Shark RSR2 Review and Comparison w/ Arai Rx-7 and Shoei X-11 So, I picked up a Shark RSR2 about two months ago! :ncb: I got mine from DSRPowersports. Don, their online guy, quoted me a price that was nearly $50 lower than what any of the big stores charged vader and I had the helmet a few days later!!! First off, I live in New Hampshire, and I put about 10 K per year on my bike going all over the Northeast on my 2000 VFR. I have an "Oval" shaped head and I shave my head, so I have the "typical" bald-guy head that is longer than it is wide, but is "perfectly" shaped. I often get compliments that I have a "perfectly" shaped head...(going bald doesn't work so well if you don't have a nicely shaped head). I also have bad eyesight. I wear contacts when riding, and it brings my vision to almost 20 / 20 in terms of distance, but I'm very sensitive to light and to visual distortion. Therefore, quality of optics is a HUGE factor for me, and one that is not often discussed in reviews. Over the years I have owned Arai, Shoei, and HJC: 1. The Arai Rx-7 was comfortable, but I just really don't like their helmets. They don't vent as well as they should for the price you pay, the optics are not of the quality that you'd expect for such an expensive helmet, and the shield changing is not the easiest either. They also are very noisy. 2. The HJC AC-12 Carbon is light, shield changing is easy, but it's also a very noisy helmet and it's one of those (like the Shoei) that doesn't fit me right. The Medium is just WAAYY to small, and the large is too big after it's broken in. Further, the optics on the HJC just SUCK. I went through one season going through 6 ....YES 6 different shields. They scratch VERY easily, the finish comes off of them if you clean them often, and even things like bug splatters leave little blips on the plastic after a while after you clean it. HJC visors are :bs: 3. The Shoei X-11 is the best of this bunch of three, IMO in terms of function and features. However, it was the WORST of the three in terms of fit. Like the HJC, I've either got to be content with too small or too big. I usually go too small and deal with the tightness, and after it broke in, it was okay, but I just don't think that the X-11 is made for guys with my head shape. However, the Shoei vents extremely well, is relatively quiet, shield changing is not as easy as the AC-12, but is not a hassle like the Arai, and the OPTICS ARE THE BEST. Shoei is to be commended on their optics.....especially their "hi definition" series....these are incredible for their quality of vision. They are expensive, but well worth it. However, once again, I find myself going through a lot of them (they scratch easily). ***The big problem that was common to all of these helmets was that they all fogged terribly. In new England you get all types of weather... (cold, dry, and rainy); (hot, dry, and rainy), (Cold, humid, rainy), (hot, humid, rainy), (sunny, hot, humid, and rainy), and everything in-between. Fogging is a HUGE issue if you ride in New England because the weather changes so drastically so quickly and there is such a HUGE variation in the weather factors. I've tried Cat Crap, RainX anti-fog, Salclear, vari-Clear.....basically everything that's out there, and none of it works worth a damn.....especially if you're changing visors often. Additionally, there's the issue of moisture in the lining, which, once your lining is damp, you have to completely dry it out, or it's going to contribute to fogging forever, and drying out a wet lining is a pain in the ass!!*** Enter the Shark RSR2. After being so incredibly frustrated with my Shoei in anything except perfect weather riding, I finally pulled the trigger and bought a Shark. First thing's first: 1. Safety: I trust the ECE 2205 standard more than Snell. I'm not going to get into the details here, but when you start reading about the standards in more depth, you can make your own mind up......I'm with ECE, and happy to be so. Additionally, the Shark makes use of "crumple zones" that are designed, like in a car, to direct force away from your head.....not just to absorb force. As far as I know (and I may be wrong), I don't know of any other helmet manufacturer who does this. 2. Finish: The finish on this helmet is, by far, the BEST that I've ever seen. none of the pics on the web when you look to buy does any amount of justice to how well finished these helmets are. Even Suomy, which is top-notch in it's graphics, is not as nice, IMO. 3. Fit: This is really the first helmet that I've ever tried that I say right off the bat "This helmet fits me perfectly". The liner is by far the nicest, softest, most comfortable I've ever worn.....period. It's a micro-fiber fleece, and it's beautiful. 4. Venting: Venting is easy to do, and works well. It's not as well vented as the X-11....I'd put it around the Ac-12 and RX-7 in terms of venting...on the lower end of "above average". However, the vents are easy to use and default to an "open" setting, which clicks closed, so you always know when it's open or closed.....unlike say, the Arai RX-7, whose vents, IMO are hard to control with gloves on, and I could never remember which setting on the 8 million vents was "open" and which was "closed". 