Arai Vs Shoei

Ok. so I rode last week through Colorado and a mini part of Utah. Got in 2100 miles! :clapping: I had a great time until I got careless and tried riding across some newly laid rock. I hit a patch of rock in a hole and the front end slid out from under me, just as if I was on ice! :angry: Scratched up the left side of everything and even scratched my helmet. Progressive insurance, after much discussion, has agreed to pony up for the new parts and even paid me for my shoei helmet. Herein lies my problem. I had a Z-two Viking shoei. Shoei no longer makes this helmet. I felt like the helmet was a little loud. Has anyone had any experience with an Arai? Any chance it might be quieter then the shoei? I would appreciate any input you can suggest. Thanks for your help. John

Kanfjr,

I have only ever owned Arai helmets so I acnnot comment on if they are quieter than any other. I made my choice on fit alone. I can always wear earplugs, which I do any way.

Arai fit me the best

You're either an Arai head or a Shoei head. Not both. Go try some on.

I have had two Arai Quantum's that I liked very much. I just bought a Shoei RF1000, also very nice BUT, I had to modify the inside at the forehead.

Look inside both of them, the Shoei has a sewn seam that you might feel like I did, (left a crease in my forehead and gave me a headache) I think the Arai is "finished" out a little better. I modified my Shoei to fit my head better, no mods were needed with the Arai.

Wind noise is less with the Shoei IMO. I think it's because of how the visor mounting is different between the two.

With a clear visor the hardware can be seen where the Arai is covered, I just replaced the visor with a mirrored blue one which hides this hardware.

I went with the Shoei because it was a little cheaper and the Royal Blue matches my new FJR

Just see which one fits the best, can't go wrong with either one.

I had worn a Shoei X8 air for years, replaced it because somebody said you're supposed to. Chose the RF 1000 on looks (personally didn't care for the Aria logo or shield mounting) The Shoei fits me great, no mods, no headaches etc. HOWEVER, I think the RF 1000 is very noisy. (yes I wear earplugs, still noisy) maybe its just me, but the wind noise is pretty bad. I don't know if this is the case with all helmets, but it seems quieter with the shield open. I think this is because it diverts the air off of the little intake ports on the brow. I've been trying to figure out some way to modify to quite it down, but haven't had time to experiment. It would be nice if the manufacturers or someone could post objective (measured) wind noise stats in addition to weight etc. I know the FJR is a SPORT tour, but I'm one of the 'apparently' few that actually enjoys the TOUR aspect of the bike as well. It would be nice to have a quiet helmet when your slabbin it. At 4-500 bucks a pop, I can't afford to buy one of every helmet on the market til I find a quiet one. Good luck with whatever you pick.

wildman (going deaf in OH)

Ari Rankum said:

You're either an Arai head or a Shoei head. Not both. Go try some on.

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Arai makes 'em for three different head shapes; Round Oval, Intermediate Oval, and Long Oval. Plus you can try different pad combinations for even more melon comfort

I had Shoei and now ride in Arai. Shoei is quieter by much, but Arai fitted me the best this time around. Shoei changed the shape of their inner parts and no longer fit me right. So, I ended up buying Arai. That said, if I do not get a hair cut every 3 weeks Arai is killing me. I think my hairdresser has a stock in Arai.

Bottom line. Get what ever fits you and the rest can be fixed by ear plugs. Once you ride with one you will never ride with out one again.

Thanks for the input. Unfortunately I don't have an Arai dealer around here. I will have to order either of them off the internet. Thats why I was asking for the input. My shoei fit me well, I just didn't like the extra noise I got from the air inlets. My helmet quieted down also when I put the visor up. So far it sounds to me that the Arai has a better fit but the Shoei is quieter. If anyone else wants to chime in your opinion it will be appreciated. Thanks to all who have replied so far. John

kanfjr said:

Thanks for the input. Unfortunately I don't have an Arai dealer around here. I will have to order either of them off the internet. Thats why I was asking for the input. My shoei fit me well, I just didn't like the extra noise I got from the air inlets. My helmet quieted down also when I put the visor up. So far it sounds to me that the Arai has a better fit but the Shoei is quieter. If anyone else wants to chime in your opinion it will be appreciated. Thanks to all who have replied so far. John

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If your Shoei is not giving you a headache and/or a bald spot at your forehead, it's probably the better choice for the noise reduction.

I rode with Shoeis until I took one on the road for 6 weeks. That's when I figured out I don't have a Shoei head. That bald spot took a while to overcome. Now that I'm all hairy again, I'm going deaf in my Arais. They seem way noisier than my Shoeis, but I can wear them as long as I want to sit in the saddle. (Yes, I do wear ear protection, and not just when blasting crap on the range.)

