Shark Rsi Helmet Report

Just got my Shark RSi. I'm loving it!

1. Shark helmets are NOT Snell rated ... and this is the main reason I bought one. Yeah, Snell is a mantra in North America, but check out Motocyclist Online's article on helmet standards.

http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/gearbox/..._helmet_review/

Bottom line -- all helmets tested maintained their integrity in severe impacts. The biggest differences were in how hard the foam liners are, which translates into how much G-force is transferred to your head. With higher G-forces, your head stops quicker and your brain is injured when it hits the inside of your skull.

Of all the major helmet standards, Snell results in the stiffest foam and highest G-Forces.

DoT is actually the best, but because of perceptions only the cheapest helmets are DoT only -- not anything you'd actually want to wear. So that leaves us with either the British or EC standards. The Shark is to EC standards.

Finally, North Americans should read the article themselves and reach their own conclusions. I found it compelling and leave you with one thought -- if the Snell standard is so great, how come the major premium manufacturers (Arai, Shoei, etc) only sell Snell helmets in North America? Why not everywhere, if its really the best?

2. My reference points are an Arai Signet GTR ($500) and a Scorpion EXO-700 ($200). I got the $300 RSi for $250.

Comfort - slight edge to the Shark over the Arai. Both are better than the Scorpion, which is pretty good. The Shark is, lighter and easier to put on. The Shark and Arai are similar in terms of plushness.

Weight - The Shark is lighter than the others. Nice.

Ventilation - Dunno, haven't had it long enough. The foam liner (under the plush stuff) has deep grooves from front to back .... this should provide good channels for ventilation, I think.

Noise - Again, advantage Shark.

The Arai was flat out noisy, the Scorpion was a big step forward with one exception -- the visor makes an ugly whistling sound when its up ... it too loud for me much above 40 when glasses really aren't enough protection anyway. Still, its annoying.

The Shark is quietest until about 60, but its somewhat similar to the Arai at higher speeds.

Finish - They're all pretty nice. The Shark's silver is really spiffy though. YMMV.

Oh, if you want fancy graphics, these are painted on, not stickers.

Fit - According to my favorite accessories guy, the RSi has a shape similar to the Signet GTR, both of which are a little unique. If that's you, this is the Signet's competitor. If not, you probably would look at a different Shark.

Visor action - The Shark and Arai are clearly superior to the Scorpion. The Scorpion visor is clunky to move, can't be just cracked open, and requires (IMHO) too much effort to move.

Styling - I'm pretty sure Flash Gordon wore a Shark. My boss, who's just getting back on a bike after 8 years, was stunned by this helmet.

3. Other. Unfortunately, Shark is just getting a toehold here. They're French, with the helmets made in Thailand. You might have some trouble finding a dealer.

4. Summary - Recommended. I couldn't be more pleased with it. fing02.gif

Didn't know that they were a French company. Hummmm.

Hobie1dog, Sep 23 2006, 05:47 PM
Didn't know that they were a French company. Hummmm.

They will then just have to name the model "Freedom Helmet" biggrin.gif

Hobie1dog, Sep 23 2006, 11:47 AM
Didn't know that they were a French company. Hummmm.

Do the French really have more attitude than 'mericans? Outside of Paris, I've been treated as well there as anywhere else ... and they are a Nato ally. Finally, the French cars I've driven really didn't seem much different in quality or performance from the German cars I used to drive before I wised up and found Honda.

Just sayin ...

Dutchy, Sep 23 2006, 12:54 PM
They will then just have to name the model "Freedom Helmet" biggrin.gif

Ya, just like "Freedom kissing." goofy.gif

RocketRider, Sep 23 2006, 11:57 AM
... and they are a Nato ally.

They are? dry.gif

Sorry... offtopic.gif
smile.gif

I dig the TinTin avatar! beer.gif

where are the pics?

blkrabit, Sep 23 2006, 09:46 PM
I dig the TinTin avatar! beer.gif

ding ding ding ding .... WE HAVE A WINNER! wheel.gif

kwb377, Sep 23 2006, 09:37 PM
They are? dry.gif

Sorry... offtopic.gif
smile.gif

's alright. offtopic.gif

France was one of the original signatories in 1949.

