Shoei Neotec III

[Wapping]

As I had some vouchers from Infinity to use up, I thought it was worthwhile getting one of the new generation Neotec III helmets.

Assuming you have a ‘Neotec’ shaped head, it is a nicely made and comfortable helmet. I do but cannot wear their full face, non-flip top lids, as they do not fit me well.

The drop down dark visor is much larger than the earlier helmets’ versions and a good improvement. The outer visor now locks down into place. The catch is central, just above the flip top catch and three-position (shut, lower and lower again) chin air vent. It takes a couple of goes at getting used to how it unlatches the visor with one finger but, once learned, it is not hard. Again, I think it’s a decent improvement.

Sena have redesigned their integral SRL 3 Mesh 2.0 communication package, around the new helmet. It differs from that fitted to the Neotec II, which will not fit without an adaptor. This has the usual USB C charging socket, slightly redesigned. I have linked it to my iPhone, just as an experiment, the SRL making a Bluetooth connection almost instantly. I haven’t yet tried linking the SRL to my XT or Navigator V devices. On the whole, it is a little sleeker, the mouldings of the SRL’s control button ‘pod’ following the helmet’s line a bit smoother. There again, the earlier version was not bulky by any stretch of the imagination. As to whether people like Sena or the integral SRL unit, is very much a personal choice. I do.

Nothing about the Neotec I or II was bad per-se. The III just tidies everything up a bit and adds some beneficial tweaks. It does though mean that several outlets have the II on sale at a pretty good discount, which is good. My II, with its SRL kit fitted, will be going up on sale in a day or so. Perfect condition.

 

[Blue]

Most comfortable Helmet I have owned, and comms all seem to sound good and work well.

 

[zoltan]

Assuming you have a ‘Neotec’ shaped head, it is a nicely made and comfortable helmet. I do but cannot wear their full face, non-flip top lids, as they do not fit me well.

Motolegeds are getting ready a fitting room for custom fit. According to the helmet department chap who is dealing with the project, fit will not be a problem for round heads. I didn't ask the question but I assume you will have to pay in advance if the helmet is made to measure.

 

[Arsey]

I’ve had all the Shoei flip fronts up to and including a number of Neotec 2s.

Whilst it’s a great helmet , the one thing that I hate is that the flip only goes vertical and not all the way back like some others such as the Shark Evo helmets .

See the difference here

Whilst the Neotec is great for flipping up in petrol stations or through villages , it’s not great at riding in the up position for hours on end .

Last year coming back from the Picos it was low 30s C in France and I rode my Wing with the flip up virtually all day . Wind wasn’t an issue due to the screen on the Wing but you could feel the weight above your head after a few hours .
Hence I’ve invested in the Sharks which cost 25% what the Neotec sells for !!

Hopefully they’ll be much nicer riding flip up though quality isn’t on a par with the Shoei.

Just wish Shoei would do a similar flip but can’t see it happening any time soon .


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Wapping]

I can’t say that I like the ‘All the way over” flip top style.. Arai for full face and open lids, Shoei for the flip front. But hey, it would be a very dull world if we all liked the same thing. The important thing is….. does it fit YOUR head, not some other bloke’s.

 

[leadfarmer]

Bought a couple a few weeks back, got wifey’s custom fitted, mine didn’t need any adjustment, I have a quite average head

I’m liking mine, don’t think I’d ride any faster than “village speed “ with the chin bar up so not an issue for me

 

[Wapping]

Updating the firmware or whatever it’s called, via the USB power lead dongle thing, seems to go OK, once the dongle had found my home wi-fi. In my world, either things like this work or they don’t. There is no halfway house and I have no idea how to mend it if it doesn’t work, straight off the bat.

I see from the app on the phone, that it is possible to turn the automatic update over wi-fi on and off. I’ll probsbly leave it on when I’m at home, with a reliable wi-fi signal but turn it off when I’m away.

 

[Wapping]

I have now paired my XT, too.

The XT found the SRL pretty quickly but was then a bit flakey making the connection firm. Then, suddenly the two started to talk to each other properly.

I then turned both the SRL and the XT off. On restart, the SRL reconnected to the phone very quickly but the XT seems reluctant to reconnect. I have no idea why. I get ‘Connecting’ and then ‘Reconnect pending’. I’ll try persuading my XT to forget the SRL and try again from square one.

=======

Edit

Bingo! Now it works. I suspect basic human error had crept in, as I have a sneaking suspicion that I pushed the pairing + button four times, not five. In other words, I had paired the XT to an incorrect channel on the SRL. I only noticed this as, this time the pairing light on the SRL was flashing green, which it certainly wasn’t the first time.

 

[Nin]

My II, with its SRL kit fitted, will be going up on sale in a day or so. Perfect condition.

What size, how much? As a ‘K’ rider I’m ready now for a flip up …

 

[wessie]

I have now paired my XT, too.

The XT found the SRL pretty quickly but was then a bit flakey making the connection firm. Then, suddenly the two started to talk to each other properly.

I then turned both the SRL and the XT off. On restart, the SRL reconnected to the phone very quickly but the XT seems reluctant to reconnect. I have no idea why. I get ‘Connecting’ and then ‘Reconnect pending’. I’ll try persuading my XT to forget the SRL and try again from square one.

isn't the Zumo supposed to be the hub i.e. pair the SRL with the XT then pair the phone with the XT?

