Shoei Qwest helmet report

[SouthernCruizer]

Got my matt black Shoei Qwest in size Large a couple of days ago...have 3 rides and about 200 miles with it now. I will compare it to my Shoei RF1000 and X-11.

1. The Qwest is slighty more bulky looking than the RF & X11, but doesn't really feel any heavier

2. The Qwest seems to be a little more quiet, as reported by the media tests.

3. The Qwest does not seem to have quite as plush an interior feel as the RF & X11

4. The Qwest's fit seems identical to the RF1000, and slightly looser than the X-11

5. The Qwest seems to be a little better on de-fogging with the chin vent open than either of the other 2 Shoei's. Not sure how it works, but it clears out quickly when chin vents are open.

6. The Qwest breath guard is made of stiff rubber...I like it better than the RF or X11.

7. The Qwest eye port is bigger n better than the RF1000 & X-11

8. The Qwest in matt black and dark smoke shield looks EVIL! :evilsmiley03:

Shoei QWEST

 

[stevec677]

Why did you buy the Quest over the RF-1100? Are you pleased with the purchase? I am planning on buying a Quest next weekend at the NYC motorcycle show. My reasoning is $$$.

 

[SouthernCruizer]

Why did you buy the Quest over the RF-1100? Are you pleased with the purchase? I am planning on buying a Quest next weekend at the NYC motorcycle show. My reasoning is $$$.

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I saw the info on the Qwest and the good reviews and figured I'd give it a go. I am happy with the purchase thus far, but I need to wear it a few more times to be sure. I haven't tried the new RF-1100, so I dont know how it compares.

I did forget one bullet point about the comparo in my above post...the taking off and putting on of the face shield...taking off the shield is about the same as the RF1000 and X-11, but putting it back on is a little bit more complicated. The shield does not go on quite as easily, as there are more contact points that have to line up. With that said though,it's still ez to do.

 

[jkirk]

I just picked up a new Qwest last week myself. I spent the better part of an hour trying on different helmets and sizes. The Qwest fit me much better than the RF1100 or Arai. I agree with the report above, the Qwest fits just a little looser than the RF1100. I can't wait for the weather to break so I can go out and put some miles on and break it in.

 

[FJR Flyer]

Talked to the Shoei guy yesterday at the DC bike show. I was trying on the RF1100 in L and M. I have an RF1000 in L, but all my previous Shoei's were XL. The RF1100 fit felt a lot different than the previous RF's I have owned. The rep said they change the shape for the RF1100, elongating it to be a more oval shape. I have a blockhead, so the previous shape fit me better. The rep also said the Qwest is more like the older RF1000 shape. A Qwest may be my next helmet. The Qwest uses the newer, larger shield that is also used on the RF1100 and the X-12.

 

[Top Case]

Bought a new white XL Qwest at the Seattle Cycle Center booth at the Seattle Motorcycle Show, just after the Pacific Northwest FJR breakfast December 11. I have a little over a month and a little over 2,000 miles of daily commuting in the great northwet. I've not ridden in other Shoei since my 25-year hiatus from motorcycling ended in 2006, and came from an HJC CL-SP, which lasted through about 4 years and 52,000 miles before the strap began to fray.

I paid more for the Shoei than I would have for another HJC because I wanted the quiet and thought that the fit was better for the upper part of my noggin. I've been hoping that the cheek pads would break in a bit more, but have just about given up in favor of buying a thinner set; the Qwest's stock cheek pads are so thick that I've become a mouth breather to allow my cheeks room to expand between my teeth. That creates a worry that I'd bite off chunks if in an accident, plus it increases the fogging in the winter.

I agree that the ventilation is excellent, it's handled this week's "pineapple express" of heavy rain with no problem.

 

[Top Case]

To clarify: the too-thick-for-me cheek pads force me to be a mouth breather, which means that the shield fogs quickly at stoplights or in traffic, but the excellent ventilation means that it clears quickly in motion. Relative to my old HJC, both the fogging and the clearing are quicker.

