Helmets Time to upgrade --Shoei Neotec 3

ST-Traveler

ST-Traveler

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New lid arrival -- Shoei Neotec 3 --
My original Shoei Neotec helmet was showing its age but it served me well.
I purchased back in 2012 new so it was definitely time to replace.



Along with it I purchased the new cardo "PackTalk pro" with crash detection built into the main unit.
 

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My favorite helmet (besides my Vader Simpson) is the original Neotec. I got it because it was a Shoei and had the drop down shade. And be cause it's brilliant yellow. Not hi-vis but actual yellow.

These days many colors seem to mean a splash of that color among a puke of other colors. Not a fan of matte black or black. Or silver. Or white. Well maybe white if it's a solid color. Or brilliant yellow my fave.

Not to mention $1000 a hat puts me off.

The N3 does look like a nice helmet even if I don't appreciate the color options. Congratulations on your new lid.
 
I bought a new Neotec3 a few months back. Last Fall I bought the Mrs a Neotec2 bundled with the SRL2. (It was too good a deal to pass up. Dealer brought it in for a customer, who decided they didn't want it.)

Still debating if I want to shell out the $600 for the integrated setup the SRL3 provides, or do I just transfer my Cardo Freecom over. I bought those as a pair last Spring.

I'd be gaining mesh, and perhaps better compatibility / reliability with the Wing, and with the Mrs's Sena comms.
 
I have 2 original Neotecs and replaced the padding a few years ago. Still work fine for me (do helmets really wear out or is it just a ploy to get us to buy new ones from time to time?). In the hot weather, I mostly use a J-Cruise 3/4 helmet.
 
To move the hijack along, I have an expensive helmet, it has countless hours in the sun riding for 5 years. I also have a 7 year old cheap one. The expensive one has degraded somewhat in the keep out the rain factor. Whether the visor has deformed (not original) or the gasket has shrunk, it leaks. I thought the UV has degraded it, same should be true for the impact resistance. The cheap one has been in a closet most of its life, probably not degraded. So, does the helmet degrade or is it a ploy, I would answer probably.
 
i thought about a shoei neotec3, i already have a neotec 2 but despite of my neck condition i still want to ride but the neotec 2 was bothering my neck so i went with the Klim TK1200
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Kevin_56 said:
I ordered a Neotec 3 from EM MOTO. Ordered 5-21 and am waiting for delivery as it is shipping from Italy. Exchange rate at that time was $580 USD. Enough savings to accept the long ship time.
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Don't be surprised if the helmet gets nabbed in customs. The European versions are not DOT approved. I ordered a Neotec 3 back in December from FC Moto on sale and mine got stuck in customs requiring special forms etc from the seller which were very difficult to get and I got a 190.00 bill from customs to clear it. I eventually got it but it took about 3 months.
 
Erdoc48 said:
I have 2 original Neotecs and replaced the padding a few years ago. Still work fine for me (do helmets really wear out or is it just a ploy to get us to buy new ones from time to time?).
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I have no doubt that helmet age with use — the more the use the more they age.

But my original Neo is is great shape and I've always worn a liner so the lining is very clean and the helmet doesn't smell of old sweaty hair. Although I'm happy to have sufficient hair to warrant a liner I'd welcome old helmet smell just to have hair.

So while 5yrs is the figure given for the average EOL of a helmet I'll hold on to my hat longer.
 
I also stocked up on the inner padding as they can be hard to come by later when you may need them.
Got the extra center pad and extra cheek pads to keep for later on.

I have have had the cardio pack talk bold for a few years and really like it. So upgrading to the pack talk pro seemed the best option for me.
Cardo makes a nice adapter using the same mounting place as the Sena SL3 would mount.
 
Kevin_56 said:
I ordered a Neotec 3 from EM MOTO. Ordered 5-21 and am waiting for delivery as it is shipping from Italy. Exchange rate at that time was $580 USD. Enough savings to accept the long ship time.
Click to expand...

bdalameda said:
Don't be surprised if the helmet gets nabbed in customs. The European versions are not DOT approved. I ordered a Neotec 3 back in December from FC Moto on sale and mine got stuck in customs requiring special forms etc from the seller which were very difficult to get and I got a 190.00 bill from customs to clear it. I eventually got it but it took about 3 months.
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I did the same, buying from motostorm.it about a year ago, August.

I bought the Neotec-3 with the Sena SRL-3 communicator, plus a couple extra visors - dark smoke and a Spectra Fire Orange shield.