DeGaule protested that NATO did not treat all members equally ... that the US and UK called the shots. From 1958 to 1966, he withdrew French forces from NATO control, banned foreign nuclear weapons, and asked foreign forces to leave France. He did not, however, nullify France's NATO obligations -- they are still obligated to come to the aid of any NATO member (and for NATO to assist them, if attacked). I don't remember them doing much after 9/11, though .. but the Germans flew NATO AWACS planes over the US, if I recall.

Ain't Wikipedia great?

---------------

Oh, a pic. Its not real without a pic, right? Its dark now ... so will a commercial shot do? Them bastages used flash all over their freakin web site, what a mess. All shiny and gaudy, short on info. OK, here's a screen capture, since they got no stinkin jpegs. You can get more pictures (like with the fancy paint), if you can deal with a bad web site --- http://www.shark-helmetsus.com/ Click "range" up near the top of the page. Proper European (British) English, ya know.

Yep, Flash Gordon definitely wore on of these!

[image: IPB Image]

RocketRider, Sep 23 2006, 09:42 PM
I don't remember them doing much after 9/11, though.

That was were my sarcasm stemmed from...

But back on topic...

I tried on a Shark RSX at a dealer a few months ago and came this close to buying it. The suede-ish interior is "like buttah", and it was very light. The only downside is that the dealer had it marked @ $500...I've since been looking at the RSX's on eBay for @ $265, but the only place I could find tinted shields had them for @ $75 (that's high even by Arai's standards smile.gif ).

RocketRider, Sep 23 2006, 11:37 AM
Just got my Shark RSi. I'm loving it!


Noise - Again, advantage Shark.

The Arai was flat out noisy, the Scorpion was a big step forward with one exception -- the visor makes an ugly whistling sound when its up ... it too loud for me much above 40 when glasses really aren't enough protection anyway. Still, its annoying.

The Shark is quietest until about 60, but its somewhat similar to the Arai at higher speeds.

I am thinking about selling my Arai because of how noisy it is at highway speeds. Fits OK, looks snazzy, but man the noise is driving me silly.

No offense but I think Shark helmets look awkward. The chin bar seems huge and vent just looks bizarre. blink.gif

sort of "battlestar Galactica" ..."By your Command"

[image: IPB Image]

too cylonish for me....

767fixer, Sep 30 2006, 09:44 PM
sort of "battlestar Galactica" ..."By your Command"

[image: IPB Image]

too cylonish for me....

laugh.gif Yeah something like that. beer.gif

Maybe this is what Fixer meant........

[image: IPB Image]

ALmost Darth Vaderish.....

Kanadian Ken, Oct 1 2006, 12:09 AM
Maybe this is what Fixer meant........

[image: IPB Image]

ALmost Darth Vaderish.....

Now thats somthing out of this world... laugh.gif laugh.gif laugh.gif

May the force be with you! comp13.gif
[image: IPB Image]

i have to weigh in on this toppic because ive done alot of research into the the whole DOT and SNELL debate.
DOT refers to being able to withstand a set of parameters that are set by the governing body. it must meet these requirments in order to be allowed to be sold for on-road use. that being said the helmet only has to meet the minimum parameters to get the DOT seal of approval. DOT only cares in pass or fail period. in the case of SNELL .... SNELL is a measurement of quality control. every helmet sold is required to be DOT certified to be road legal but isnt required to be SNELL approved because it is a quality control method and the dot only requires the helmet meet minimum spec to be road worthy approved. that being said the reason helmets go from anywhere from $150 to damn near $1000 is soley based on the SNELL rating not the DOT. the higher the SNELL rating a helmet has the better the quality control is. now im not saying that a $150 dollar helmet isnt just as safe as a $500 helmet what im saying is that the $500 helmet has a higher quality inspection. for example the reason SHOEI and ARAI helemts are more expensive is because those two companies have a high snell rating which means that for every 100 helmets made one out of 10 are checked to in house standards and if just one of those ten fail the whole lot of 100 are rejected. SHOEI, ARAI, and SCORPION are the only helmet manufacturers that produce their own helmet in house where most others recieve a mass produced helmet and add their touches to them. ever wonder why some helmets look damn near the same ? SNELL is a unit measurement of quality assurance, the helmet may not be any better than a cheaper one but what SNELL means is that helmet has a higher quality inspection than the cheaper one (less chance of a defect). SHOEI and ARAI are also the only companies that randomly buy helmets off the shelf at random locations to take back for testing as a last and final quality check. you can also send your helmet in for testing to either company for free you only have to pay for shipping. and as for EC standards ? ... think of it as a english version of SNELL.

