Arai rx7v or Shoei X-Spirit 3?

Arai rx7v or Shoei X-Spirit 3?

Author
Discussion

N13LHN

Original Poster:

92 posts

195 months

Wednesday 15th July 2020
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What are your opinions on these two?

Yes I’m going to try them both on and base my decision from there but I want to hear real life opinions and reviews from guys that own them

trickywoo

11,706 posts

229 months

Wednesday 15th July 2020
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I’ve got a x spirt 3.

Really like it. The first thing I noticed was the stability. It’s not a heavy helmet by any means but it wears really light on the bike because of the way it cuts the air and stays so stable.

I didn’t buy into the what I thought were gimmicky spoilers etc but they really do work.

I’m not sure if you can still get them or if there is an Arai option also but I got a transitions visor for the x spirit which has been great.

Ventilation is good when you want it but it also comes with a breath guard, chin spoiler and chin curtain you can fit to keep it snug if you want.

It’s really comfortable once worn in but I had an initial worry over a bit of ear pinching on an otherwise perfectly fitting helmet. I have normal ears and haven’t had that issue before.

It’s fine now and you can customise pad sizes if you need to.

SAS Tom

3,398 posts

173 months

Wednesday 15th July 2020
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Unless it doesn’t fit you the X-Spirit is superior in every way. Lighter, more stable, quieter, better visor system.

N13LHN

Original Poster:

92 posts

195 months

Wednesday 15th July 2020
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Amazing replies so far. Exactly why I posted this thread

Zakalwe

194 posts

60 months

Wednesday 15th July 2020
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I wear an RX7V and I really like it. Never tried on the Shoei

SBDJ

1,320 posts

203 months

Wednesday 15th July 2020
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I also use an X-Spirit III. Been very happy with it; it's a great fit for my head and I like the transitions visor (not particularly cheap though!).

CAPP0

19,533 posts

202 months

Thursday 16th July 2020
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FWIW, as a previous owner and previous big fan of several Arais, I think their quality and tech has fallen off a cliff the past 5 years or so.

RemaL

24,967 posts

233 months

Thursday 16th July 2020
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Zakalwe said:
I wear an RX7V and I really like it. Never tried on the Shoei
+1
Great fit and all day comfy.
I had a RX7 before the current model Aria and after 6 years of use was still a perfect fit. worked great, no issues with any parts of the helmet.
Compared to my 2yo Xlite that did not fit as well as the 6 year old Aria. Which I bought to try another make.
Only minor downside is it can be a little noisy due to lots of good venting. Which is only a minor issue as I always wear ear plugs

TimmyMallett

2,811 posts

111 months

Thursday 16th July 2020
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anonymous said:
[redacted]
And the cost.....ooof.


If anyone needs a RHS Nakano Rep pod for an RX7, let me know. I have one in a cupboard that I can't bear to bin given you have to buy a pair, even though the lid is in the attic way past 10 years old now and unusable.....

jonindorset

1,039 posts

243 months

Thursday 16th July 2020
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I also love my XSpirit 3 and with a complete custom lining (medium lining in large shell, included in the price), its by far the best fitting helmet I've ever had.
I can't remember the name of the design (was deeply discounted at helmet city) but it looks amazing too!

I still wear ear plugs (giving very low noise even at sustained high speed) and have a clear and dark interchangeable visors but it feels light and comfortable for hours on end. Never owned an Arai but the Shoei is brilliant.

jhoneyball

1,764 posts

275 months

Thursday 16th July 2020
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My RX7V is lovely, but bloody noisy. Good ventilation on a hot day. But i always wear earplugs, other than a 5 mile quick local trundle

NAS

2,543 posts

230 months

Thursday 16th July 2020
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TimmyMallett said:
[RHS Nakano Rep pod for an RX7
I hate the fact I cannot buy a new Arai with either Haga's or Nakano's 1999/2000 paint schemes. I wanted those sooooo badly but couldn't afford them then. They brought out other older designs again but not those frown



Husaberk

245 posts

206 months

Thursday 16th July 2020
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Another Xspirit 3 owner with lots of Arai in my history. Best helmet Ive owned, very comfy, light, well ventilated, etc. The main reason I went with Shoei is the mainly down to the visor system. Didnt hate the Arai one but it is inferior.