Finally, while I can't dispute others' statements that the Qwest provides better peripheral vision than other recent Shoei models, it provides a little less than the HJC. I don't know whether it's because the opening is smaller or because the overall helmet thickness is greater, but it takes another degree or three of head turn to get the same view over my shoulder that I'd long had with the HJC.

 

[SouthernCruizer]

To clarify: the too-thick-for-me cheek pads force me to be a mouth breather, which means that the shield fogs quickly at stoplights or in traffic, but the excellent ventilation means that it clears quickly in motion. Relative to my old HJC, both the fogging and the clearing are quicker.

Finally, while I can't dispute others' statements that the Qwest provides better peripheral vision than other recent Shoei models, it provides a little less than the HJC. I don't know whether it's because the opening is smaller or because the overall helmet thickness is greater, but it takes another degree or three of head turn to get the same view over my shoulder that I'd long had with the HJC.

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I've had a couple of different HJC helmets...I think the Shoei helmets are thicker shelled and also padded more heavily. I find all full face helmets are somewhat restrictive when it comes to view, but the Qwest has the newer visor with a larger eye port, so it is an improvement over the RF1000 and X-ll models.

 

[jkirk]

To clarify: the too-thick-for-me cheek pads force me to be a mouth breather, which means that the shield fogs quickly at stoplights or in traffic, but the excellent ventilation means that it clears quickly in motion. Relative to my old HJC, both the fogging and the clearing are quicker.

Finally, while I can't dispute others' statements that the Qwest provides better peripheral vision than other recent Shoei models, it provides a little less than the HJC. I don't know whether it's because the opening is smaller or because the overall helmet thickness is greater, but it takes another degree or three of head turn to get the same view over my shoulder that I'd long had with the HJC.

You may know this, but you can buy thinner or thicker cheek pads to adjust the fit or comfort. The XL size comes with 35mm cheek pads and you can order them all the way down to 31mm. I just ordered a set of 33mm to give me a little more room.

 

[Top Case]

You may know this, but you can buy thinner or thicker cheek pads to adjust the fit or comfort. The XL size comes with 35mm cheek pads and you can order them all the way down to 31mm. I just ordered a set of 33mm to give me a little more room.

I've ordered 31 mm, but they haven't arrived. I wore the Qwest with the stock 35's for a month and 2,000 miles to get a sense of how much the cheek pads would pack down. The answer is: not much.

 

[worldbound4now]

I recently acquired a Qwest, coming off of a X11. I'm so happy with the choice.

The Qwest has more rounded shape, as noted in many reviews. I have ridden many 12-18hr days in my x11 and always found at the end of the day that the very tops of my ears were on fire and screaming at me to not return to the helmet. The Qwest, in comparison, has what feels like cavernous speaker pockets which take most all of the pressure off of my ears.

The x11 felt snug on my head from my forehead, all the way across the surface of my skull to the lower margins of the occiput of my skull. The x11 also had even pressure across my maxilla, mandible, and pressed in on my cheeks until the pads were broke in. The Qwest feels more like a snug elliptical band around the largest part of my skull with constant contact above that band. The lower half of the helmet leaves pressure off of my ears, but fits quite firmly just in front of my ears, across the TMJ, and down along the length of the maxilla/zygomatic arch, with gentle support across my mandible. The fit also allows a perfect channel for my eyeglasses to head back across my ears without any torquing or uncomfortable pressure between the pads and my head, making for an absence of hot pressure points.

Speaking of heat, I will say that the x11 vented better than the Qwest, but the Qwest still ventilates quite well such that I ended a 100+F ride in the DFW area today with a sweaty head, but no sweat dripping down across my face and eyeglasses inside of the helmet. Ventilation is adequate for my preferences.

