Table of contents
Let’s start with the background.This Shoei GT-Air 3 is my second ever helmet. The first one was a Scorpion 1400 Air, I bought it without really knowing what will be my motorcycle use…
I just took the most versatile helmet I could find within my budget and I needed it to be confortable. I didn’t want to go with the cheapest possible option.
While the Scorpion helmet served me well for about 2 years after that time there were a few problems with it:
- The foam has compacted and I was able to wiggle the helmet from left to right
- The sun visor got foggy and couldn’t be used anymore
- I dropped it and scratched it far too many times and so it began to be ugly !
Why did I choose the Shoei Gt-Air 3 ?
After 2 years of riding, I now know my riding style and what are my needs. For example, I never ride on a track so I will not need a double D chin strap necessarily.
Mainly I go to work, on small countryside 1 day long road trips (from 100km to 300km) and on more rare occasions I will go on bigger road trips that will take a few days and a thousand kilometers or more.
My main criteria when choosing my helmet was:
- Comfort over long periods
- Sound proofing
Now I will detail how this helmet performs in these 2 categories.
Comfort
When brand new, the helmet feels a bit tight. It is not very easy to put on, as the opening seems tighter on the Shoei helmets than on other brands. After some break in period, the helmet starts to fit my head perfectly. I can put it on with ease and use my glasses without any problems. The only thing that’s worse than with the Scorpion is that I get more fog on my glasses, but that happens only at a stop – it’s bearable.
I was quite worried about the weight. The Scorpion weighted about 1400 grams and the Shoei is a bit heavier at about 1700 grams – that’s without counting the weight of my Cardo intercom. On paper it’s quite concerning, especially for someone that will wear it all day long.
In reality, the helmet is very well balanced. I only felt the weight when riding slowly for longer periods of time. It feels like they designed the air flow to help you lift the helmet a bit when going above 50 km/h (not an official information, just my observations).
Other improvements over my old helmet are:
- A better field of view
- Clearer visors (but that might be just the age of my old helmet)
- Easier to use chin strap
- Far better materials quality
Sound proofing
There is a huge difference going from the Scorpion helmet to the Shoei.
To give you an idea of how good the Shoei helmet is at sound dampening, I have about the same wind sound levels in the Shoei at 100Km/h that I had with the Scorpion going only 50km/h…
Now I can take the highways without putting ear plugs and even listen to music (which was pointless before at these speeds).
And don’t worry, if you have an aftermarket exhaust, you will still hear it !
What about fitting an intercom ?
As you can see on my photos, I was able to fit my Cardo packtalk bold on it without a fuss. No need to make any holes to put cables through etc
I just had to buy a new adhesive plate for about 10€ + shipping. I bought it here
There is an official Sena intercom made for this helmet that will fit it perfectly, but I didn’t want to spend additional money for something that I already have and I am happy with.
Should you get one ?
In brief, if you love to spend all day on your motorcycle or even go on holidays on it, this helmet will definitely please you.
If you are more of a sports bike rider and your main use is track days, maybe try something like the Shoei NXR.
In the end, I see only one con to this helmet: it’s the price. These are high end expensive helmets but hey ! you will get your money’s worth. Don’t forget that they are hand crafted in Japan, that alone gives you an idea why it costs that much.
