Shoei NXR Helmet Review

Overview

The Shoei NXR is probably one of the most popular helmets from Shoei. It is, in their words, aimed at the pureness of motorcycle riding. Simplicity is the key point here with this helmet. But don’t be fooled into thinking it’s a basic helmet. Essentially you’re getting an incredibly light, insanely comfortable helmet, but doing away with all the gadgets and gizmos found on a lot of modern helmets. So you want a lid? It needs to be comfy? Of course it also needs to be light? And you want Shoei quality? Then you want an NXR.

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Price

Ok so we’ve started with the price, it’s a Shoei so we obviously cant expect to have much change left over after hitting the buy button. But there’s a reason why Shoei are the loved and truly respected brand they are, and that’s simple, they make incredible helmets. The NXR comes in at a range of prices depending on what paint scheme you go for, but for the purposes of this review, we’ve looked at the Matt Black version, which seems to be the most popular. This model is currently available at £389.99 from SportsBikeShop but for those of you that have owned a Shoei before, you can probably appreciate the price point and understand that you get what you pay for with these helmets.

Price Comparison
At £389.99 the NXR is roughly averagely priced for a Shoei Helmet. And to be expected but it comes in at £250 more than the average price of a helmet from SportsBikeShop which is just £140. But when you’re talking about Shoei or Arai helmets, they sit in a league of their own.

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Quality and Safety

Upon reading several reviews of the NXR, there seem to be some common themes in terms of it’s strengths. Several people have commented on just how comfy is it. Other common comments are around the weight, which isn’t actually given in the spec details on the website, but the SHARP testing shows that it weighs 1.36kg One customer review puts it into better words than I could, when replacing their Arai RX-7. “Like the Arai but more light and better soundproofing.”

One of the greatest strengths of the Shoei NXR is its quality, as you would expect from any Shoei helmet you can expect only the best quality. The finished product is extremely lightweight and feels solid, the AIM shell helps both the weight and toughness of the shell. The lining is extremely comfortable, making it a helmet you can wear for hour after hour.

The Shoei NXR gained a 4 star safety rating from SHARP during the safety test. The shell is constructed from Shoe’s AIM technology (Advanced Integrated Matrix). Bear with us here, as we hate jargon and manufacturer waffle as much as you do. But the construction of this shell is worth explaining, as it’s pretty sophisticated stuff. AIM is essentially an integrated mixture of fibres and materials, Special Fibres, Fibreglass, 3D Organic Fibres, Organic Fibres and Fibreglass. The end result is a lighter, stronger and ultimately safer helmet, as the fibres are made to provide a greater level of elasticity to better absorb impacts.

The inside of the helmet gets just as much intelligence, with a multiple density EPS liner, which essentially provides multiple levels of density, with more dense materials towards the outer edges of the helmet and lower density materials closer to the riders head. Again the benefit here is an increased level of shock absorbers.

 

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Size

In true Shoei style there are plenty of options when it comes to size. With the NXR there are an incredible 4 shell sizes, for those that are new to helmet shopping, it’s pretty common for manufacturers to make just one helmet shell size, and then put in different levels of padding inside it to meet the different sized heads. However the NXR has 4, meaning that the shell is a closer match to your head size, and ultimately providing a lighter shell on the smaller sizes with more comfort and less fatigue.

✅Anonymous – June 2017 “I got a small size to fit my 56 cm head. It fits perfectly.”

✅Hrvoje – April 2017 “use a size chart and you should be perfect.”

✅Jon – Aug 2014 “Perfect fit with a great look.”

The Shoei NXR is available to buy in the following sizes:

2XS 51-52

XS 53-54

S 55-56

M 57 – 58

L 59-60

XL 61-62

2XL 63-64

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Wind Noise

Wind noise is a strong point for the NXR with several good reviews saying how surprised the customer is about the silence of the helmet at a range of wind speeds. Here are just a few noise related comments that we have picked out from customer reviews at SportsBikeShop. So there are some differing opinions, with a couple of comments suggesting it’s noisier than they’d expect.

Positive

✅FAST BIKES put the NXR to the test and are pretty impressed, commenting “The best part is the sound,
or lack of, as I hate wearing ear-plugs”

✅Paul – May 2015 “Had my old Shoei for many years and this one has blown it away. Very comfortable and road/wind noise noticeably reduced from my old one.”

✅Ellory – June 2017 “The wind noise is significantly less than my old lid, not that any motorway journey is ever going to be quiet but certainly much improved in this helmet.”

✅Jason – Dec 2014 “Pimp lid, great fit and quieter than my old AGV.”

✅Anonymous – Dec 2016 “A really good helmet which is very comfy. Pretty quiet and good airflow!”

✅Josh – April 2016 “I never thought a helmet could fit so well, be so quiet and feel solid all in one package. ”

✅Francis – July 2015 “This is without a doubt the best helmet I’ve ever owned, light comfortable and quiet.”

Negative

❌Jason – June 2017 “I would rate the noise level as average at best, it seems louder than my previous Shoei’s.”

❌Adrian – Aug 2014 “I have now had the opportunity to wear this lid for some long distance journeys and I must say, it is really surprisingly NOISY! It is at least as noisy as my old Caberg”

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Visor

Surprisingly Shoei gives very little detail when it comes to the visor. Often manufacturers give you every bit of detail from the thickness to the coating and lacquer, but I’ve struggled to find any useful specs for the NXR. In terms of customer comments there’s only good news when looking at the visor. Many comment of the good field of vision, and one customer commented on the anti-fogging, stating that it doesn’t get fogged up inside, in their words “not even 1%”.

I guess Shoei are just that confident that the visor is so good, they don’t need to sell it with all the marketing fluff.

There are an absolutely huge range of shoei visors available for the NXR, the code is: CWR-1 visor. With the list of visors available shown above.

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Styling

When it comes to styling, the NXR keeps it simple from a shape perspective, you’ll see from the images, it’s a stylish and simple helmet. The Matt Black is absolutely stunning which probably explains why it’s a bestseller for SBS. Where the NXR stands out from the crowd is in the range of paint schemes to choose from. Personally the Matt black does it all for me, but there’s a huge choice of colours, we haven’t even included them all, but the images below gives you an idea of the stunning colours to choose from.

 

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Other features

• EQRS system (an emergency padding removal system to help emergency services to remove the inner padding without moving the riders head/neck)
• Double D fastening
• Optional ear pads for reduced noise
• Built-in spoiler for aerodynamics and styling
• Breath guard
• Chin curtain
• Pinlock insert included
• Adjustable base plates
• 4 inlets and 6 outlets provide maximum airflow
• 5 year warranty

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Summary

Another great helmet from Shoei. If you can stretch to £380, and there’s no doubt this is expensive, then we say go for it. There are other helmets on the market that will deliver the same level of road noise, comfort and more features probably for less money, but this helmet is the perfect all-rounder. It delivers everything you want, and delivers it well. The Shoei NXR scored an average of 5/5 from around 80 reviews at SportsBikeShop with nobody marking it as a bad helmet.

Buy Shoei NXR at SportsBikeShop

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Shoei NXR Video

Below is a video review from Motorcycle Dealer Two Wheel Centre