I had a Shoei RF900 for my first lid and then last year I went to an Arai Corsair. Loved the fit better than the Shoei, but loud as hell! This year, I bought a new Suomy Spec-1R and I like it better than the Arai. Biggest difference seems that the Suomy needs to "break-in" to the shape of your head, but it only took a couple of days and now it feels like I'm wearing nothing.

kanfjr said:

Thanks for the input. Unfortunately I don't have an Arai dealer around here. I will have to order either of them off the internet.

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John,

you will not be able to buy off the internet.

Arai has very strict rules about internet dealing. If you can find one on the net Arai will not back anything.

If you visit thier website there is a specific section about no Internet sales. They belive in hand fitting thier helmets to the rider by certified fitters

I cannot imagine a more comfortable helmet than my Arai, but it is loud. The custom fitmet is the only way to go, and worth every cent. I was amazed at the progression that was made to the point of hitting it on the nose. A bit tight for the first 1K miles(especially on and off), but was broke in real nice.

I'm definately in the oval category....

Had both...Shoei is much quieter...those stupid ear covers on the Arai make a lot of noise. The Shoei visor is also better, and the helmet itself is more aerodynamic. The arai was prolly a bit more comfy...but it was also a lot bigger. anyway my .02...good luck.

stormrider said:

kanfjr said:

Thanks for the input. Unfortunately I don't have an Arai dealer around here. I will have to order either of them off the internet.

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John,

you will not be able to buy off the internet.

Arai has very strict rules about internet dealing. If you can find one on the net Arai will not back anything.

If you visit thier website there is a specific section about no Internet sales. They belive in hand fitting thier helmets to the rider by certified fitters

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Sal,

That used to be the case. No more. They lost a lot of business when they did this and came up with a revised policy.

They now have a policy with all of their sellers (online and storefront) that allows buyers to return the helmet (in as-new condition, of course) in exchange for a new one in 3 days if there is a fit issue. You can see more info 1/3 of the way down here where it says about the No Hassle Return Policy.

I've had good experience with Helmet Harbor. Might be worth a phone call. If you tell them what you have, what size it is, and how it fits, they should be able to tell you what size you would need.

I have worn Arai's for years. My last 2 were Quantums. The one I currently wear is a medium. I always thought I should wear a large and that's what my previous 4 Arai's were and I always ordered them online or through mail order. One time I was in a dealership trying some helmets on and when I asked the sales person for a large, he gave me an odd look. He got out a tape measure and told me I should be wearing a medium. I thought he was crazy till I tried it on. It was snug, but, not tight. I reluctantly bought a medium and am glad I did. I found out that the wind noise decreased significantly with the exact same helmet, just a different size. Makes sense. With a looser helmet, more wind turbulence will reach the ear area resulting in a noisier helmet.

wildman said:

It would be nice if the manufacturers or someone could post objective (measured) wind noise stats in addition to weight etc.

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As to noise measurements, I don't think you could get any useful results. I always chuckle a bit when someone asks which helmet is quieter, as there are so many variables there is no real answer to the question, what may be quite for you won't be for another. Head shape, neck size / length, torso size (putting you higher or lower into the wind stream), how you hold your head, hair length.... to many things determine how much noise your helmet will produce. Fit is the most important aspect you can deal with in a helmet. If it's the quietest one you ever wore, but doesn't fit right your not going to wear it long.

I wear Shoei's, I have a what has been referred to as a Shoei head. I wear the X11 series helmets and have worn the X series for years starting with the X8. Very noisy helmet due to all the venting. But it's really the only one I can find that fits me the best. Might be it's a lot quieter on you though. With the Arai's new shapes I can get one that fits fairly well, but they are either too tight, or too loose in size, so I'll stick with what works for me.

Find one that fits the best and wear ear plugs no matter how quite it may end up being.

I would have to concur that the Shoei's tend to be quieter than the Arai's.

However, the Arai's (I currently wear a XD (has a bill) and a Signet-GT (matching the wife's lid)) fit better with all day comfort.

The Arai's used to bother me with a lot of high pitched whistling noise, but since I've added a V-Stream windshield to the FJR, there's no more noise. No earplugs and visor open most of the time.

I've worn Arai's for the last 20 years. I wore Shoei's in the old days. I would say that I have the "long oval head shape" (with a point on top). I have been trying on helmets for 2 months, trying to find the perfect replacement for my Arai. I wanted to buy another Arai. I bought the Shoei X-11. It fit's like a glove, makes less noise than the Arai and the venting is way, way better. Try them all and buy the one that fits you.

Just an FYI....I have a new RF1000 & X11 & the RF1000 is the far quieter helmet, no contest.....& I wear custom ear plugs no matter which bike or helmet I wear....

I used to use Shoei and then went to Arai, which I still have but I am very happy with my new Scorpion. I actually have two of them. Better ventilation with the Scorpion than the Arai. I paid about $150 for my EX700. FWIW, you have an FJR. Wind noise will always be a problem, no matter which helmet you buy.