TiburonWrangler

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February 5, 2013
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February 5, 2013
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TiburonWrangler's Reviews

Shark Speed-R Helmet - Solid

Shark Speed-R Helmet - Solid Colors SHARK is proud to present a new philosophy. Utilizing all SHARKs expertise in safety, innovation and function the SPEED -R is a helmet specifically designed to meet the passionate demands of un-faired motorcycle riders. Double blade air spoiler positioned at the rear of the Speed-R, it allows the air to flow above and below the blade, hence the dual venturi effect to extract warm air from the helmet. Spoiler/stabilizer at its rear base trim the Speed-R has a spoiler, which stabilizes the helmet ans the cancels the buffering effect. The immediate benefit is no air turbulence running inside the helmet and greater stability at a steady speed. Features Latest generation composite long fibre construction Integrated, drop down sun visor Extensive wind-tunnel testing to perfect aerodynamics and ventilation system for use with naked road bikes Faceshield varies in thickness and is optically correct, scratch resistant and anti-fog coated Completely remove and washable COOLMAX lining Shark Easy Fit glasses system offers wearers a comfort lining which has a pre-tted system to accommodate all types of glasses ECE 2205 and DOT approved Two shell sizes Approximate weight size M 1450 g (+/ 50 g)

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Overall rating

4 / 5

Quality piece but some minor annoyances

PostedFebruary 5, 2013

TiburonWrangler

From SF

State:CA

Rider Type:Moto Enthusiast

Age:45-54

Gender:male

Bang for the Buck

3 / 5

Style

3 / 5

Comfort

5 / 5

Protection & Durability

4 / 5

Air Flow

2 / 5

Features

4 / 5

Noise Level

Quiet

Loud

Weight

Light

Heavy

Shape

Narrow

Round

Vision

Narrow

Wide

I replaced an Arai Quantum/e with this. I have reached an age where I need reading glasses with me all the time. I don't want to carry both reading glasses and sunglasses. Changing out dark face shields is a hassle when I leave work at night. The built-in dark shield in the Shark is a very handy thing to have.

However, nothing's free. The extra hardware adds weight and size. I wear a size S in both Arai and Shark. The Arai weighs 1488g with clear shield, 1500g with dark shield. The Shark weighs 1663g. To be fair, while riding, the extra weight isn't noticeable -- in fact it may only be noticeable when I walk up the stairs to my office. But the extra girth is quite obvious. Two small Quantum's will fit in a Givi E360 easily (my wife wears the same size.) One small Quantum and one small Speed-R will just barely fit in a Givi E460.

Compared to the Arai, the Shark is noticeably more stable in cross winds and in the wake of large trucks. I no longer feel like somebody is cupping my cheeks and shaking my head vigorously. All the aero doodads look a little froufrou to old-skool me, but I guess they must work.

The Shark's wind noise is about the same as the Arai's, but it doesn't have as much of the low-frequency thrumming sound, so it's not as annoying. Yes, I do wear earplugs everywhere -- 3M E-A-R yellow neons.

The chin strap on the Arai is a little softer and just better positioned for my head and neck shape. It's so "not there" that I usually don't even wear a bandana around my neck. The chin strap on the Shark is chafing enough that I have to re-learn to tie on a bandana before every ride. This is the kind of thing that I would have noticed in 5 seconds if I had tried on the helmet in a store. But no stores around here carried the Speed-R. I know RevZilla has a return policy etc, but this isn't enough to warrant a return, just enough to annoy.

The airflow is mostly inconsequential. I only notice any cooling when it's below 40 degrees and I had accidentally opened a vent. Which is about the same as every other vented helmet I had ever owned (Arai Quantum, Shoei RF100, ...)

The eyeport isn't small, but the shape is different enough from Arai's that there is less visibility to the rear when I turn my head to check my blind spots. It maybe better or worse with different riding positions / riders / bikes, but for a 5'6" rider on a naked SV650, it's bad enough that if traffic allows, I usually pivot my whole upper body to look. This is my biggest complaint with the Speed-R.

The face shield change requires no tools, and is straightforward and quite secure, once you're used to it. But the method is almost as non-obvious as Arai's. I just scanned a PDF of the user's manual and put it on my phone.

The face shield opening angle is infinitely adjustable, with no detents, just friction, like Arai's. But unlike Arai's, the friction setting has to be periodically tweaked with a tiny hex wrench because it keeps loosening.

Otherwise all the controls feel solid and well made. The top vent is if anything a little too solid -- it's hard to open or close with gloves while riding. The face shield snap is satisfyingly tactile, but the thumb recess is a little hard to find with winter gloves.

The face shield is supposed to be extra-thick F1-quality stuff. The best thing I can say about it is that I never notice it when I'm wearing the helmet. The anti-fog treatment on the clear shield is, ahem, "clearly" effective, which makes the lack of it on the dark shield noticeably grating! Does the sun not shine in France in the winter?! Oh wait, it's Northern Europe, there is no sun between September and June -- per EU Directive 3.14159. :-)

Speaking of EU, the Shark Speed-R did well on the SHARP tests:
http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/

Overall, a solid quality piece with some very useful features, but it's not perfect. Recommended nonetheless.

Yes, I recommend this product.

+1point

1of 1voted this as helpful.

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TiburonWrangler's Answers

Shark Speed-R Helmet - Solid

Read all questions and answers for this product

What is the real weight of this helmet (shark speed-r)

i look on the internet and found that the 1450gr +or- 50gr is far from the reality. People told they weight 1600 to 1700 gr ??? Do you guy weight this helmet ? Thank's for your help and knowledge

What size? Better helmets come in 2 or 3 shell sizes. I went by the same 1450g claim when I chose the Speed-R sight unseen. My small Arai Quantum/e is just a smidge more than than that on our kitchen scale. My small Speed-R is 1663g, same scale. That said, I agree with the guys on WebBikeWorld, a little more weight is not as noticeable on-bike as things like fit, buffeting, wind noise, etc.

4 months, 1 week ago

TiburonWrangler

Shark Speed-R Helmet - Solid

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What is the shell structure made of?

I've checked out the Shark website and their wording is very..... nondescript. I just want to know what materials go into the shell of the helmet. Anthony said it is a Fiber-composite I believe (Could be wrong) and Shark just states that they used a "Long Fibre Technology Construction". So does that mean it's a fiberglass composite? or what?

The back of the shell says "High technology multi-axial fibre structure." The SHARP helmet testing website says "Fibreglass".
http://sharp.direct.gov.uk

4 months, 1 week ago

TiburonWrangler