through my research into helmets my best advice would be this .... buy a helmet from a manufacturer that does nothing but produce helmets period. and the higher the SNELL rating the better chance you have of having a 100% defect free helmet

thats my two cents

RocketRider, Sep 23 2006, 08:37 AM
Just got my Shark RSi. I'm loving it!

1. Shark helmets are NOT Snell rated ... and this is the main reason I bought one. Yeah, Snell is a mantra in North America, but check out Motocyclist Online's article on helmet standards.

http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/gearbox/..._helmet_review/

Bottom line -- all helmets tested maintained their integrity in severe impacts. The biggest differences were in how hard the foam liners are, which translates into how much G-force is transferred to your head. With higher G-forces, your head stops quicker and your brain is injured when it hits the inside of your skull.

Of all the major helmet standards, Snell results in the stiffest foam and highest G-Forces.

DoT is actually the best, but because of perceptions only the cheapest helmets are DoT only -- not anything you'd actually want to wear. So that leaves us with either the British or EC standards. The Shark is to EC standards.

Finally, North Americans should read the article themselves and reach their own conclusions. I found it compelling and leave you with one thought -- if the Snell standard is so great, how come the major premium manufacturers (Arai, Shoei, etc) only sell Snell helmets in North America? Why not everywhere, if its really the best?

2. My reference points are an Arai Signet GTR ($500) and a Scorpion EXO-700 ($200). I got the $300 RSi for $250.

Comfort - slight edge to the Shark over the Arai. Both are better than the Scorpion, which is pretty good. The Shark is, lighter and easier to put on. The Shark and Arai are similar in terms of plushness.

Weight - The Shark is lighter than the others. Nice.

Ventilation - Dunno, haven't had it long enough. The foam liner (under the plush stuff) has deep grooves from front to back .... this should provide good channels for ventilation, I think.

Noise - Again, advantage Shark.

The Arai was flat out noisy, the Scorpion was a big step forward with one exception -- the visor makes an ugly whistling sound when its up ... it too loud for me much above 40 when glasses really aren't enough protection anyway. Still, its annoying.

The Shark is quietest until about 60, but its somewhat similar to the Arai at higher speeds.

Finish - They're all pretty nice. The Shark's silver is really spiffy though. YMMV.

Oh, if you want fancy graphics, these are painted on, not stickers.

Fit - According to my favorite accessories guy, the RSi has a shape similar to the Signet GTR, both of which are a little unique. If that's you, this is the Signet's competitor. If not, you probably would look at a different Shark.

Visor action - The Shark and Arai are clearly superior to the Scorpion. The Scorpion visor is clunky to move, can't be just cracked open, and requires (IMHO) too much effort to move.

Styling - I'm pretty sure Flash Gordon wore a Shark. My boss, who's just getting back on a bike after 8 years, was stunned by this helmet.

3. Other. Unfortunately, Shark is just getting a toehold here. They're French, with the helmets made in Thailand. You might have some trouble finding a dealer.

4. Summary - Recommended. I couldn't be more pleased with it. fing02.gif

99vfr800, Sep 30 2006, 10:10 PM
i have to weigh in on this toppic because ive done alot of research into the the whole DOT and SNELL debate.

