Shoei Neotec Borealis Helmet
4.7
5
15
15
Nice helmet!
I really like this helmet. I am coming from a Multitec. The fit was the same. However, the cheek pads on the Neotec were crushing my cheeks. This is not something I experienced with the Multitec. It was so bad, I realized they were not going to break in enough for comfort. So I had to spring for a thinner set of cheek pads, also sold by Revzilla. I did not like having to fork over more cash on top of what was a very expensive helmet. But with the smaller cheek pads, its a keeper. As always, service from Revzilla was top shelf.
May 21, 2013
High-Vis technical helmet with style
Was looking for a good looking high-vis helmet with many technical features. I originally purchased the Shuberth S-2 high-vis.It's also a high-end advanced helmet like the Borealis. However, the chin-strap pressed into my neck and I felt a helmet that was completely neon yellow was more than what was necessary for other drivers to notice me. The Borealis is perfect. Stylish gloss Black with high-vis racing stripes. Very comfortable and has all the advanced features you'd expect when paying over $600 for a helmet. Shoei did a wondeful job on the helmet design. If you desire a "top of the food chain" helmet and the convenience of a modular, you won't be disappointed.
April 29, 2013
This helmet is great.
The quality is obvious. It is solidly constructed, the flip hinges are smooth. It is a bit heavier than a full-face but I expected that with the modular. The fit was comfortable immediately. I installed an EdSets headset which fits great in the ear cutouts. The pinlock fog shield works well and the flip down sun shield is easy to use. The hi-vis coloring does its job too. I highly recommend this helmet.
April 28, 2013
Shoei very good as usual.
Beside what you can find in Revzilla review: it comes with double D lock opposite to microlock which i got with the same helmet in europe. It creates pressure point on my left chick (part of the lock system does). Beside that it is as described by Revizilla and Shoei.
April 27, 2013
Its a SHOEI! Solid and Comfortable. (now)
I had a hard time thinking about the price at first, but knew Shoei helmets were comfortable, and generally more quiet than a lot of helmets so..I bit the bullet. It was true to its form though only after one initial uh oh!
My head measures 23 1/4 putting me on the low side of the Large. My other Shoeis, dirt and street, were size large and fit comfortably and yes, they do "form" to your head though they may seem tight at first. This one seemed tighter than the others had. Not around the head but the cheeks (uh oh). I almost sent it back, but took cheek pads out to check the head fit and found it fit well. My suggestion is to order a set of 31mm cheek pads when you order your helmet (they come with a 35mm). That way if the head part is comfortable and if your cheeks are squished you can change them out immediately and not have to wait another five days of shipping for them to come in, and if it fits, you can send the pads back. As of now, only one week since I received Borealis, I've not yet changed the cheek pads. They still seem a bit tight but are also conforming, The question is will it be enough?
As to the air flow, its amazing! I have a faring on my cruiser and I can still feel the wind passing through.
To me this helmet is rather quiet.
I have found that with the faring I do need to crack my visor to keep from fogging up, as the vent in front by the visor really won't get much forced air. (I've not installed the fog shield yet either.)
One other caution would be if your buying a blue tooth for this particular helmet. I bought a Sena H10. Yes it does have a large control knob for your gloved had to be able to find, but it comes really close to interfering with the sun visor lever. This may be a question you may like to raise with Revzilla and get some advice. I also bought the H10 with the thought of maybe using the microphone on a different helmet and the boom on this helmet. Not sure if this was a good idea or not yet.
Over all, the helmet is solid, quiet- in my opinion, sharp looking, and Highly visible. You'll love it!
April 27, 2013
Lived up to the hype...
I was debating my next helmet purchase all winter so I did a fair amount of research and settled on the Neotec. I had high expectations and the Neotec met or exceeded all of them.
It looks fantastic in the Borealis graphic with a deep glossy finish and really nice gold flake pin-striping. The fit was tight at first but didn't take long to break in. I used my Revzilla cash from the helmet to pick up the 31mm cheekpads for only a couple bucks so that eased the sting of having to fork out even more $$$ to get the proper fit. I can't comment on the fit with the stock cheekpads because I had no disillusions going in that my face was anything but chubby. With the 31mm pads the fit was excellent, maybe a bit tight around the ears but I know there is a pad behind the ears that is removeable. I used the measurement guide and the fit was excellent out of the box.
