HJC RPHA 91 Review | Really Quiet Enough To Ride Without Ear Protection? | Quieter Than A Schuberth?

[@PAinVA]

I have the non carbon version of this helmet. I too based my purchase on Champion helmet's test. It is a quiet helmet. For short rides (less than 2 hours and little highway) I think you could skip the ear plugs but for longer rides they are a must. I like the modular design even though I don't ride with the chin bar up. With modular it is easier to get the helmet on. My iPhone can facial recognize me with the chin bar up. Most importantly, for the occasional itch on your face being able to flip up the chin bar is a god send. The vent at the top really moves a lot of air, I can feel the air blowing on the top of me head. The eyebrow vents are nice too (they do make a difference). I would say the helmet is a bit front heavy (and heavy in general). Lastly the helmet (perhaps due to enhanced standards) is physically large. I'm an XL and the eps and liner add a lot of thickness. From cheek to outside the shell it's like ~2". Thx for the review, the carbon sure looks nice.

[@BlueMarbleRider]

Great comments - I like the helmet and am gelling with it more now. Certainly I love that chin bar.

[@Root_boy]

@@PAinVA I'd go as far as to say the helmet is almost too quiet. I'm riding around with free flowing pipes and I wouldn't mind to hear the engine a bit louder..

[@RobKwalheim]

I'll be looking for a new helmet to buy this winter. I've had several different brands but have always found my way back to Shoei. Fitment for me is paramount and Shoei (and a couple of Arai from the past) fit my head shape best. A well made good fitting helmet is usually a fairly quiet helmet but I still wear added ear protection.

[@BlueMarbleRider]

Nicely put. Fit is so important. Shoei seem to have a very faithful following and no doubt there's a reason for that. Cheers.

[@karlbishop7481]

Interesting and to me a valuable review. I have hearing loss due to a variety of noisy activities including riding motorcycles before ear plugs were a common thing. Through the years I have worn several brands of helmets, in recent years mostly looking for a quiet helmet. I have two that I wear now, a Schuberth C3 Pro for day to day use so wear and tear doesn't bother me. My touring helmet is a Nolan 100-5. I think the noise levels of these hemets are about the same. I also bought a RPHA 90 Carbon on closeout which felt pretty good in the store but after a little bit not so much. It was then that I realized it was a small not a medium which is more my size. At first I thought it was pretty quiet but after some time not as quiet as my other two. I have tried on a 91 which I thought fit very well maybe one of the best I have ever worn except for a Neotech ll. The Neotech was horribly noisy, I hadn't ridden a block when I thought what have I done, spent a small fortune for this? Anyway I am in a quandry as to whether I should get a 91as reviews report quiet and others noisy. I guess maybe I should just stick with the Nolan, reasonably quiet but the fit isn't great even with some modifications. On a side note the quietest helmet I ever owned was an Italian made Nava many years ago. Unfortunately that company went out of business decades ago.

[@BlueMarbleRider]

I really enjoyed reading your comment. The 91 is quiet, but it does have that carbon tapping. If I were to get another one it would be the non-carbon shell. I have found mine very comfortable, fairly quiet and the vents work well. However, I am behind a shield (I wear it on my Vstrom, although I wore it on one of my nakeds the other day, and it did well; however, I always wear ear plugs.) Cheers.

[@lylemacdonald6672]

Some helmets are designed for sport bike seating position and others for upright seating on a touring/cruiser bike.

[@BlueMarbleRider]

Agree. Interesting observation by another viewer about head position on his Schuberth C4 Pro and how it drastically affects wind noise. Wondering if you have noticed the same?

[@bailey9r]

Just a word on noise level and relative comparisons. In electronic sound reproduction such as your car stereo, it takes twice the power to produce 3 DB more volume BUT it can take up to 6 DB for your ears to hear more or less volume depending on how sensitive your ears are. The HJC is 3 DB lower than a say RF1400 Shoei so it may be less damaging but it's more accurate to say you could go say two hours without permanent damage BUT only one in the RF1400. But bottom line is less is always better. ;

[@BlueMarbleRider]

Thanks - that's interesting, something I didn't know. Ear plugs for me always now, as I didn't bother when I was younger and am paying the price for cheaper helmets, a lack of common sense and disregard for roaring wind noise! Cheers.

[@Root_boy]

The review unit they showed on RevZilla has the double D rings, so there's definitely a version of it out there. I just ordered the ratchet version, which I prefer.

[@BlueMarbleRider]

Good to know, thanks.

[@NaderBelaid]

HJC is offering this helmet with a DD ring for the US market and a micrometric ratchet for the European market

[@tamayaytam]

Thanks Mister. I bought shark sqwall i3 using on a naked bike . after 70 km/h I can not even hear my thoughts. I was looking for a replacement. Your video helped a lot.

[@BlueMarbleRider]

Cheers.

