Thousands of miles on road and track for two premium race helmets, but how do they compare?
It’s often said you have either a Shoei or an Aria-shaped head, but after owning multiple examples of both brands I have to declare that that is complete guff. I’ve had both these two helmets for around ten years and I’ve probably done around 30,000 miles between them, with a mix of commuting, touring and trackdays. A lot of trackdays. They’re still in occasional use despite their age, and you can still get the X-Spirit new, so here are my thoughts on these two premium lids.
Shoei X-Spirit III
The X-Spirit III was Shoei’s flagship race helmet almost a decade ago (this is my third Shoei lid) and while it’s since been superseded by the X-SPR the X-Spirit III can still be picked up online at under £400, and it is a fantastic helmet for the money, especially compared to its flashier replacement at almost double the price. But should you? The short answer is yes, but what makes the X-Spirit so good? Is it the light weight of 1400 grams (lighter even than the X-SPR)? Is it the all-day comfort and adjustable helmet pads to cater for the riding positions of different bikes? Is it the easy-to-use, and effective vents that push airflow through the helmet? Is it the easy-to-swap visor mechanism or the little lever toggle that allows the visor to be kept open slightly or be locked shut? Speaking of which, visibility through the aperture is excellent. Maybe it’s the sleek exterior shell, developed in Shoei’s own wind tunnel and responsible for the minimal wind noise and buffeting at speed. Or perhaps it’s simply a combination of all of those, which I’ve enjoyed over thousands of miles on various bikes on road and track. Whatever it is, if you’re looking for a superbly competent, quiet and comfortable helmet for road and track use, then the X-Spirit III will not disappoint. Niggles – the central forehead vent can be fiddly to use, even with thin sports gloves.
FOR: Superb all-round helmet, lightweight and cuts through the air like a hot knife through butter
AGAINST: Vent switches could be easier to use
PRICE: Was £599 in 2016, now available for £379-ish online
www.shoeiassured.co.uk
ARAI RX7 GP (discontinued)
Aaaand in the blue corner, we have the RX7 GP, Arai’s equivalent to the X-Spirit. It too features different shell sizes for better fitting across a greater length of time, a really comfortable place to stick your head and the BEST vents on any of the 20-plus motorcycle helmets I’ve tested over the last 30 years, and that includes three other Arais – a Quantum, an RX7-RR4 and an RX7 Corsair. Build quality and design on the RX7 is excellent with all the switches clicking with the satisfaction of a Mercedes door clunk.
Visibility through the visor is as good as you’d imagine – Arai actually increased the visor aperture on the GP over its predecessor – and the, um, unique way the visor itself mounts underneath the helmet side pods means the visor stops exactly where you want it to the millimetre. The downside (for me at least) is the visor-changing mechanism itself. Years of practice on this and the process still raises my anxiety levels, as I still haven’t perfected it. While some people can switch visors over in seconds it always seems to take me longer. One time coming back from France I actually broke the sidepod off completely and had to tape my visor in place. Is it a deal-breaker? No… but it is annoying.
For me, the absolute highlight is as mentioned earlier – the venting system. The three intake vents on the top of the helmet along with the chinbar vent are superb on their own, but throw in the two vents at the top of the visor and the pair of exhaust vents at the rear (all of these are easily closable, even with thick gloves) and you realise that this is the gold standard of helmet venting. You can feel the effect of each individual vent – for a Spanish trackday or a summer ride, I’d be surprised if there was another full-face helmet that kept you cooler. The good thing is, the older RR4 and Corsair variants of the RX7 were just as good as the GP. It’s a brilliant range and I’ve no doubt the current RX7V-Evo continues that evolution. On cooler days, there’s a neat little retractable chin spoiler that effectively extends the chinbar down to deflect air from your neck, and it’s detailing like this that elevates the Arai to the highest tier of helmets.
FOR: First choice for track use and swelteringly hot days where cooling is a priority.
AGAINST: Visor-changing process is polarising – some will love it, some won’t
PRICE: N/A
www.whyarai.co.uk
