First look – Shoei NXR helmet
It's light, comfortable but doesn't have an integrated sun visor...
LIKE boys in a bad teen movie, when it comes to helmet brands you have to pick sides.
Team Arai or Team Shoei – the rivalry is as pertinent as that of Daniel and Mr Darcy. Both are good looking and successful, but one ultimately always has to triumph.
As it happens, in Visordown towers editor Alan and I sit on oppose sides of the helmet hedge – I suit a Shoei, while his mullet-sporting potato fits best in an Arai.
So the sneer when my new NXR arrived at the office was to be expected, but even his criticism of the boy racer colour scheme wasn’t enough to dampen my spirits.
I’d been looking forward to replacing my antiquated GT-Air with the NXR for ages, and certainly wasn’t disappointed.
It was light, airy, quiet and comfortable from the off when it made its on-road debut on the launch of MV Agusta’s Brutale 800 RR in Varese last week.
I’d gone for the Intense TC-3 colour scheme and coupled with the aerodynamic and compact shell design, it’s a pretty good looking lid – at least in my opinion.
The only downside so far is the lack of internal sun visor, which was well needed as I rode into the low Italian evening sun.
So far so good – although I’ve barely done 100 miles in the lid. Check back next month to find out how it copes on my motorway commute.
For more information or to buy the NXR, click here.
