Shoei RF1200 Visor Issue

Hey all-

I have an issue with my RF1200 visor. Once in a while, when I open it while riding, from the locked position, the shield will become disengaged on the right side. Admittedly, I don't have a lot of miles on this helmet, it's still pretty new, so the visor seems a lot stiffer than the one on my old Shoei, an X-11 with tons of miles on it and its shield.

I put a little bit of the Shoei lube on the ratchet portion of the side plate and worked the shield up and down several times. That seemed to help a fair amount. It also seemed easier to get the shield to lock down.

So, all knowing forum, is this just a simple matter of breaking in the shield mechanism a bit? Like I said, the shield on my X-11 has pretty weak detents compared to this new helmet. I'd really hate to have to send it back to Shoei since I have my Sena 20s installed in it.

Thanks for any help you guys can offer.

It will get better as you use the helmet. I would try replacing the shield before sending the helmet in.

Just make sure the shield is properly engaged in the side locking mechanism and also working it up and down many times will have it working just fine.

Thanks guys. I'm thinking you're right. I got so used to the slick smooth action of my old one that had been worked up & down thousands of times. I'll work the shield up and down a bunch of times and make sure it's lubed.

Mine has acted weird a couple times. Am not looking at it (drove to work today) but I have had several occasions when the ratchet mechanism hadn't dropped completely into position properly. Symptoms were exactly what you've described.

Yeah, it locks into position but when a slow steady uneven pressure is applied (when lifting the shield from the locked position by the tab on the left side of the shield), that's when it tends to pop out. But not all the time. I think it mostly needs breaking in. I'll try that and see how it goes.

Your helmet rating? My Arai needs retirement, but it's not a brand that's commonly stocked. Instant access to the Shoei at the BMW shop. Fit my long oval head very nicely. Did I read something that inferred that the RF1200 might lean more to the racing end of the spectrum with its' higher cutouts for neck/shoulder? I want no cold weather drafts.

3rd season on my RF1200. Still occasionally don't get the shield ratchet foot down in the hole properly.

Primarily got it in search of relative peace & quiet without earplugs. Still haven't figured out why my FJR is quieter wind noise-wise helmetless...

The chin curtain is getting pretty nasty, other than that no complaints. Wash the liner at least once a season and first couple rides after feels like it did when it was new (a little too snug).

I like it.

This is my 1st season with the RF1200, coming from an X-11 as the OP and haven’t experienced the shield popping out any. The shield is much harder to open than the X-11 was and seems thicker (formed?) and the clarity is great.

I noticed the first time I had the helmet on with a jacket on that with the higher cutout, the helmet was not riding/rubbing on my jacket collar anymore. A big plus there. Looking around for merging into traffic is now easier because of this.

Installing the Bluetooth headset was really easy too, as the helmet comes with speaker cutouts already.

One of the best helmet purchases to date.

With both my shoei and my nolans, it is possible to install the shield, feel like it's fully engaged, and raise and lower it normally. But at times, I have found that the forward edge of one of the attachment points isn't actually fully seated, and may allow that side to disengage at some point. A second of extra attention to make sure that forward edge is fully seated, and I never have it happen. I don't believe any helmet is quiet enough to negate the need for earplugs or monitors.

Mine acted this way once and found that the quick release mechanism was not seated all the way back when i put the lense back in. No issues since I double check that each time I the shield on after cleaning.