DS Helmet

[dooveman]

Well, one thing I went to the motorcycle show for was to try on some lids. I have to say, I tried on the Shoei Hornet DS and I was impressed. The Arai was nice too but I thought the Shoei was better built. I've heard it has some drawbacks too but so does my KLR. No wisecracks please

I also tried on the BMW helmet that they had at the booth. That is one light lid. But it seemed a bit flimsy. And $800 is crazy. I shopped around online for the Shoei and the cheepest I have seen is $352.

Brian

 

[Buck]

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http://www.shoei-helmets.com/road/product_launch_hornetds.aspx

Wow. Looks like a great helmet. Anyone have one?

 

[Island Hopper]

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The new Vapour offered by HJC is priced at around $175 which makes it about half the cost of the other brands..... I looked over the helmet and the only thing I really didn't like about it was that if you ran goggles rather than the shield the edges of the visorpeak would interfere with your goggle straps.... Good points other than the price is the shield seems to fit well against the gasket when closed so it should shut out the rain and windnoise fairly well.....


I tried on the Arai and the Shoei and found the latter to be the helmet of choice for me....

 

[TOHC2]

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I have the first gen Shoei Hornet from 2006. It is quite a bit lighter and different (flimsier) than the 2008 Hornet DS version that was at the show. The new version also has a slightly differently shell shape, a nicer interior, better sealing and a defog vent for the visor shield.

I got my 2006 version for $300 cnd last year. If you are shopping on line be sure its the 2008 Hornet DS model. or you may be in for a bit of a surprise.

The older Hornet is basically a Shoei dirt helmet with a shield. Its very loud compared to my Arai XD.

 

[Bayner]

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I think the HJC would need some of the material on the visor removed or it'll act as a wind scoop at highway speeds. It looked ok for the price.

 

[dooveman]

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The reviews I have seen gave a thumbs down on the HJC and a thumbs up for Arai and Shoei. There are various issues with the HJC, just google it. The Arai is a bit noisy but if you are wearing plugs, no biggy. The Shoei's bill is short and that is it's biggest negative. The quality I have heard is typical shoei. For me it came down to fit. And the shoel has great fit. My ears are free, my glasses slide on and off and the shield flips up and down smoothly. And it makes you look like your about to blast someone's ass with a plasma cannon.:?

 

[IanB]

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I have had the Arai XD and now have the new Hornet. I have to say the Arai never fitted that well, but that could be just head shape. More to the point, it was pretty noisy and I found the peak always tried to lift at highway speeds. I also found that the gap between my chin and the front of the helmet made it pretty draughty. Despite that, the sheild used to fog badly in cool weather.

Not so with the Hornet. The whole thing feels better made and none of the above issues are present with this helmet. Considering that both these helmets are premium, for me there is no comparison - Hornet.:tup:

 

[BMWNut]

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I've got the Arai XD:

• I really like the fit and overall quality.
• It's somewhat noisy and will build the neck muscles when you shoulder check on the highway!
• Vision is a little distorted due to sharp bend of visor.
• The visorfogs during cold/damp trail rides when you're breathing harder.
• Visor is a b$^$% to remove, requiring removal of 4 screws, and if you want to run without the visor or peak you need to keep the two "shim" pieceson hand with you.
• The price is up there.
• Helmets and parts can be hard to find.

We have been selling the new BMW Enduro for a while now:

• Much lighter than any other dualsport I've seen.
• Materials, paint, finish are top quality.
• Quiet.
• Visor takes less than 10 seconds to remove, and no extra pieces needed for the different modes.
• Not Available in the states.
• Antifog coating works
• Undistorted vision.
• The price is up there, same as the Arai XDs.
• With the tinted visor nothing looks cooler...

 

[Strongleftleg]

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I've never tried a Arai XD or a Hornet. However, when I was shopping for a dualsport helmet I came across this:

An Airoh S4. Not available in North America, so I bought one off flea-bay from the UK. Shipped was $225 cdn. Not DOT rated, but meets all European road and racing specs. Super light, very high quality, nice price. Chin area is roomy= drafty. It's a little on the noisy side too, but I wear earplugs, so no matter to me. I love it, it's a viable option.



Aaron.

 

[skidmark43]

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Strongleftleg wrote:

An Airoh S4. Not available in North America, so I bought one off flea-bay from the UK. Shipped was $225 cdn. Not DOT rated, but meets all European road and racing specs. Super light, very high quality, nice price. Chin area is roomy= drafty. It's a little on the noisy side too, but I wear earplugs, so no matter to me. I love it, it's a viable option.



Aaron.

Second vote for the Airoh. I've had it a little over a year; bought it when I was in the UK for less than 100quid. Very satisfied with it.

Certainly not at the quality level of the Arai; but then I was disappointed in the Arai performance (noise, weight, ease of converting modes) considering the high price. Like all things D/S, these helmets represent a balance of compromises.

