Shoei GT-Air motorcycle helmet
I really love simplicity in things - including motorcycle equipment. Some people prefer transformable modulars with Bluetooth and retractable glasses, but I much prefer simple integrals.
I travel at any time of the day or night, and at some point I got tired of carrying a second visor with me. At first I tried to find dark glasses for a helmet, but in the end a couple of years ago I bought a Shark Speed R with retractable glasses. True, it is very well ventilated - even too much, so now I had to squint not from the sun, but from the wind.
Shoei GT Air
The Shoei GT Air motorcycle helmet is a touring integral, quite in the Shoei tradition, of high quality and equipped with a couple of smart technological solutions. In particular, when designing the drop-down glasses, they took special care not to reduce the protective properties of the front part of the helmet.
Over the course of a year and a half of using it, I rode it on a variety of motorcycles, from small naked bikes to large streetfighters, on various touring bikes, cruisers, tourers and sports tourists. We rode it through a 12-hour drive in scorching heat and a nasty late-October icy road mess, and it proved to be a truly versatile helmet, passing all of these tests with flying colors.
Shoei GT Air shell
The outer shell of Shoei helmets, made using AIM technology, consists of glass fibers, organic fibers and polyester resin, creating a durable and lightweight structure. The Shoei GT Air helmet model comes in seven sizes and three shell sizes. Shoei talk a lot about active and passive safety - in particular, that the rider’s comfort and clarity of thought lead to increased attention and correct reactions, thereby preventing accidents (this is passive safety), but if it does happen, then a high-quality helmet should provide the maximum protection (active safety).
Weight
You can immediately feel that it is heavier and larger than my previous Shoei NXR. The shape is sleek and the colored versions look much sportier than the white version. The Shoei GT Air weighs 1467 grams, which is 157 grams heavier than the NXR. However, this is significantly less than many Arai models.
Shoei GT Air
Ventilation Shoei GT Air
One large window at the top, one at the chin and one outlet at the back work well, but not as well as the NXR. This may not be a fair comparison - the NXR ventilates particularly well, and most other helmets are about as ventilated as the GT Air. It probably wasn't that easy to get a good purge, given the built-in goggles. But the valves on the air windows are convenient to open and close even with thick gloves.
Visor
The visibility in the Shoei GT Air is very good, with the pinlock there is no fogging, and the curtain on the chin protects from the cold wind from below. The visor does not struggle to open at high speeds, despite the lack of a clasp, as on some helmets, but opening it for a breath of fresh air is easy and convenient.
The sunvisor, in other words, built-in glasses, is pulled out by moving a simple lever and provides good protection from the bright sun. But personally, I like a normal dark visor much better, and besides, the glasses sometimes fog up despite the declared anti-fog properties. After a couple of minutes the air blows on them and the view improves. Apparently, this is just a property of my body, because I noticed this with other helmets with built-in sanvisors, but I expected more from Shoei.
Removing and installing the visor is somewhat more difficult than on other Shoei. At the same time, you have to apply somewhat excessive, in my opinion, force to the visor, and every time I worry about breaking it. True, for those who are used to the Arai, changing the visor to the GT-Air will be like two fingers on the asphalt, but for those who have driven in other Shoei, like me, it will be unclear why they abandoned what already worked so well.
Shoei GT Air lining
Definitely a touring helmet, not a racing helmet - much softer than most sports helmets. But for some reason, other Shoei, Shark or Arai have a much more comfortable lining, especially on the forehead.
It’s not that the Shoei GT Air is downright uncomfortable, but on long trips in the heat, your head feels worse in it than in the same Shoei NXR.
I regularly go on short long distance trips in it, and take breaks about every two hours. There were no problems with it, the lining absorbs sweat well and wicks it away. Fortunately, I have never used the quick release system (it is needed in case of an accident). But it's better with her than without her.
Shoei GT Air lining
Clasps
A simple and reliable system with two D-shaped buckles works perfectly in any conditions: it is convenient to fasten and unfasten even with frozen fingers, the fastening clasp is easy to feel, and it definitely does not unfasten on its own.
Landing
The Shoei GT Air helmet fits snugly but is easy to take on and off. Shoei helmets fit my head shape perfectly and don't feel too tight or loose.
