Helmets - Qwest vs GT-air vs RF-1200 for RT riding

[tkrandall]

I like the Shoei helmets fit and form and functionality. Any opinions on these helmets pros and cons?

 

I realize the RF is more forward lean compatible. Does that make it not well suited for an RT? The GT-air is nice with the integrated sun shield but it is not SNELL and I suppose is a touch heavier. The Qwest is nice but has less features like removable liner but is a good buy.

 

Any thoughts/user experience appreciated.

 

Tom

 

[Tri750]

All three I'm sure are fine helmets. I'm an Arai/Schuberth guy but Shoei is what I would wear if I were switch brands.

I have no idea why the GT Air isn't Snell. I wonder of it's the drop down or if it didn't make the timetable before release or what. At that price, it's a head scratcher.

The Shoei has always been a quiet helmet. I used to tell people, if you want ventilation, buy an Arai, if you want quiet, buy a Shoei. I suggest you find a dealer (hopefully your home shop) who has these and ask to test ride the helmets on your bike.

The shop I used to work at, we allowed test rides all the time as we knew it was a lot of money to spend.

If you do this, buy the helmet from them. Don't be that guy who would try on for fit, test ride, note the size and buy online. We had our share of those folks too.

Removable liner is not a big feature to me as most use a Sena or Scala, so we clean our helmets with a un scented wipey anyway.

Good shopping.

 

[tkrandall]

Thx. I am leaning toward the Qwest. Aprox $400 with the additional expense for pinlock lens setup. The one thing the GT-Air adds which is really nice is the integrated sun visor, but I suppose not worth the extra ~200 and perhaps weight.

[Guest Kakugo]

My experience with Shoei has not be very positive (though I can vouch for the protection their helmets provide in a crash... ) but I would personally lean towards the GT-Air, for no other reason it seems to address one of the two complaints I've had with my Shoei's, namely poor ventilation.

 

I would however avoid the Qwest, for no other reason you can get better helmets from other brands at that price. The OGK Kabuto FF5V (my "everyday" helmet) is slightly less expensive, although being a racing helmet it may be a bit different from what you are after...

[ghan]

I have worn the Qwest for 1 year and the GT Air for 1 month.

 

Differences: The GT Air does flow a LOT more air. Consequently it is much louder. I always ear plugs so that's a non issue for me and I really like the better air flow.

 

The GT Air had a tighter fit than the Qwest, so I ordered the 31mm cheek pads and now the fit is the same.

 

The GT Air sun screen is nice. Just the right darkness of tint for me if I'm riding East at sunrise and don't want to stop to put my sunglasses on.

 

The Qwest is about 70 - 80gms lighter depending on size and shell but for some reason the GT Air feels lighter at speed. Better aerodynamics? Dunno.

 

Almost forgot: The GT Air comes with the pinlock insert. Both helmets will fog very easily, I can't ride in temps below 50F or in rain without the pinlock.

 

Overall I prefer the GT Air, but if the better air flow and sun shield is not needed, then save some cash with the Qwest.

 

[Selden]

Different people have heads of different shapes. The most important answer to a question about helmets is: Does it fit? Everything else is secondary. I tried on a Schuberth a few years ago, and couldn't wait to take it off. I'm sure others have a similar reaction to the Nolan 102 that is my current favorite.

[Kitsap]

I'm in my third day with the GT Air, I had to have a new helmet with the new RT . This helmet is water tight, isolates noise very well, and will pull the thin hair of an old man into a mohawk. I fitted my SENA SMH10 with no issues, there are preformed speaker pockets in the liner behind fabric lined inserts. My only mildly negative view is that the chin curtain makes it difficult to put the helmet on initially, it is getting easier. My X-11 was my favorite helmet before this.

[tkrandall]

Thanks. I tried a qwest on again and think its shape not quite me. The Air and Neotec feel better shape wise. I tried the Arai Signet Q and now think that might be the best fit. I recall trying on a signet 10 or so years ago and now seem to recall that was a better for me then.

[Bob Foley]

I recently traded up to the QWest after being cheap for many years!! My main motivation was to reduce buffeting on my Street Triple(no fairing) It worked like a charm and spoiled me for life on buying cheaper helmets. The fit is perfect and is much quieter.

I say buy the Qwest and never look back. Give New Enough a look in their closeout section under Shoei.

[RTinNC]

For over 20 years have been only an Arai guy but last year in search for a replacement for my XXXL Signet GTR I discovered the Shoei RF1100 in XXL! I love it!! Fit is as good as Arai and IMHO quieter with a better face shield ratchet and removal system. When they came out with the RF1200 I grabbed another RF1100 for about $250 on sale. There are still some great deals on the 1100's. Have not tried the 1200 but I am sure it is a great lid. YMMV

[tkrandall]

So, what are opinions of those of you who ride a GS or RT type upright bike and use the RF1100 or 1200? I read and have had sales reps tell me those models are designed more for a sport bike riding position.

[marcopolo]

As others have said, buy the one that fits you best. That said, I like my Qwest, which I've had for a few years (I've fitted a Sena intercom to it, but use earbuds, not in-helmet speakers). I also have a Shark Evoline modular, with flip-down sunshade. It's a good helmet, but noticeably heavier than the Qwest. My wife and I used to wear Arai, but got fed up with their idiosyncratic shield-changing mechanism. It's a common complaint, but Arai wearers will usually jump in to explain how it's not an issue. We've been quite happy with Shoei and would readily buy them again.