Trying to hijack this thread I see... tongue.gif

Offtopic: We've had like 3 or 4 different threads here on VFRD about the DOT and SNELL battle, do we really need another one??? biggrin.gif

RocketRider, excellent comparo between the Arai Signet GTR, Scorpion EXO-700, and Shark RSi. Thanks! fing02.gif

Hurricane249, Oct 1 2006, 02:41 AM
No offense but I think Shark helmets look awkward. The chin bar seems huge and vent just looks bizarre. blink.gif

On the contrary, I'm digging the looks of the Shark RSI fing02.gif . Love the angular shapes that sets it apart from your now generic looking offerings for Arai and Shoei plus the tons of semi copies from Korea and Taiwan. I am actually partial to Helmets with bigger chin bars. My Present helmet, which I think I should retire soon because of age, is a Dainese Ergon, first series. It also has a bigger chin bar which I think results in a stronger helmet shell that could indeed be useful in a crash.
This could really be my next helmet if I ever come across it with money burning in my pockets.
I wonder if it comes in a Silver/Red and Black color combination.
I also notice that the RSI seems to be reasonably priced too! fing02.gif

Beck
95 VFR

Shark helmets have become really popular in Australia over the past couple of years. Quite a few friends have them and love them. The visor change setup is excellent - makes my Arai look ridiculous. Interestingly though, I was in France in June/July and thought I might buy a Shark while I was there. I looked in quite a few bike shops and not one of them stocked Sharks. Plenty of Nolans, Shoei and other brands I was not familiar with.

I was at the stealership on Friday picking up a $5.00 bolt or something and noticed they had Shark helmets. I have to go back by this week and I�ll look at the prices and see what kind of mark up they slap on.

Action

99vfr800, Oct 1 2006, 01:10 AM
SNELL is a measurement of quality control. ..... the higher the SNELL rating a helmet has the better the quality control is. .....and as for EC standards ? ... think of it as a english version of SNELL.

through my research into helmets my best advice would be this .... buy a helmet from a manufacturer that does nothing but produce helmets period. and the higher the SNELL rating the better chance you have of having a 100% defect free helmet

thats my two cents

While I certainly can't claim to even be particularly well informed about helmet standards, this description of Snell is quite different from what I've managed to read. blink.gif

I've never seen a Snell grade or rating .... only Snell certifications. If the Snell certification is more than pass/fail, then why don't manufacturers clearly state their Snell "grade?"

Second, the point of the "Blowing the Lid Off" article that has caused so much controversy is that Snell has a different standard for impact resistance. IMHO, this is far more serious than quality control, which is generally thought to be pretty good for most manufacturers.

The disagreement, as illustrated by the statements by Snell officials and independent researchers, is over just how impact absorbing a helmet should be. Snell apparently believes helmets should be stiffer and therefore retain their integrity in more severe impacts. The other side believes helmets should be softer, and transmit less force to the user's head. Make your own decision, but I found the argument for greater impact absorbency compelling enough to replace a 6 month Scorpion (Snell) with a Shark (EC 22-05) solely because of safety.

Finally, the EC standard (which, BTW, is different from the British standard -- even though the UK is part of the EC -- go figure) is softer than Snell but harder than DoT.

---------------

A couple points on the rest of this thread ....

* the comments on appearance are hilarious! tongue.gif Great discussion.

* Web bike world has a favorable review .... http://www.webbikeworld.com/r2/motorcycle-helmet/shark-rsi/

* Re. buying a French product, I think the concern is ridiculous unless you refuse to buy items made in China as well (like the Scorpion). Certainly, I'd rather support the French (who are merely sometimes as annoying to us as we are to them) than the Chinese, who genuinely mean us ill. idea3.gif

I've never seen a Snell grade or rating .... only Snell certifications. If the Snell certification is more than
pass/fail, then why don't manufacturers clearly state their Snell "grade?"

they may not state their snell rating on each and every helmet but you are free to look in publications such as consumer reports or better yet call the manufacturer and ask.