The airflow is great and I like that adjusting the airflow on the upper vent from full to half actually makes a noticeable difference. The front intake vents to the shield and did an okay job of keeping the shield clear when I rode in the first morning and had not installed the pinlock lens. Pinlock went in the next morning and its been fog free ever since.
I love the internal sun visor and simply couldn't ride without one now. I wear eyeglasses and the ability to instantly switch from clear to tint and back is so nice. The interior is indeed more glasses friendly than typical as advertised.
Overall this is a fantastic helmet, the only thing I can call a negative is the cost.
April 22, 2013
good helmet, but not for the price
This is a very good helmet, but for the price i would say it should be a lot better. I have no real faults for it other than the price. I tried many other helmets but non seemed to fit my oddly shaped noggin.
Simply put, it is a good solid helmet and i happy to have to it protecting my head, just think others do the same for less if they will fit your head.
April 22, 2013
Excellent helmet with some minor quibbles. Comparing to C3 Pro.
I ordered the Neotec and Schuberth C3 Pro from RevZilla because my local dealers don't stock the high end helmets. Spending this kind of cash, I wanted to make the right purchase up front. The staff were very helpful and their no hassle return policy allowed me to return the one I didn't decide to keep. My impressions are based on wearing the helmet around the house for several hours a day for a few days as the return policy doesn't let you actually ride with them, understandable. Therefore, the rating for Noise Level and Air Flow are speculative.
My Nolan N102 is getting long in tooth I I wanted to replace it with a High Viz yellow to improve visibility and to match my Tourmaster high viz yellow jacket.
The Pros:
The quality and fit and finish are outstanding, similar to my Arai Corsair V. The padding is very dense and should stand up to years of use. The flip face secures very well and easy to operate with one hand, both opening and closing. The face shield has excellent range of positioning and the detents are very strong. One of the things on my Nolan is that the shield will often not stay open when riding, a result of age and use I suppose, but frustrating nonetheless. The sunshield comes down low enough but doesn't ride on the tip of the nose. The mechanism seems very well constructed. The Borealis graphic is really nice looking, but a bit more of the high viz color on the front would be good for visibility sake. There is plenty of room in the ear area to mount headspeakers and the cutout in the EPS liner gives even more space, which is a really nice touch.
The Cons:
The neck roll/cheekpad are very tight and prevent putting the helmet on with glasses on, which is one of the reasons I want a modular. I tried all different angles and approaches but it didn't matter. The sunshield mechanism is located at an odd position and I worry that with gloves on and with my Sena SMH10 mounted, it could be difficult to operate. It uses D rings, which you either love or hate, but after using the european style rachet systems, seem antiquated and all but impossible to secure with gloves on.
The fit was true to measurements. I have a 59 cm oval shaped head and a L was the correct fitment. However, for some reason, there was a hot spot on my head where the middle comfort liner seam joined the headband, about a third of the way up my forehead. I don't know if it is the liner, or pressure from the EPS pushing it down on to my head but I found it quite uncomfortable. The Schuberth had the same issue for a while but eventually "broke in" I guess and it went away. The Shoei's didn't. This stresses the importance of trying a helmet on and leaving it on for a while if at all possible.
The combination of the hot spot, limited high viz from the front angle and not being able to put it on with glasses and gloves ultimately lead me to choose the C3 Pro. I could have lived with the glasses issue, but the hot spot just wasn't going to work for me, when the Schuberth did everything I wanted. I just wish it didn't cost so much more than the Neotec.
An oddity with the Neotec is that it "rings" when you tap it or drop the flip face, sunshield or face shield. I've never had a helmet "ring" before. It's neither a criticism or a praise. It just does it.
So, bottom line, if the Shoei fits you well and you don't wear glasses, or care if you have to take them off to get it on and off, the Neotec is an outstanding helmet. As always, YMMV.
April 19, 2013
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