Shoei DS HORNET

[MotorcopBBQ]

I need a new brain bucket. I am looking at the Shoei DS HORNET and the Shoei Qwest. I know two different styles of helmets.
My questions about the DS Hornet are. Is it comfortable at hwy speed. My commute to work is 55mph so....60 average. With the front "Bill" is there a lot of buffering. Also how quiet is the DS hornet.
Is the DS Hornet really great for commuting or just from single trail/ off road use?
The qwest is probably going to be my choice, because, my last Shoei is a x11 and it has served me well.

 

[illustratedman]

I've been using the hornet for a couple of years now, its a very good helmet, great field of vision well vented and reasonably quiet. The peak is noisy at h-way speeds and is affected by high winds, i have a neck injury from an accident a few years ago and when doing shoulder checks it is harder to turn your head or should i say there is definitely resistance which i dont get with my shoei raid 2 but i am particularly sensitive to that because of my problem. The edge of the pinlock insert sits exactly in your line of vision if you tilt your head down slightly and i find the peak largely ineffective at blocking out low sun. The tab for lifting the visor is attached by a small screw instead of molded and has broken twice on mine, the visor is easy to change but the screws which hold it are plastic and chew up easily i reckon it takes about 3 mins to change. I do like the hornet and rate it for the type of helmet it is but it does have a few downers compared to the ease of a pure road helmet. I used to use it daily but have now reverted back to my shoei raid2 which has a different name in the states than here in the uk i believe, but is very similar to the qwest. The other thing i find is the chinbar sits a lot lower down on your face than a road lid so high necked clothing may catch on it.

 

[MotorcopBBQ]

Thanks for the information
::003::

 

[dcc46]

I have the qwest. It's light , comfortable and quiet. If it fits your head shape it's a great helmet. I like it alot. ::024::

 

[20valves]

I would only add that the Hornet imho is a better off road helmet but if you have a long highway distance to cover on a trip, a helmet without a bill will be better (much quieter). I sure do like that bill when the sun is at a bad angle though. Buy one of each and stimulate the economy! ;D

 

[Motoadv]

I've had my Hornet/DS about 3 years. Ridden single track, multi-day adventure rides, 300 mile days of slab, commuted, and all-around riding. Bikes have been everything from dirt bikes to sport bikes. IMHO, if you like the "Adventure" look (which includes the beak and shield), it's a winner. Arguably, I hear feedback over and over that the Quest is the quietest Shoei product (Shoei rep has told me it was designed to be). I'd say I agree, but I still rock the bitchin' RF1100 Diabolic Divinity for dedicated street use as it adds 1.28% more RWHP... ;D

Here's how I put it to customers about helmet buying in general:
The rider's positioning, bike's profile, and about a million other parameters influence to what degree negative issues manifest. It can be small things we don't tend to notice too. Rider A with 32" arms will have a different aerodynamic profile than Rider B with 34" arms (B doesn't have to lean forward as much to the bars), hence their helmet is in a different position in the airstream. Both riders can easily have different opinions of the noise, lift, and buffeting effects of a helmet even though all other parameters (bike, windscreen, etc, etc) are identical. Different riders have different tolerance levels and perceptions of such things, which form their opinions about a "good" helmet vs. a "bad" one.

Specifically, the DS is an "Adventure" helmet in the same vein as the ARAI XD, ICON Variant, AFX FX-39, and FLY Trekker. It combines the beaked/peaked look of off-road helmets with the shield of a street helmet (duh!). As such, the wearer faces tradeoffs. A beaked helmet will generally have rougher airflow than a non-beaked, all other things being equal (that little point is key!). Rough air means noise and/or buffeting. Not a totally bad thing, just something to keep in mind if comparing apples to apples (or oranges)...

