Review of the HJC RPHA 11 full face sportsbike helmet
The RPHA 11 is HJCs new top of the range sportsbike helmet and would presumably have been the one Jorge Lorenzo would’ve been wearing in 2016 had he not jumped ship to Shark helmets.
- Composite shelled racing helmet
- HJCs top of the range sports helmet
- SHARP 3 star safety tested
- ACU Gold sticker with D-ring fastener
- Pinlock Max Vision antifog in the box
- 5 year warranty
- Expect to pay:
- £350-£380 (composite)
- £410 (marvel)
- £530 (Carbon)
Best places to buy an HJC RPHA 11?
Please click below to visit the HJC RPHA 11 helmets pages at our recommended stores. And if you buy from one, we get a small sum from the sale at no extra cost to you – a massive THANKS! (it’s how we finance the site).
Even though it’s HJCs top of the range crash helmet, it’s still a steal compared to other maker’s top helmets so represents great value. In line with HJCs stated goal of offering top quality products at a reasonable price, the RRP of even the most expensive models is low in comparison to similar AGVs or Arais. And if you get an RPHA 11, you’re getting a decent amount of tech, development and innovation for your money.
So what can we expect with the RPHA 11?
Safety
Well, first off, the shell’s a composite, constructed from various layers including fibreglass, carbon fibre and aramid – what HJC call their premium integrated matrix or PIM – which should make for a strong shell (hopefully not too rigid though).
It’s also been wind tunnel tested with the end result being what looks like a fairly round, very slippery design along the same lines as recent Arais.
It has been SHARP safety tested and awarded 3 stars (out of 5) which isn’t the best score – especially when the last composite HJC to be tested back in 2013 scored full marks, as did the most recently tested; the FG-ST tested in 2016.
It’s worth pointing out that a good SHARP score is important – but not as important as getting a helmet that fits correctly in the first place.
Also, there’s other features which contribute to all round safety – to avoid an accident in the first place and post impact too.
A large visor aperture is important for good visibility and the RPHA 11, like many track-focused helmets has been designed to maximise visibility all round. Most owners seem to agree that the visibility in the RPHA 11 feels nice and wide – that’s great for survival both on the track and the road.
They also like the way the supplied Pinlock keeps the visor clear – but a couple commented that it really needs it as low speed fogging can be an issue.
The RPHA 11 also comes with an EQRS or emergency quick release system. That’s where you can pull on the red tabs at the bottom of the helmet to slide out the cheek pads to ease removal of the helmet after an accident. That’s a feature that’s becoming increasingly popular on helmets and good to see on the RPHA 11.
Helmet Noise
Well, the HJC RPHA 11 is a sportsbike helmet and like lots of track focused helmets, it looks like noise suppression wasn’t a priority. A few owners commented that it’s about the same as their previous helmets – but that their previous helmets were noisy too! Another said that it’s noisy at anything above about 40mph.
Bottom line is that you should probably expect the RPHA 11 to be quite noisy and plan to wear a decent pair of ear plugs each time you use it.
But that goes for most helmets right?
Ventilation
Airflow into the RPHA 11 is in the form of a couple of chin vents and forehead vents with four exhaust vents to the rear. The forehead vents use a small wheel which HJC says is glove friendly and provides multiple positions.
Overall, owners reckon the RPHA 11 vents really well, with lots of air making it into the helmet to keep the head cool.
It’s not quite so good with the lower vents though because not so much air seems to find its way onto the rear of the visor.
That’s not necessarily so much of a problem in normal temperatures or if you’re on the track and don’t like air in your face. But it can be a problem for keeping the visor mist-free and a few owners reckoned that there’s a reason HJC supplied a Pinlock free in the box with the RPHA11 – because it needs it.
It seems to only be a problem at town speeds but be aware if you do lots of commuting especially when things start to cool down, then you’ll probably have to fit the Pinlock to keep things clear.
Visor
HJC designed the visor on the RPHA to be nice and wide for improved visibility in all directions, and they’ve used their decent RapidFire system to help with quick removal of the visor.
That’s all good – and so too is the fact that they include a Pinlock antifog insert in the box – though as we mentioned above, there’s method in their generosity.
They also include a tinted visor in the box which is handy, especially if you’re taking it on the track.
A final word on the visor is that there’s a nice and easy to use lock in the middle of the visor. That’s useful, especially if you’re taking your RPHA 11 to the track where the last thing you want is your visor coming up when you’re tumbling through a gravel trap!
Comfort and Sizing
The HJC RPHA11 uses their latest ‘Multicool’ interior which ticks all the right boxes when it comes to a helmet liner.
