Shoei launch their latest top of the range racing helmet: the Shoei X-SPR Pro.
Shoei’s X-Spirit III racing helmet has been around since 2016. In that time, it’s been pretty much on the top of the pile with the likes of Mark Marquez and John McGuinness wearing it and feeding back into Shoei’s development cycle.
All of that development work is now paying off in the form of the new Shoei X-SPR Pro (it’ll be called the X-Fifteen in the US) that’s a direct replacement for the X-Spirit III and will be featuring on MotoGP and other racing grids around the world in the very near future.
Which means, if you’re after a new top of the range lid for your sportsbike or to take onto the track, the Shoei X-Spr Pro is going to be very much of interest.
So here’s all the info you’re gonna need…
- Full face track helmet
- Uses Shoei’s AIM+ composite fibre tech
- FIM Homologated
- ECE 22.06 certified
- 2D racing visor with tear offs
- Pinlock antifog insert ready (Pinlock included)
- Fully adjustable comfort liner
- EQRS
- Double-D ring strap
- Expect to pay £699-£750
Best places to buy a Shoei X-SPR Pro?
Please click below to visit the Shoei X-SPR Pro 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).
Safety
(more about helmet safety)
The Shoei X-SPR Pro uses a shell made from Shoei’s AIM+ composite fibre construction.
AIM+ is essentially a technique for layering up 5 layers of fibreglass with other ‘organic fibres’ to produce a tough shell that’s effective at absorbing shocks while maintaining the shell’s integrity.
It’s the same helmet construction that was used on the outgoing X-Spirit III and RYD helmets – and both of those scored top marks when tested by SHARP.
AIM+ helmets don’t always score top marks – the old NXR only managed 4 stars – but we’d totally expect the Shoei X-SPR Pro to get the maximum five stars when SHARP test it.
And of course, because it’s a racing helmet that’s going to be used by oodles of pro racers, it now has to be approved by the FIM and needs to have their homologation label slapped on it. All sizes from XS-XL have now been FIM approved which means they’ve all been thoroughly tested by the FIM’s testing labs.
And the final icing on the certification cake is that it also conforms to the latest European ECE 22.06 standards.
All of which means, the Shoei X-SPR Pro is gonna give you excellent protection. End of.
Of course, there’s more to helmet safety than just the shell and impact protection. And again, the Shoei X-SPR Pro should pretty well offer most of what you need.
The visor has a plethora of locks to stop it coming off during an impact (see visor section below) and it comes with a Pinlock’s finest antifog insert in the box.
The helmet’s held on to your head using a tried and tested double-d ring strap which are safe as houses if you do them up right. And there’s an EQRS quick release interior to make it easier to get your helmet off after an accident.
And finally, the Shoei X-SPR Pro is made in four shell sizes. That’s a good number and it means you’re not going to be wearing a helmet shell that’s miles too big or too small and means the helmet you buy will be optimised for you in terms of fit, comfort and safety.
Of course, for this considerable outlay and from a brand like Shoei, you’d totally expect an optimised helmet – that’s a given. But you’re also getting heaps of Shoei helmet know-how along with a racing helmet that’s been developed and honed for over a decade on the track.
All of which means, you can expect it to give you the right levels of protection whether on a circuit or on the roads.
Helmet Noise
(more about helmet noise)
Track helmets aren’t really known for being quiet – and the word is that the Shoei X-SPR Pro is no different.
The issue is that racers are atheletes and they don’t half work up a sweat when they’re racing. So ventilation is paramount. And where there’s a ton of ventilation holes and wind getting inside the helmet – like there is on the Shoei X-SPR Pro – there’s also going to be a load of noise getting in.
Of course, we all experience noise differently and some owners might find it’s a nice quiet lid whereas others won’t. And if you bung in some good quality ear plugs you’re pretty well guaranteed to find the X-SPR Pro absolutely fine in terms of noise levels when you’re riding.
But if noise is one of your most important buying criteria, you might want to give the Shoei X-SPR Pro a miss and check out one of these quietest helmets.
Ventilation
(more about helmet ventilation)
Because it’s a racing helmet, Shoei has designed-in a stack of air vents for the Shoei X-SPR Pro.
That’s four forehead vents, operated by 3 independent sliders, and a pair of chin bar vents operated by a couple more sliders.
Up top, the vents are pretty conventional in that air’s channelled through the forehead vents, through holes in the helmet shell and into air channels inside the multidensity polystyrene liner.
In the chin bar, the top slider opens up to take air onto the back of the visor for demisting while the bottom slider directs air to each side of the chin bar to take air through holes in the cheek pads and ventilate the sides of your face.
That seems like it should all do the trick and let plenty of air into the helmet to keep you cool on track.
And while having several independent ventilation sliders can be a bit of a pain to adjust, it does mean you can tailor the ventilation to your exact needs, as well as shut them all off when it’s cold or rainy.
Visor
(more about visors)
Like all racing helmets, the Shoei X-SPR Pro has a 2D visor. That’s a visor that’s essentially made from a flat sheet of polycarbonate to make it suitable to fit tear offs.
