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Quiet Road Helmets

M

Matty D

New member
Joined
Jun 26, 2018
Location
SF
Moto(s)
'15 FJ-09
Hello all. I searched and didn't see any recent threads on this topic, so here goes: What's the Barfer consensus on the quietest road helmets these days? I have an older Shoe RF and a newer Arai Xd4. Both are fine but I'm hoping to pick up something that will block out more noise, particularly at freeway speeds (and above). I typically use earplugs, but still.

I prefer to not deal with noise-cancelling electronics if possible, but curious for people's experience with those as well.

Thanks in advance!
 
Hard to get a universal answer, since a lot of it is going to be specific to the airflow around you on your bike, which will come down to the model of bike and your height. The FJ-09 has a reputation for hitting riders right in the eyebrows with the airflow off the windscreen, which can make a hell of a lot of noise in any helmet.
 
A quick GOOGLE search says The Shoei RF 1200 ( maybe the 1400 now) and the Shuberth are tops in quietude. That said, I just sold my Shoei Rf1200 and didn’t find it to be that quiet but admittedly I’ve worn the same helmet for 3 years.
 
I have a Shuberth (quiet?), a Nexx (noisy?) and an AGV (average). I have never ridden more than one on the same day so it is hard to say if there is really much difference - they all seem pretty loud when I forget to put in ear plugs, loud enough to pull over and install them.
 
No helmet blocks wind "noise" and turbulence well enough that you don't also need ear plugs to protect your ears.
 
I've been looking for the same answer for years! All the posts are right. Ear plugs are a must to block wind buffeting.

Or, buy a Goldwing with the nice big windscreen that you look through instead of over! That is the only way to really block buffeting!

Find a good pair of silicone earplugs that fit you. Buy several differnent types.

Good luck!!!
 
Right on, thanks everyone. I agree that the stock windscreen on the FJ-09 does pretty much the opposite of what you want in terms of wind protection. I run a super minimal screen most of the time (which directs wind to my chest instead of my head), and a bigger one for longer trips. Anyway, I've heard good things about Shubert helmets and will take a closer look.

Thanks
 
mjj said:
Wow. I'd never heard of Schuberth (sp?) so I googled. Did I really just see a $2000 helmet pop up?

I hope it has a built in bidet!

I found this about quiet helmets too.
Click to expand...

LOL that SP1 that comes up as the first shopping result on Google is an auto racing helmet, not a motorcycling helmet! Their prices are high enough, but not that high.
 
I got $200 for it so I think that was fair, so did the buyer. The helmet didn’t have a mark or scuff anywhere on it.
 
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I would have two points to add to what has been said.

  1. It really comes down to fit. Although general quality and extra comfort features do matter, how that particular lid fits on your head is going to greatly influence how quiet it is. In my opinion a good fitting, quiet helmet should be quiet enough when you first purchase it that it almost seems quiet enough not to use ear plugs. I also think it helmets to go the tightest fit you can wear comfortably. My rule is I pick a fit that is halfway between a race fit and comfort fit. My current favorite is the Bell Star MIPS. I got a paint scheme that was being phased out and it has been by far my one of my favorite helmets.
  2. Any helmet I am going to buy needs to have a good rating on Sharps testing site (https://sharp.dft.gov.uk). Schubert is a no go for me. They do not have a single helmet with a 4 star rating and lot of helmets with 2 or 3 stars. For the price there are much better choices. The manufacture with the most helmets and most price ranges with 5 stars is AGV. I definitely be taking a look at AGV when I go to replace my current lid.
 
I think a good neck roll that covers the gap between the bottom edge of the helmet and your head/neck will have a much greater impact on how loud a helmet is than helmet design. I don't use a neck roll (maybe I should try one), but it's easy to notice that the helmet gets a LOT quieter when you lift up your shoulders as much as possible and close that gap.
 
ilikefood said:
I think a good neck roll that covers the gap between the bottom edge of the helmet and your head/neck will have a much greater impact on how loud a helmet is than helmet design. I don't use a neck roll (maybe I should try one), but it's easy to notice that the helmet gets a LOT quieter when you lift up your shoulders as much as possible and close that gap.
Click to expand...

That's basically the secret of the Schuberth C-series. Being a modular helmet they can close right down to your neck.
 
I have always wondered why they don't make a ultra quiet helmet. I'm guessing it's liability, as people might sue saying they didn't hear the train or something. It seems if we can send people to outer space, the tech to make a quiet helmet should exist. Seems they could make a "track only" helmet, and let us take out chances. I want one.
 
bobl said:
I have always wondered why they don't make a ultra quiet helmet. I'm guessing it's liability, as people might sue saying they didn't hear the train or something. It seems if we can send people to outer space, the tech to make a quiet helmet should exist. Seems they could make a "track only" helmet, and let us take out chances. I want one.
Click to expand...

It's certainly not liability. We're talking about reducing wind noise, not about blocking out all external sounds.

The problem is that quietness is in direct opposition to the other big thing everyone wants in helmets - air flow. You could probably make a helmet very quiet by making it nicely aerodynamic and without any vents, but you wouldn't like wearing it.
 
I agree with other commenters. You either want your whole head in the draft of the wind shield, or out in the open air flow. If your head is in the middle of the transition / turbulence, it's going to be loud as hell.

All motorcycle helmets are loud. There is loud and louder.
 
I have a couple that are relatively quiet, mostly because they are designed to have low wind resistance (I guess).
I have 3 bikes with very little in the way of windscreen protection and I've really tried to find helmets that are neck friendly and consequently, able to slip through wind without catching a lot of blast.

Schuberth C4 Carbon (Flip up modular)
Very light, compared to my old NeoTech and much quieter.
I still wear ear plugs to cut the high-end hissing common in most helmets.

Shoei RF1200, Heavier than I like but comfortable and quiet.

I hear good things about AGV and Shark helmets, but have not worn one myself.
 
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