ThatMotoLife: Shoei RF1200 Helmet Review

The Intro:
    In the world of motorcycle helmets their is always some debate regarding which brand is the best, which helmet is worth its price tag and of course which helmets are the worst of the group. We motorcyclist, are a very opinionated bunch and rightfully so. Two things are happening when we’re shopping for the right piece of gear. The first is that we are looking for a brand that we know and trust our lives to deliver on their promise of safety and the other thing is style. A piece of rider gear becomes an expression of who this rider is, just as much as a motorcycle becomes an extension of their limbs and five senses. That being said; Shoei is one of the premier helmet brands that have recently introduced the successor to their Shoei RF1100, the Shoei RF1200.
The Review:
    If you follow any of my posting on Instagram, Facebook, Blogger or Tumblr (which I hope you do, wink wink) you’ll see that I’m a proud owner of a Matte/Black Shoei RF1100. The RF1100 has been one of the best helmets I’ve owned and when the Shoei RF1200 was release I jumped at the chance to try it on. The Shoei RF1200 is huge upgrade from its predecessor in terms of weight, profile, ventilation, and safety.
 
    One of the things I love/hate about the RF1100 is its ventilation. I’ve had many conversations with other RF1100 owns and we all seem to agree that the RF1100 breaths a ton of air when all the vents are open. The downfall to this is at highway speed. The helmet is very noisy when all vents are open forcing the riding too close some of the vents or to wear ear plugs. For the new RF1200, Shoei reworked the exhaust vents with a single open/close switch with a spoiler covering its ports. This dramatically reduces wind noise and improves the helmets aerodynamics.
 
    The Shoei RF1200 has a new slimmer profile that looks great and weighs in at an impressive 3lb./8oz., that is 2oz. lighter than the RF1100 which make a big difference if you’re planning on making any long trip. A welcomed  improvement in the RF1200 is in its wider eye port that hosts a new CWR-1 faceshield and sold separately a CWR-1 transitions photochromic faceshield . Every new RF1200 come with a Pinlock shield system that by itself is usually about $100.00, which further adds value to this product.
 
    So here comes the important question, “How does it fit?”. The RF1200 is an odd ball of a helmets. I wear an XL helmet and have an intermediate oval head shape.The RF1200 fits like an intermediate oval helmet, that wants to fit like a long oval helmet when it’s all grown up. When I tried it on, it felt great!! But soon I noticed slight pressure points going linearly from my eyebrows to the top of the crown. It was still a great fit and would probably feel better once the helmet is broken in from uses.
The Conclusion:
     I will be buying a Shoei RF1200 and I will tell you why. Every shoei helmet is handmade and takes 7 full days to construct. The Shoei RF1200, at the starting price of around $450.00 with a PinLock Shield is a great bargain for a premium helmet. If you’re in the market for a new helmet I highly recommend visiting Motochanic and checking out the Shoei RF1200 for its overall value, color options and great graphics.

-ThatMotoLife by Abe Cardona,