[mr phil]

hey all. i'm looking to get a new lid. i'm looking at shoei's, arai's, and suomy's. there is one question in my mind after looking at these. the arai's and suomy's have that nose bridge thing on top of the chin bar. the shoei's dont have that. what is the purpose of it and is it a necessity? thanks.

 

[dennisred69]

hey all. i'm looking to get a new lid. i'm looking at shoei's, arai's, and suomy's. there is one question in my mind after looking at these. the arai's and suomy's have that nose bridge thing on top of the chin bar. the shoei's dont have that. what is the purpose of it and is it a necessity? thanks.

it helps to keep the face shield from fogging up

 

[nig]

It's not a necessity; if fogging becomes a problem for you, you can either get a Fog City shield or a separate breath guard (Helmet Harbor sells a nifty one).

 

[RayOSV]

I think Shoei calls it a breath guard. It comes standard on some models (X-11), but is available for all at a nominal price ($7?). It does deflect your breath away from the shield. Shoei also makes what they call a chin curtain that inserts in the bottom opening to help close it off for cold weather. Again statndard on the X-11, optional on the other models and really great in the cold.

As an aside, I REALLY like my new X-11. Very comfortable (try it on first, though) and tons of ventillation that can be closed if too cold.

 

[Lok]

yep, it's a breathguard. I believe Arai makes another one that basically covers your nose and mouth to better prevent fogging, just so you know. Get the helmet that fits your head best.

 

[mr phil]

thanks

thanks alot guys. about the fitting my head best part... a snug fit is desirable right? snug as in tight, but not suffocating tight? i tried on a large and a xlarge. the large pushed my cheeks in a bit and felt snug... it didnt cause any irritations. the xlarge was not loose loose, but it didnt feel as "secure". it had more breathing room though. so which one is the recommended fit?

 

[nig]

Probably the large. Wear it around the shop for 15 minutes, if there are no hot spots and you don't get a headache, that's the right size. If not, and if the XL is loose, then try another brand's L, they all fit differently in terms of head shape. Helmet's break in a bit with time, so keep that in mind as well. Cheek pads are replaceable on higher end lids, if that becomes an annoyance.

 

[kingjmack]

I've owned hjc, shoei, soumy, vega, and arai. After wearing the arai corsair, Ill never buy anything else(except for now because I dropped it and busted on of the sidecovers and they're on backorder till 7/22, so if have to wear the vega). The fit, noise, and all around comfort level is like no other.

 

[RickC1957]

Arai has been have way too many problems with there helemts, all I read about is the sidecovers breaking off. What kind of BS is that? A top line helmet with pieces coming off? You want to know why the sidecovers are on backorder? Because Arai can't produce them fast enough to replace the ones everyone are breaking! I have owned Shoei's, and for a long time were my personal favorite, until 3 years ago, when I needed to replace my 10 year old Shoei, I bought a AC-10 Pridmore Replica, I still giggle, I got a smoking hot helmet, with quality as good as any other top brand for $170.00! The new AC-11 is even better!! I have found the Creature for as low as $138.00, HJC's topline helmet for $138.00, and I tell you pieces won't fall of like an Arai! Like they say "Fools and their money are soon departed"

 

[f2benny]

I've worn Shoei and Arai and tried on KBC, Suomy, and HJC. There's no comparison in my mind. The new Suomy helmets seem virtually as good as Arai and Shoei, but KBC and HJC just are not the same quality. They are nice, and a good value-no question. But they are simply not as nice overall. And I've never had a piece fall off my RX7. They are overpriced though-and I would never buy one for retail.

 

[Flatout]

If you need a hook up on a helmet let me know, I have arai, suomy, shoei, hjc, kbc in stock