The price for the helmet plus Sena was about what I would pay for the helmet alone in the US. I ordered the Grasp TC-3 yellow, which is the closest thing to a hi-vis yellow available for the Neotec3. They dropped the solid yellow from previous models. Plus, the black/yellow scheme goes great with my Aerostich Roadcrafter in hi-vis yellow with black ballistics. :)

The only issue I had was with some inexperienced person at FedEx asking detailed questions about the composition of the faceshield and other odd questions for a private sale. Got a senior FedEx staffer involved and that new staffer was asking questions a volume reseller would be required to answer, not a private buyer.

Yeah, it lacks a DOT sticker, but this isn't the kind of helmet law enforcement is paying attention around here. It's those novelty, brain buckets some wear to attempt compliance with the letter of the law. Those are pretty obvious when it looks like a skullcap.

It's my first modular helmet and I'm liking it a lot. I haven't had much time using the communication features, just a couple short rides with my daughter and her Sena 10S, but it worked fine. It has excellent audio quality for music and phone use. Persons on the other end tell me they have no idea I'm on a motorcycle while speaking to them. But to be fair, I'd get the same reaction when using the Sena 10S on my old helmet, a Shoei Qwest.

Overall, very happy with my purchase.

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bdalameda said:
Don't be surprised if the helmet gets nabbed in customs. The European versions are not DOT approved. I ordered a Neotec 3 back in December from FC Moto on sale and mine got stuck in customs requiring special forms etc from the seller which were very difficult to get and I got a 190.00 bill from customs to clear it. I eventually got it but it took about 3 months.
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I'd be very concerned currently and expect that customs would be on heightened alert for anything that might be tariff worthy or subject to refusing entry. Ordering from a business outside the US would leave one open to additional duties as you've experienced.

I've ordered plenty of small stuff from CH and GB that came in duty free due to the de minimus exception. That's gone for CN. I have no idea on the current state of tariffairs. The biggest item I've ever ordered was a set of Paul Dunstall exhausts delivered to a North Bay bike dealership.

Bad chrome and poor fitment but they had the song of angry angels. It tied with the pockita-pockita of the stock CB750 as my very favorite exhaust note yet as different as brothers from another mother.

Hailwood's RC166 is up there too. But I digress... :)
 
It should be mentioned that on top of tariffs, one could incur customs brokerage fees on imported goods, depending on the courier. I bought a couple of items from europe this past winter and both times i was charged brokerage fees. I dont remember the exact amounts, but one was around 50 bucks on a 700 dollar item and one was 30 bucks on a 300 dollar item. Both times the courier was DHL. After the brokerage fees, any savings buying from Europe was gone, at least in my case. Just want to remind all of this possibility
 
Bmacleod said:
It should be mentioned that on top of tariffs, one could incur customs brokerage fees on imported goods, depending on the courier. I bought a couple of items from europe this past winter and both times i was charged brokerage fees. I dont remember the exact amounts, but one was around 50 bucks on a 700 dollar item and one was 30 bucks on a 300 dollar item. Both times the courier was DHL. After the brokerage fees, any savings buying from Europe was gone, at least in my case. Just want to remind all of this possibility
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F.Y.I. for you if you are feeling adventurous the next time that this happens- Refuse the fee and clear the package yourself.

This has happened to me as well. I never agreed to any customs broker fees or services when I placed the order, they were not even mentioned. Many courier companies just add this service and fee and present it as an additional necessary service. I have been told by a Canadian customs broker that you do not have to agree to a brokerage fee for customs clearance or pay one if you didn't agree to it when the order was placed. He said to refuse the charge and tell them that you will be doing the customs clearance yourself. The package will be returned to their depot and held there until clearance is confirmed. He said that a broker's license is not required for individuals clearing personal items, and that for individuals bringing in personal items this is a simple process that can be done online. Doing this means that you will be paying the customs fee only and not the additional brokers fee for the service, which is often higher than the customs.

I have never done this and I have no idea what is involved. It all sounds well and good but this might be simple for someone who works as a customs broker but not so much for everyone else. I have always suspected that this may well be a confusing governmental bureaucratic descent in to hell for the average person and that the attempt would likely render most mere mortals more than happy to pay the fee the next time. Then again, who knows until you try.
 
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Just received a Neotec 3 from a private sale in AU. Didn't fit him so he put it up for sale. Replaces a Schuberth that I could not get comfortable in. Doesn't appear to have even been worn more than to try on. Saved enough to pay for a pair of Klim pants.
Took one week from AU, via postal service, and only had to pay the GST (CAD sales tax).
All in all, a pretty smoothh transaction
 

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