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Shark Helmets - Unobtanium

Discussion in 'General' started by Hyperdyne, Jun 25, 2018.

  1. prospected

    prospected Well-Known Member

    Unfortunately for Arai, everyone else makes their aero shells in carbon for at or slightly above Arai's big price tag. They're significantly lighter, buffet better, and shield system is leaps and bounds nicer. Shark, AGV, X-Lite/Nolan, Bell, and Shoei to name a few. I'm willing to bet most of the upper tier sales are for Hayden replicas alone for nostalgia.
     
  2. JBraun

    JBraun Well-Known Member

    Yeah I was as loyal to Arai as can be until I wore an X-14. It's night and day better. I'm sure the stick-on aero helps but why not just buy a helmet that doesn't need to be modified?
     
  3. Knotcher

    Knotcher Well-Known Member

    I wanted to go Arai because I dig their ethos, but the AGV Pista GP that I've been in since they came out is simply awesome. My only complaint is it doesn't flow as much as my previous Bell Star, but the shield system, simple interior, light weight, view port location and above all the aero are phenomenal. I'll probably have and get another instead of the Nicky 7 replica I really want.
     
  4. rice r0cket

    rice r0cket Well-Known Member

    Helmet fit aside, Arai has always been banging that drum that a round shell is the lightest, strongest method of construction because they eliminate load concentration points on the helmet. Designed as a breakaway item, the hope is the piece will hopefully give way and the load is spread over a larger area upon impact.

    Another reason is they can make improvements and provide customers an updated part and not force them to buy a new helmet, as they just did.
     
  5. JBraun

    JBraun Well-Known Member

    I had a Pista also it was good, but and the X14 aero is actually much better. The view port on the Pista is second to none though. AGV nailed it on that.
     
  6. Sweatypants

    Sweatypants I am so smart! S-M-R-T... I mean S-M-A-R-T!

    since this got bumped... anyone on here tried an HJC RPHA 11 Pro or a 6D carbon lid? I'm curious to maybe give a different company a try. i always used to base fit/comparisons off of how the Arai Corsair V felt as a benchmark, but I will say... the OGK FF-5V that i had was by far the best helmet i've put on. it definitely earned its helmet of the year status when it came out. the ventilation and aero was unreal. I think OGK/Kabuto has finally released an update, but not sure.

    I've had a Corsair V, a AGV XR-2, AGV GP Tech, and OGK FF-5V... i've used a Suomy Spec-1R and a Bell Star for a time. all nice lids. haven't bought a helmet in probably 8-9 years now though so I haven't gotten to test any of the new era models on stuff. those two caught my eye though. I've always been reluctant to ever get a HJC or Scorpion because the fit n' finish used to always be total garbage like 10-15 years ago... shield not sealing, latches janky, vents sucking, liner sucking... but somebody recently was telling me that RPHA is real good. coincidentally... it weighs like a full half pound less than ALL the other high enders... 6D, Corsair X, Pista GP-R, X-14, FF-5V. that's substantial for a helmet. i haven't gotten to hold an HJC carbon lid since like 2008 though, and never even seen a 6D in person, so wondering what people think about their performance and quality. how does X-Lite get on as far as fitment too. another helmet i've never tried.

    easiest i guess would be to just get a Corsair X or Pista and call it a day since I already know how they're gonna fit. both company's prices are getting kind of outlandish though. i'm open to looking elsewhere.
     
  7. Suzuka_joe

    Suzuka_joe Well-Known Member

    I wear
    I wear a Small Corsair X primarily but when I ride supermoto I wear a small HJC RPHA 11 Pro. Love both honestly
     
    Sweatypants likes this.
  8. Yama-saurus

    Yama-saurus Well-Known Member

    I've worn Arai since about 1993 and have several in the collection and a couple to actually wear.. LOL
    That said, I do have 2 of the RPHA 11 currently and the things are actually impressive. Not the addictive plush fit of an Arai, but fits really well.
    Airflow is good but not close to a Corsair X, but I don't expect it to be honestly.
    And yes, the RPHA 11 is about 1/2 pound lighter weight that Corsair X and also my Shoei X-14.
     
