I finally managed to put some miles on my new Shoei RF SR helmet. I took the RD350 out for a loop of the mountains and Tularosa’s TulieFreeze Ice cream shop. I had a Sundae with hot fudge, nuts and whipped cream. TulieFreeze always puts a cherry on top.
Oh yeah…the helmet. The Shoei was quiet at highway speeds, none of my bikes have windshields so I get the air full blast and I like it that way. Turning my head side to side was comfortable and the wind didn’t over-rotate my head side on. All in all the Shoei RS cuts a pretty clean swath through the air. There was no shaking or turbulence.
The fit is perfect on the top parts of my head (your head may vary) but the cheeks are still too tight as the pads press in on my jowly visage more than is appropriate for two people who just met. Luckily the cheek pads are made to be easily removable in case you have crashed. Hopefully the EMT will know to remove the pads before trying to force the helmet off and severing your spinal cord.
I’ll probably wait a bit longer before shaving down the cheek pads. I still have hopes it will break in. I need to stop and remove my helmet to relieve the face-pressure after 50 miles. It gives me a chance to admire the RD’s metallic purple paint. The tight-ish flip shield has loosened up a bit, I gave it a squirt of Shoei oil and after 10-20 flips it’s ok.
Speaking of the shield I have Shoei’s auto-darkening face shield. That sucker cost more than any helmet I’ve ever bought. Since I now have had both cataracts removed from my eyes I can see much better at night. I’m planning to step up the after hours summer riding and the auto-tint works fabulously. From the outside it appears super dark but from inside the helmet it’s not so dark. In fact, I wouldn’t mind if it got darker. As it is I can ride in bright sunlight without squinting. It seems to keep the inside of the helmet cooler.
When the sun goes down it’s as clear as a clear shield. On thing that worries me is how resistant the coating is to gas station squeegees and bug guts. I’m going to put a heavy coat of paste wax on the shield and even that makes me nervous. What if the wax screws it up?
It was cool but not cold on my ride and I totally forgot to open the vents to see if they had any effect of the interior airflow. At 70 degrees with the vents closed it was comfortable. I’ll test the vents after the doctor gives my new eye the ok to thrash around on a motorcycle.
Another week or two and my eye should be back to full strength. That means I can lift concrete bags and ride around without a care. I’ve already planned a trip to Tina’s Mexican food in Carlsbad; they have reopened after Covid shut them down for a year. It’s good to see things returning to normal after such a trying two years.
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I’m finding it difficult to see at night especially with oncoming car headlights. I just may see the doc about cataracts. It was a trying two years if you let it be.
My day vision was bad but my night vision was terrible. The new lenses give a brighter scene and the kaleidoscope image of oncoming headlights is gone.
Did you also get lenses with a built in prescription or just plain? My day vision is still ok but I can’t remember having so much trouble at night. I think it’s mostly my left eye.
Although not a Shoei, I bought a full face Bell (always wanted one) last year. Its an XL size, allowing glasses to be worn. I’ve never liked tinted visors, preferring prescription glasses over contacts.
The only problem with full faced lids over 3/4 or half helmets is that your peripheral vision is severely limited.
Looks like a good Helmet, I’m a Bell and Biltwell Helmet kind of guy. I must say I only purchase helmets for competition and so not much comfort enters into my selection process. Usually, the sanctioning body sets the specs and I purchase accordingly. When I go on my next BIG trip, I will look at this helmet for touring comfort, I kind of like the varying like and dark feature…
An update: I tried the vents. The vent open on the chin bar gives a slight increase of ventilation, nothing spectacular. If you turn your head sideways the two top vents let in a goodly amount of air. With your head facing frontward the flo is less. Overall I gear the venting a “C”.
Its strange just how much one year to the next of helmets made can differ so much. I have always been a Shoei guy and had them since I can remember and have always been happy. I currently rock a RF1400 and its a great helmet that seems quiet and comfortable and I love the emergency release which were not on my Shoei Qwest helmet. Hope the eyes are heal well and that that RD keeps you getting your ice cream. I will be riding the Suzuki Titan out to Grannys for my ice cream fix, nice way to spend the day.
At $449 that helmet’s too expensive for me.
UV light is what makes the shield dark. If the wax blocks UV it might be a problem.