* Re. buying a French product, I think the concern is ridiculous unless you refuse to buy items made in China as well (like the Scorpion). Certainly, I'd rather support the French (who are merely sometimes as annoying to us as we are to them) than the Chinese, who genuinely mean us ill.

scorpion is not a china made product. scorpion is a USA manufactured helmet and is in acctuality the only US manufactured helmet period. the company was started by engineers that used to work for ARAI and is infact in considered one of the best made helmets on the market.

99vfr800, Sep 30 2006, 10:10 PM
i have to weigh in on this toppic because ive done alot of research into the the whole DOT and SNELL debate.
DOT refers to being able to withstand a set of parameters that are set by the governing body. it must meet these requirments in order to be allowed to be sold for on-road use. that being said the helmet only has to meet the minimum parameters to get the DOT seal of approval. DOT only cares in pass or fail period. in the case of SNELL .... SNELL is a measurement of quality control. every helmet sold is required to be DOT certified to be road legal but isnt required to be SNELL approved because it is a quality control method and the dot only requires the helmet meet minimum spec to be road worthy approved. that being said the reason helmets go from anywhere from $150 to damn near $1000 is soley based on the SNELL rating not the DOT. the higher the SNELL rating a helmet has the better the quality control is. now im not saying that a $150 dollar helmet isnt just as safe as a $500 helmet what im saying is that the $500 helmet has a higher quality inspection. for example the reason SHOEI and ARAI helemts are more expensive is because those two companies have a high snell rating which means that for every 100 helmets made one out of 10 are checked to in house standards and if just one of those ten fail the whole lot of 100 are rejected. SHOEI, ARAI, and SCORPION are the only helmet manufacturers that produce their own helmet in house where most others recieve a mass produced helmet and add their touches to them. ever wonder why some helmets look damn near the same ? SNELL is a unit measurement of quality assurance, the helmet may not be any better than a cheaper one but what SNELL means is that helmet has a higher quality inspection than the cheaper one (less chance of a defect). SHOEI and ARAI are also the only companies that randomly buy helmets off the shelf at random locations to take back for testing as a last and final quality check. you can also send your helmet in for testing to either company for free you only have to pay for shipping. and as for EC standards ? ... think of it as a english version of SNELL.
through my research into helmets my best advice would be this .... buy a helmet from a manufacturer that does nothing but produce helmets period. and the higher the SNELL rating the better chance you have of having a 100% defect free helmet
thats my two cents

Hmm. That must be why the two guys I know that use Arai's, both have trim falling off their Arai helmets..... biggrin.gif

MFP-2241, Oct 1 2006, 01:51 AM
Trying to hijack this thread I see... tongue.gif

Offtopic: We've had like 3 or 4 different threads here on VFRD about the DOT and SNELL battle, do we really need another one??? biggrin.gif

we have had 4,598 oil threads. 435 ,509 i hate vtec, or naca duct threads....and you are letting a snell thread get to you tongue.gif biggrin.gif

99vfr800, Oct 1 2006, 01:10 AM
SHOEI, ARAI, and SCORPION are the only helmet manufacturers that produce their own helmet in house where most others recieve a mass produced helmet and add their touches to them. ever wonder why some helmets look damn near the same ? SNELL is a unit measurement of quality assurance, the helmet may not be any better than a cheaper one but what SNELL means is that helmet has a higher quality inspection than the cheaper one (less chance of a defect). SHOEI and ARAI are also the only companies that randomly buy helmets off the shelf at random locations to take back for testing as a last and final quality check.

1. Ummm ... are you saying that an HJC is really a Shoei, Arai, or Scorpion? I'm pretty sure that they (HJC) make their own. I've heard that HJC makes Icon, too.

2. And all Snell certified helmets are randomly purchased in the field and tested, not just Arai and Shoei ... check out the Snell Memorial Foundation page on helmet testing -- go to http://www.smf.org/ and click the link on the left

It says, in part (emphasis added by me):

"Three Basic Types of Testing Programs

Certification Test
Official pre-market evaluation for admission to the Foundation's Certification Programs. The manufacturer submits a number of helmet samples, depending on the helmet type and Snell Standard to the Foundation for testing. Snell technicians at Snell laboratories subject these samples to the most rigorous testing permitted by the Standard. Any failure on any sample is a cause for rejection.

