Shoei Hornet X2 Helmet Review

Shoei’s Hornet X2 was released last year, and it’s a great option if you’re looking for a helmet that you can take on or off the road. The helmet features the quality and fit that Shoei built its reputation on, which means the helmet is comfortable and fits snugly (aka securely) with no hot spots. Shoei offers a cheek pad exchange program – they will swap the helmet’s standard cheek pads for a different thickness pad free of charge if you make the exchange before you use your helmet (when trying on helmets, you should fit it around the crown of your head, not based on how the cheek pads feel). Besides comfort and quality, two other great features of the Hornet X2 are the slick aerodynamics of the helmet (It doesn’t want to pull up, but is less aerodynamic when turning your head to the side), and the channels in the padding for glasses. If you are a four-eyed rider you will probably love this helmet – it does a great job of not jostling your lenses while you ride. Also, the helmet comes with the Pinlock Evo anti-fog system. It’s a second pane of clear shield that attaches inside the face shield. It helps prevent fogging but the system allows less light in so it is a daytime-only option. The two downsides to the helmet (assuming you’ve accepted the high price range of $594.95 to $715.99 as the cost of high quality), are that the helmet is noticeably heavy, and the eyeport is small and works fine with small-framed goggles but larger framed goggles won’t get in to seal properly to your face.