Ludicrous Speed
Registered
I thought that I would do my own little comparison between the two.
I bought my Arai back in 02, and have used it exclusively since I got it. I have logged over 12 thousand miles in it. My Shoei I got this past winter in the group buy we had here, through the Helmet Shop. Ironically, I bought my Arai the same place. I have not worn the Shoei a lot, but enough to give a good evaluation of it.
Finish of both helmets is excellent, I was impressed from the minute I took either out of the box. Like uncovering a jewel!
Fit: Even though I bought the recommended size for both helmets, the Arai used to put a lot of pressure on my brow, that is not present with the Shoei. It was never a huge issue, but one worth noting. I have heard that Arai is shaped differently, I dunno??
Ventilation: I give the edge to my Arai on this one. The ventilation is excellent with it, slightly better than the Shoei. I do like the ventilation holes in the shield of the Arai.
Shields: I give the edge to Shoei on this one. I liked my Arai for shield changes till I got the Shoei. The has these side pieces that can break if you are not careful, and I have broken them in the past. If one breaks, the shield will not stay on at all. Till you get the hang of it, it can be difficult, and I remember being afraid the first few times I changed it. The Shoei is so simple and seems foolproof, as well as less likely to break. Shoei has this one, hands down. The thing i do not like is the mechanism that holds it open. It is very positive in the notches that hold it open. That is good, but I like to barely crack it to get rid of fogging on cold mornings, and the first notch is too far open and lets too much air in. Maybe I need to do something different with the lever on the side. Fogging is not bad on either, and both are equal. The one pet peeve I have with the Arai shield is the latch that holds it closed. It works well, but it is held on with one little screw and I have broken two or three in my years of ownership.
Chin strap: Stupid thing to evalutae, right??? Maybe not. I would have figured that a strap is a strap, but I have learned different. The rings on my Arai ended up rusting after several years from sweat and rain, I guess. But the little snap that holds the excess strap works great, easy to do with gloves on and never failed. The Shoei on the other hand, one of the biggest bitches Ihave about it is that the stupid clip they have SUCKS!!! That damn thing has never worked, not from the first time I wore it. Half the time it does not work and the strap flaps around and smacks your chin and neck. If I could figure out something to di with it, I would. A helmet this expensive should have something better than this.
My only other gripe is that my Shoei blocks my view when behind the screen and down on the tank. The rear of it hits my neckand gets shoved down my forehead. Because of this, I still have to take my Arai with me when I go to the drag strip.
So there you have it........ You cannot go wrong with either, and if you ever try one, you will see why they are worth the extra money. The lower priced helmets have made great strides over the years, but I feel that they still have not reached the level of quality of either of these. I am not knocking any others, but htese are what I prefer.
If anyone has any advice on the shield deal or chin strap on the Shoei, please feel free to chime in.
I bought my Arai back in 02, and have used it exclusively since I got it. I have logged over 12 thousand miles in it. My Shoei I got this past winter in the group buy we had here, through the Helmet Shop. Ironically, I bought my Arai the same place. I have not worn the Shoei a lot, but enough to give a good evaluation of it.
Finish of both helmets is excellent, I was impressed from the minute I took either out of the box. Like uncovering a jewel!
Fit: Even though I bought the recommended size for both helmets, the Arai used to put a lot of pressure on my brow, that is not present with the Shoei. It was never a huge issue, but one worth noting. I have heard that Arai is shaped differently, I dunno??
Ventilation: I give the edge to my Arai on this one. The ventilation is excellent with it, slightly better than the Shoei. I do like the ventilation holes in the shield of the Arai.
Shields: I give the edge to Shoei on this one. I liked my Arai for shield changes till I got the Shoei. The has these side pieces that can break if you are not careful, and I have broken them in the past. If one breaks, the shield will not stay on at all. Till you get the hang of it, it can be difficult, and I remember being afraid the first few times I changed it. The Shoei is so simple and seems foolproof, as well as less likely to break. Shoei has this one, hands down. The thing i do not like is the mechanism that holds it open. It is very positive in the notches that hold it open. That is good, but I like to barely crack it to get rid of fogging on cold mornings, and the first notch is too far open and lets too much air in. Maybe I need to do something different with the lever on the side. Fogging is not bad on either, and both are equal. The one pet peeve I have with the Arai shield is the latch that holds it closed. It works well, but it is held on with one little screw and I have broken two or three in my years of ownership.
Chin strap: Stupid thing to evalutae, right??? Maybe not. I would have figured that a strap is a strap, but I have learned different. The rings on my Arai ended up rusting after several years from sweat and rain, I guess. But the little snap that holds the excess strap works great, easy to do with gloves on and never failed. The Shoei on the other hand, one of the biggest bitches Ihave about it is that the stupid clip they have SUCKS!!! That damn thing has never worked, not from the first time I wore it. Half the time it does not work and the strap flaps around and smacks your chin and neck. If I could figure out something to di with it, I would. A helmet this expensive should have something better than this.
My only other gripe is that my Shoei blocks my view when behind the screen and down on the tank. The rear of it hits my neckand gets shoved down my forehead. Because of this, I still have to take my Arai with me when I go to the drag strip.
So there you have it........ You cannot go wrong with either, and if you ever try one, you will see why they are worth the extra money. The lower priced helmets have made great strides over the years, but I feel that they still have not reached the level of quality of either of these. I am not knocking any others, but htese are what I prefer.
If anyone has any advice on the shield deal or chin strap on the Shoei, please feel free to chime in.
