Arai Tour X3 vs Shoei Hornet

rossi46

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i've owned my tour x3 for 12 months now but its causing a few problems. the peak causes a constant droning noise and causes some vibration through catching wind at speed. i'm going on a 3000 mile trip in a few weeks and want something less annoying as i think the constant vibration causes some fatigue. problem is i can't decide what to get. i like the look of the duel purpose helmet i.e. shoei hornet or should i just go for an arai corsair which is what i always had on sportsbikes. has anyone owned both the tour x and the hornet ??? do they both cause the same problems due to the peak ???
 
i think the constant vibration causes some fatigue. problem is i can't decide what to get.

The peak on my Hornet vibrates a little too, but I did what many here recommend and stuck a couple of wee adhesive lead weights on the under side of the peak which smooths out the vibes nicely. Try it, it might just solve your problem. :thumb2

HTH
 
I've owned both and found the hornet quieter with less buffeting. The problem with helmet wind noise etc is what works for one, doesn't necesserally work for another. Have you tried using the Tour x without the peak as this is the main cause of all the issues. The peak on the hornet is smaller which I think is the main reason for it being quieter.
If you know anyone with a hornet it would be worth trying it; but I'm sure you would have thought of that yourself :thumb
 
I've got both an early Tour X Motard and a Hornet. The Hornet is quieter but still suffers to a lesser degree from the vibrating peak. Having said that, it's also lighter, better made and better ventilated.

In both cases, the fix is the same. On the Tour X I used a piece of screen-edge trim on the leading edge of the peak to stiffen it. I also made rubber shims to fit between the sidepods and the helmet shell. On the Hornet, I've shimmed all the contact areas between peak, top vent and shell with split Scottoiler delivery tube and my wee trick of fitting LED lights under the peak has helped.

In both cases, changing from foam rubber earplugs to filtered ones also made a significant difference.

Oh yes, the LEDs......

guinea-pighornet.jpg
 
I have new version of both the Schoei and the Arai and I can't tell any difference whatsoever between the two other than that the longer peak on the Arai helps when heading into a low sun.

I think that your height, the way you slouch or otherwise in the saddle, the angle of your screen and whether you are on a GS or GSA make much more difference than the simple make of helmet. I am 6ft3in and ride a GSA. I tend to sit straight and have the screen fully upright with a TT flip on the top of the screen. I have never had the peak caught in the slipstream even when doing a lifesaver, there is zero vibration on either helmet and I can ride at 90mph or more in both with the visor up and in perfect comfort.

The Hornet is a bit more comfortable than the Arai but I feel that this is more down to head shape than any intrinsic design differences. However the X3 does have brilliant removable emergency cheek pieces so that paramedics can get the helmet off easily in a spill. :eek: The Arai also has arguably more interesting colours and design if that's important.

Another option might be a flip-front such as the Schuberth C3 or Shoei Multitech which can be supremely quiet whilst still allowing you to ride open-fronted in best Adventure stylee. :cool:
 
I've seen the UVEX helmet. It has more venting in the peak. The carbon looks particularly good, but yet to hear reports from anyone other than the manufacturer bumph.
 
Aha! I've not long got the tour-x and I'm afraid to say I really regret buing it! I recently did a week in Scotland and had to take the peak off half way through day one because of the incredibly annoying very basey vibe it was drilling into my head :eek

I now use it without the peak, which is a shame because it spoils the looks, and the peak is great in the sun. I mentioned this to one of the local bike shops that stocked the Shoei, and he waxed lyrical that the Shoei peak was bridged in the middle, much stiffer, a tad shorter and wasn't half as noisy as the Arai. (not tried it so i can't comment).

It was driving me nuts at pretty much anything over about 50mph. You've only got to touch the peak (like touching a tuning fork) and it instantly stops. I thought about wedging some rubber underneath the peak, but then of course you wouldn't be able to open the visor :blast !

I didn't know about the lead weights, I'll give that a go.

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I've had both and found the Shoei to be an excellent helmet.
It protected me in a high speed crash leaving me with just a headache despite my head bouncing off the tarmac several times then skidding along gouging the shell deeply.
On the minus side (which is being picky) it was a tight fit for an Autocom headset and the peak was too short to be of any use at blocking out the sun. It also fogged up quite badly as mine didn't have a pinlock fitted like most do.
I replaced it with a TourX3 in the LWD red colour which to be honest is more comfortable for me and I think looks better. The peak is good at shielding your eyes from bright sun and I haven't experienced the vibration issues others have. It also was very easy to fit a headset into and remained a comfortable fit afterwards.
They both are around the same price and great helmets so go for the one that fits you the best.
 


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