Shark’s entry-level all-rounder – the Shark Ridill full face helmet

The Shark Ridill is the replacement for that good ole stalwart, the Shark S700S. The S700S was a great all-rounder: a SHARP 4 Star safety rated helmet that performed pretty well in every respect and didn’t cost a ton.

And the Ridill looks like a promising successor for those on a budget (that’s most of us, right?). So we scoured the web for tons of feedback on what the Ridill offers and what owners and riders think of their helmets. Here’s what we came up with…

• Polycarbonate helmet
• Entry level all-rounder full face
  
• SHARP 4 star safety tested
• Drop down sun visor
• Glasses groove
• Weight 1.55Kg
• Micrometric fastener
• Pinlock anti-fog insert included (check retailer)
  
• 5 year warranty
• Sizes XS-XL
• Expect to pay £130-£160

Best places to buy a Shark Ridill?

Please click the links below to drop straight onto the Ridill helmets pages at our recommended stores. And if you buy from them, we get a small sum from the sale at no extra cost to you – a massive THANKS! (it’s how we finance the site).

Helmet Safety

If you compare the Shark Ridill with the outgoing 700s, you can see the similarities in the overall helmet shell design. Both look pretty modern but the new Ridill’s definitely got the edge with lots of cut-outs and sculpted mouldings.

The Ridill’s been tested by the helmet testing gurus at SHARP where it scored a very solid four out of five stars. And it’s also passed the mandatory ECE 22/05 safety test that all helmets on sale in the EU must pass. That’s a pretty rigorous test in itself; and together they mean the Ridill should give you an excellent level of rider protection.

One other thing worth mentioning is that Shark are our current joint-second placed safest crash helmet brand. Of the 24 helmets tested to date, their overall score is (a frankly amazing) 4.3 stars out of 5, with their last four polycarbonate helmets scoring three four stars and one five.

Which is starting to make us think if you’re after excellent protection, you can pretty much always trust a Shark (go on, there’s a quote for you Shark 😉

Test scores apart, the Shark Ridill comes with a Pinlock-ready visor and Pinlock antifog insert in the box (but double-check with the retailer first). In pure safety terms, having a fog-free visor is essential and a Pinlock, while not perfect, is one of the best hands-off ways to keep your visor fog free.

The visor is also quick-release so there’s no excuse not to whip it off after a ride to clean the muck and flies off it and keep your forward vision in tip-top condition.

The Ridill comes with a micrometric fastener which are both easy to use and safe as houses (provided you occasionally check it’s adjusted correctly – see here for more details about micrometric fasteners or use the link above to see every helmet we’ve reviewed that comes with a micrometric fastener).

All in all, the Shark Ridill is a more entry-level helmet that’s made from polycarbonate. And while that’s probably the most conventional and unsexiest of the helmet materials, there’s many polycarb helmets that score maximum points in SHARP tests and at this stage, there’s no reason to doubt the Ridill won’t provide very good protection indeed (and every reason to suspect it will!).

Shark helmets are generally well-built and have decent aero properties – both helping keep in-helmet noise to a minimum.

And it seems to have worked pretty well with the Ridill. Despite the Ridill not coming with a chin curtain (which usually helps reduce wind and noise coming into the helmet from below), owners reckon noise-suppression is anywhere between OK and good.

Ventilation

One of the few things Shark say about the Ridill is that the ventilation is ‘optimized by means of numerical simulation (computational fluid dynamics)’. Well thanks for clearing that up!

For those among us lacking doctorates in fluid dynamics (!), there’s a single large chin vent that’s operated by a large flip-panel. On the crown there’s a couple of separate vents operated by small sliders that should be easy to find and use in gloves.

Unlike the outgoing S700S – and pretty well every other modern helmet out there at the moment – there aren’t any rear exhaust vents in the shell of the helmet to aid the air flow through the helmet and extraction of stale air out the back.

That does help with making a pleasantly clutter-free rear helmet design, but from a ventilation standpoint it’s pretty surprising.

Having said that, ventilation on the Ridill is decent – not good enough to stop the visor misting up if you don’t use a Pinlock, but gives a reasonable level of head ventilation according to owners.

If a helmet with lots of ventilation is important to you, you’re probably best taking a look at our helmets with great ventilation pages.

Visor

The Ridill has a quick-release main visor that’s Pinlock ready; and comes with a drop-down sun visor.

The main visor works on a ratchet mechanism and has the opening tab on the left hand side (rather than the middle – or even top). Both of those are broadly preferred by most people so ‘good one’ Shark.

All Ridill’s come with a Pinlock-ready visor and some shops include the Pinlock in the box. A Pinlock is a must if you ride in cool weather, or even somewhere it’s often humid, so check with the retailer first before you buy to make sure yours comes with a Pinlock. If it’s not, it’s going to cost you about £30 so well worth asking first.

The sun visor is operated using the slider on the top of the crown. It’s not the best place for the sun visor slider but most folks get used to it pretty quickly and if you’ve not had an integrated sun visor in your helmet before, they’re well worth it. Personally, I’m unlikely to buy a helmet without one these days (so speaks the voice of someone who’s just spent an hour squinting into the sun while riding over the Pennines!).