Noise: The X11 was one loud-assed, ruin your hearing helmet. The Qwest is much better, but when at highway speeds you're still subject to 70-100+ mph winds (depending on your ground speed and the wind speed), so earplugs will always be present with this rider when expecting to ride above 30mph. Not because the Qwest is noisy, but because I value my senses.

One of my largest complaints of the x11 is that, at high speeds, I used to feel that my head was going to be ripped off when I'd do a lane check. In the x11, any axial head turn beyond 30 degrees off center vision created uncomfortable forces on my head. The x11 loves to fly straight. The Qwest seemed to be much more tolerant of flying sideways or at an angle such as is needed when checking lanes before changing lanes.

Another issue with the X11 is that I always had terrible buffeting when running with my Rifle shield in any position higher than 50% of max height. The Qwest has almost no buffeting until the Rifle shield is in the full upright position.

My end impression: I'm thrilled with the helmet and hope it gives me a nice 5 years of service as the warranty specifies.

 

[azitlies]

Decided on a Qwest also.

Coming from an Arai Quantum II, wasn't sure anything could fit as well. Qwest actually fits better. It is quiet as others have said.

Doesn't seem to fit in the side bag very easily though... maybe it's the Go Pro mount I put on it, but I don't have an easy time as it has a kind of odd outside shape...

I like mine though for sure.

 

[ricks.06]

Love my matte black RF. It's only a few months old and the cheek pads did begin to give a little after about 500 miles. The shape seems to fit my Herman Munster like head just right plus the smoke screen makes it look bad a..

 

[NickBrewer]

Does the Qwest fit in the side cases easily? It is one of the helmets on my list of possibles, I would wear an XL, so if anyone has an XL Qwest, how does it fit in the side cases?

 

[dcarver]

I'm pretty sure Ol' Yellow Beaned' Ol' Michael won't be buying one soon...

 

[azitlies]

Decided on a Qwest also.

Coming from an Arai Quantum II, wasn't sure anything could fit as well. Qwest actually fits better. It is quiet as others have said.

Doesn't seem to fit in the side bag very easily though... maybe it's the Go Pro mount I put on it, but I don't have an easy time as it has a kind of odd outside shape...

I like mine though for sure.

Does the Qwest fit in the side cases easily? It is one of the helmets on my list of possibles, I would wear an XL, so if anyone has an XL Qwest, how does it fit in the side cases?

Mines a SMALL and takes a lot of work to get it in... So I'm guessing for you the answer is flat out NO. Sorry to say. The Helmet is just an odd shape I think is basically it.

 

[3dogs]

One feature found on the Qwest that no one mentioned is the face shiled lock/lever. This is the best design that I have seen on any helmet--and I have owned/reviewed many brands/models. The Qwest has a lever that has 3 positions: 1, locks the shield so it can't open unintenionally (I don't use the position much). 2, normal position (can raise/lower the shield manually and 3, move the lever forward and the shield is cracked open a slight amount for defogging.

Number 3 is the unique feature. The shield cracks open at both the top and bottom (other brands only open the bottom of the shield). Also the faceshield position/sealing against the gasket is adjustable via 4 cam/screw adjusters. The pressure, and thus sealing, can be adjusted top/bottom -- left/right independently. This design is unique and provides the best defogging without too much addition wind noise when in the defog position.

Another cool feature is the channel in the liner that allows wearing glasses to me way more comfortable--much better than other helmets I have -- Shoei gave this some thought and it shows.

My only complaint is that while the view port opening is great width-wise (really helps perfieral vision) the top of the view port is too high. When riding into the sun, tipping your head down does not block the sun very well. Shoei should have kept the "wide" view but lowered the top some to make it perfect.

 

[Burnspot]

Thanks for all these reviews...I'm another X11 owner that will be getting it replaced with a Qwest. I love my X11, but it is extremely long in the tooth, plus it's ear pockets aren't the best for my Sena. I'm glad to hear it's a good catch!