SHOEI X-SPR Pro tested

Posted

19 April 2025

Mark Lancaster

Editor Bruce Wilson tells us what we need to know, after 2 years with the helmet:

In my younger years, I’d have worn a saucepan on my head, but getting older, gaining responsibilities and realising that accidents happen has only focused my mind on wearing the best kit on the market. Now, I’m not here to say one brand of helmet is better than another, but what I am assured of is Shoei is one of the best helmet manufacturers in existance and that I have full faith in their products, principals and technologies.

For the past seven years, both on road and off, Shoei has been my staple choice of helmet supplier, with six years clocked in several different X-Spirit IIIs. For me, that was a cracking lid, offering great protection, features and a stylish look. But nothing ever stays the same, and a few years back when Marquez popped up at MotoGP wearing a slightly different style of helmet to ones he’d been wearing previously, the writing was on the wall that there’d be a new model hitting the showrooms pretty soon afterwards… which is exactly what happened.

The X-SPR Pro was a nice surprise and brought about a slightly new look, boasting improved aerodynamics and bettered ventilation. Being honest, I didn’t think the older X-Spirit struggled in either area, or in the noise department, which the X-SPR was also said to have bettered. In principal, the helmets use similar manufacturing materials (Shoei Advanced Integrated Materials… or special quality fibreglass, to you and I), both offer four shell sizes, and each are equipped with features such as the road or race set up, that allows you to pitch the angle of the helmet for improved vision when you’re on track with your head more prone. If you were to be critical, the X-SPR Pro is slightly heavier than the X-Spirit, but that’s a result of meeting and beating tougher legislative demands.

Facts and figures aside, I want to talk about the last couple of years in an X-SPR Pro, which have been nothing short of fantastic. Being honest, with the helmet on my head, it’s hard to note much difference in feel or comfort compared to its predecessor, which is no bad thing. This product suits me and my head shape, offering a snug, all-round fit that is nothing short of reassuring. I wear a size small and I’ve not had to even contemplate dipping into the raft of different padding replacements on offer, that would allow you to get as good a custom fit as possible.

Actually, one thing I used to have to do on the X-Spirit 3 was remove a bit of padding around my ear, as there was always pressure that played me up after three to four hours in the saddle – that’s not been the case with the X-SPR. So technically, for me, the fit is better. And while I can’t claim to have noticed the suggested four decibel decrease in noise on the taps, I would say that this is a super-quiet helmet for what I’d consider a top-level, race-spec lid. On a final padding note, I’ve found the set up super-easy to remove and clean the padding pockets, that all stud and clip back into the shell a treat.

The ventilation on the helmet is great, too, with loads of different inlets and exhausts, and the Pinlock system that came with mine means I’ve never struggled with fogged visors. What I have struggled with is getting the visor open. After so many years of the X-Spirit, I’m still not at one with the central visor tab that needs pressing to get the visor open. Give it a few more years and it’ll be second nature… I hope.

So, it fits wells, keeps me cool and doesn’t deafen me – what else is there to know about this lid? Well, I guess the aesthetics are worth a mention. It’s a step on from the X-Spirit III, that’s for sure, and not in a bad way. The more angular profiles of this helmet give it a more modern and aggressive look, which is no bad thing. I like it, but looks are so subjective, so you’ll have to make your own mind up on whether it floats your boat.

To me, it looks as sharp as anything else out there on the market, and I think its priced well compared to some of its top-end rivals. That said, helmets aren’t cheap these days… but neither are heads.