Noise in Shoei GT Air
I never drive fast or far without earplugs, so don't listen to me on that score. With earplugs, the GT Air is as quiet as any other helmet. When I do go out without them, the noise level is still low and does not interfere with life at all.
Many people are concerned about the question: what, other than the sun visor, differs the new GT-Air from the XR-1100. We still have a shortage, but while I was in Europe, I bought a new product from Shoya. And then I got through the first 1000 km and now I’m sharing my impressions. WebBikeWorld, which is the reason I bought the GT-Air rather than the Schuberth S2, gives Scheu a perfect score for sound insulation. Same as Schuberth C3. I haven’t ridden the latter, but the GT-Air is a very quiet helmet. Much quieter than the XR-1100. Music from the headset up to 150 can be heard in all details, even if you don’t hide behind the fairing. It does not matter whether the air ducts are open or not. The noise level is absolutely the same. The clowning begins when you lie down on the tank. It becomes COMPLETELY quiet, the music is clearly readable up to about 220 at a normal, not deafening volume. But for some reason the lower chin air duct begins to make a lot of noise. When it is closed everything is fine. When open there is a lot of noise. When you lift your head back into the flow, the overall noise, of course, increases, but the air duct seems to whistle less. Apparently, the helmet was still made with a more touristy, non-recumbent fit in mind. There is no such leapfrog in the XR-1100 - it always whistles the same.
Another feature is a very thick forehead. Shoei is happy to announce that it has added sun visor-glasses without reducing the level of protection. That's why the forehead is really thick. When you lie down, he persistently climbs into your field of vision. It doesn’t really interfere, but after the XR-1100 you need to get used to it.
Actually, about the built-in sun visor. Shoi says that this is the only visor in the industry that is certified to some kind of standard. Simply put, there is no optical distortion. In reality, with the visor down or without, it makes no difference. I even forgot about it a couple of times and didn’t realize that it was a bit dark for me. BUT the antifog on it is somehow conditional. That is, he doesn’t sweat while driving, but as soon as the speed decreases, if, for example, you are sneaking in a traffic jam, he starts to sweat. Basically a little bit, but hard - if it’s cool outside, less than +10. The lower air duct solves the problem, but there is another bug/feature: the air flow is directed into the shell exactly through this dark visor. So without use, it gradually becomes overgrown with dust. It needs to be cleaned. There are no complaints about the lifting mechanism, it works very clearly and is conveniently located, it does not conflict when installing the headset, unlike the S2.
Further. The ventilation is good, a lot has been said about this in various reviews. The design of the top valve raises questions. The one on the forehead. It opens in two positions - half and completely. But even if it is completely closed, it has such an impressive hole in the front. That is, it doesn’t allow air to pass through, but there, inside, dirt collects. Sand, dirt, flies - everything will be there. During the first week of running, the valve began to crunch with sand when opening and closing. I believe that there are no idiots in Shoya and this does not affect the functionality in any way. But it’s unpleasant. There are no complaints about the other holes. In general, ventilation is much simpler than that of the XR-1100, where the devil will break his leg in these 6 holes with different degrees of opening. At the same time, ventilation is at the same level.
The helmet is not light. My XR-1100 size S weighed 1260 grams. GT-Air size M - 1415. This mass, of course, is not felt at all, but for lovers of numbers - that's it.
The interior is nothing but delight. Everything is much softer than in the XR-1100. At the same time, there are cool plugs for the holes for the headphones. If you glue in the “tablets”, tear off the foam rubber from these plugs and return them to their place, the result is a pleasant appearance, and the high frequencies do not scream so much.
Look like that's it. The rest is the same as everyone else. The pinlock is included, the deflector and the lower curtain, unlike the 1100, are installed out of the box.
Summary - definitely worth the money. Very quiet at all speeds, very comfortable and aerodynamic helmet with a convenient built-in dark visor. Ideal for touring and slightly higher speeds. But for athletes and those who like to drive a lot, the 250-300 has lousy vertical visibility. Not a crime, but the XR-1100 is better.
All of the above is solely my personal humble opinion =) Maybe it will be useful to someone.
Shoei GT-Air2
The helmet is like a condom. Until you find the right one
in size, texture, material and color, will slide,
rub, burst... in general, annoy in every possible way and
steal the fun from the process! (C) I
Hi all! I myself have already lost count of which helmet I got into my hands. I definitely felt the heels! Two really disappointed me, not with quality or anything else, but with the fact that my head didn’t grow for them. Unfortunately, they didn't fit the mold. I sold one, the second one is being sold, with pain in my heart, I REALLY like it... but somehow I got distracted.
