Over the weekend I had an opportunity to put a few bugs on my new Shoei RF-1000.  Here are some of my observations and opinions. 

What I like…

The RF-1000 is very comfortable.  It is soft and light weight.  The cheek pads are removable for changing and washing.  The quality of the assembly seems to be very good with a lot of attention paid to the details.

While riding the RF-1000 is quite quiet.  I normally ride with earplugs, but around town I don’t feel the same need for earplugs with this helmet.  On the freeway I still prefer the earplugs because wind noise becomes much louder at higher speeds.  I think the noise level of this helmet is largely due to the tight seal that is made when the visor is in the down position. 

The visor is simple to remove and replace.  Shoei sells several visors to fit this helmet.  I’m particular to the silver mirrored visor, but for now I’ll stick with the clear visor.

The chinstrap is padded, a nice feature, but I find that the padding eventually moves to the side of the strap.  I may remove the chinstrap padding if I continue to find that it is always to the side.  I have not experienced any discomfort as a result of the chinstrap padding being off to the side.

The chin curtain and breath guard were both easy to install and latched in nicely.  Once installed, they share a similar fit and finish to the rest of the helmet. 

The bad…

For speeds up to 65 mph this helmet is just fine.  While I was riding at freeway speeds, 70+ mph, I found that this helmet buffeted around allot when I turning my head to the side.  It was even bad enough that I felt I needed to tighten my chinstrap to make sure this helmet was not going to come off.  I could feel lifting of the helmet when I was looking behind and to the side.  While facing forward this helmet was as smooth as I would expect from a good helmet. 

For the most par this helmet is very nice.  I think that buying helmets is a lot like buying a new pair of shoes.  Just as you get them to the perfect fit and comfort it will be time for a new pair.