I am one of those that has had a few helmets, and none have quite fit me correctly. My first was a Bell.. given to me by the person I bought my SV from. It was good for a starter but felt lacking in the area of protection.
Next, I bought an Icon that fit me great, until it broke in, then I kinda just sat on my head and felt like a bucket. It's also pretty dang heavy and fogs up like crazy.
I commute every day and ride quite a bit during the summer, as well as travel to see relatives on weekends, so I wanted something that would be steady and not tiring on the highway, and fit me the way a helmet is supposed to fit. The cheap Bell was ok at this, and the Icon was pretty awful. Crazy wind buffeting, and once my girlfriend was a passenger on the back, no chance. For some reason, with her on, my head just bounced around uncontrollably going down the highway. Miserable.
After spending the last few weeks going around, trying on different helmet brands and sizes, reading reviews, I wanted a Shark RSR2. The reviews were spectacular and I really wanted an exceptional and lightweight helmet. I knew of a place relatively close that carries the Shark models, so I tried one on. It fit alright, but a little loose in the cheeks. One size down wasn't gonna cut it either. Just way too tight and it sat almost over my eyes.
The girl behind the counter had me try on several other makes of helmet. I tried on an Arai (something.. she just handed it to me) and it fit good on the cheeks but too tight on my forehead. I tried on a new Bell helmet and it was too loose in a Large and too tight in a Medium all the way around.
I then tried on a Shoei RF-1000. Fit good, but I couldn't handle the pads on my ears. I'd been looking at the new X-11 for a while and went somewhere else closer to my house and tried one on.
This is it. Number one. Sorry Shark, but your fit was a killer and the X-11 is the fit winner. Comfortably snug all over. It was a tad tight in my cheeks, but it's probably because my other helmets have fit so loose. Plus, I was sure it would break in a little.
I looked around online and found a sweet-looking one, in a color that matched my jacket for one HELL of a deal, so I had to do it.
Motosport.com. Shoei X-11 Kagayama, silver. $425 !
I knew I had to get a tinted shield as well.. $37.99.
But wait!! Suddenly, when checking out on the website.. $40 more off the price of the helmet. Final helmet price: $384.77. Total (free 2-day shipping): $422.76. No complains there!
Paint quality: beautiful. That's really all I can say. I love it.
The only gripe I'll probably have is the fogging on cool mornings. But I'm confident it won't be as bad as the Icon, since I feel the intake vents and breath guards are superior.
In conclusion... this is the best helmet for my noggin because it fits it the best!
