PRoductreviews


Shoei’s Hornet X2 “stings” the competition By Mark Carrera #188605


AS I SLIPPED THE SNOWY-WHITE “melon-case” onto my nearly bald dome, my pillion, Ms. Wednesday, laughed aloud. “What’s funny?” I enquired. She replied, “Do you remember


Doogie Houser, Neal Patrick Harris? That chin-vent looks like Neal’s smarmy smirk!” I had to agree, the chin vent does


appear to be smiling, but smiling is not a bad thing, right? Smirk-iness aside, Shoei’s latest version of the Hor- net X2 challenges the competition with its quality and features.


and history as one of the top-selling ADV helmets on


the market today, and I was not let


down. Out of the box, there is a noticeable


It is very hard to say no


to a new helmet; even harder though, was con- vincing myself to hang up my truly remarkable and ultra-reliable ADV- skid-lid and strap on the Hornet X2 for the review. I was very happy I fought the philosophical struggle with swapping a perfectly good lid for a shiny new one, however. After doing the prerequisite internet hunt for


all things related to the Hornet X2, I was thrilled about the oppor- tunity to review it. I had high hopes for the helmet’s quality, design, features,


30 BMW OWNERS NEWS September 2015


weight difference between the Hornet and other helmets. At nearly a half pound lighter than my current helmet (another very popular ADV helmet from Arai), and aside from the N.P.H. “grin- vent,” the style is exceptional and “Shoei-unique.” The light weight comes from Shoei’s Multi-Ply Matrix AIM+ construction; that creates an incredible strength to weight ratio. The size large fit me like a glove, and I never considered changing anything. On the side of safety, the Hornet-2 is


SNELL and DOT approved as well as hav- ing a unique Emergency Liner Removal System (E.Q.R.S) adopted from the Shoei Pro-Racing line of helmets. Each cheek pad’s lower (collar) edge has a bright read loop affixed, so rescue personnel can remove the cheek pads prior to lifting the helmet shell from the rider’s head.


member tested


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