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+--- Thread: Shoei X 14 versus GT-Air (/showthread.php?tid=14189)
Shoei X 14 versus GT-Air - emptysea - 03-12-2017
I'm looking for a new helmet. I ride my CB1100 without any form of windshield so wind noise and turbulence are pretty big issues.
I'm looking at the Shoei GT Air (with the cool integrated sun shield), and their relatively new X 14.
The X14 has awesome aerodynamics, although it's designed for a bit more forward lean than we get with our bikes. I'm not to worried about his, because it has 4 tilt adjustment points which should make it easily workable. I am a little concerned about noise and ventilation, though.
The GT-Air looks great and has the sun shield, but I'm concerned about noise and turbulence. Ventilation looks good.
So, my questions are: Does anyone own an X 14 or GT- Air and what are their thoughts on noise, aerodynamics and ventilation?
Thanks!
RE: Shoei X 14 versus GT-Air - LongRanger_imp - 03-12-2017
Matt, I bought a new GT-Air last year to replace my aging Schuberth S1 and was disappointed with the noise level. If you buy one, I truly hope your experience is different. The noise of the Shoei was intolerable at speeds above 50 mph and after two weeks of ownership, I gave it away for 100 bucks. And to be clear, I always wear custom-molded earplugs. My Schuberth is very quiet but is overdue for replacement. The Shoei is a lovely helmet (excellent fit, excellent quality, very nicely finished) but the lower edge of the shell does not reach as low as the Schuberth and, as a result, fails to sufficiently block air from entering from below (at least for me). I found the ventilation controls to be effective.
I tested the GT-Air on all of my bikes (some are naked, some have short windscreens) and the results were comparable. On a touring bike with a tall windshield, the wind noise might not be an issue.
RE: Shoei X 14 versus GT-Air - emptysea - 03-12-2017
Thanks for the excellent input, LR. I doubt that the GT-Air is any more noisy than my old HJC, but I am trying to make a significant increase in comfort (Noise, buffeting, ventilation) with this purchase. I may have scratch this one off my list. I have not seen anyone here mention the X14, but the online reviews that I have seen talk about how little wind noise there is (of course, the reviews I read were from online retailers and they may just be reading the company marketing info.). I'm very interested in the X14 if it performs as advertised. I hope someone here has one and will contribute.
Thanks again, LR
RE: Shoei X 14 versus GT-Air - Henrik_imp - 03-12-2017
I think the GT-Air is better compared to the RF1200 instead of the X14. Now I can't speak for the X14 specifically, as I have pretty much always had Arai helmets, but I often find the more race directed helmets to not be particularly silent. I ended up getting the RF1200 instead of the GT-Air (or another Arai) because of it being very light and smaller. It is really comfortable, and reasonably silent. For my head, a better fit than the X14 for sure.
RE: Shoei X 14 versus GT-Air - LongRanger_imp - 03-12-2017
Something I was remiss in sharing, and this will sound like a nit-pick, but I felt the Shoei face shield, when lowered to the last click (but not fully closed) was still too high. On my Schuberth, and on the Arai's I've owned, the lowest click leaves a small opening for ventilation without any windblast hitting the face, which is great on hot days or cruising around town. The Shoei leaves too large a gap for my preference and results in too much wind and noise coming into the helmet.
RE: Shoei X 14 versus GT-Air - Guth_imp - 03-13-2017
I've owned a GT-Air for a couple of years now. Overall it has been a great helmet and it fits the shape of my head perfectly. I've found the helmet is plenty quiet, especially in the cooler months when I have the fabric wind deflector installed in the front of the helmet under the chin. There is more noise in the warmer months when I remove the deflector which helps keep things cooler when commuting in heavy traffic.
One thing to note about the GT-Air is that the helmet is shaped such that it can be a bit trying to get on your head at first if you like to get a nice tight fit. The shape of the helmet is such that the sides curve a bit more inward towards the bottom than other helmets I'd tried. When first putting on the helmet, it feels like it is going to be too tight, but once it is on you realize that this is not the case. If it goes on easily then the fit is probably going to be on the loose side. (I'll add that I like my helmet to fit as tight as possible without any pressure points or hot spots.) The sun visor is a great feature (but note that it is not anti-fog) and overall the ventilation works well without adding a lot of noise.
I seem to recall that the other Shoei's I had tried on in the past had a switch that would crack open the bottom of the visor just a bit for ventilation which I thought was ideal. In the GT-Air, this has been replaced by the control for the sun visor. So it goes...
RE: Shoei X 14 versus GT-Air - Nortoon_imp - 03-14-2017
When I bought my Shoei RF-1200 I found it tight on the cheeks.
I was told it would break in. It never did.
I spent an additional US$50 for a set of smaller cheeks pads this past year.
Still tight, but they don't tear my ears off or pop my ear plugs getting the helmet on.
The RF-1200 is quieter than my Bell MAG-9 open face helmet.
But that's not saying much as the Bell is extremely noisy.
But not quiet enough to ride comfortably at highway speeds without ear plugs.
Opening any of the vents immediately adds wind noise.
I suppose they would be alright in an urban environment.
But almost all of my riding is on highways and back roads.
I do have a tall wind screen on my current motorcycle.
Although the wind blast still catches the very top on my helmet.
I am 6'2" tall and ride in an upright riding position.
When it comes time to replace the Shoei, I will try a Schuberth C3 PRO modular.
They have reputation of being a quiet helmet.
RE: Shoei X 14 versus GT-Air - jimgl3_imp - 03-14-2017
J-Cruise
RE: Shoei X 14 versus GT-Air - emptysea - 03-14-2017
Can't stand modular helmets, but I may look at Schuberth's full-face helmets.
RE: Shoei X 14 versus GT-Air - LongRanger_imp - 03-14-2017
For those who are interested, the C3 Pro has been discontinued and replaced with the C4. If you've tried on a C3 Pro in the past but balked at the high price, they're being blown out on eBay right now for $475, including free shipping. It's a great deal. I'm considering one myself, despite the fact that I too don't care for modular helmets.