If you are in the market for a helmet and want to know if you should buy an RF-1400, you have to ask yourself a few questions. Does it fit my head? Do I want a full-face helmet? Do I have $580-660 to spend plus extra for other visors or a good pair of sunglasses? If the answer to all of these questions is yes, forget all of the other helmet choices out there and buy one.

PROS

Quiet

Light-ish

Colorful (Mural)

Room for glasses

Fits my fat head (XL)

Absolutely no neck lift

Plenty of room to mount Cardo comms

CONS

Expensive

No internal visor

Visor opens from center

Expensive replacement/colored visors

Transitions® visor is made of unobtanium

Get caught in a sandstorm and the vents don’t work so great anymore

*Mrs. Bald Rider calls it the go-fast helmet*

I originally purchased this helmet to replace a Shoei GT-Air that I was getting tired of. The GT-Air was heavy and my neck hurt after a couple hours due to the weight and chin lift while riding a motorcycle without a fairing/windscreen. The RF-1400 resolved all of those issues. I have ridden all day on a bike with zero wind protection with heavy winds blowing from all directions and my neck was never tired. It is also very quiet with minimal wind noise.

It ships with a clear visor and it doesn’t have an internal visor so you either have to get a different visor for daytime or wear sunglasses. They do “offer” a Transitions® photochromatic visor for $210 but I am using quotes because they have been backordered for about a year at this point. I opted to acquire a Red/Orange mirror visor (CWR-F2, $110) and wear a pair of Transitions® sunglasses under it. That works for me pretty well. There is plenty of room in the padding to accommodate glasses without discomfort.

I use a Cardo Packtalk Bold for comms, navigation and music. The installation of the speakers and mic were straightforward but, if I were to install another one, I would use the glue mount instead of the clip mount. You have to do some prying on the helmet to get it to fit and I don’t like doing that on a brand new helmet. At least this helmet isn’t like the bulk of Shoei’s other offerings where they partner with Sena to have specific units fit (SRL-2) unobtrusively but much less convenient to mount anything by Cardo.

I have only really had a couple issues with the helmet aside from the lack of visor availability and neither are really a helmet issue as much as user error. The new visor design opens from the center. This isn’t a problem so much as every helmet I had ever owned previously opened from the left side and I still forget I can’t do that from time to time. Also, I was caught in a sandstorm in the desert and I just can’t seem to clear the sand out of the vent sliders so that they will work properly again.

I am perfectly happy with this helmet and all of the problems are either of my own doing or the result of supply chain issues. For a full-face, it is really a no brainer if it fits your head shape and you have the cash. Cheaper helmet options are plentiful but if you’re going to be shoving your head into a tiny little space, don’t you want it to be a nice tiny little space?

Since adding the Goldwing to the stable, I have found that I can’t ride it with a full-face helmet because I start to feel claustrophobic. There are too many buttons/controls/plastic that I can’t see all at once with the chinbar in the way. As such, I have recently acquired a Shoei J-Cruise II 3/4 which is the epitome of dork helmets and I’ll eventually get around to posting a review of that, as well. The RF-1400 is now dedicated to Ural-only adventures until I acquire a 3rd bike.

I don’t have experience with many other full-face helmets for comparison but I do have two.

I owned a Bell Star Carbon Hess (2012) that I bought on clearance for $399 in 2013. That helmet was very light and the Transitions® photochromatic visor was actually attainable (and only $119). The downside was that it was very loud with wind noise. This helmet isn’t made anymore and Bell’s Star line has changed over the years. If the wind noise is anything like it used to be, I wouldn’t buy one.

I bought Dad a Sedici Strata II from a CycleGear brick and mortar for $225 last year. This represents the other end of the price spectrum from the Shoei. It is a fine helmet. It is a little heavier but has an internal visor. He hasn’t complained about the weight or the wind noise but his hearing isn’t great to begin with. Comoto’s house brand is value for money across the board. This helmet is no exception. It isn’t a premium helmet but you don’t actually need a premium lid.

You don't need a link to buy this helmet. Everyone carries Shoei. Good luck finding a Transitions® visor for it, though. I’ve been waiting 10 months for it to stop being backordered.

Disclaimer: I purchased the helmet and colored visor from Revzilla. I have no association with Revzilla or Shoei and am not sponsored in any way by anyone.

Shoei RF-1400

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