New Lid - ideas and recommendations please!

[z-weiser]

OK, so yesterday my lovely Arai Condor got nicked from outside my garage! (partly my fault i'll concede but still flippin' annoying!)

so now i'm in the market for a new lid (bugger!)

i'm obviously taken by the Arai but that is at the top of my budget at about £200!

my requirements are:

1) quiet
2) anti-mist facility
3) quiet

other than that i'm open to suggestions!

so come on folks what are we all using and how does it shape up!?

this may become a useful thread for other folks when they come to chose their next lid - so feel free to make with the mini-reviews!

cheers in advance

Z

[Stormforce8]

Shoei Multitec
Fantastic lid - one of the best I've ever owned - relatively quiet (but perfect with earlugs), superb quality, great action with the flip.
Comes complete with the Pinlock antimist system, chinguard and whisper kit to make it even quieter.
Venting is very good - but then it is a flip lid.
The visor can be swapped out in seconds - brilliant system.
Plenty of reviews on the web for these - and you can buy them for just over £200 now as well.







Shoei Hornet
Great lid, not as quiet as some, no buffeting, the peak doesn't catch the wind - and again, comes with the Pinlock and chinguard.
Plenty of vents which can be opened and closed to give a brilliant curtain of cool air around the head - probably the best of all my helmets for this.
If you want to swap out the visor it's quite an invloved job.
I bought mine from Infinity for £250.





Shoei XR1000
This was my favourite until I bought the Multitec.
Very snug fit - awesome quality and absolutely no wind noise if you wear earplugs.
Venting is adequate, and again the visor can be swapped out in seconds.
I bought this one from Infinity for £280, but I think they are down to around £240 on the web.





Bell Moto 7
This is the first and only MX lid that I have bought.
great build quality, great venting especially at the sides, rubber goggle holders on each side, great finish.
Noisy - but then it is an MX lid
I bought this one in the US for $300, but you can get them in the UK for around £175.




All of these helmets have removable liners that can be taken out and washed.



Roof Bumper
This is definitely one of those 'Form over Function' helmets........
Bought it to match my Aprilia Moto - but it's so noisy and uncomfortable I just don't wear it.
The earpockets aren't big enough to fit your ears in, the visor mists up even in the hottest of weathers - but hey, I thought it looked cool at the time......





Momo Komposit
I wear this if it's really hot and I'm just on a local bimble..........although I'm not the world's biggest fan of open faced lids.
Great fit, great finish, great quality, relatively quiet



How quiet a lid is, is very subjective - a lot depends on how tall you are and how you sit on the bike in relation to your screen.........
When Annette had her @, both bikes had Powerbronze flip screens and we both wore Shoei XR1000's. Whilst mine was very noisy (without earplugs) Annette had absolutely no wind noise at all.

That's it from me..............I love my Shoei helmets and wouldn't change from them.........hope this is of some help to you.

[Dee Duble Yuh]

According to magazine tests I've read, only Shuberth and BMW are designed with quietness in mind. Shoei do a "whisper kit" that you can add to their crash helmets; it'll probably fit other makes too. Although it helps it won't cure problems from a noisey helmet.

Otherwise try to find one that has a smooth shape and relatively few vents. Vents should close completely in a way that preserves the smooth profile of the helmet. Avoid the race replicas with tubes and vents all over them and helmets with mesh-covered vents.

Finally, make sure you buy the smallest one that fits your head! A snug fit will help keep out the noise; a loose or sloppy fit will be no good at all.

Unfortunately no dealer I know of will let you take a crash helmet out for a test ride.

[EDIT] My tolerance must be very different from Stormforce8's. Almost all of them look relatively noisey to me. Flip front helmets are almost always noisier than full-face (Shuberth excepted). And although the XR1000 is alright, I certainly wouldn't describe it as "absolutely no wind noise if you wear earplugs." I wear ear plugs and a whisper kit and sometimes the noise really annoys me. [/EDIT]

[z-weiser]

wow thanks for the replies guys!

stormforce - if you went out and took pics of all your lids just for this thread then thanks i really appreciate it! cheers for the info - like the look of the flip front one!

will have to try a few on and check the fit for my Melon!!

also cheers to Dee Duble Yuh - i was going to shy away from the race rep type - dont think it would look right with a Vara!!!

thanks again guys!

