View Full Version : Shoei GT Air Review
first time out with the GT Air. only a short blast of 40 odd miles.
its pretty much exactly the same as the Qwest (http://forums.sv650.org/showthread.php?t=181278) so see my other review of that.
drop down visor, its good but not dark enough and it mists up very easily and as such i have to keep the chin vent open to keep it clear.
top vents, flows a fair old whack of air onto your head and i would say a good bit better that the Qwest.
noise, slightly better than the Qwest but not by much. one thing that i did find is that at silly speeds there is a slight whistle from the visor where the Qwest was silent.
what is it with Shoei helmets and wind blast into your eyes.. the GT Air is exactly the bloody same. same goes for the top lining, skunk hair again. i think Shoei need to address this problem.
value for money.. no way, it still has faults and they need addressed. if you already have a Qwest then just get a reatalite pinlock for £50 and save your cash. if i had paid full RRP for the GT Air i would not be a happy bunny.
LiquidFlux
05-06-15, 06:12 AM
I picked up a GT Air for 350 at 2014's MCN, coming from a budget helmet I appreciated the better build quality that came with the Shoei but most of the problems you mention I can relate to.
I avoid the dropdown visor nearly all the time except worst sunlight conditions, unless you click the visor into the fully sealed position the whistling does exist, and I've accustomed to pulling the helmet from the chin down so I can ride with a slightly adjar visor. Without the chin down or visor any more open than it can be without quite being shut, and I can't much handle 50mph+ which I could with a previous cheap lid.
yup thats with the visor fully locked down.
something i dont like about the GT Air is the lack of the thumb flip on the side for the visor that the Qwest had, i actually liked that as it had 3 settings.
i got mine for the silly price of £250
update:
i have fitted a more sit up position on the bike (comfort kit) and the problem of the wind getting in under the chin has almost disappeared. i have changed nothing else so i can only assume that it was some turbulence caused by the screen.
the slight whistle at higher speeds still remains.
update:
i have just had to clean the drop down sun visor. want a fekin PITA that is. its held in by 2 clip type locks that are about as useful as a chocolate fire poker and you cant get the sun visor back in without holding down the mechanism on the side which results in only having one hand free to get the visor back in which results in getting it covered in finger marks so i had to take it back out and clean again then use latex gloves to get it back in.
the hassle of having to carry a spare visor for the Qwest is starting to looking more and more appealing than some of the annoyances of the GT Air.
oohh and i got a transition pinlock for it as the sun visor is not dark enough and guess what.. the transition dont work too well due to the UV blocking on the visor. if i could find an after market clear visor it would be perfect but there are none.
for a helmet that retails for £400+ its a pile of poo.
It's quite a feet to get a aftermarket visor that fits with a top line lid
Weather this is because of the copyright teams are on the case I'm not sure.
Aria copy ones are often as good as your chocolate poker.
i can get copies i just cant get a clear copy without the UV blocking
update:
i have just had to clean the drop down sun visor. want a fekin PITA that is. its held in by 2 clip type locks that are about as useful as a chocolate fire poker and you cant get the sun visor back in without holding down the mechanism on the side which results in only having one hand free to get the visor back in which results in getting it covered in finger marks so i had to take it back out and clean again then use latex gloves to get it back in.
the hassle of having to carry a spare visor for the Qwest is starting to looking more and more appealing than some of the annoyances of the GT Air.
oohh and i got a transition pinlock for it as the sun visor is not dark enough and guess what.. the transition dont work too well due to the UV blocking on the visor. if i could find an after market clear visor it would be perfect but there are none.
for a helmet that retails for £400+ its a pile of poo.
what's the issue with cleaning it in situ? Can still get to all the parts you see through and clean it well without the hassle of dismantling it.
i suppose you could do that but i wanted to clean with washy up liquid to help with the misting problem. i also think it would scratch very easily, this brings me to another little gripe. the visor scratches very easily as well unlike the qwest which was fairly robust. i have cleaned the visor about 6 times now and its scratched to fek.
I looked at the Sharp report for the GT Air and it only got a 3 star rating. I would have expected a higher rating when you are paying big money. My V-Can also got a 3 star rating, but I only paid £70 for it.
visor mech screws are made of cheese. now before anyone says i have a crap screwdriver ermm i dont as i have Vessel screwdrivers. went to adjust the visor mech and the screw head disinterested as soon as i went to loosen it so i now have a rounded off screw head that i'm going to have to drill out. i think this will be the last shoei hamlet i buy if this is the latest quality. now where's my qwest as this GT Air is starting to pizz me off.
Toooldtodie
13-08-15, 08:25 PM
AGV Skyline I have is well made. Fitted a pinlock to prevent misting. Drop down visor effective and clears quickly from a chin vent which doesn't freeze your eyeballs even in winter. Whistles like a window cleaner if you're not straight into the wind however. All for way less than 200 quid and a good SHARP rating. As a Scot you gotta like that Bibio!!
hehehe.. like it. tried AGV's but the pointy chin catches on my shoulder when turning head. i did like them though.
andrewsmith
18-08-15, 06:24 AM
I'm on my 3rd agv I wish I could afford a shoei
Sent from my D2303 using Tapatalk
Wanted the old rossi design on the AGV, Gothic IIRC, black & Yellow, but my head was totally wrong shape.
Tried a simoncelli rep, think it was a K3 ???? Fitted really nice, but the quality compared to a Arai, just wasn't there. Lot of money for a polycarb helmet .
Fallout
25-08-15, 09:02 PM
I have this helmet and am getting on well with it. I also have the misting sun visor problem, but I think the tint is fine. Visor is scratching a bit too easily. Does have a slight whistle. But for me, it's the most comfortable fit I could find, it's very light considering it has the built in visor, and I love the high volume of air. So for me, it's a good buy.
i have tried to gel with it but after 2kmiles i think i'm going back to the qwest.
more recent problems...
i have to have the chin vent open constantly or the pinlock mists up
for some strange reason the visor gets misted on the outside when the temp drops a bit.
its fekin noisy.
the visor quick change is a PITA.
its big and heavy.
i had none of these problems with the qwest.
one good thing the photochromic pinlock works pretty well and it is the same as the qwest :-)
gone back to the qwest...
photochromic pinlock works great with the qwest and was out in the bright sunshine all day and even low light it was not bad, not as good as a full dark visor but enough to let me see. night time and no need to change visor.
also noticed that i get less neck strain with the qwest.
no misting of the visor in low temps.
punyXpress
10-05-16, 09:09 AM
Just wonder whether the pinlock material is the same on these as they seem far more prone to misting.
Mine does! :mad:
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