It’s fully removable and washable, moisture wicking, quick drying, antibacterial and antiodour too. There’s also glasses grooves in the lining, there to accept the stems of glasses and make them more comfortable when riding.
A few owners reckoned that the RPHA 11 sizing does run a bit small though – so we’d recommend if you’re between sizes or a little unsure, go for a size larger (eg if you’re usually between an M and an L, go for the L).
Graphics
There’s a stinkload of designs available for the RPHA 11 – probably as many if not more than we’ve seen for any helmet. Though, strangely, no hi-viz version. Odd that.
Anyhow, we’ve sprinkled a few of the more notable designs on the page – including the Spiderman, shy-and-retiring Venom, and the Bobba Fet Star Wars helmet. But there’s no way we can show them all here so head on over to one of our recommended retailers to see the latest designs and prices/discounts. You’ll find the links below.
Best places to buy an HJC RPHA 11?
Please click below to visit the HJC RPHA 11 helmets pages at our recommended stores. And if you buy from one, we get a small sum from the sale at no extra cost to you – a massive THANKS! (it’s how we finance the site).
Other Stuff – weight, fastener, warranty
The RPHA 11 weighs just 1.3Kg – way under the 1.48Kg average for a typical full face helmet and lighter than most other composites too. Many owners said it feels light on the road too.
It also has a double-d ring fastener. They can be fiddly and slower to do up than the newer micrometric fasteners, but they’re really safe if you diligently tighten them every time, and they’re a must if you take a helmet to the track.
Finally, the HJC RPHA11, like all other HJCs, come with a 5 year warranty. Hurrah.
Other features that show this could be a helmet package to beat at this price point:
- It features HJCs great rapid fire quick visor removal system
- It’ll be ACU Gold stickered for use on the track
- Comes with a Pinlock Max Vision antifog insert in the box
- Available in sizes XS – XL (selected models include XXS & XXL)
- Glasses groove for glasses wearers
- Visor lock system for racers
The HJC RPHA 11 looks like it could be a great deal. If you’re after a technology-packed racing helmet at a decent price, it’s well worth having a look at.
HJC RPHA 11 Video
HJC RPHA 11 Carbon
There’s also a full carbon fibre version of the RPHA 11. It has exactly the same features as the standard composite version even down to the same claimed weight of 1.3Kg, so other than the kudos of having a full carbon helmet, there’s arguably not much point in going for the carbon version – especially as it retails for about £100 more.
Alternatives to the HJC RPHA 11
You can always check all our sportsbike helmet reviews and read reviews on the sportsbike helmets from all the best-known makers.
Obviously, many of these are tons of cash, but if you’re after a lower priced helmet, we recommend you take a look at the latest basic Bell Star model – that’s a SHARP 5 star rated sports-focused composite fibre helmet that’s great value for money, though a bit more than the HJC.
For less than the RPHA 11 is the LS2 FF323 Arrow. That was rated by SHARP at 4 stars, comes with an optically-correct visor and Pinlock Max Vision in the box.
You might also want to check out the Scorpion Exo-2000 Evo Air. It hasn’t yet been SHARP safety tested but it’s a composite fibre helmet with Pinlock, EQRS and a 5 year warranty – for about the same price as the RPHA 11.
Best places to buy an HJC RPHA 11?
Please click below to visit the HJC RPHA 11 helmets pages at our recommended stores. And if you buy from one, we get a small sum from the sale at no extra cost to you – a massive THANKS! (it’s how we finance the site).
More HJC crash helmet reviews/info?
Visit our HJC page to quickly browse all our HJC helmet reviews including all the latest safety-rated full face and modular/flip up helmets.
Crash Helmet Buying Guides & Top 10s
For (hopefully!) other useful information to help you when buying your next helmet, check our various Motorcycle Helmet Buying Guides - or have a look at our Top 10 best helmet lists where we've got the top 10 best rated helmets overall along with Top 10 Best Budget/Top 10 Safest/Top 10 Best Full Face/Top 10 Best Modular/Flip-up/ Top 10 Best Sportsbike/Track helmets.
Star Ratings
MCN Rating: Quality 4/5, Value 4/5
Hi,
my 2 cents, the reason why the visor breaks is because you are putting the lock on and then you force it open….
I’ve my helmet for the 6th season in a row and the only thing wearing out is the changeable chin protectors…
I use it the full year from -5 to +40 C degrees in every condition for 10k-15k km per year.
The sharp rating is so confusing.. they do not provide data, nor a way to understand what is evaluated in terms of safety (1 star is equal to what?).
My two cents. Don’t buy one. Spend a few dollars more and buy a shoei or an Arai. I’ve had the helmet for two seasons and I can sum it up like this. It’s the Hyundai of helmets. Looks great and offers lots of value but they cut corners to give you that super light shell for 1/4 the price of their competitions.