Z

[Austin]

Shoei XR1000 with whisper kit and pinlock. I have had mine 3 years and not once seriously considered changing it. Its the only bit of bike kit I can say I have been totally happy with. If I had to change it would be to another one

[Warthog]

I second the comments on the Schuberths. My Dad is pathologically obsessed with noise on the bike. He bought the new Schuberth S1 lid as it was the quietest in class. He is happy with it.

And if you knew my Dad you would know that this means you can't even hear if the bike is running!!

[Chad]

Shoei Multitec
Fantastic lid - one of the best I've ever owned - relatively quiet (but perfect with earlugs), superb quality, great action with the flip.
Comes complete with the Pinlock antimist system, chinguard and whisper kit to make it even quieter.
Venting is very good - but then it is a flip lid.
The visor can be swapped out in seconds - brilliant system.
Plenty of reviews on the web for these - and you can buy them for just over £200 now as well.







Shoei Hornet
Great lid, not as quiet as some, no buffeting, the peak doesn't catch the wind - and again, comes with the Pinlock and chinguard.
Plenty of vents which can be opened and closed to give a brilliant curtain of cool air around the head - probably the best of all my helmets for this.
If you want to swap out the visor it's quite an invloved job.
I bought mine from Infinity for £250.





Shoei XR1000
This was my favourite until I bought the Multitec.
Very snug fit - awesome quality and absolutely no wind noise if you wear earplugs.
Venting is adequate, and again the visor can be swapped out in seconds.
I bought this one from Infinity for £280, but I think they are down to around £240 on the web.





Bell Moto 7
This is the first and only MX lid that I have bought.
great build quality, great venting especially at the sides, rubber goggle holders on each side, great finish.
Noisy - but then it is an MX lid
I bought this one in the US for $300, but you can get them in the UK for around £175.




All of these helmets have removable liners that can be taken out and washed.



Roof Bumper
This is definitely one of those 'Form over Function' helmets........
Bought it to match my Aprilia Moto - but it's so noisy and uncomfortable I just don't wear it.
The earpockets aren't big enough to fit your ears in, the visor mists up even in the hottest of weathers - but hey, I thought it looked cool at the time......





Momo Komposit
I wear this if it's really hot and I'm just on a local bimble..........although I'm not the world's biggest fan of open faced lids.
Great fit, great finish, great quality, relatively quiet



How quiet a lid is, is very subjective - a lot depends on how tall you are and how you sit on the bike in relation to your screen.........
When Annette had her @, both bikes had Powerbronze flip screens and we both wore Shoei XR1000's. Whilst mine was very noisy (without earplugs) Annette had absolutely no wind noise at all.

That's it from me..............I love my Shoei helmets and wouldn't change from them.........hope this is of some help to you.

a man can never have enough lids

[Mr NiceGuy]

I've had the Shoei with pinlock and whisper strip and it doesn't compete with Schuberth S1 and I'm not just saying that because I have one for sale.

Schuberth S1 Nordic Dragon Size XL 60-61

[Heather]

I tried the Shuberth S1 one and I can see why it's so quiet - it fits like shoving your face in a big squdgy sofa! Not a bad thing but I found it claustrophobic. Its very padded everywhere, getting into it feels a bit like going through the birth canal. Try one on, you will see what I mean!
I went for a Shuberth R1 which is great now it's warm but there's a gap under the chin and you need to wear a buff in winter/colder weather and at night. (Am a shift worker) I do find the helmet mists up a bit- you can use a spray to help with that though.
My other half swears by Arai's and says they are the ones that fit him best. I had a Shoei XR1000 but bought the wrong size, they are good quality lids.
Caberg are another good make worth considering.
THE CHOICE IS YOURS!!!!!!!!!!!!! Good luck

[Dee Duble Yuh]

... Its very padded everywhere, getting into it feels a bit like going through the birth canal. Try one on, you will see what I mean!..

Nope, can't say I can remember what it was like.