[@stephenbaron5681]

I watched a number of reviews and all the best helmets are fairly close in noise levels. On my Moto Guzzi Norge I can get away with no ear plugs with my loud Bell Bullit or my Shoie Neotec 2 (certified open and no silly lock). On my Norton Commando at 45 mph the Shoie is quit, no ear plugs needed. At 60 mph plugs needed on both helmets. Quality and fit would be my number one buying criteria. If the helmet is designed so that turning you head doesn’t result in head yank, then I think weight is irrelevant.

[@BlueMarbleRider]

Great observations there. I seem to need plugs over 30mph on all my helmets, unless I'm on my Vstrom with the Givi Airflow...then it's all good.

[@namo80]

Hey, found a comment on fc-moto that got me worried if if rains. Is this something that you can verify? Bought 2 of this helmet from FC-Moto, one for myself and another for a friend. Both of us have been using the helmet for about 2 months now. A disappointment compared to its predecessor the RPHA 90S carbon. Pros : a much nicer and more "aerodynamic" shaped, Padding is comfortable enough for long distance rides, didn't feel much wind buffeting for myself as I had a relatively high windshield on my bike. Could say the same for my other friend who was riding a naked bike. Cons : wind noise is so much noisier if you are riding a naked bike without a windshield. My friend compared it to his AGV K6 and that was significantly quieter according to him. Locking mechanism for the chin bar gets stuck a fair bit if you try to lift it up at times. Deal breaker 1 : I come from a tropical country and we experience quite a bit of rain and they get especially heavy during the monsoon season, initially it was only my friend that experienced this at first but later on I did as well, water seems to seep in from the top of the helmet hence soaking your balaclava if you are wearing one. This came as a surprise and also makes one frustrated. No one enjoys riding with a wet spongy lid. And before you ask, yes we did close all the air vents on the helmets prior to riding through the rain. Tested this 2-3 times during a couple of my rainy rides and I couldn't find the cause of it. Deal breaker 2: The pin lock is probably a tad bit bigger than it should be as mine warped on one side thus causing the pinlock to almost fall off. Apparently the same issued was faced by my friend. So the likelihood of a user issue on installing the pin lock visor is unlikely plus it isnt the first I'm installing one on a helmet. Had 5 other helmet prior that required installation of ppnlock of which 3 of them were hjc helmets and have not come across this issue. So in conclusion avoid this helmet till HJC fixes the issues it has. And probably do a better job at it's customer service.

[@BlueMarbleRider]

Thanks for the information and feedback - valuable information. So far...I haven't had any leaks: I rode home in a very heavy wet coast downpour on a naked for an hour the other day, and it didn't leak. The pinlock in mine worked, but all vents were open. I find if any of the vents are closed, then it starts to get misty in there. Noise wasn't too bad, but it does suffer from that irritating carbon tapping sound. Cheers.

Hey Paul, congrats on your retirement. We will need to go out on a ride together sometime. Sorry to hear about your crash, hopefully you are healling up quickly. I saw you were already out riding on your Kawasaki. Really enjoying your channel, keep up the good work.

[@BlueMarbleRider]

Thanks, Dalan. Great to hear you are watching - yes a ride for sure. Still waiting on the Guzzi, and am in the UK right now, but soooon. Cheers.

[@33Nautiboy]

I bought the R91 CARBON specially from Korea. The forehead is so tight within 10mins of riding that almost impacted my vision. Thinking I've chose the wrong size(which cannot be as I've tried the R90 same size before n it was ok). Try the 1 side bigger and the same forehead cramping up feel....sold it away!!!

[@BlueMarbleRider]

Sorry to hear that! There was another person who complained about the same problem with that helmet.

[@clanky44]

I’m a skeptic when it comes to helmet noise review claims. I think that head shape is more of a factor in proper fit than most folks realize… As a new rider, I watched numerous reviews on helmets and eventually settled on the HJC RPHA 71. It was highly recommended as one of the quietest helmets in the market. After 9000km this summer on my new W800 (on mostly backroads), I have found my helmet to be very noisy. Even with ear protection, the wind noise is consistent and irritating. I wear a size 2xl and that was part of the issue when purchasing, good luck finding 2xl’s to try on at even the best of shops.

[@BlueMarbleRider]

Agree - noise claims are hard to validate and best to assume that earplugs are a must. BTW - nice bike! Used to have a w650 and still regret selling it. Cheers.

[@Aquadug]

I belive they ride around 130km and measure around 95db, you need earplugs if you're riding at highway speeds and don't want to experience hearing loss.

[@paultaylorduke]

I have a Schuberth C4 Pro, and ride a naked bike, with my body position being my head down a bit, the helmet is not quiet at all. I started with a HJC RPHA 11 but the wind noise is bad on it as well, that was the reason i bought the Schuberth. If I sit perfectly upright with the C4 Pro and have my head looking slightly at the sky the wind noise drops drastically, but that body and head position isn't natural feeling to me. Ear Plugs needed for sure. I'd be curious to hear if you tip your head down, like you're looking at your instrument panel does the wind noise increase?