Random Sample Test (RST)
Required testing and evaluation for all certified helmets. The Foundation acquires helmet test samples directly from stocks of helmets that are meant to be sold to the general public, usually from retail or distribution sources. The number of samples we will buy is based on the number of Snell certified helmets the manufacturer has produced. Snell technicians in Snell laboratories inspect and test each sample to check that the helmets used by the public continue to meet the Foundation's high Standards. "

To put it a different way, its not obvious why it would be an advantage for Shoei and Arai to purchase helmets from retailers since Snell already does that. And why would Shoei and Arai do that, anyway? It makes sense for Snell, since this ensures that the manufacturers don't send them special helmets. Surely Shoei and Arai can pull them off their own assembly line and know if they've cheated or not. They don't need to pay retail to figure that out.

99vfr800, Oct 1 2006, 02:38 PM
I've never seen a Snell grade or rating .... only Snell certifications. If the Snell certification is more than
pass/fail, then why don't manufacturers clearly state their Snell "grade?"

they may not state their snell rating on each and every helmet but you are free to look in publications such as consumer reports or better yet call the manufacturer and ask.

4. I really tried to find something about ratings at the Snell site ... struck out. Shoei USA ... struck out. Tried at the Arai USA site and the best I could find was:

"And most carry many of the same certification standards that have now become the only way for many to judge a helmet's worth. However, even though these helmets may carry the same decals certifying that they passed the minimum criteria for a given standard, it doesn't tell you anything about what's inside. The fit, the comfort. The quality."

Arai certainly claims that their helmets "exceed Snell" but they also pretty much say that a helmet either has the Snell sticker or it doesn't -- they say the differences are in "fit ... comfort, ... (and) quality."

5. Snell's site goes into great detail about their testing standards ... which involve impacts, positional stability, and application of heat ... there is no mention of measuring quality assurance beyond taking multiple samples (e.g., certification testing, random sample testing, etc.). Here are some great links on how Snell tests.

* www.smf.org -- click on "helmet testing" on the left pane

* http://www.smf.org/articles/pdf/implicatio...ting_policy.pdf

* http://www.smf.org/standards/2005/m2005/m2005_final.html

Lets just agree that I'm either blind, or the "score" is an unpublished number.

99vfr800, Oct 1 2006, 02:38 PM
* Re. buying a French product, I think the concern is ridiculous unless you refuse to buy items made in China as well (like the Scorpion). Certainly, I'd rather support the French (who are merely sometimes as annoying to us as we are to them) than the Chinese, who genuinely mean us ill.

scorpion is not a china made product. scorpion is a USA manufactured helmet and is in acctuality the only US manufactured helmet period. the company was started by engineers that used to work for ARAI and is infact in considered one of the best made helmets on the market.

6. Are you sure? The Scorpion sites says that their headquarters (the "nest") are in the USA. They most certainly do NOT say where their manufacturing facility (the "big nest") is ... although you could read the description and easily make the same mistake I think you made.

If you try googling "scorpion helmet china" you will find at least four separate reviews, all of which say the helmet is made in China.

7. Finally, I own a perfectly good Scorpion EXO-700 .... in mint shape, purchased this spring. The label sewn into the liner clearly includes the following text, which I type verbatim "Manufactured by Kido Industrial Co., LTD. Made in China"

Look, it makes no sense to continue this argument and bore everyone to death ... I'm done. I sincerely wish you the best and this is not the slightest bit personal -- I'm just a bit anal when it comes to research. However, I'll admit right here that I make plenty of mistakes on a daily basis.

Your mileage may vary.

I truly wish none of us ever finds out how good his helmet is. fing02.gif

I think the thing that reassured me about my Shoei which is Snell rated is that at the same time it also meets the ece and BSI standards so it must not be too bad.