The Shoei Hornet-DS, Good Dual-Sport Motorcycle Helmet
I hate to admit it, but I've reached a point in my riding career when I now have specific helmets for use with certain types of motorcycles. The latest addition to my ever-growing collection of helmets has been the Shoei Hornet-DS. Since obtaining the Shoei Hornet-DS helmet I'm happy to report that it has single-handily filled a huge gap in a wide range of riding scenarios for me.Shoei has been producing motorcycle helmets since 1960 and was my manufacturer of choice when I began riding on the street back in the '80s. Introduced in 2007, the Shoei Hornet-DS is the company's first duel-sport-specific helmet. These days I do very little dual-sport riding, but at the same time I love to go adventure-touring any chance I get. So as you can imagine up until now whenever I'd go out, I've always had to choose whether to wear a street-style full-face helmet and suck it up on the dirt road, or wear a dirt-style helmet and pay the price on the paved road.
With the Shoei Hornet-DS, I no longer have to decide, thanks to the simple fact that this full-face can be set up in three different configurations: visor and shield, visor only, and shield only.
Every Shoei helmet is manufactured to high standards and comes with a ton of extras, and the Shoei Hornet-DS is no exception. On the inside, there is a 3D Max-Dry liner system and a fully removable/replaceable interior. On the outside, upper, lower, and visor air intakes combine with multiple vents to keep things cool for riding in tropical Thailand. Heck, even the cheek pads have eyeglass-arm channels, making wearing glasses underneath the visor a breeze (in Thai dark visors are prohibited but sunglasses are no problem).
Overall, the Shoei Hornet-DS has given me the best of both worlds, and I cannot remember ever having a helmet that was so satisfying to own. The true beauty of this Shoei helmet is its versatility. The Shoei Hornet-DS is quickly becoming the full-face helmet I reach for more often than not.
