Shoei Neotec II
After years of swearing by full-face helmets, lately I find myself reaching for a flip-up-style lid for commuting and longer rides. Although ?modular? helmets tend to be a bit heavier and noisier, being able to leave it on and flip up the chinbar to expose your face (namely your mouth to speak, eat, drink, smooch, etc.) is worth a couple trade-offs. Safety isn?t really an issue, since the quality modulars all have solid metal latching systems and the same impact-absorbing EPS foam in the chinbar that is used in the head form.
In the past the Cadillac of modular helmets has been the Shoei Neotec, primarily by virtue of its comfortable fit, relative quietness and solid feel. Its other features are exceptionally well done, too, like the built-in, drop-down sunshield, removable, washable liner and cheek pads, easy one-handed chinbar operation and headset-readiness (e.g. speaker cutouts in the ear area). Sequels rarely live up to the original, but Shoei has blown that notion away with the new Neotec II. While it returns with all of the best qualities and features of the original, Shoei has also made definite improvements in the Neotec?s performance and convenience.
The Neotec II is ready for the Sena SRL, or Shoei Rider Link, system installation.
First up is the integration of an optional headset system created with Sena called the Shoei Rider Link, or SRL. Although the original Neotec accommodated most headsets well, the Neotec II has special channels in the EPS...