Shoei GT Air - anyone riding with one? Care to share your opinion?

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ike

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I'm contemplating buying a Shoei GT Air helmet now that GP has their no tax sale. Reviews on the helmet are great, but I am slightly concerned about lack of Snell certification . I've had a few Shoei helmets in the past (currently using an RF1000) , and my tendency is to trust their engineering and build quality. But still... why no Snell cert?

Is anyone riding with one of these helmets? What is your opinion? How do you like the helmet?

Thanks!
-Ike
 
AFAIK, the big reason for the lack of snell is due to the flip-down sun visor.
 
I have been wearing Shoei helmets for the past 32 years (not the same one of course) and have tried other brands but always come back to Shoei. I have just purchased the GT Air and frankly it is one of the most comfortable helmets I have ever worn. Quiet, all inner liners are removable, great fit, decent air flow through top vents (when visor down), pin lock visor to beat the fogging issue I had on my RF1000. I am not a helmet designer or manufacturer so I do not know the reason that it does not carry the SNELL rating but I do trust Shoei as a reputable manufacturer that would not turn out a product that would compromise their reputation for quality and safety.

I have however posed the question to Shoei customer service and will see what they say (text of email below).

"As a long time Shoei wearer (32 years) I have just purchased the new GT air helmet and am very impressed. I do have one question though, why the lack of a SNELL rating on this helmet? I have heard lots of conjecture that it is due to the internal visor and so on. I thought I would go to the source for clarification".

I will post any response i receive from Shoei.
 
Rjack said:
I have been wearing Shoei helmets for the past 32 years (not the same one of course) and have tried other brands but always come back to Shoei. I have just purchased the GT Air and frankly it is one of the most comfortable helmets I have ever worn. Quiet, all inner liners are removable, great fit, decent air flow through top vents (when visor down), pin lock visor to beat the fogging issue I had on my RF1000. I am not a helmet designer or manufacturer so I do not know the reason that it does not carry the SNELL rating but I do trust Shoei as a reputable manufacturer that would not turn out a product that would compromise their reputation for quality and safety.

I have however posed the question to Shoei customer service and will see what they say (text of email below).

"As a long time Shoei wearer (32 years) I have just purchased the new GT air helmet and am very impressed. I do have one question though, why the lack of a SNELL rating on this helmet? I have heard lots of conjecture that it is due to the internal visor and so on. I thought I would go to the source for clarification".

I will post any response i receive from Shoei.
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great thanks!
 
ike said:
I'm contemplating buying a Shoei GT Air helmet now that GP has their no tax sale. Reviews on the helmet are great, but I am slightly concerned about lack of Snell certification . I've had a few Shoei helmets in the past (currently using an RF1000) , and my tendency is to trust their engineering and build quality. But still... why no Snell cert?
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Snell only certifies helmets they get paid to test. Don't place too much credit on Snell. They Snell certify open-faced helmets.
They also arbitrarily don't certify because of baseless opinion. They will not certify flip-down sun visor designs, they think riding in blinding sunlight is safer.
They also don't like helmets with scoops, holes or protrusions for air flow, again arguing that a hot sweatbucket helmet is safer.

Most helmets are more or less the same: a woven D-ring strap pinned into the helmet with a certain sheer force break, an anti-abrasion shell of composite or polymer, and all have the same EPS foam liner that actually cushions forces.

There is no evidence that pricier helmets are safer. Some companies spend a fortune in racing sponsorship -customers pay for that. You pay for comfort, material quality, visor optical quality, hardware wear quality.

Some companies spend $10,000 per F1 driver per race on helmets. Schuberth sponsored Schumacher for over $5M at one point.
 
just bought a GT air because of this thread, bought from GPbikes today for 516, most expensive helmet I've ever spent! Hope it wont get stolen as I always leave it locked under the rear seat of the bike.
 
elton_t said:
just bought a GT air because of this thread, bought from GPbikes today for 516, most expensive helmet I've ever spent! Hope it wont get stolen as I always leave it locked under the rear seat of the bike.
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You might as well leave $500 in cash there.
 
Thanks for the thoughful replies, folks! I think I'm going to get one! The deal at GP is difficult to pass up! Now ... what colour???? Kinda like the yellow for the hi-viz look, the matte black for the badass look, and the white or silver for the "staying cool in the summer" aspect. Tough choice!
 