I live in Canada and ride only 4 months of the year. I do maybe 10 000 km a season of riding. So the helmet doesn’t get tons of daily use for example if I lived in the southern states and rode all year round.
In the two years I have owned it I have twice replaced the visor which is prone to cracking around the latch due to poor design.
The chin strap covers are falling apart.
The gear plate mechanism in one side has worn out causing the visor to wobble.
The head liner plastic retainer has cracked and
The cheek pads have broken down by an unreasonable amount which tells me the foam used is low quality.
Now what does HJC have to say about all of this. Well firstly they don’t reply to emails. Secondly when you call they tell you they don’t handle their own warranty and you have to send the helmet to the distributor for inspection and the distributor decides if they will warranty or not and lastly they come up with every excuse in the book for why they won’t warranty the faults. User error. In proper cleaning ect.
This is the first HJC product I have ever bought. I was convinced when. I purchased this helmet that it was a premium helmet well worth the 700 Canadian dollars it cost me.
The end result is that it’s really a pretender. A 250 dollar helmet passing it self off as a worthy competitor to a shoei or and Arai that costs 25 to 50 percent more.
Beautiful light exotic shell yes. The rest of it is lacking in quality seriously.
My advice buy a better kid from a company who treats its customers with respect. You will be far happier and save money long term.
Have to agree. The visor latch is a nightmare & terrible design on them. I’ve went through three visors as the latch snapped of the visor each time. Got to the point I never closed the visor properly knowing it would probably break on me. Also chin curtain came off very easy on lid and I had to use alternative screws with the replacement curtain. All in all they look well but you’ll never be done replacing visors etc on them.
There is no doubt that RPHA 11 is the most comfy helmet I’ve ever worn, light in weight and good looking graphics.
However, I replaced my SHOEI NXR with this RPHA 11 recently, the side view for the RPHA11 is APPALLING, unless you can turn your head 180 degrees to the back, otherwise you won’t see anything when you doing your head check when changing lanes or trying to paddle the bike backwards and trying to see what’s behind you.
Somehow it feels cheap (both the packaging and the helmet itself), plus only scored 3 star SHARP rating. I had to sell it in the end because of those reasons.
Used to have Rpha 10 what no one tells you is when you go up a size it gets heavy shell size gets bigger you look like big ed.the weight of a10 is 1200g the weight of a 11 is 1450+ trust me u can feel the difference and with a bigger shell wind blast is worse .
I love my 11. Comfortable, light and great vision. I’ve ridden for many years with aria, agv, shoei etc and the RPHA 11 is right up there with these premium brands for me.
I have very mixed feelings about rpha 11 that i bought :/
The most gripe that i have is that “nice and easy to use lock” which is totally bollocks. You have to use considerable force to close the lid properly, most of the times it requires you to use the thumb to grab hold of the bottom of the helmet and use other fingers to “lock” the face shield or trying to fiddle with the lip that most of the time you have no idea if it locked or not. None of which is convenient. Opening your lid is another topic. The lip that actually locks the whole thing is kinda flimsy and if you use too much force you can brake it. Also if you try to open your lid by pushing through the middle you may even crack the shield where the lip is.
Another thing worth to mention about rpha 11 is that after 6 months of riding with it, the helmet started to chip at the surface in some place. Nothing big like 0,2 – 0,8 mm wide. Really strange. I would not be confused about it if the chips only happen at the front (usually comes from cars in front and shit that just flies in your head) but these chips are in the back and sides too.
Did not have an opportunity to try the vents as the weather is shit and cold anyway. Other then that seems good helmet. The wireless dongle was easy to attach same with routing cables for speakers.
Agree… Visor design is disastrous on them as I’ve went through three of them due to latch snapping off them each time. Cheaper for a reason
Just got the RPHA 11 and as I was riding out from the shop. Wow, man am I impressed with it. The wide vision was so amazing. And felt so much cool air on top of my head. Great purchase & worth it. Also its was so light and sound was good compare to my old HJC helmet. I didnt expect this helmet to be so good. I was blown away in terms of expectations. Worth every penny spend.
Used to have the 10 plus.
The 11 packs a punch. Its more comfortable. The cheek pads are plushy. Not sure if its a memory foam type pads. But its still plushy like day 1. My rpha 10+ pads gave away after a week or so.
Noise is definitely much lower. Very quiet. I can ride without my ears plugged. Fits snug with the new neck roll design.
Head checks are much easier with the bigger eye port. Air flow is super! Runs so much cooler.
If you had and loving the 10Plus, this will blow it to smithereens.
Absolutely loving it!