Quietest Helmet

[Frank B]

My Arai Signet Q helmet is 6 years old so it's time to replace it.  I'm a touring rider (R1200RT) and I'm interested in getting the quietest helmet I can.  The Arai was good but I got wind buffeting in my right ear unless I dipped my head--'have talked with other riders who got the same effect.  I've been looking at the Shoei GT Air 2.  I know about earplugs, best helmet fit,...   Just interested in hearing about rider's experience with different high end helmets for touring.

 

Any suggestions.

[Marty Hill]

Sadly I would suggest that due to different head shapes what some one else says might not be applicable to you.

[realshelby]

What Marty said is the truth. How tall you sit, how air hits you, how your bike manages air around you, all fit into the equation. And it varies so much between riders and different bikes. 

[Rider1260]

As far as picking the quietest helmet for you all I can say is its a double edged sword the more airflow thru the helmet the more noise there will be, of course having clean air around a shield helps really the best thing is earplugs for me get the helmet that fits best. 

There are some good youtube reviews where they use a DB meter inside the helmet to compare models and it always seems like the ones with the worst venting also have the best noise. 

[6speedTi]

I've ridden with a Schuberth C3, C3PRO and C4. 

The C3PRO is the quietest and most comfortable for me. 

I just purchased another C3PRO as a backup helmet. 

[BamaJohn]

Just another opinion....I've owned Shoei, Arai, HJC, AGV, skid lids, etc...and now Klim TK1200 modular.  The klim is the lightest & quietest helmet for me...not noiseless, but quieter.   I do wear earplugs with all of them, since I tend to look over the windscreen rather than thru it, and keep vents open most of the year. (RT rider).

[Skywagon]

Frank...I've been similarly searching now for a couple of months.  I haven't finished but here is what I have experienced so far.  I ride the R1200RT LC too.

 

Schuberth is comfortable on me but short.  Doesn't come down below my ears very far.  Took it around the block and thought it was loud.  AGV carbon...boy I really wanted this one to work because of the lighter weight.  It too was shorter vertically and was louder than my current Neotec.

 

I am a modular helmet guy due to heat in Houston so nothing is going to be overly quite.

 

I wrote to Shoei and asked them what was their quietest helmet.  To my surprise they said it was the RF 1200.  I test rode it as well and it was certainly more quiet(noticeably) than either Schubert, the AGV Carbon, and maybe slightly quieter than my Shoei Neotec.

 

You experience may vary but the Schuberth and AGV for me are out..  They didn't have Neotec 2 in stock so could not try it out.  I'm going to the big show in Dallas in January and will check some more.  I won't be able to ride with any of those at that show but I can narrow it down.

 

Hope this helps a little....and I agree with Terry & Marty

[Mark R]

I've had two Nolan and two Shoei helmets but I recently got a Schuberth R2 helmet and like it a lot. So light weight, aerodynamic, good looking and the quietest of them all. My Nolan helmets were modular but I found them to be extra noisy and heavy. With the excellent airflow of the schuberth, I think I will be okay this summer in Florida.

[Balibeemer]

Go for Schuberth C4 Carbon!

[Bumwah]

Agree, Schuberth C4Pro, Very quiet, light,and great vision. If you need noise, just open a vent or the shield. 

I have tested it in both , hot and cold weather. Desert and Coast. It replaced my Shoei, that I flat wore out.

I was surprised at how quiet and comfortable it is.

[West_Coaster]

I have a GT Air (not the II) and an RF1200, the GT Air is by far the better helmet IMHO. Very quiet and very comfortable. I haven't put the RF 1200 on for quite a while.

[Paul4450]

Hello Frank B,

It’s been 5 months since your original post. Hopefully you found your helmet. I prioritize fit and comfort over quietness, as others have. If the helmet was too noisy, then I used Dynamat sound deadening material, cut into small pieces to line the ear cutout and a little beyond (after removing the foam liner). https://www.summitracing.com/parts/dyc-10415
 

It works really well regardless of the brand. I’ve applied two layers on one helmet as one layer was not enough. 
 

I also will remove some of the EPS around the ear cup to accommodate my ears more comfortably and thinned the foam insert that came with my Neotec. 
 

So if your new helmet isn’t quiet enough, you might want to try this. 
 

Paul

[fourteenfour]

I know you mentioned ear plugs and to be honest  since I never ride without them my primary helmet concern has become fit and comfort. I do like my RF series Shoei as it was quieter than their other helmets for me.

[Lowndes]

With a lot of experimenting with several helmets, full and modular, HJC, LS2, and Shoei, I found that the noise mostly comes in thru the "head hole", that is, around your neck.  It isn't the helmet's aerodynamics , vents, or sealing around the visor that creats the noise, it all types of noise coming in.  I found that the very smallest pinhole will let in a huge amount of noise.  Even the wires on my earbuds will transmit sound directly to my ears.  Try it sitting at your desk, put in the earbuds and scratch, flap, or tap the wires and you will hear it.  

 

The only way I've found to seal the "neck hole" is with a helmet skirt like snowmobilers wear to stay warm.  That's hard to do with a modular, tho.  Get a helmet that fits your neck the best/tightest.

[Yuro]

I'm sure by now the OP has followed everyone's advice and purchased several helmets.    

 

If you ride an RT and you're looking for quiet, Aeroflow Tall windscreen really helps a ton.   I find that it lets enough air in around the arms and shoulders for summer riding.  I did a 682-mile day last July with no earplugs and had no ear ringing that night.    It's not silent but it's not loud and no buffeting except in severe crosswinds...That can be fixed by shifting my position on the bike.  I got this tip from an Iron Butt rider in Canada with an RT that makes a lot of U-tube videos.   He bought one thinking it would be his cold-weather screen and ended up using it all year.   I think if you search R1200RTW windscreens, you might find this video.  It may put you to sleep, but there's some good info there.  