Simes205

4,528 posts

227 months

Thursday 16th July 2020
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I’ve got a 2019 rx7v, noisy but comfortable, always had Arai’s for the last 20 years.
Plenty of ventilation that you can actually feel!
Never tried a shoei.

svracers

401 posts

218 months

Thursday 16th July 2020
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Shoei xspirit 3 wearer here. Is better than the arai in every way! Comfort, noise, looks and quality. Ive had arai helmets in the past and the visor, side pods and lining all feel cheap. The rx7 looks outdated next to the xspirit 3. In my opinion the shoei is the best helmet in the world! There is a reason all the top flight riders wear it!

Wildfire

9,774 posts

251 months

Friday 17th July 2020
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Tried the RX-7 GP and aside from not fitting great, it felt heavy and a league behind the X-Spirit. I liked my X-Spirit 3 so much I've just bought another. Fantastic piece of kit, stable at speed, comfortable and for a sports helmet, not too noisy.

NS400R

463 posts

158 months

Friday 17th July 2020
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I use an RX7-GP Arai. I've worn Arai for years and had several simply because the quality and fit (for me) is top notch. I have owned a couple of and crashed at 100moh in a Shoei. Quality is also top notch, they just don't fit ne as well. So I'd say it is down to fit, although I do prefer Shoei's visor system.

rodericb

6,663 posts

125 months

Friday 17th July 2020
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svracers said:
Shoei xspirit 3 wearer here. Is better than the arai in every way! Comfort, noise, looks and quality. Ive had arai helmets in the past and the visor, side pods and lining all feel cheap. The rx7 looks outdated next to the xspirit 3. In my opinion the shoei is the best helmet in the world! There is a reason all the top flight riders wear it!
A lot of top flight riders wear Arai too - however the Shoei, Arai, AGV helmets they do wear aren't production helmets a lot of the time. I did notice that there were still top riders wearing Arai as I was getting that bizarre thing where you suddenly start seeing certain things all the time. Buy a new car, start seeing them everywhere type of thing. However it was the reverse for me - I had gone from Arai for 20 odd years to a Shoei. To an X Spirit III....ha ha.

The visor mechanism on the Shoei is a lot easier than the Arai. The Shoei is very noticeably lighter than my old Arai but I don't know how it'd compare with the latest Arai. The pull-down chin piece on the Arai would be nice on the Shoei.

SAS Tom

3,398 posts

173 months

Friday 17th July 2020
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rodericb said:
svracers said:
Shoei xspirit 3 wearer here. Is better than the arai in every way! Comfort, noise, looks and quality. Ive had arai helmets in the past and the visor, side pods and lining all feel cheap. The rx7 looks outdated next to the xspirit 3. In my opinion the shoei is the best helmet in the world! There is a reason all the top flight riders wear it!
A lot of top flight riders wear Arai too - however the Shoei, Arai, AGV helmets they do wear aren't production helmets a lot of the time. I did notice that there were still top riders wearing Arai as I was getting that bizarre thing where you suddenly start seeing certain things all the time. Buy a new car, start seeing them everywhere type of thing. However it was the reverse for me - I had gone from Arai for 20 odd years to a Shoei. To an X Spirit III....ha ha.

The visor mechanism on the Shoei is a lot easier than the Arai. The Shoei is very noticeably lighter than my old Arai but I don't know how it'd compare with the latest Arai. The pull-down chin piece on the Arai would be nice on the Shoei.
Don’t know where you got that info from as plenty of top flight riders wear production helmets. The only company I know that doesn’t is Bell as for some riders they scan their heads for a perfect fit.

Salted_Peanut

1,359 posts

53 months

Friday 17th July 2020
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What are Bell helmets like? The (few) reviews I've read have been incredibly positive, plus Bell seems ahead of the game for protection from rotational impacts. But I don't know anyone with one.