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I recently decided to get a new helmet based on the research I did for answering the question: “when should I replace my helmet”, and the desire to add music to my commuting. After all was said and done, I ended up with a Shoei X-11 in solid black. Since new in July, I have put about 1500 miles on her and have a good feel of the differences. Keep in mind for this comparison that Arai has a later model than my RX7-RR4 called the RX7-Corsair.

I had really only one complaint about the Arai, and that was the ventilation. It was decent at higher speeds above 80mph, but that’s not too practical. Other than that, I had found the following from the Snell website posted in a previous article:

The five year replacement recommendation is based on a consensus by both the helmet manufacturers and the Snell Foundation. Glues, resins and other materials used in helmet production over can affect liner materials. Hair oils, body fluids and cosmetics, as well as normal “wear and tear” all contribute to helmet degradation. Petroleum based products present in cleaners, paints, fuels and other commonly encountered materials may also degrade materials used in many helmets possibly degrading performance. Additionally, experience indicates there will be a noticeable improvement in the protective characteristic of helmets over a five year period due to advances in materials, designs, production methods and the standards. Thus, the recommendation for five year helmet replacement is a judgment call stemming from a prudent safety philosophy.

My helmet was produced in October 2000 and it had been used for just over three years. So there it is…ventilation and age (the age replacement is very debatable).

Summary:
Overall, it was a big improvement in ventilation, vision, and noise levels. The X-11 flows large amounts of air immediately. The top of the faceshield cannot be seen when wearing the helmet and peripheral vision is almost 100%. The noise levels seemed (no dB testing…sorry) much lower and single-tone versus the helicopter over head sound. Unfortunately for me, nothing beats the paint and finish quality and durability of an Arai. Shoei did not have a ‘graphic’ helmet that I liked, so I ended up with a solid. I already have scratches on the Shoei. Finally, the pricing of the Shoei helmets are simply more affordable. Mine was $403 delivered. The winner: Shoei X-11 by a good amount.

The Details:
Lookie, Touchie, Feelie:
When I pulled the helmet out of the box, the first thing I noticed was that it seemed awful light. Using the hand-o-meter balance scale, I would say that the X-11 is noticeable lighter. Of course this is not a weighed comparison and we are probably only talking ounces given the total weight of each helmet, but its all I have.

The second thing I noticed made me kick myself right square in the ass. It has the same faceshield as my old X-8 Air.

SIDEBAR: There has been great debates about “Arai heads” and “Shoei heads”. Arai and Shoei make helmets for both round and oval heads. The problem lies in that the top of the line sport helmets are one or the other. Some claim that the Shoei X-11 puts a lot of pressure on their forehead and the RX7-XXX fits perfect. Other claim that their “Shoei head” doesn’t fit into an RX7-XXX. I guess I’m just an average melon-head because all of the helmets fit me without comfort issues. But because I had read so much on head differences and was completely happy with my Arai helmet, I thought I had an “Arai head”.

This matters because I had an X-8 air that was custom painted…the absolute worst paintjob known to helmets…so bad that the guy gave me $$$ back. Anyway, this helmet was worthless and since I thought I had an Arai head and was “never going away from Arai again”, I pitched the helmet and extra visors (I am pretty sure). End SIDEBAR

So now that I threw away a smoked and hi-viz red faceshield, I felt stupid. I also noticed that since its the same visor, it was not vented like the Arai visors…a great feature if you ask me. Finally, I let out a little sigh looking at the plain black helmet. Shoei makes nothing in their graphic line of helmets that is still subtle…at least subtle enough not to look like a jackass on my Caponord. Nothing beats, in my experience, the finish of the Arai helmet for durability, especially scratch resistance.

Another small win for the X-11 is the ventilation operation - those little buttons that open and close the vents. Bottom line is the Shoei has only four and they are easy to operate. The RX7 has a total of eight levers/buttons to operate. The ones on the top of the helmet were a bitch to open or close effectively with gloves on. The rest were no problem.