But it also makes for good optics and is a perfect surface to make a nice tight watertight seal against the elements as well as an excellent surface to bond with the included Pinlock 120 (called a Pinlock Evo for Shoei helmets for some reason).
A couple of useful links…
– All our Shoei helmet reviews –
– Every Track helmet we’ve looked at –
The visor works on a ratchet with 5 positions and it’s a quick release visor too, allowing for simple and quick visor swaps.
It also comes with a plethora of different visor lock options.
First up is the regular visor lock; close the visor and it snaps locked so you have to push the central button below the visor to open it up again.
But there’s also a sliding visor lock next to that for when you really really want to make sure that visor isn’t gonna come unlocked (it also doubles as a way to stop the visor totally closing if you want a bit of extra ventilation up front).
That secondary lock is more for racing – as are the twin locks by the visor hinges. See those small red switches? They’re there to lock the visor quick release mechanism in place which, together with the other visor locks, should go a long way to stopping the visor springing off if you have an accident.
Comfort and Sizing
(more about comfort and sizing)
The Shoei X-SPR Pro is made in four different helmet shell sizes with fitment sizes from XS-XXL (XS-S, M, L, XL-XXL). That’s a good number of different shell sizes – good because it means each shell is a slightly different size and wil contain optimised EPS liner and comfort liner inside to make the helmet look the right size for your body size as well as having a more optimum fit.
Shoei advertises the internals of the X-SPR Pro as being an adjustable modular interior with a ‘pocket system’ for individual adjustment.
In essence, this means the comfort liner can be adjusted in several ways so you can make it a more customised/comfortable fit. All the parts of the comfort liner are also replaceable and can be removed for washing.
The cheek pads also have a couple of mounting positions – both standard and racing position – to make the helmet sit further up on your face for when you’re in a more extreme tuck position.
And the ‘Pocket’ part of the system means that most parts of the liner have pockets in them so you can slot in extra foam to pad them out more and tailor the fit.
All in all, not only is the comfort liner high quality and comfortable to the touch (like all Shoeis) but it really allows you to tailor the fit to make sure you get it bang on.
It’s also got emergency quick release cheek pads (EQRS) – a must in a trackable helmet. And it’s designed to accommodate a hydration pack tube near your mouth for when your track days get REALLY serious!
And, OK it’s a track helmet, but we all like to stick bluetooth kit into our lids these days, right? The good news is that Shoei has added nice large speaker pockets in the X-SPR Pro.
To access them, there’s a removable foam bung on either side that you pull out.
Looks & Graphics
The design of the Shoei X-SPR Pro doesn’t look a million miles away from the old X-Spirit III. Which I guess isn’t too surprising as its design is very much a matter of form over function; meaning that the form of these track helmets is derived from the aero and racing needs it’s designed to fulfil.
On its launch it’s only available in plain colours – gloss white and black or matt black. Though that’s bound to be followed up with the inevitable Marquez replica (and others) soon after. To find these latest colourways and designs, please click our retailer links below which will drop you straight onto their X-SPR Pro helmets page.
Best places to buy a Shoei X-SPR Pro?
Please click below to visit the Shoei X-SPR Pro 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).
Shoei X-SPR Pro Video
Here’s a quick 3m vid from the guys at Bike Stop looking over a gloss white X-SPR Pro.
Other stuff – weight, chin curtain, warranty
Surprisingly, the X-SPR Pro ain’t that light, weighing in at a distinctly average 1.45Kg. There’s plenty of lighter weight sportsbike helmets out there if you’re wanting a really featherweight lid.
To find them, drop onto our Smartish Filters page (it lets you choose the features that really matter to you) – choose track helmets and lightweight. Or Click Here instead 🙂
The Shoei X-SPR Pro does pack in a full set of breath guard and choice between a more aerodynamic chin spoiler or regular chin curtain too – which is nice. They’re all removable.
And it’s got Shoei’s excellent 5 year warranty (or 7 years from manufacturing date).
Overall/Summary
Shoei has a long history of making high performing, high quality track helmets, and the Shoei X-SPR Pro looks set to continue the tradition.
It’s FIM approved for track racing as well as being ECE 22.06 certified so it should offer outstanding protection. And Shoei have worked alongside pro racers – including Marc Marquez – to make a helmet that really works on a sportsbike, in a racing position and with amazing aero.
It should work well on the road too and with useful features such as speaker pockets and Pinlock antifog, it should be easy to live with.
All in all, it’s a premium helmet at a premium price. But if you want a high performing helmet and outstanding protection, then the Shoei X-SPR Pro offers it in abundance.
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.
Good Alternatives to the Shoei X-SPR Pro
I guess the best alternative to the X-SPR Pro is going to be Shoei’s own X Spirit III which is a fantastic SHARP 5 star rated track helmet that’ll be discounted pretty quickly.
The other top contender for a premium racing helmet is the Arai RX7V which comes in regular, Pro and FIM versions.
Other than that, check out our sportsbike helmets, track helmets or FIM homologated helmets pages for tons more options.
Best places to buy a Shoei X-SPR Pro?
Please click below to visit the Shoei X-SPR Pro 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).
