Used: Shark Race-R Pro helmet review

I've had this Shark Race-R Pro for one week shy of two years. It's been my go-to lid for track riding, due to its light weight. It scored 5 stars in the SHARP test and is a decent bit of kit. Here are the 3 things I love and three things I hate about it.

WHAT I RATE

The Weight

Or lack of it. It's rated at 1350g on the sticker on the lid, SHARP reckon it's 1300g and I weighed it at 1372g. It doesn't matter what the sticker on your helmet claims; pick up a Race-R Pro and an Arai and you'll instantly feel the difference.

The Visor

Shark visors are great, they're thick, feel solid and clunk into place. The tinted visor is properly dark and perfect on a sunny day, eliminating glare. There's no flex in the visor and it helps the lid feel solid.

Ventilation

The Race-R Pro has seen plenty of hot days on track and the vents really make a difference. Airflow is helped by the lining which is sparse across the top of the head, and the grooves in the polystyreneinner crumple zone help channel the air effectively. Open the vents and feels like like putting your head out of a car window on a winter's day.

WHAT I HATE

Forehead Marks

On the outer shell below the Shark logo there's an airvent and inside the helmet where this air flows through, the lining holes press against your forehead. After even a short journey, you can feel the pressure and when you take the lid off, you can see two marks, like mosquito bites. Highly annoying.

The Noise

I wear earplugs 95% of the time but I just couldn't go out with this helmet on without them in. It is so loud the wind noise genuinely hurts my ears. All the vents have sharp angular profiles which I guess affect the speed of the wind passing over the helmet shell in lots of tiny ways, causing excessive wind noise.

Fading lacquer

I've probably done 2,000 miles in two years in this helmet as I've used it mostly on track, for short blasts and only the occasional long journey. Despite this low amount of use, the lacquer on the shell has faded, leaving it looking slightly yellow. I've found it hard to demonstrate this as my camera has out the colours, but the shell is yellowing while the plastic additional vents are still bright white. I placed the Shark next to a Shoei to show you the difference and if you look at the vents in the main photo above, you'll get a better idea of what I'm talking about.

Conclusion

It's not comfortable enough for day-long days in the saddle but as a track-only helmet it's the bee's knees. Sort out the niggles and this would be one of the best premium helmets on the market.

Price as tested: £499. Available online for £388.