Mark

 

[dooveman]

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BMWNut wrote:

We have been selling the new BMW Enduro for a while now:

• Much lighter than any other dualsport I've seen.
• Materials, paint, finish are top quality.
• Quiet.
• Visor takes less than 10 seconds to remove, and no extra pieces needed for the different modes.
• Not Available in the states.
• Antifog coating works
• Undistorted vision.
• The price is up there, same as the Arai XDs.
• With the tinted visor nothing looks cooler...

You say the price is up there along with the Arai but the Arai has come down to around $450 from whatI have seen. At the motocycle show the BMW helmat was almost $900. Can you get the BMW helmet for less?

One thing to note wrt the Airoh is that the front chin vent is an open non-closeable vent. Minor point. And it's not DOT approved. Again minor.

 

[JetDog]

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I was interested in theAiroh before I settled on the XD. I was in touch with a vendor in the UK who basically told me the Airoh couldn't accomodate a larger sized head.

Large head = more brains, right? Right??

On a related note, sorry mom!

 

[BMWNut]

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dooveman wrote:

BMWNut wrote:

We have been selling the new BMW Enduro for a while now:

• Much lighter than any other dualsport I've seen.
• Materials, paint, finish are top quality.
• Quiet.
• Visor takes less than 10 seconds to remove, and no extra pieces needed for the different modes.
• Not Available in the states.
• Antifog coating works
• Undistorted vision.
• The price is up there, same as the Arai XDs.
• With the tinted visor nothing looks cooler...

You say the price is up there along with the Arai but the Arai has come down to around $450 from whatI have seen. At the motocycle show the BMW helmat was almost $900. Can you get the BMW helmet for less?

One thing to note wrt the Airoh is that the front chin vent is an open non-closeable vent. Minor point. And it's not DOT approved. Again minor.

The list on the graphic Arai XD is $799.95, the list for the graphic BMW is $806.[suP]50[/suP]. The solid colour BMW is $733.[suP]50[/suP], can't remember what the solid Arai is worth.

 

[joker650]

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Thats One GOOFY look'n lid!:hr:

 

[dooveman]

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Thanks Joker, now I got coffee all over my keyboard

 

[cathouse willy]

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Being fairly new to ds riding I'm curious about the differences of an off road type helmet as opposed to a regular full face.I've had lots of years riding a wing with a half helmet,while it was fine for the wing it was painfully loud on the klr.I bought an inexpensive (hjc) full face and am quite happy with it. The shoei hornet ds is an interestingone although a bit more pricey.The offroad helmets all seem to have a long snout,whats the reason for it?Any help is appreciated

 

[dooveman]

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I'll take a crack at this, although I'm not an ex dirt biker. The long snout is for breathing. You tend to work harder when riding motocross or off-road. I have an HJC flip up and it fogs up plus the latch gets stuck due to dust. Also, the extended chin help in front face collisions although I would think that is most important when hitting a car.

Am I right here?

 

[Buckethead]

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dooveman wrote:

Well, one thing I went to the motorcycle show for was to try on some lids. I have to say, I tried on the Shoei Hornet DS and I was impressed. The Arai was nice too but I thought the Shoei was better built. I've heard it has some drawbacks too but so does my KLR. No wisecracks please

I also tried on the BMW helmet that they had at the booth. That is one light lid. But it seemed a bit flimsy. And $800 is crazy. I shopped around online for the Shoei and the cheepest I have seen is $352.

Brian

Hey Brian-

Where did you find it for $352?

Cheers,

Matthew

 

[dooveman]

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It is that price at parts411.com. That price shows up on their ebay page plus if you phone them you will get that price. Under the price of $482 online they have a phone code for calling them. The phone code is 352. Hint Hint.

But they were backordered for mine. I wanted matte black XL. In fact I only found one place including local shops that had mine. That was bobscycle.com. It was $409. So I paid that because I don't buy from back order.

Seems that this helmet is selling like crazy. All the places are saying it sells out as soon as they get them. And they don't get alot. So some sizes, some colors are in but you need to check. And just because they say they have stock on ebay or on their web page or even on the phone it doesn't mean you won't end up on back order. Bobscycle shipped next day though and it is now somewhere in the Northern Cascades making its way west according to my tracking #. Maybe the trucker is wearing it on his snowmobile as he tries to get across the Rockies

A local guy offered it for $420 after haggling but it was again on back order. I can give you his nae via PM if you want. Since it was a haggle I don't want to publish his name.

Brian

 

[hardyklr]

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I jumped in to the DS helmet world and ordered an Airoh S4 in silver/Titanium L from the UK just now..$89 pounds + $39 pound shipping...so about $250 CDN plus taxes etc. I found better selection by going to the ebay UK site and shopping that way.