[@BlueMarbleRider]

That's an interesting observation, and you know, I don't know if I do do that or not. I will ride and check that one out. I do tend to lean slightly forward (my bars are on both the Guzzi and Z900RS-aftermarket bars on that, are sporty), and this may cause the problem. Cheers.

[@stephenscott6570]

The main part of helmet is carbon. The modular chin part is high impact plastic.

[@BlueMarbleRider]

Makes sense, doesn't quite match, and perhaps a little misleading by HJC. Cheers.

[@passinthru4328]

I ride with an HJC RPHA 71 behind a large windscreen on my 22 NC750X and find that at highway speeds I need ear protection. I bought this helmet because of lots of YT reviews claiming it was relatively quiet, and at a moderate price. I'm now a skeptic when it comes to claims about helmet noise reduction.

[@BlueMarbleRider]

Agree. It's quiet, but not quiet... I find that the 91 makes some funny ticks and wind generated booms at times, and is nowhere near as quiet as is made out. That said, it probably is one of the quietest helmets, but wearing a large rigid sphere over your head while ripping through the ether at highway speeds would likely require noise cancelling electronic speakers to make any helmet "quiet". Like you, I am very skeptical about helmet noise claims.

[@passinthru4328]

@ wearing Airpod Pros is actually a relatively good form of ear protection, with the added benefit of being able to answer phone calls while riding.

[@victormcadam2240]

Changing gears here, what were the brand of horns and relay you put on your Z900RS,

[@BlueMarbleRider]

The horns are Fiamm freeway blaster horns. You need two (low tone and high tone). The relay is a standard 12 volt relay (JD1914 - Car Horn Relay 4 Pin 12v 40amp) available on amazon for a few bucks. Cheers.

[@ADobbin1]

I don't know about elsewhere but where I live you are required to wear hearing protection above 90 decibels on job sites and factories because of long term hearing loss. So I'd say not you can't ride without ear protection.

[@BlueMarbleRider]

Yes, I believe its the same here too. Not sure what the threshold for permanent ear damage is, but 96db is pretty loud.

[@rodmitchell8787]

I have a problem with forehead pain with this helmet ,as do many other riders,I was able to alleviate a lot of the pain by crushing in the styrofoam in he forehead area with my knuckle, still not perfect though.

[@BlueMarbleRider]

Interesting, haven't come across that. Wonder if that will affect the impact absorption of the helmet? I haven't had an issue with that, but I've got a fairly flat forehead (which probably explains a few of my questionable decisions :-)

[@fwijffels]

Champion helmets doesn't make a fair test, at least not for anyone riding a naked, supermoto, dirtbike etc.

[@BlueMarbleRider]

Yes the sound will be louder on a naked. What I do like about the Champion test is they use the same bike behind the same windshield at the same speed, so the comparison is helpful in that respect. Cheers.

[@MrGolden28473]

i find the pads get to soft when worn. i have several other hjc helmets, that ive been happy with for decades. but this is not the same sizing, padding weak (ive bought 2 replacement pads already), don't find it super quiet, airflow is lacking, and the visor is cheap when compared to other hjc helmets. very disappointed.

[@BlueMarbleRider]

Sorry to hear that. I haven't worn mine enough to judge it yet, but it doesn't scream "high end" to me, despite the claims out there. Cheers.

[@F-Ryd3r]

I love hate this helmet. I wear an XL. Shield slams closed at speed because of weak detents. When chin bar is up, the tinted visor does not come down easily because my cheeks flex the helmet at the cheek pads. (Visor does come down without issue when chin bar is down or if I squeeze sides of helmet together.) I bet thinner cheek pads would fix this for me, but I like the the feel of what I have. I have had one occasion where tinted visor dislodged from a wind gust; while the chin bar was down. Could have become loose because of issue above. I have to wear ear protection while on highway. But still quietest helmet I own. I put short thin strips of double sided gorilla tape in the grooves on the coms panel to create a flatter mounting surface and attached my Cardo unit right on top of it. (did same for my RPHA 31 with no issues) That being said, it is an extremely comfortable helmet. No forehead issues. I can ride for hours without pressure points. But HJC please fix the visor dropping. Its like a jump scare that always gets me.

[@BlueMarbleRider]

Agree about that visor...mine isn't dropping yet, but I haven't ridden with it much.

[@cpuuk]

I sit behind a touring screen, no ear plugs required.

[@BlueMarbleRider]

Yes, that is an advantage for sure. Makes a heck of lot of difference to quality of ride and comfort. I enjoy my Vstrom for the same reason.

[@ianransom09]

This is so noisy compared to my other HJC helmet. That was on three different style bikes, so don’t take anothers opinion.