Shark Race-R Pro Helmet - review Hot

Shark retired Leigh's favourite helmet in 2011, the RSR2 Carbon was outdated in favour of the all new Race R Pro, with it's twin rear spoiler and carbon shell leigh was keen to see if it could better what he considered 'the best'

Initial Thoughts

I will admit to being a fan of Shark Helmets, not for any form of snobbery like you find with other brands but simply because they fit my head, are typically high quality and highly technical and for the models I choose to wear - lightweight.

The Race-R Pro is the new for 2011 model and replaces the much lauded RSR2 range which in my mind is still one of the best looking lids on the market, with that central scoop a part of Sharks identity I was surprised to learn that the Race R Pro didnt have it and instead went for a more conventional, twin head intakes for air. Having a good look around the lid you really get to know how light it is, certainly on par with the outgoing model and considerably more svelte than most models on the market.

Construction

The Shark Race-R Pro Helmet is aimed more towards racers and trackday enthusiasts than it road biased brother, the Race R. Shark claim that other than the twin rear spoiler on the Race R  Pro the models are exactly the same, the reason for the omission of the second spoiler is that road riders will not gather the same speed and tuck angle required to get the benefit of its aerodynamic properties. Between the two models on paper though there does seem to be a fair chunk of weight difference with the Race-R Pro in medium weighing in at 1250 grams and the standard model tipping the scales at 1450 grams in the same size so there must be something extra included with the Race-R in standard trim, probably a little extra liner padding perhaps to better aid noise reduction.

One thing that does remain exactly the same in both models is the inclusion of the integration slot for a Sharktooth, Shark's very own Bluetooth communication system which offers rider to pillion as well as interoperability with GPS and compatible music systems too (review coming up on Bikechatter)

The overall fit of the Race-R Pro is very much Shark, similar to Shoei and more neutral to slight oval shaped than other lids like the Suomy which I found more suited to cue ball round. Initially when you draw it over your head you might think that the liner feels quite hard, compared to other premium brands it can appear that way initially but once on your head you get to appreciate how comfortable it becomes, it is not the most plush place to be but perfectly comfortable for a good few hundred miles.

Price wise it is on the high end for an average buyer but then you look at the prices Arai and the like charge for their top of the range helmets and it is not that bad, there's normally no issue for Arai fans to shell out to £600 - £750 for their lid to match their favourite racer so spending little over £500 for an easily comparable Shark should be a no-brainer but a little bit of brand snobbery does still apply to other percieved premium brands where Shark are not 'quite'members of that club in the eyes of the public - ask any of us spoilt press guys that get to test these things know different though.

Overall finish is very high as you would expect, vent controls feel solid enough and in my preferred design, the vibrant Stinger in white, black and orange you get a decent graphic and paint job. The lustre on the lacquer is not as deep as a few other brands, Arai included, but I dont find the Shark Race-R Pro suffers from stone chips as much as others too so you get a good balance of shine and long term good looks.

One thing i do like to test is ventilation and initially I was a bit underwhelmed by the output from the ventilation system. I got this lid in the very hottest part of 2011, actually it should have been hot for a while but in reality it was only truly hot for a week or so, the Race-R and Race-R Pro comes with a butt load of vents, chin, forehead and top for input and then seven extraction points to make sure the flow coming in can get out - I think I must have had some of these shut.

After I messed around with it a little I did find the flow was pretty good actually, a lot of other folks have mentioned numbness and other odd effects from the forehead vent but I didn't really experience this myself apart from when the weather hit wintery cold and I left it open a touch. With the vents open I did find a little noise occuring but this is a race aimed lid and as a result you should expect it - that is your trade off from getting less neck ache on long and fast rides.

Aerodynamically the Race-R Pro is great, the spoiler reduces drag at higher speeds though I have yet to test it on track, I should have requested the standard Race-R model but the additional weight advertised always swings me away and back toward the lighter helmet.

The helmet system on Shark lids is always pretty good to use, fairly straightforward and this is no exception although it is more fiddly and awkward than their previous range topping helmet. I have not really done many visor changes but each time I have practised the removal and re-application I have found it to be a few second affair, putting it back on is a case of locate the visor round the guides and engage with a gentle snap, twist the locking pins in place - boom! You are done.

Linking nicely into the visor system though is the release latch, you know that little bit of plastic that you push up and it allows your visor to go up or down as required? Well it hacks me right off, I never seem to be able to find it when I want to use it, with gloved hands it vanishes into obscurity unless you thing where it went to, I don't want to have to concentrate on things like this while I am riding. Why would I be concentrating on the visor? Simple, fogging.

On an absolute top end helmet I would expect the visor to come with a pinlock or other anti-fog solution other than the visor coating which I don't think works longer than a couple of days (if ever), I also don't think that ventilation system works brilliantly at clearing the visor a little - you get no air or a load of air which is no fun mid-winter. For the sake of a few quid at manufacturer level a pinlock could have been had and made this the be all and end all for me. This can be bought by an end user of course but as a journo my job is to get these things out of the box and report back so I have to mention it. Actually, Shark do include breath guard with their top of the range helmets and the Race-R Pro is no exception, with a silicone/rubber piece that fits across the nose and blocks most the mouth off from the visor it works well in a lot of cases but not quite as well for me as I found in the RSR2. When the visor starts to fog it just goes, the old model never suffered in this way, fitting the breath guard is fiddly too and if you get an itchy nose for example it is very easy to dislodge which makes it irritating until you stop, deglove and refit it.

On another point that annoys me I do have to mention the magnetic strap catch, this is a nice thought and in theory should be great but for me personally it is a pain in the arse, I much preferred the old way of including a guide to slide the end into, either I cannot find the end when I want it or as seems to be more often the case, I cannot get the end to stay on the magnet which at high speeds can cause it to flap about and give a slap on the neck.

Little grips out of the way you can look through recent pics of me out on please rides and other places likely to get photographed and you see the Race-R Pro on my bonce so clearly it is not a bad helmet, in fact it is a great helmet and clearly a technical upgrade on the outgoing RSR2 but somewhere, for me, it  just lacks a little bit of the soul I found in my old RSR2 Carbon.