Overall, for a helmet towards the budget end of the price range, the Ridill covers all the bases and offers most of the functionality you’ll need from your visor – ratchet clear main visor, Pinlock antifog and drop down sun visor: all present and correct.

Comfort & Sizing

The Ridill is available in sizes XS-XL. Inside there’s a removable/washable liner and there’s glasses grooves in the sides to make it easier to insert your glasses’ stems and stop them digging into the side of your head while riding.

Shark is known for creating decent quality, comfortable linings on their helmets and that’s reflected in owner’s opinions.

Sizing of the Ridill is reported to be about spot on and, providing you get the correct sized helmet in the first place, gives a snug and comfortable fit. Comments like ‘love the fit,’ and ‘comfortable and lightweight,’ and ‘found it comfortable in summer and winter,’ are typical.

Looks & Graphics

At the time of writing, there’s six different designs available with a few different colour schemes in each. We’ve put examples of the plain/solid versions along with the Kengal, Skyd, Finks, Tika and Oxyd. But as usual there’s new designs and colour options coming out reasonably regularly through the year so it’s worth clicking through to our recommended retailers below to see the latest designs and check out any offers going on.

Best places to buy a Shark Ridill helmet?

Please click the links below to drop straight onto the Shark Ridill helmets pages at our recommended stores. And if you buy from them, we get a small sum from the sale at no extra cost to you – a massive THANKS! (it’s how we finance the site).

Shark Ridill Video

Here’s a very quick video rotating a Shark Ridill Skyd so you can have a 360 degree look around it.

Other stuff: weight, build quality, warranty

Weight

Because the Ridill is a polycarbonate helmet, it was never going to be the lightest helmet in the world. Shark quote figures of around 1.55Kg (3.44lbs) which is very much the average weight for a polycarbonate full face helmet so you shouldn’t have a problem with weight.

Build quality and warranty

The Ridill hasn’t been out very long, but reports are coming back that the build quality is fine with decent quality materials and components used throughout: just don’t expect the world as this is one of Shark’s entry-level helmets.

And don’t forget, every Shark helmet is supported by their outstanding 5 year warranty which is as long as the helmet’s designed to last.

Overall/Summary

Shark has an excellent reputation for producing some great helmets. Their top-of-the range helmets adorn pretty much every racing grid in the world and they’re consistently at the sharp end of our safest helmets brands list.

And, true to form, the Ridill scored four stars in the SHARP safety test meaning it should offer excellent protection in an accident. And with its cool looks, wide range of funky designs, as well as drop down sun visor and Pinlock-ready visor, we reckon the Ridill will provide pretty much everything most riders will need in a helmet – at a reasonably competitive price point.

That’s all backed by owners who rate the helmet highly in pretty well every respect. Sure, it’s built to the price and you won’t get quite the same build quality from a helmet at twice the price, but the majority of owners seem very happy with the balance between value for money and helmet performance from the Ridill.

If you think the Ridill is the helmet you want, we say go for it. Or alternatively, check out some of our suggested tried, tested and recommended helmets below.

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.

Alternatives to the Shark Ridill?

So you’re after a helmet that’s going to give you great protection in an accident but not break the bank? Here’s some helmets we suggest having a look at…

How about the AGV K3 SV or the Scorpion Exo 410 Air? The AGV is SHARP 4 star safety rated, has a drop down internal sun visor and it comes with a Pinlock antifog insert in the box. It’s from well-respected maker AGV (they make Valentino Rossi’s helmet no less) and it’s a smidge lighter than the Ridill.

The Scorpion 410 Air is a bit cheaper than the AGV or the Shark and comes with an optically-correct visor along with its innovative air pump system to get the fit just right and a SHARP 4 star safety rating too. There’s no drop down sun visor with the Scorpion though.

If you’re interested in something a bit more up market – take a look at the SHARP 5 star rated HJC FG-ST. It’s a few quid more but is as safe as they come, has a Pinlock Max Vision antifog included in the box and a fibreglass shell. It’s also Ride magazine recommended.

And if you’re open to the idea of a modular helmet, the Caberg Duke is about the safest modular out there. Not only is it SHARP 5 star rated, but that chin guard stayed closed and locked in 87% of the impact tests (which is a very good combination of results!). It comes with a Pinlock anti-fog insert in the box, weighs about the same as the Ridill and can be found for a few pounds less than the Ridill if you’re open to a plain version.

Best places to buy a Shark Ridill?

Please click the links below to drop straight onto the Ridill helmets pages at our recommended stores. And if you buy from them, we get a small sum from the sale at no extra cost to you – a massive THANKS! (it’s how we finance the site).

Definitely want a Shark?

Here you'll find all our Shark crash helmet reviews and previews including full face, flip-up and open face helmets.

Star Ratings

MCN Rating: Quality 3/5, Value 5/5 (Ridill 1.2)