Shoei RF-1200 Helmet - Solid

This is my second Shoei. My first is the X-Eleven. The X-11 is super comfy but it is a race helmet so it is pretty loud.

The RF-1200 shows how Shoei has made evolutionary bounds in helmet technology. You see things in the RF-1200 Like you see in their X-series helmets i.e. brow venting and emergency cheek pad removal. I love when you see trickle down performance!

This helmet is also very quite and with the quick adjustable base plates and double beaded shield seal you can get that perfect seal!

The sound level at 40 MPH is about the same at 65 MPH and I don't even have the chin curtain in! Ventilation is superb! I only have the exhaust vents open and even during heavy rain the helmet stays fog free, with the help of the included Pinlock lens.

BTW get another CWR-1 shield in a tint or spectra and get another Pinlock lens, so you don't have to swap the Pinlock back and forth.

My only complaint is that the Double D-ring position is right on my jaw bone, I tend to wear the retention strap pretty tight and sometimes it can become uncomfortable, but that might just be my head LOL, either way it's not worth knocking a star off!

Well worth the money and great job Shoei on another fantastic helmet!

PROS: Comfortable, Compact, Aerodynamic, Light, Ventilation, Quite, Pinlock

CONS: D-ring Position

BEST USES: Hot, Cruiser, rain, Touring, Street, Racing

Overall it is a very nice helmet. It is decently aerodynamic, my head still feels like a bobble head above 75 mph though on the highway. It is lightweight while maintaining very good material qualities. It does seem like a very basic helmet, but it does well in all those aspects. The pinlock system is fantastic, I have not seen a spec of fog accumulate. Great ventilation and plenty of airflow.

Still there is a lot of wind noise. My largest complaint is that I got the helmet that best matches my head size, which is extremely painful on my ears to take off or put on. I think it has to do with the edges for the cheek pad quick release system for emergencies. Literally has taken skin off of my ears. I probably would have gone one size up but it still felt the same when I test fit it. I just opt to not take it off until I'm done riding.

PROS: Lightweight, Pin Lock System, High Quality, Ventilation, Peripheral Vision

CONS: Wind Noise, Painful To Take Off

BEST USES: Commuting, Enthusiast

I bought this to replace my old X11. It is a better all around helmet. All helmets are noisy to me so I wear ear plugs all of the time, and then this becomes a very nice enviroment to be in. If I turn my head about 45 degrees in either direction it may whistle a bit, but I think that may be induced by my fly fairing. Visibility and comfort seem better than any helmet I had before. Have been riding in 90 degree weather with this new white helmet and have not been uncomfortable as long as I was moving so airflow must be good. No problem putting on or taking off my glasses, and that was essential for me. So far only about 300 miles in this helmet and it is breaking in nicely, a bit tight at first around the cheeks, but now it is forming nicely. I figure another couple of hundred miles and it will be a perfect fit.

PROS: Light Weight, Comfort, Ventilation, Good Visibility, Craftsmanship

CONS: Wear Ear Plugs, More Quiet Than My Old X1

Picked this helmet up at my local cycle gear for only $250, originally was almost $600. This helmet is very quiet only minor wind noise when I turn my head. This helmet has awesome ventilation, very noticeable airflow especially at speeds.

This replaced my 7 year old Shoei helmet and is as advertised. You get what you pay for with quality and dependability.

PROS: Quiet, Quality

This is my 10th helmet in over 40 years of riding, and it's the loudest helmet on the freeway that I've ever had. This is my 3rd Shoei helmet- I had an RF700 20 years ago, a TZR, and now an RF1200. Both of the prior Shoei helmets were very good overall- reasonably quiet with decent airflow, and quite comfortable. So naturally I expected the same.

Comfort and airflow are very good, but wind noise is horrible. The issue seems to be the gap where the back of the removable cheek pads meets the rear neck roll. The gap lets air flow around my ears, and at speed the wind noise is far worse than any of my prior helmets- and I use earplugs. My $80 AFX helmet is significantly quieter than this helmet, and is even quieter than my TZR Shoei. I'm sure that I can remedy it with some additional padding- but I shouldn't have to.

Another minor issue- the edges of the face shield can cause some sunlight refractions at certain angles, particularly from the bottom. This seems to be an issue with the wider border that goes around the perimeter. It's not bad- just a noticeable by-product of the changed face shield design.

The rf-1200 is my second helmet, after riding three years with a budget helmet that got me by. My favorite thing about the rf-1200 is that you can't even feel the wind drag pushing on your face until 70 +. Even then, it's minimal. Head checks feel the same as when you are facing forward. The vents work great easy to operate with any glove.

There were are two things I don't like about the helmet: 1. It is very expensive. It took me a long time to decide to spend that kind of money. Although, there was no risk with shoei. You get exactly what they advertise, and it is well designed.
2. When I take the helmet off, the plastic backing of the padding along the jaw line bends out and slices into my ears. I am able to stick my thumbs in when I remove the helmet to prevent this, it just caught me off guard and made my ears hurt for a day.

Overall incredible helmet, I would like to see it drop in price though to make it more accessible to people. Also when it comes time to buy a passenger helmet I would like mine to be of the same quality. Here me shoei? I will buy a second one soon if you drop the price a bit!

Me and how I ride:
Highway commute, country roads for play, forest roads, in the city, virtually all over. Rain/snow/sun/cloudy.
I ride a sportster 883
I have a project sport bike that will be my go fast/twisties bike so I'm not just some ignorant Harley dude. I also intend to get a dual sport soon and take this helmet off the beaten path and I think it will do just fine given what I've seen so far.
I'm 20 years old and I've had it for two weeks, put about 500 miles on it.

PROS: Light Weight, Venting, Pinlock, Fit

CONS: Hard to get onoff, Expensive

This is a good helmet with a good fit and feel. Shoei made some improvment over the RF-1100, which I also owned. I do think the RF-1100 was quieter though. Beyond that the helmet has a number of great ipgrades compared to the 1100.

I do wish that Shoei would acctually sell the transition shield though instead of just backordering them forever. They did the same thing with the 1100 too..... fail Shoei

PROS: Protection, Style, Fit

CONS: Loud

BEST USES: Casual rides, Commuting, Racing

This is a serious helmet for serious motorcycle safety. It fits snugly, as all helmets should. It provides adequate through ventilation at higher speeds. The visor is crystal clear, can be opened to various heights, and is completely water tight. This is an exceptionally well made helmet. If you want style and fancy features instead of protection, do not buy this helmet.

This is my 2nd helmet so im only comparing two helmets.. first thing i notice is its very comforyable. The airflow on the freeway is excellent its like i got A/C when im riding.. also compared to my old helmet the vision is wide which is nice it feels like i have a 180degree view of everything