Shoei is known for its technological advanced helmets, their lids are world famous and used by many prominent racers across the globe. The flagship product from the house of Shoei- X Spirit III is also not an exception in the fleet, it is an epitome of the company’s commitment towards the safety, comfort, technological advancement and use of aerodynamics.
The X Spirit III is the same helmet which company had earlier launched in the North American market by name X-Fourteen. The X Spirit III is claimed to be the most aerodynamic helmet available in the market, the credit goes to the design of the helmet. The major role played in the aerodynamics of the helmet is its Patent Pending “Rear Stabilizer System”; these are essentially set of rear flaps that can be replaced by retractable and adjustable flaps. These flaps can be adjusted according to the riding conditions and track dynamics.The wind tunnel test conducted by Shoei indicated that by the use of rear stabilizer system the drag can be reduced to 10% and similarly the lift can also be reduced by 3% as compared to the earlier models from X series of Shoei. Same test has also shown that the use of rear flaps help reducing Yawing by 50%, which is main factor behind helmet buffeting at high speeds.
The design team at Shoei also takes care of the better field vision of the rider, especially when rider takes a sharp turn at lean angle. To address the problem Shoei designers introduced adjustable interior center pad which can be rotated by about four degrees from its standard position, this resulting extra space around the neck area of the rider facilitating him to get better field of vision while taking sharp turns at deep corners.
The Shoei X Spirit III helmet is featured with six air vents and an equal number of exhaust outlets for efficient ventilation. There is a new Cheek Pad Cooling System incorporated in the helmet, which helps to direct more air to the side of the rider's face. Almost all the padding used is removable, including- Forehead, rear, side and neck padding. This allows more options to the rider for the customized fit and also helps in cleaning the helmet to a greater extent.
Shoei highlighted that the X-Spirit III helmet is developed with the valuable input taken from top racers like Marc Marquez and Bradley Smith. The top version of the X-Spirit III helmet is sold at $900 in the international market which comes roughly to INR 60,000. The pricing of the helmet certainly not put it into the category of affordable lids but for sure it will give a direction to the headgear industry for making better and affordable helmets in the future. Watch the video for more details of the X-Spirit III design and see how Marc Marquez takes it for stride.
By: Farhan Kashif