Shoei Hornet DS

I managed to run into a bit of money fairly recently and wondered what the best thing to do with this unexpected windfall would be. Thoughts such as pay off the mortgage, take a holiday, pay off the credit card, treat the lesser half to something nice, treat myself to something nice occurred to me at various intervals. After wrestling with the decision for approximately 3 minutes I decided to treat myself to something nice.

I've been running around with a Caberg flip face for the last couple of years and never loved it. For some reason, it just didn't agree with me. Perhaps it was the fact it leaked on the inside when it rained or that in the fog it was foggier inside the helmet than on the road that may have altered my perspective, but I don't like to be nasty.

So, I went to take a look at a helmet that might suit the look of the Great Green Machine. I tried on the Arai Tour X, but felt that as I didn't own a BMW I might look like a plonker in one (sorry to all GS owners), so tried on the Shoei Hornet DS. Truth be told, there wasn't anything in the fit difference to the Arai, both felt excellent. The price was much the same as well so I took the plunge as a non-GS rider and plumped for the Shoei as I didn't want to be mistaken for a Ewan / The Other Guy wannabe.

I bought from HelmetCity.com and got a free Shoei jacket into the bargain, which may have influenced my purchasing decision. Once the box had been delivered (VERY speedily - excellent service) I eagerly unpacked and tried out the new headgear in the comfort of my bathroom and full length mirror. I looked awesome. Fit was excellent, and for a glasses wearer they slid in very nicely so comfort all round. The first trip I took was down the M25 and as I had heard horror stories re wearing a helmet with a visor I was somewhat concerned. However, one of the key things that made me focus on the Shoei rather than the Arai was the size of the vents on the visor. With a normal screen, at 80mph the drag around the helmet was less than that with the Caberg. Even when doing the blind spot check at speed, there is very little drag on the neck. To add bonus to excellence, noise was reduced and the ears were in good condition come arrival time. Aerodynamically the design seems to be excellent.

In the intervening time I have used the helmet in the snow and rain and have nothing but good things to say. The "double visor technology" that Shoei go on about really seems to reduce misting making it an excellent choice in winter.

The only beef I have is that there aren't many levels for the visor to lock open so it's difficult to have even one "notch" open when riding - the bottom of the visor is almost in the line of sight. However, for a glasses wearer I can definately recommend this as an excellent purchase. The fit, while tight to get on, is very good without being uncomfortable and provides a level of security in feeling that the Caberg never did. The vents work excellently so in summer there is very little build up of heat (note: close in winter). There is sufficient airflow over the mouth piece to prevent misting of the glasses in winter without chilling the nose or mouth. To cover off on that, Shoei provide a little chin-gadget which will stop airflow if needed.

All round - an excellent purchase. Yes, £300-odd is a lot of money, but I feel it's worth it given the quality of product that has been purchased.