And now for my opinion for the coveted visor installation system. I have gone from the Shoei to the Arai and back to the Shoei over the last ten or so years. Both are leaps and bounds better than my RF200 with screws, etc. But I have to say that the edge for my preference goes to Shoei. While probably impossible with gloves on, the practiced person can change a visor in seconds. This is also true for the Arai system, but many people have complained of breaking the mechanism in their visor ‘pods’ during visor installation or removal. I sometimes had a problem with aligning the cutout into the slot. The Shoei is not a blind operation and there is only one place for the visor to go.

Shoei X-11 Fit:
Both helmets are very comfortable, but noting beats that new helmet feel. Its a little snug, yet still perfect. It is worth saying that my Arai was the best fitting helmet I had to date. No longer (FYI - Both medium size). Take a look at the helmet side profiles and two things stick out:

RX7-RR4 vs. X-11 side view

RX7-RR4 vs. X-11 top view

I know…I’m not quitting my day-job to become a photographer, but the shape of the chin and the height of the X-11 faceshield. When I put the X-11 on, I can touch the chin/mouth part of the inside of the helmet with my lips if I pucker. (NOTE: This is not the case with the Arai as there is gobs of room…see this article. The only disadvantage to the X-11 I know of is if I have an itch or want to spit, etc. There is simply no room to get a hand through the front of the helmet.) This may also contribute to the quietness of the helmet, but I don’t really know that.

The second and probably more important difference (albeit related to the first) is the vision. The X-11 does not limit peripheral whatsoever nor can I see the top line of the helmet. This is a big deal. While I would not say the Arai is bad, I did not know how much more vision was available. I think its again related to the first item with the front of the helmet being closer to your face. Excellent feature in my book.

Other “Fit” comments:

• I also used the chin and nose inserts to block more wind and they were very comfortable.
• The X-11 aero thingie on the back looks a little speed-walker for my taste, but I’m sure its for a good reason.
• The helmet is a little snug as all new helmets will open up (a claim of 1/2 inch or so by Cycle Gear).
• The area below the jaw in the side profile pic has a notch cut out…the Arai is completely straight.

Shoei X-11 Performance:
The first thing I noticed was a ton of air flow at speeds around 30mph. This was a clear improvement over the Arai where I would say I would feel air flow around 80mph. The venting direct to your head. This is good and bad though. The airflow is huge, but I also got bug-splat on my skull…I fear the day that I hit a bee ass-first.

The second was the ease of operating the visor. The Arai has a physical lock to keep its visor closed. This sounds good, but it can take a bit of effort to unlock the visor and having gloves on severely limits the finger dexterity. The Shoei visor stays closed without a positive lock and operates much easier IMO. It does have an optional lever which will either lock the visor closed open it to the first click.

Finally, the noise level was much reduced. This is not such a big deal since I wear ear plugs all the time, however if I ever want to pump in music to my helmet, this single tone will be easier to combat versus the battering sound (similar to rolling down the rear windows (only) in an SUV) that the Arai give. I think Arai knows they have a noisy helmet because here’s what they say on their Euro-website:

Are Arai helmets very noisy?

‘Noise experience in a helmet is very personal. One person may feel comfortable with a certain noise level, while another will experience it as very uncomfortable.

The source of the noise in a helmet is mainly the environment (wind, traffic, motorcycle). But also the position of the rider on the bike and the configuration of the bike are of importance…

While true, the above says to me that they have gotten a lot of complaints regarding noise and their helmets.

I did have a hard time in the beginning operating the clip that secures the extra chinstrap to itself. The Arai’s snap is much easier to operate. Do these guys test with bare hands only? Heh - it is learnable, but sucks the first couple of rides.

SIDEBAR #2: I very rarely plug a company because for every good experience there are bad ones to match. Unfortunately, it usually only the bad that are echoed over the internet. I bought my helmet from The Helmet Shop in Daytona Beach, FL. This is my second helmet from them not including a happy father with his experience there in person via a gift card from his loving sons. I have also been there in person when at the 2000 Daytona Superbike races / Bike Week. They hands down have the best prices on the internet…like I said, $403 delivered. Their pricing includes shipping to the 48-states too! My helmet was not in stock, yet I still got it in three days from Florida to Arizona. These guys are great to deal with over the phone and in person and know their stuff. If you are in the market for a helmet, check them out but call them for pricing. You will not be disappointed. End SIDEBAR #2