In my use, the DS has slightly more buffeting but no more noise than my RF (when both are ridden without ear plugs). I've worn it enough I really don't notice it unless I pause and think about it. I also feel the beak is almost useless for keeping the sun out of my eyes 75% of the time. Then again, I use 2 rows of electrical tape at the top of all shields and tinted goggles off-road. Fit, finish, and durability has been excellent. The removable liner makes washing a breeze, and ventilation is as good as any helmet. 'course, in 100F+ riding, ventilation is a myth propagated by marketing folks... :

I will add IMHO the XD is also a top notch option and rivals the Shoei. I'd give a very slight "plush" feeling nod to the DS, but for some the XD just fits their head better. We couldn't find an employee or customer the Icon fits comfortably, so we sent them back (looks mean though). The AFX and FLY are the same helmet, awesome value, but the AFX comes in more color choices than FLY. Can't think of any other Adventure/Dual-Sport helmets out there at the moment, none we've tried anyway...

 

[Catsbum]

I just purchased the Shoei Neotec. Its a flip up with internal dark visor.

I buy helmets like women buy shoes and this is the best most cumfy quiet helmet with loads of room for my ears.

Not sure if they sell them in the US but go try one on. ::008::

Cats

 

[mrpincher]

I have the DS Hornet. I read in the instruction booklet ??? how a guy can take the visor off the helmet - so I took the visor off and rode a 5000 mile ride last fall. I wished a couple time I had the visor. Most of the times the visor is useless. The guy I was riding with kept wanting to mount his video camera to the threaded hole left by the absence of the visor.

We have some wicked cross winds out here in north west Texas. The visor seems to catch a bit of wind, but not so much you can't control it. I'm telling you when the wind is blowing hard, I ain't cussing at the helmet.

The pinlock seems to work fine for me. Must be lucky that it's not in my line of sight.

 

[20valves]

...Shoei Neotec....Not sure if they sell them in the US but go try one on.

They do, there's a thread about it on this board.

 

[HoebSTer]

i wear the Hornet often and believe it is quieter than my Multi-Tec. The Multi-Tec is a bit more comfy, and doesn't smush my cheeks as much, but overall good. The Hornet does fog easily and I have not installed a pin lock on it like I have on the Multi, which works flawlessly!!!

Hope this helps MotorCopBBQ!!!

 

[newventurer]

I have both and the Shoei is my helmet of choice. I bought the Hornet thinking that the bill would block the sun. What I found was that the bill sits too high on the helmet to block much sun at all. It does catch a lot of wind when you get up from behind the windshield. The visor did not sit tightly against the helmet seal and although I didn't water test it it would have clearly leaked. The factory did send me a new visor to try but it did not do much better. I ended up getting a sunblocker visor strip for my Shoei and now I like it even better. I fitted the G4 bluetooth setup to the Shoei so it works with my Garmin 665. Took a little cutting of the rubber seal at the bottom of the helmet.

Good luck.

Correction - My comments refer to the FX-39 DS Strike Helmet, not Hornet. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[macca]

I have both and the Shoei is my helmet of choice. I bought the Hornet thinking that the bill would block the sun. What I found was that the bill sits too high on the helmet to block much sun at all. It does catch a lot of wind when you get up from behind the windshield. <SNIP>
Good luck.

You can tweak the Peak mount on the top of the lid to get the peak to dip more at the front. I used a stanley knife to elongate the slot in the mount and used a std cage bolt to give me the extra length needed over the plastic bolt (to get over the humped flange in the peak) heres a pic hopefully

 

[20valves]

:-X

 

[newventurer]

Doh! Oops sorry - the helmet I meant to refer to is the - FX-39 DS Strike Helmet, not the Hornet. Sorry for confusion.

 

[MotorcopBBQ]

Thanks Guys for all the input. I finally made a decision today. The Arai XD4. I wanted something that would surly last the next ten years. Plus it looks great, and received better reviews else where on the web, then the DS Hornet. I tired the XD on at a local shop and it initial fitting was excellent! Hope to have one by next week! ::26::