5. Noise: Quieter than the Arai, Shoei, or HJC. Not totally quiet, but a big improvement over any of those other 3, IMO. 6. Optics: Man, oh, man. These shields are 3cm thick, which is 50% thicker than the standard 2cm shields on all other helmets.....and it makes a HUGE difference. I have 3 shields......a chrome mirror, dark smoke, and the clear visor that came stock. The optics in terms of clarity are equal to the Shoei "Hi definition" series, IMO. They are just perfectly clear, no visual distortion, and they clean very easily. I have had NO issues thus far with the finish coming off or streaking or with bug splatters that just wont come off. The RSR2 is really designed as a racing helmet, and it's apparent from the field of view. It does not have nearly the field of view that the HJC or even the Shoei does.....I'd say it's equivalent to the Arai. As most know, racing helmets give you a narrower field of view, but provide better protection for that....it's a trade off. However, if you're used to a helmet with a wide field of view (like I was), it will take some getting used to. However, I don't feel in any way that it has hampered my safety riding on the street at all....it just takes some adjustment going from one to the other. 7. Fogging: The clear visor comes with an anti-scratch, anti-fog treatment built into the plastic of the visor. The colored after market visors, while just as thick, don't have this same treatment. However, my experience with the clear visor is that you CAN NOT GET IT TO FOG!!! The other night, I was coming from a very heavy workout and it was raining when I was done. When you are sweaty and your body is throwing off a ton of heat from exercise, it's a recipe for fogging. Normally, I'd just pop the visor off of my X-11 and ride with clear glasses on my eyes, but even glasses would fog a bit. However, I commenced to ride home (a 35 mile ride) in the pouring rain, with my body throwing off heat, and the visor never fogged....PERIOD. Even when I stopped riding at lights, it never fogged or got blurry at all. This is not the case with the Chrome or Smoke shields. They fog just like regular. HOWEVER, the helmet has this awesome "winter breath guard" that is not just a breath guard....it has two vents that snap into the bottom of the helmet and direct breath away from the shield. Although not completely fog proof, using this breath guard in the summer with the colored visors helps considerably. Combined with Cat Crap, and it's certainly not perfect, but it is still better than anything that Shoei, Arai, or HJC offers, IMO. Visor Changing: Simply the easiest that I've ever seen. Period. End of story. additionally, they have this great little hex key that you can use to adjust the tension on the visor, so that it can open and close with a lot or virtually no friction....just find the amount you want, set it, and forget it. You can open the visor to any setting that you want as well, you aren't limited by certain pre-set clicks....it just flows along the entire range of motion. Now, to the 1 real "gripe" that I have with the helmet...the helmet "lock" that keeps the visor shut is a little brass pin that clicks into a hole in the bottom of the visor. It works great for keeping the visor locked closed. however, IT IS A MASSIVE PAIN IN THE ASS TO GET THE VISOR TO POP OPEN. There is NO PLASTIC TAB OR LITTLE 'GRAB POINT' FOR YOU TO GET A GRIP ON THE SHIELD. So, it ends up being a wrestling match of leverage and force to get the damn visor to pop open, and even if you do get it to pop open, because there's no little tab to rest your thumb on or grab, you end up putting marks on the visor from your gloves or fingers. If you're at a light and want to open the visor for a second, forget it....it's a pain and not worth it. How, for the life of me, a company that obviously put so much time, effort, and energy designing a helmet that has so much detail and innovation in it, could make such a CRIMINALLY STUPID AND INCOMPETENT, GLARING ERROR in the design is just beyond me. It really, really detracts from the usability of the helmet, and is massively frustrating at times. :unsure: About 4 or 5 years ago, I test drove a Prius:treehugger:....and ultimately, didn't buy a Prius because of 1 error of the type exactly like in this helmet: The transmission lever was near the steering wheel, on the column, and the lever was a long one that went sideways....pointing towards the passenger side. When you pulled the transmission lever down into drive, it literally covered the radio completely. You couldn't see the radio display without moving your body and looking in the space between the lever and the display, and to get to the buttons, you had to wedge your fingers in between the two...really, really unforgivably ridiculous design flaw. Just an example of how something beautiful and innovative can have a terrible "user interface" design flaw that affects it's usability and deters some people away from buying it. All in all, I'd say that this is a great helmet that does just about everything well, and does a few things exceptionally well. I will be keeping it, rather than re-selling it, because the anti-fog and comfort outweigh the visor nightmare, and I hope that next year, they will modify the visor and I'll be able to just buy a new one with a little tab after they figure out what dunderheads they were. Personally, I think that this helmet and the Shoei X-11 are the best helmets on the planet. If you do most of your riding on the track or in fair weather, and venting and shield opening are a big issue for you, go for the Shoei. If you need a helmet that can tour more reliably and deal with all sorts of weather conditions, go for the Shark. That is all. Carry on! <script language="JavaScript" src="http://lapi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?EKServer&ai=vgdiza%7De&bdrcolor=666666&cid=0&eksize=1&encode=UTF-8&endcolor=FF0000&endtime=y&fbgcolor=EFEFEF&fntcolor=000000&fs=0&hdrcolor=FFFFCC&hdrimage=10&hdrsrch=n&img=y&lnkcolor=0000FF&logo=12&num=5&numbid=y&paypal=n&popup=y&prvd=9&query=Shark+RSR2&r0=2&shipcost=n&siteid=0&sort=MetaEndSort&sortby=endtime&sortdir=asc&srchdesc=n&tbgcolor=FFFFFF&tlecolor=333333&tlefs=0&tlfcolor=FFFFFF&toolid=10004&track=5335977258&width=570"></script>
