Shoei X 14 versus GT-Air

[emptysea]

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!

 

[LongRanger_imp]

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.

 

[emptysea]

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

 

[Henrik_imp]

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.

 

[LongRanger_imp]

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.

 

[Guth_imp]

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...

 

[Nortoon_imp]

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.

 

[jimgl3_imp]

J-Cruise

 

[emptysea]

Can't stand modular helmets, but I may look at Schuberth's full-face helmets.

 

[LongRanger_imp]

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.

 

[the Ferret]

Funny I normally wear a modular. Couple of days last week I wore a full face and it drove me crazy. Couldnt wait to wear my modular again. Probably because I wear glasses. At one point I stopped at a little park for a sip of tea. Had to take my glasses off to get the helmet off so I could take a drink. Put the helmet back on, side stand up, drove off and got about a mile up the road when I realized I couldn't see as clearly as I should. Reached up and .... No glasses. Turned around and went back to the park and luckily they were laying there in the parking lot unbroken. A modular is just so convenient for me

 

[LongRanger_imp]

Exactly. They're very convenient for those who wear glasses, and for those who tend to get claustrophobic. I've heard them derogatorily described as "smoker's helmets." All I know is they're not approved for track use, which held me back from buying them in the past.

 

[emptysea]

Everyone should wear what they want. I don't like the looks of most of the modular helmets and I remain unconvinced that they offer protection equal to a full-face helmet. I wear glasses, but I'm not particularly claustrophobic. I am sure there are numerous reasons to have one, but I'm looking for a quiet, well-vented, and aerodynamic full-face helmet, which is why I am comparing the X14 GTAir and R1200 plus, now, the few others mentioned.

 

[the Ferret]

Yea wasn't trying convince you Sea, just a funny circumspect. I used to always wear full face and loved them until I got a 3/4 helmet which made getting to my glasses so much easier. I love my 3/4 helmets, but don't feel as safe in them. The modular is just a safer 3/4 as far as I am concerned.

 

[Nortoon_imp]

I am claustrophobic as well. I had to saw a fibreglass cast off my arm one night because my claustrophobia kept me awake. The doctor was not impressed. I can wear a full face helmet, but prefer not to.

During my first 23 years of motorcycling I wore nothing but Bell open face helmets, except for the last seven. My Goldwing had room in the trunk for one in case it rained. I doubt the Lazer helmets of the 1980s would meet todays standards however, as I believe they were plastic, But they were cheap, light and comfortable.

Because I wear prescription aviator style sunglass, I only wear my Shoei in cold weather. Dealing with large sunglasses with an full face helmet is a PITB. I like my Bell helmet because I can slip it on or off with my glasses on. It also has a sun peak, flip-down sun visor and clear shield. That lets me chose what I need depending on the weather. Makes me look like a bobble-head doll, but I can smell a pine forest when I ride through one. A lot easier to talk to someone when I stop as well.

 

[Capo]

I bought an X-14 for the track, but it's comfortable enough for the street, so I'll be using it there as well. Beautifully finished and light, and the photochromatic Transitions shield is one of the great innovations in recent years.


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[emptysea]

I bought an X-14 for the track, but it's comfortable enough for the street, so I'll be using it there as well. Beautifully finished and light, and the photochromatic Transitions shield is one of the great innovations in recent years.


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noise issues?

 

[Capo]

I bought an X-14 for the track, but it's comfortable enough for the street, so I'll be using it there as well. Beautifully finished and light, and the photochromatic Transitions shield is one of the great innovations in recent years.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

noise issues?

noise issues?
It's louder than my Schuberth, quieter than my Bell. It is a sport helmet, so optimized for lean- forward riding position. But I always wear earplugs, so it's not really an issue.

 

[emptysea]

I bought an X-14 for the track, but it's comfortable enough for the street, so I'll be using it there as well. Beautifully finished and light, and the photochromatic Transitions shield is one of the great innovations in recent years.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

noise issues?

noise issues?
It's louder than my Schuberth, quieter than my Bell. It is a sport helmet, so optimized for lean- forward riding position. But I always wear earplugs, so it's not really an issue.

noise issues?
It's louder than my Schuberth, quieter than my Bell. It is a sport helmet, so optimized for lean- forward riding position. But I always wear earplugs, so it's not really an issue.
As I understand it, I can adjust the liner a bit to accommodate the slightly upright/slightly forward position I usually take on my CB1100. Is that true?

 

[Capo]

Yes it's very versatile in that way, and there are alternate pads and liners for fit and comfort. I don't like recommending helmets as every noggin is different. But it's a fine piece, as it should be for the price!


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