A helmet really has three jobs: 1. Protect your head in a crash. 2. Keep
road debris off your face. 3. Look cool! And, of course, it has to be
comfortable while performing those three jobs. The Shoei X-Eleven does
all that
for me.
 When I had an opportunity to ride the Buell XBRR at Buttonwillow
Raceway
Park in California, there was no question which helmet I was going to
wear--my
X-Eleven. Sitting at the top of Shoei's premium line, the
X-Eleven is an
outstanding street helmet, due to its light weight and
effective venting, and
it's also a superb track helmet, as its shape
helps slice through the wind at
speeds in the mid-100s. All I had to do
was close the vents to keep the wind
sound down and I was ready to ride
like Jake Zemke, Eric Bostrom and Chris
Vermuelen (three riders you may
have heard of who participated in the design of
the helmet).
While I can't claim that the X-Eleven puts me anywhere near the
league of
those riders, it does give me confidence that my head is
well-protected, and
that translates into faster lap times. As someone
who is always riding different
bikes, the subdued grey/white TC-5
version of the stylish Kagayama graphic goes
with any sport bike
made.
www.shoei-helmets.com
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