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Shark RSR2 helmet-my review
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April 2, 2009 at 7:17 pm #2662WeaponZeroParticipant
I recently became the owner of a brand new Shark RSR2 helmet. Prior to this helmet, the only ones I had ever worn were the HJC CL-15, HJC CL-SP, and Shoei RF-1000 (not while riding, just walking around a store wearing it).
Now, considering that the Shark RSR2 is their top of the line helmet and was meant to be on the same level as top-of-the-line Arai, Shoei, and Suomy racetrack-oriented offerings such as the Spec-1R and X-Eleven, I knew it was going to be significantly better than any of the helmets I had prior experience with. What I did not know was how much.
Opening it up for the first time, there were three things I noticed:
1. The weight, or lack thereof. It is the lightest helmet I have ever tried on.
2. The liner. It appears to be made out of some sort of velvety type material that just screams “MONEY” and almost looks like something you’d expect to see on a sofa in the living room of a very wealthy family. Comparing it to my HJC’s liner almost made me want to chuck my HJC in the trash, and the only thing that stopped me was the logical side of my brain telling me it’s still a perfectly good spare helmet. I was also surprised at how much better it was than the RF-1000’s liner, considering that is not a cheap helmet either.
3. The thickness of the visor. According to what I read prior to buying the helmet, it is 3mm thick and is the thickest visor on any production helmet. I can’t verify that, but I can verify that it looks almost twice as thick as my HJC’s visor.
Now, the reason I was looking to upgrade from my HJC CL-15 was because I commute on my motorcycle, and except in the summer, the weather here in Pittsburgh changes drastically as the day progresses. Basically, it’s winter in the mornings and summer in the afternoons. The temperature (and I’m not exaggerating) can vary by up to 30 degrees or more between my morning and afternoon commutes. What this means is that in the mornings, when its cold and near winter temperatures, helmet fogging is a serious issue, and the HJC’s system of defogging while in motion becomes essentially useless.
I wanted a helmet that had a superior anti-fog system to the HJC, and everything I read said that Shark and Suomy were the industry leaders when it came to anti-fog systems. My choice was originally between the Spec-1R by Suomy and the RSR2, and I went with the RSR2 based on complaints by Suomy owners that the helmets had complex visor operation systems and were ridiculously loud. The Shark’s anti-fog system does not disappoint. To date, I have not seen it fog once, even while sitting at a stoplight in 40 degree weather in the early morning with the visor closed.
One complaint I had about the HJC brand in general was that their helmets didn’t fit me perfectly. What I mean is that my helmet size is apparently an XL, but with HJC, XL was too small and XXL was too big. I needed something that was somewhere in between. The Shoei RF-1000 I tried on in the store in size XL was perfect and fit me like a glove, and the only reason I didn’t go with that one is because the RF-1000s are known for being just as bad with the fogging as the HJCs, which was my main reason for upgrading. My Shark is size XL, and at first it fit me a little bit tighter than it should have, but being that it has one of the thickest (if not the thickest) liner on the market, I gave it time to ‘break in’. And I’m glad I did. Talk about comfy! The shape of the helmet is just SLIGHTLY more oval-shaped than the RF-1000, in my opinion.
Noise with this helmet is not an issue. Not saying it’s the quietest as I don’t have much to compare it to, but it’s not as loud as I’ve heard Suomy and Arai owners complain about with their helmets. I’m kind of weird about helmet noise. There is no better or worse, only bearable and unbearable. This falls under bearable. You may be a bit different about noise, however, and prefer a quieter helmet.
Now, one very unique thing about the Shark helmets are their ventilation systems. In order to conform to British safety standards, which many say are much better than US DOT/Snell standards, the helmet had to be built with crumple zones, like a modern compact car. Shark takes the crumple zones concept a step further and uses it as part of the ventilation system. By routing the air that is vented in through the top vents through the ‘crumple zone’ ducts, it creates a cooling system that keeps the inside of the helmet cool without blowing air directly onto your head. It’s an interesting design concept that some people like and some people dislike, and that’s all about preference there. All I can say is that it works as designed. But if you prefer the feeling of having the air blowing directly onto your face, then this system is not really for you.
I first began looking into the Shark brand because the RSR2’s predecessor, the original Shark RSR, won webBikeWorld’s Helmet of the Year award a few years ago, with them singing praise about its extraordinarily comfy liner and the fact that it didn’t fog up ever under any conditions. More research showed that every other helmet Shark made, down to their lower end models, garnered similar praise.
It would be stupid to start going off now on how much of an upgrade it is from my HJC, because it costs three times as much. Of course you’re going to get a better helmet with that kind of money, and while HJC are great helmets for what they are, they’re still budget helmets, and if you’re used to wearing one and then you try a premium helmet such as the Shark RSR2, or I’d imagine any of the top of the line offerings from any of the other major manufacturers, you’ll never be able to go back.
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