 

My current helmet is a Schuberth C3 with C3 Pro headband upgrade....Revzilla has these upgrade parts...about $60 from memory.   The old C3 innards used to put a tattoo on my forehead and give me a migraine after an hour or two of riding.    With this change, I can ride all day.  

 

I wear one of those liner things (not an actual beanie, but close) under my helmet.  Music still sounds great.  This thing absorbs some sweat and saves cleaning my helmet so much.  Just throw it in the wash.  

 

I'm thinking of upgrading my helmet to a C3 Pro.   I don't like the C4 Pro as much as the C3 Pro.   C4 interior materials are just dreamy but the design is a little bit heavier and a little bit noisier.  It has a bigger visor opening and that may be part of the reason for additional noise.    I keep the C3 because:  A.  It's very comfy and quiet for the riding I do.  When it works, don't mess with it.   2. It was a limited addition with a graphic of the world black on white and I just love the way it looks..  

 

I ride with the shield open a bit and the seal around the ears is still good enough that ear protection isn't needed.   I have expensive molded earplug speakers, but they hurt my ears.  I don't like the new clear ones as much as my old squishy ones that don't work anymore, but I can't wear either of them all day.   On my last trip, I decided to try a light grey helmet shield.   They're terrific.   I can ride at night but it lowers the temp inside the helmet a noticeable amount.   

 

...I ride with a Cardo Packtalk Slim (JBL helmet speakers)  linked to my phone and I play my recorded tunes on random.  I don't like the sound when I link the system to the bike...a '17 RTW.   The BMW radio introduces terrible distortion to the signal for some reason.  It's not worth the small convenience of being able to control music with the wonder wheel.  It came with a Sirius trial.  Forget that!  Just awful!   I can use verbal commands with the Cardo to skip a track or adjust volume or off/on.   Simple and easy.    I've never used the Cardo for conversations with other bikers.  I've had a couple of phone calls.  It works, but it's hit or miss for me.   

 

So...This is how I've been doing things for the last couple years.    I just went to the dark side after 4 RTs.   Have a new GSA waiting at the dealer if it ever stops raining and , gak, s-s-s-snowing around here.  It's been almost 2 weeks since I signed the check.  Had dry weather today but dealer is closed Monday.  Looks wet every day this week. 

 

It's not that I'm afraid of a little rain, but my trade looks immaculate and I want to try some new wax made with graphene on the GS frame and bits.  They're so hard to keep clean and I got a tip from a friend about doing this while the bike is still new and clean.  I don't want to ride home in rain or snow until I've treated with this poly razzmatazz.  Hopefully, this bit of anal-retentive behavior will pay off later and I'll be able to just hose it down. 

 

Hope you all have a great riding season. 

 

 

Ready and waiting for me...for another week.  Sigh...

 

 

 

 

[Randyjaco]

You will never know how quiet a helmet is going to be until you try it out on YOUR bike. Several years ago I bought a new Neotec2. It was the loudest helmet I have ever had. I was really disappointed with it. I sold my F800ST and got my R1200RT and it was just as noisy. Then I got a new QR windshield. All of a sudden my Neotec was quiet. I am not trying to diss or recommend anything other than the fact that how your bike is set up is going to be a major influence on how quiet any helmet is going to be for you.

[6speedTi]

I own a C3, two C3 Pro and a C4.

C3 Pro is the best fit and quietest for me. I was very disappointed with the C4. It was bigger, heavier and louder than the C3 and C3 Pro. The C4 also created a concentrated pressure point on both sides on top of my head equally spaced apart after a 30 minute ride. It was painful and very uncomfortable. I had to stop at times to remove my helmet and massage my head. I won't even try a C4 Pro. It looks like the same size as the C4.  The C4 is a bigger,  heavier, noisier and different shape than the C3 and C3 Pro. That is my opinion, experience and observation. Your results may vary. Hope this helps.

[Frank B]

Thanks for the helpful comments from all of you.  I ended up going with the Aria because it fits the best.  I've used Arai for many years.  I did get a Aeroflow Wildshield which also reduces some noise.  Finally, I started using Big Ear Ear buds which I connect to my motorcycle radio or iPhone.  Between the three (good fitting helmet, Aeroflow, and earbuds) noise is not a problem at all.  I hear just enough to satisfy me for riding safety--about the same I hear riding inside our Subaru Outback.

[dba]

On 4/4/2022 at 3:16 PM, tbrown said:

I just went to the dark side after 4 RTs.   Have a new GSA waiting at the dealer if it ever stops raining and , gak, s-s-s-snowing around here.  It's been almost 2 weeks since I signed the check.  Had dry weather today but dealer is closed Monday.  Looks wet every day this week. 

 

It's not that I'm afraid of a little rain, but my trade looks immaculate and I want to try some new wax made with graphene on the GS frame and bits.  They're so hard to keep clean and I got a tip from a friend about doing this while the bike is still new and clean.  I don't want to ride home in rain or snow until I've treated with this poly razzmatazz.  Hopefully, this bit of anal-retentive behavior will pay off later and I'll be able to just hose it down. 

 

Hope you all have a great riding season. 

 

 

Ready and waiting for me...for another week.  Sigh...

 

 

 

 

Congratulations on the new scooter.  After 2 RTs and a GTL, I'm on my second GSA, and I love it.  It was my understanding that a clean GSA is a sin.  I was told that they need to be dirty so they look like they've done something besides go to Starbucks.