 

[grantmac]

Sena have redesigned their integral SRL 3 Mesh 2.0 communication package, around the new helmet. It differs from that fitted to the Neotec II, which will not fit without an adaptor.

Richard, i bought a N2 this time last year. The comms failed after just 6 months. Went back & they sent me a new one. You say that the comms for the N3 are different to that that fit the N2. In what way? I have the most up to date mesh version

 

[Wapping]

Apparently not, Wessie.

I have now made a phone call and had the XT giving me voice instructions. I have also turn the whole shebang (SRL, phone and XT) off again and the all reconnected just fine; the phone and then the XT.

What it does mean though is that I cannot control say, my music, from the XT or make calls by activating the phone button on the XT. That doesn’t particularly bother me, as I can do it all via Siri, which does seem to be working well. Really, all I want is the XT to act as a GPS device and nothing more. In fact I’d be happy to strip all the bells and bloody whistles off it.

 

[Wapping]

Richard, i bought a N2 this time last year. The comms failed after just 6 months. Went back & they sent me a new one. You say that the comms for the N3 are different to that that fit the N2. In what way? I have the most up to date mesh version

The actual specifics I don’t know, Grant. The whole lot seems ‘slicker’ in design and maybe in usuage. Don’t forget that before I was running the II, the phone and my XT via my 1600’s TFT screen and that was nine months ago. I am now just running it on my Himalayan, ie. Without the added ‘benefit’ of a TFT hub. Anyway, it all seems to be working or at least it is when sat indoors.

 

[grantmac]

I had a look at a u tube film showing fitting and it seems the same just indeed made specifically to fit the N3. Not sure if the tech differs according the video. I love the 2. I made the mistake of buying a Schuberth C4pro with comms, used it on 1 trip and then bought the N2. Probably should sell the Schuberth and recover some of the lost costs……

 

[Wapping]

Siri voice commands work well, at least sat indoors. I can make a phone call and summon-up Apple Music. I need to play around using Siri to start other app’s, not least because I have never had cause to use it before, preferring the touch screen to tap around.

=====

Having played around, I have launched assorted apps via Siri, including Spotify, Google and Apple maps (including navigation instructions to take me to Liverpool Street station from home and the MyRoute app. All this Siri ability I have never bothered with before. I am not big on the whole ‘home infotainment’ thing on a motorbike or indeed in the car but, at least I now know that it works and, more importantly, how it can work. The app I was most keen on was MyRoute’s Navigation, running bespoke routes, which does work well, with clear voice instructions, though I’ll only really use this as a secondary function to my XT. Similarly, Waze seems to function, for basic take me from A to B routing.

 

[Wapping]

The volume, sat in home and without ear plugs or the buffeting of hooning the mighty Himalayan, seems good. The music (stereo and ‘tone’) seems pretty good, too. The acid test will of course be when I get hacking the 25 bhp through the twisties and, not least, through London and off down the M20 to France.

 

[Wapping]

Apparently not, Wessie.

I have now made a phone call and had the XT giving me voice instructions. I have also turn the whole shebang (SRL, phone and XT) off again and the all reconnected just fine; the phone and then the XT.

What it does mean though is that I cannot control say, my music, from the XT or make calls by activating the phone button on the XT. That doesn’t particularly bother me, as I can do it all via Siri, which does seem to be working well. Really, all I want is the XT to act as a GPS device and nothing more. In fact I’d be happy to strip all the bells and bloody whistles off it. - But see edit.

Edit…

With some patient tapping on screens, I now have the XT device and / or Siri able to control the phone and / or music.

This is all new really as, in all my years of GPS use, I have never (or very rarely) used all the ‘infotainment’ stuff, nor Siri.

 

[EVskiy]

Motolegeds are getting ready a fitting room for custom fit. According to the helmet department chap who is dealing with the project, fit will not be a problem for round heads. I didn't ask the question but I assume you will have to pay in advance if the helmet is made to measure.

So is the Bike Stop in Stevenage.

 

[Wapping]

One problem.

For some unknown reason the Sena / iPhone 15 combination on the new helmet is randomly starting my iPhone’s music library. I have no idea why. As I cannot stand music blaring out as I hoon along (especially when it stops and starts randomly) I have ditched the iPhone in favour of an old Samsung S10, which has no music or anything else on it.

I don’t need or want to make phone calls or receive texts or anything else, whilst I ride along, so the phone is only used for running MyRoute routes or, if I am very lazy, Waze or Google ‘Take me from A to B’ routing. These, the dumb Samsung S10 can cope with in spades.

 

[Morety]

The only thing I have against my Neotech II is that the first latch point is way too high to be of any use in really cold or wet conditions. Other than that, the fact that remaining stock is being sold at a large discount means they're obtainable to those who want to try one but perhaps baulked at the thought of the original RRP. The II is exceptional value now if you can live with the visor positions.

I use the outgoing Sena mesh system in mine and whilst it's been pretty reliable and range has been better than expected on Bluetooth, I still can't get the thing to pair with Cardo, despite a mate having one of the latest ones, even using universal Bluetooth protocol. One of the big draws for me was audibility. Whether taking or using voice activation to make a phone call or following GPS directions, it's exceptionally clear and more than loud enough at motorway speeds. Excellent piece of kit, but so is the UCOM 16 that I also use in my full face lid. If the Neotech II has moved things on and my Sena Mesh system can be transplanted from the II to the III, it's a no brainer for me come next lid replacement as it's such a comfortable lid.