I plan on getting the gt-air as well. I was concerned about the drop down sun visor because I felt having a space there would compromise the solidity of the helmet. I was told that shoei manufactures that "pocket" differently than other ones that have the same. The compartment that the sun visor is in on the shoei helmet is made specifically to hold the drop down visor, if that makes sense. I have another helmet that has that as well and when I pressed on that area, it was "squishy." I did the same with the gt-air and it wasn't. It seemed much more solid compared to the other helmet.

I was in a very bad accident in the past and was wearing a shoei helmet (the TZR) and I wouldn't wear anything else. Shoei won my loyalty.
 
-D- said:
You might as well leave $500 in cash there.
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Then the new owner of the helmet has a helmet with a cut strap to display proudly in his garage. I would not worry too much about theft but if you are concerned run a cable lock through it as well.
 
Rjack said:
Then the new owner of the helmet has a helmet with a cut strap to display proudly in his garage. I would not worry too much about theft but if you are concerned run a cable lock through it as well.
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Actually this had me thinking a bit, they can replace the strap, can't they? If i remember correctly, all the cheek pads can be purchased separately . Who here got their helmet stolen this way before?
 
ike said:
Thanks for the thoughful replies, folks! I think I'm going to get one! The deal at GP is difficult to pass up! Now ... what colour???? Kinda like the yellow for the hi-viz look, the matte black for the badass look, and the white or silver for the "staying cool in the summer" aspect. Tough choice!
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You might have to order and wait for shipment to come in, they dont have a lot of stock @ GP
 
elton_t said:
Actually this had me thinking a bit, they can replace the strap, can't they? If i remember correctly, all the cheek pads can be purchased separately . Who here got their helmet stolen this way before?
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I got one stolen that way. After that, I bought a small 30cm chromed chain and a small key lock, chain the helmet through the chin bar to the grab rail. This way you can lay the helmet flat on the pillion seat, which means it stays dry if it rains.
 
GP Bikes called me today to pick up the GT Air, can't believe it arrived so fast... I ordered 2 days ago, picked up on the 3rd day haha. Here's a pic. I must say I AM VERY SATISFIED. Although this helmet is super premium, they made it quite worth it. The colour is spot on, noticeably quieter than RF1100, the vents are easier to operate and flows more air! That's why it's called the GT Air! GT stands for grand touring, it has the internal sun visor.... so good... I used to today on the my way back home from GP, perfectly tinted, not too dark or too light!

9aba11.jpg
 
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Most helmets are more or less the same: a woven D-ring strap pinned into the helmet with a certain sheer force break, an anti-abrasion shell of composite or polymer, and all have the same EPS foam liner that actually cushions forces.

There is no evidence that pricier helmets are safer. Some companies spend a fortune in racing sponsorship -customers pay for that. You pay for comfort, material quality, visor optical quality, hardware wear quality.
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to an extent yes, but other-wise no, there are a lot of factors to the cost of a helmet, including things we don't think about,
how is the shell bonded to the foam, squiggles of glue, or total bond, or adhesive? what type of foam for impact protection (all are not the same), thickness of shell, shell material (plastic or composite), and within, allowable heat tolerances during production, overall quality assurance.
some helmet manufacturers test their own helmets, and if some are found to be outside their testing allowances, a whole batch may be tossed. when laminating a composite helmet, if a resin gets to hot, or not hot enough, bye bye.

there is an incredible about of quality assurances, and also R&D that goes into lid design. certain manufacturers don't even monitor aspects that others spend a lot to pay attention to.
 
I was at GP bikes this morning trying on some helmets. If the colour you want is not in stock, you can still order it tomorrow and get the no tax deal. This does not apply to the RF1100 helmet, as those are limited to whatever stock they have. I heard rumours that Shoei is going to be coming out with an RF1200 helmet shortly (which would explain the clearout on the RF1100.)
 
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ike said:
I was at GP bikes this morning trying on some helmets. If the colour you want is not in stock, you can still order it tomorrow and get the no tax deal. This does not apply to the RF1100 helmet, as those are limited to whatever stock they have. I heard rumours that Shoei is going to be coming out with an RF1200 helmet shortly (which would explain the clearout on the RF1100.)
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So if you buy online do you pay tax and discount or it is OR. Just not sure what it is and site does not you know total till you enter cc info which i dont want too...
 
$516 taxes in, Saturday is the last day to order without paying HST. I suggest you visit the store, try one on see if you like it, order it then.
 
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