    Sweatypants likes this.
  9. YoshiHNS

    YoshiHNS Mr. Slowly

    Bought a 6D to try for the 6D/MIPS stuff since it was heavily discounted. Tried one on at a show and liked the fit and feel then. Only done some street miles with it so far. Need to order a size up on the cheek pads to try and snug it up. Buffeting doens't seem like an improvement on the highway compared to my old EXO-750, but maybe pads will fix that. The 6D shell is physically bigger than the EXO too. Don't have the issues with the visor that STG pointed out in their youtube video, and haven't done triple digits to see about the lift issue. I would say unless you can get your head in one to check fit, I would play it safe and buy what you know.
     
    Sweatypants likes this.
  10. tett

    tett Well-Known Member

    Tell me about it. Had one, went to get another, no longer here. I'm a Signet guy, but don't like the price. Went to Kabuto... nice helmet. No longer imported. My oval head is frustrating.
     
    BigBird likes this.
  11. prm

    prm Well-Known Member

    I have an x-14 and a 6D ATS-1R, both size L. I only wear the 6D now. I swapped the cheek pads for one size thicker and the fit is perfect for me now. Fastest I’ve popped out from behind the windscreen is 150 and it feels very good. I did some comparisons with the x-14 while riding in the street as well as alternating on a track day. You can tell the 6D is ever so slightly larger when turning your head around at higher speeds. The way the cheek pads on the 6D wrap around I find the helmet does not push into my face the way my my x-14 does when popping out from the tuck on a long straight. I’ve worn both on very hot track days and they each ventilate fine. Though the x-14 causes my contacts to dry. That was odd. The 6D is more sensitive to the up/down tilt of your head as it pulls up more if you tilt your head up. Head tilted normally it doesn’t lift at all. I’d give the nod on build quality of the x-14. I’m just referring to little rubber trim pieces, etc. Just seems a tad bit more refined. I have had a few rather bad hits to my head over the years from MX leading to skull fractures on one occasion, and breaking the shell on two helmets. I want the best brain protection I can get and for that I choose 6D. Protection is far and away the most important feature to me, everything else is simply a nice to have. Most of the rest are using techniques only slightly modified from the helmets I have from the late 70s early 80s. Shell/EPS/liner, that’s it. When I saw Simon Crafar’s recent video on helmets I was rather disappointed to see how little had changed. Basically different density of EPS in different regions. But for any one impact it’s still a single density. The Bell Flex, MIPS (sort of...), and the Fly Formula (dirt) are moving in the right direction along with 6D. With all the studies on brain damage now ongoing I think you’ll see significant changes over the next 5 years.
     
    Sweatypants likes this.
  12. rice r0cket

    rice r0cket Well-Known Member

    Go find an old stock Signet-Q Pro Tour in your size on eBay or somewhere, I paid $400 + tax for mine. It was only made in 2015/2016, so you can be guaranteed it's a M2015. The rest of the Signet-Qs can be a crapshoot whether it's M2010 or 2015, unless you know which years which graphics were available.
     
    Last edited: Sep 16, 2020
  13. Sweatypants

    Sweatypants I am so smart! S-M-R-T... I mean S-M-A-R-T!

    i dunno that i've been disappointed with any of the helmets i've had as far as airflow. all the racey higher level ones i've worn all had pretty good flow. i will say though that the FF-5V was the only one where i've ever had to close vents street riding at night in the fall because it got that nippy inside. all the other ones i pretty much just always left every vent open. the turning your head side to side buffeting on that one was the most impressive part. even at 90mph you could look over your shoulder and your head wouldn't move even a bit. i dunno if its the overall shape, or the spoiler on it which all these new hot shits seem to have now but that was the standout. Arai def has the best liner, i dunno if any of the others are beating that.
     
    Yama-saurus likes this.
  14. tett

    tett Well-Known Member

    cool, thanks.
     
  15. Knotcher

    Knotcher Well-Known Member

    The Bell Star flowed so much air that I would notice it during races. It wasn’t annoying but on a cooler day on the straights it would make my head cold.
     
    Sweatypants likes this.

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