but I haven't had to clean it yet so I'm not sure. Fit is good, the vents are easy enough to operate with winter gloves. The seal is good, and it's at least as quiet as my old AGV R-1. It may be a bit claustrophobic...it seems to have been shaped in the wind tunnel with an eye on the "sport bike" crowd. The helmet is nice and light, though, and there's no buffet from my 18" Cee Bailey. Visor removal is very easy.

I really really wanted an ARAI RX-7, but just couldn't justify the cost. For me however, the ARAI is the gold standard. You might find one on sale now that there's a new top-of-the-line ARAI for 2009. It fits similarly to the RF-1000, round heads preferred.

Cheers, Tom

[ka5ysy]

The RF1000 does have removable cheek pads and the top and rear are glued in, The X-11 is fully removable. My wife uses the RF-1000 and says it is comfortable and not too noisy at speed. I used the X-11 for a couple of years and liked it for the very high ventilation it has with all the intakes and exits, although the trade-off is that it was a bit more noisy than I really liked with the vents all working. It also has an anti-fog vent onto the faceplate that works great --- until the temp outside is in the below freezing range- then it is miserably cold on my face. I took a bad dump due to sand in the road last year and the X-11 proved worth every bit of its cost. Net result to my landing on my head was a level 3 concussion that, without the helmet, would have been fatal according to the doctor that looked at the crushed spot on the top of the helmet. Thanks Shoei !.

The Replacement helmet is a Multitech that is much quieter than the X-11 and does not freeze my face, although it has some fogging issues easily corrected with the Rain-X anti fog juice. I needed the modular mostly because it is easier to talk with students at our Riders Edge and MSF courses, plus you can air out your face at stops easily !

Any of these are great helmets.


ATGATT ALWAYS !

[NeilS]

AFAIK, the cheek pads on the RF-1000 are removable (and adjustable for size), but not the entire interior padding. Please correct me if that's not true.

[ka5ysy]

AFAIK, the cheek pads on the RF-1000 are removable (and adjustable for size), but not the entire interior padding. Please correct me if that's not true.

You are correct... I stand corrected and fixed my post. The top/rear liner is glued into the interior. Since I do not fool with my wife's helmet , I did not know the top was stuck in

[qgaex]

Do they market the Schuberth helmets in the US at all?
That is the original manufacturer of the BMW helmets but makes even better helmets under his own name.
I've got one of their full face helmets with flip-down sunshade. (The S1)
And I would not want to miss that any more.
Also very quiet.
And good service more or less worldwide.

Just my 10 c.

qgaex
+whogotasparepartinnewzealandforfree+

[kay bill c]

Keep the coments coming I am truly enjoyoing the info and way more info than you can pick up at shops.I do find that the RF-1000 seems to fit a little better and feel more natural than the X-11 I was hoping the X-11 and its removable lining would crush just a little for more comfort.I think I would like the concept of a lining that is able to take a trip in the washer.I have a older Bell full face that I truly enjoyed it fit great,but is well past the time for replacement.I also wear HJC 3/4 by times and they fit well for the most part.Arai just feel's tight all the time I wear a 2xl and their no place to go up for size they just pinch above eyebrow's and will deliver a headach in time.

[ka5ysy]

Keep in mind that a new helmet will feel snug for a couple of days until the pads set up for your face, so dont make the usual mistake and get one too large. If you have a dealer who actually knows how to fit helmets, they will explain this. The X-11 XL I had with the stock cheek pads was very tight and did not correct (chipmunk cheeks!), so I purchased the thinner pads, one size smaller, and the fit was perfect. You can do the same with the RF1000 if necessary, and most all the Shoei helmets I have seen. If you have not tried the Multitec give it a try... very nice and comfy for me on long rides.

[winkeldc]

Since you are talking about Shoei, I just purchased a RF1000 from morepowerracing.com. They gave me a really, really good deal. I don't want to say what I bought it for, but the company has a price match policy. I just sent them the cheapest price I could find online and they matched it. The shipping was extremely quick. Just thought I would let y'all know since you were talking about the helmet.

I haven't had the chance to really try though.

[lewellen]

One other comment I learned re my new Scorpion helmet...

When you go helmet shopping, bring ALL of the glasses you might wear with it.

I often wear contacts, but when I went helmet-shopping I was wearing my prescription glasses. (Allergy season here ... I get "foggy eyes" with the contacts in, less so with glasses...) They fit in past the pads just fine.

A couple of weekends later, however, I had my contacts in for a weekend ride, and - lo and behold - when I went to put on my Icicles, they just wouldn't fit! A combination of the larger arms and different curvature, but they just *will not* fit in there at the same time. Whereas my prescription glasses' thin wire frames, present no real problem.

Good roads,

- John L.

[ka5ysy]

Do they market the Schuberth helmets in the US at all?
+

Yep... google Schuberth and you will find a bunch of dealers. A friend of mine has one and loves it.

[thepeacebullgrunt]

@--->ka5ysy & all readers

I was just reading your post but where can we order those Schuberth helmet from US base distribution to US delivery location ?

2 weeks ago I got a Concept screen replacement from BMW Santa Cruz but that's all they display on there website.

[deilenberger]

You actually can't order Shuberth in the US. The former importer, Fairchild Industries sold off their moto-gear division, and the new owner decided they didn't want the helmets (liability probably..) and at the moment, Shuberth has no importers. The stock BMW of SantaCruz has is the excess left over from Fairchild. I also ordered a replacement faceshield from them - and it has a defective anti-fog coating (it's starting to peel off.) Had this before with shields, and Fairchild would replace them free of charge. This time I'm going to approach Schuberth directly in Germany and see if they will help out - they have been helpful before.

Wish someone would pick them up again - the new Concept-3 looks like a mighty nice helmet, but it's $650+ delivered in the US from the UK.. and I'd really like to try one on for size since I've found the fit varies between the series of helmet (my original BMW-II made by Schuberth, vs a Concept, vs a Concept-II - all fit differently.)

[AmostThere]

I tried the Schuberth but their largest helmet was just a tiny bit too small. Then I went for the Arai Profile to try and fit my oblong head. Still not big enough. The XXL Shoei X-Eleven was the one. Good fit for me, great venting, and not made in China.

[thepeacebullgrunt]

This afternoon I went to try helmets in a place I really don't like to hang out...

A Motorcycle Mall ! geez I just can't stand those places.

I was surprise to notice how even the RF-1000 look cheaply manufactured compare to the two Schuberth Concept
I already totally ruined after 8 years of everyday use.

My Schuberth Concept are medium size they were snug at first but over time they became fine but the RF-1000 Medium was very tight when the Large felt more comfortable but a little lousy. It seems like with Jacket and choose I am somewhere in between two sizes.

Beside the uncomfortable or snug feeling
what are the signs that can tells you "This Helmet will not fit even after the break in period" ?

What is the advantage to buy them from UK ?
Are they DOT approved from there ?
Is "from UK" the cheapest deal after all ?

Ebay Germany has also tones of Schuberth helmets --> http://shop.ebay.de/items/_W0QQ_dmptZHe ... &_osacat=0