[tallman]

As stated, fit, fit fit, first.

 

You might want to check here wrt helmets and safety.

Often a less costly helmet has as good, or better evaluations.

 

SHARP helmet testing

Best wishes.

[Tourmaster]

I purchased GT Air helmets last spring for the wife and I, I'm very pleased with them. Love the sun shade, its easy to find the adjustment and the shade stays put if partial is selected. There is zero viewing distortion with visor or shade. Ventilation is not bad, does get a bit noisy if the top vent is wide open and I poke my head above the RT windscreen slip stream, but you are rewarded with a near blast of cool air on the top of the head. As Falco del Mare stated above, it is water tight in the rain. The pin-loc visor works great as well with no fogging issues even in the rain, I've ridden with it to -4 C. Installed the Sena SMH-10R, it fit well in the molded cavities. The wife has complained on occasion about hers being hot, she sits about 2" below my height and is probably well below the slip stream.

[RTinNC]

So, what are opinions of those of you who ride a GS or RT type upright bike and use the RF1100 or 1200? I read and have had sales reps tell me those models are designed more for a sport bike riding position.

 

As others have said FIT is most important. But I ride both a GSA and RT and the RF1100 works great on both. It is actually the first helmet I have owned that I can actually feel the air flow through the vents.

[Jerry in Monument]

I'm in the market for a new helmet as my HJC CL-16 is entering it's 4th season and starting to show its age.

 

I had narrowed my choices down to Shoei GT Air, Shoei Qwest and Arai Signet GT.

 

I eliminated the GT Air because of fit not being quite as good as the Qwest.

 

So it got down to Qwest and Signet Q. Then I wore each for about 30 minutes. The Signet Q started to give me uncomfortable pressure points on the sides of my head. So I was set on the Qwest.

 

The helmet expert said I might want to try the Arai RX-Q. WOW! This helmet fits like it was custom made for me.

 

More than I want to spend but for the comfort it gives me, it's worth it. I spent nearly an hour in it this past Saturday and was totally comfortable.

 

A couple more weeks and I'll have the rest of the funds.

 

I like that there are so many options available. I also hate that there are so many options available. Sadly with so many brand of helmets, no one place carries them all so we often have to visit multiple dealers to find the right fit.

[Oldironken]

I have been considering a helmet with an internal sun shield for those early morning/evening rides when you transition from or too sunglasses. But, i have been concerned about how effective the drop-down shields are at keeping wind out of your eyes.

 

At speeds below 50 i like to have my visor open and the bike screen down to get air on my face so i wear sunglasses to protect my eyes from the wind. Above 50 i'll put the bike screen up and still try to leave my visor open as much as possible.

 

For those with the internal sun screens, how good are they for wind protect for the eyes?

 

 

[Sonor]

+1 on fit first (as long as it is DOT rated) There seems to be some controversy over the SNELL rating and whether or not DOT is better. That said, purchase for fit and make sure it is rated either with DOT or SNELL.

 

I purchased an ARAI last year. It fit. Before that I had a Scorpion 700 that was great. I paid 2.5 times the price of the Scorpion for the ARAI just because of the fit. There seems to be no comparison of cost to safety only cost to features in helmets. As a matter of fact, I still like some of the features on the Scorpion better than the ARAI. But fit won out and the wallet lost.

 

I always liked this site for helmet reviews.

[Jerry in Monument]

+1 on fit first (as long as it is DOT rated) There seems to be some controversy over the SNELL rating and whether or not DOT is better. That said, purchase for fit and make sure it is rated either with DOT or SNELL.

 

I purchased an ARAI last year. It fit. Before that I had a Scorpion 700 that was great. I paid 2.5 times the price of the Scorpion for the ARAI just because of the fit. There seems to be no comparison of cost to safety only cost to features in helmets. As a matter of fact, I still like some of the features on the Scorpion better than the ARAI. But fit won out and the wallet lost.

 

I always liked this site for helmet reviews.

 

Yep. I like the chin curtain and breath box on the Shoei better, but the fir of the RX-Q is excellent for me. I like the drop down sun shield in the GT Air, but the shell seemed a bit compromised and again the fit for me was not up to the Qwest even.

 

[Tourmaster]

I have been considering a helmet with an internal sun shield for those early morning/evening rides when you transition from or too sunglasses. But, i have been concerned about how effective the drop-down shields are at keeping wind out of your eyes.

 

At speeds below 50 i like to have my visor open and the bike screen down to get air on my face so i wear sunglasses to protect my eyes from the wind. Above 50 i'll put the bike screen up and still try to leave my visor open as much as possible.

 

For those with the internal sun screens, how good are they for wind protect for the eyes?

 

 

Shoei does not recommend riding with just the sun shade (as in DO NOT), it is quite a bit thinner than the main visor and probably wouldn't withstand or protect against projectiles. Having said that I have found myself riding with just the shade after forgetting to close the main visor when stopped in traffic, it does a good job of keeping the wind off. Also, I believe the shade does not have a scratch protective surface, it would become pitted and unusable in no time.

[tkrandall]

I ended up with a Arai Signet Q. More my head shape.