Meet the Shoei GT-Air2 in white. I’ve been looking at it for a very long time, in general I also liked the first one, but somehow, it’s not the same... but the second generation is very, very good. At the beginning of the season they were on sale, ahhuliard. Well, literally everywhere and the entire size chart was available. By the middle of the season, Elks began to disappear. What does this mean? It seems to me that the helmet turned out to be very successful. And then there’s the promotion for FC-Moto + motorcycle, I now have a white one, so I couldn’t resist, I ordered it. I got it for the price of 25,500 rubles. + 1400 rubles delivery. This, in general, played a major role in his purchase.
I already have one, NXR model. It was thanks to him that I fell in love with this brand, and after reading the reviews and philosophy of the manufacturer, I finally realized that in my head, I couldn’t find anything better.
What was wrong with the NXR? Well, for starters, it's black and green... here's a photo.
It was in it that I accelerated the Moscow-Petersburg highway. It was then that I realized that a black helmet is not the best choice in hot weather. Even taking into account the fact that it has excellent ventilation. The very first traffic light makes your head boil.
Second, it doesn't have built-in sunglasses. And this means - either buy an expensive chameleon visor, or buy an inexpensive one, but take it with you and change it as soon as the sun shines on your eye.
Third, headset. There is no standard, integrated headset for it! The most important jamb for my taste... and the model, by the way, is very popular.
Now I'll try to compare them. Although, you’ll forgive me for comparing the good with the best, I honestly didn’t do it on purpose. Well, this is my skull, sharpened under my neck.
The NXR is harder to put on and take off. It sits tighter on the head, does not press, but presses the cheeks harder.
Air-2 is not a problem to put on and take off, apparently it has a larger input, it doesn’t tear off your ears when you take it off, but the NXR tried to do this every time. The Air sits more comfortably, I would probably say so, the NXR is a sports car seat, it’s a bit stiff but comfortable and holds up great. Air2 is an advanced version, more anatomical, where it needs to be softer, where it needs to be harder, but in general, more comfortable.
Subjectively, the Air2 is heavier than the NXR. But there is nothing unusual or strange in this, since the first one is more functional.
About the main thing that struck me. Air2 - excellent aerodynamics. I lowered the windshield as much as possible, hit 140 and turned my head at speed. Where NXR tried to break my neck and rip my head off, Air did not notice any resistance! Delight!
Noise isolation is much more advanced than that of the NXR. It seemed as if someone had plugged the exhaust; I stopped hearing the engine muttering, wind noise, and whistling? What is this? Here I am really, really surprised!
Ventilation, for it separately. There are only two valves, under the visor at the bottom and one three-position valve just above the forehead. When the visor is open, the ventilation does not work! It closes the top valve. But as soon as you close it, you get coolness around the perimeter of your entire skull. Not a jet of wind, as was the case in the NXR, but rather an even distribution of cooling. A very unusual but pleasant feeling.
The bottom valve is directed towards the face, but does not blow out the eyes, does not try to drill them with a stream of air, and also velvetly covers everything available in its path.
Electronics. Yes, this is one of the most important factors that were taken into account when choosing a pot. This helmet is equipped with standard places for installing a headset, as it was in Schubert. Sena SRL 2 is the model name. You install it, but the appearance of the helmet does not change. This is very cool…
Well, in conclusion.
I just really like him. How it sits on your head, how it behaves on the road, how it looks, how it fits in the case... I like everything about it. I also like that the original stickers can be removed without damaging the paint or scrubbing off the glue afterwards. Now he's just white and that's it.
Well, a little about RT... how can we avoid it. It has been run in and registered for TO-0. Soon they will fill it with good operating oil, and it will be possible to dump it up to the tomatoes. Well, I’ll definitely decide to try to push the maximum speed at least once. Although I'm pissing... but I'll make up my mind!
The service key has already appeared, it’s time...
If you have any questions about helmets, feel free to ask! I have not yet come across a single, even remotely interesting review on it in RuNet. I myself am not an expert on this issue, and even a beginner, and therefore I can not tell you about what is interesting to you...
Peace to you, earthlings!
