Shoei GT Air Review and compair to Arai Signet Q

[Kabulpostie]

So, as the title says I thought I would do a review of my new Shoei GT Air. The comparison I give is between it and the Arai Signet Q. I have about 10,000 miles an the Arai and about 60 on the Shoei, so at best this is a short term look.
For those that don't know, the Signet Q is a helmet by Arai that is designed for those with a long oval head shape ( longer than wide) I have always had an Arai head and almost stopped looking at other helmets. Shoei never fit me and I was always happy with the Arais ( for what they cost I'm pretty sure I would have forced myself to be happy lol)

So to get it started I would say the fit and finish of both helmets is comparable which should be expected since they are almost identical in price.

Fit, I tried the Shoie after watching the review on Revzilla and was intrigued when they mentioned that it was a little longer shape than the benchmark Shoei, which I believe is the RF-1100. In short the helmet fits great, very comprable to the Signet Q.

Features:
1.What really got me interested in the GT Air was the internal sun shield. Here in Southern AZ the sun is almost always out, but I am usually riding to work early morning and often get the early morning glare. Sunglasses or a smoked shield are an option, but not a real safe one as the first part of the trip is still pretty dark.  The shield works as advertised and is one of my favorite things about the helmet.

2. Noise: This helmet is far quieter than the Arai. To me the difference is huge. I don't know if it is from the chin curtain, which comes standard and is an option maybe for the Arai or the shape of the helmet, I just know it is far quieter.  I do get a little bit of a whistle, but even so much quieter than the Signet Q.

3. Shield: It seems thicker and more robust than the Arai and I like the way it sort of has detents as you move the shield up, clicking rather than smooth like the Arai. This however has no real use in my opinion and have never had an issue with my Arai shield and is a subjective "feel " issue for me. It would not be a concern for me if it was the only difference between the two.

4. Ventilation: This is the only area where I feel the Arai is far superior. I don't have the miles on the Shoie yet to be sure, but initial impressions are that air flow is extrememly limited in comparison with the Signet Q. I also just added higher bars so my position is a little more upright than before, this may be a contributing factor. Though given the difference in noise I have to believe some of that is due to better vents on the Arai.

5. Also I am thinking the Shoei doesn't go down as far as the Arai. I have a really short neck and head checks can sometimes be an issue whith helmets as I get bound up on the shoulders. The GT Air seems to allow more freedom of movement. This of course could just be me loving my new helmet and looking to praise it LOL

In conclusion, if these helmets fit your head I don't think you can go wrong. However unless something drastic changes I'm pretty sure the Arai is going to become a guest helmet ( if anyone else uses a small lol) and I will be going with the Shoie GT-Air almost exclusively

If you have any questions please feel free to pm me as the folks on this forum have helped me time and again with my lack of mechanical aptitude and I would like to give a little back.

Cameron

[stopintime]

You probably had it on backwards 

Other than that, thanks for the info - I'm an oval head myself and this might be an alternative to my internal sun visor Schuberth