I’ve been without a helmet for literally MONTHS. Ever since I sold the AGV GP-Tech, I’ve been on the hunt for the right lid…
The AGV was a nice helmet, but I didn’t like the graphics. I wanted something simpler this time, a solid white color. There are a lot of helmets out there that come in white, but I also wanted something a bit more unique. I liked the brief experience I had with a Shoei RF-1100, so I decided to go for another Shoei in the X-12 version. Unfortunately, after calling distributors, Shoei was some how completely out of white X-12’s in my size. This ended up being a process of waiting a couple of weeks, calling with no avail, waiting a couple more weeks… etc. My alternative was another AGV GP-Tech in white, but likewise it was impossible to source one.
I was about to resort to my third choice, an Arai Corsair V which was much more readily available. I knew it was a good helmet, but I wasn’t entirely fond of its shape. Shortly before pulling the trigger on the Arai, I came across a less mainstream brand called X-lite. They’re popular in Europe and many racers wear them, but are not easily found in the US. I looked at the X-lite X-802 and decided this was finally the helmet I’ve been looking for all this time…
Buying it, however, also wasn’t that easy. I had to buy it from a German distributor, which was a bit of a gamble. Luckily they had what I needed in stock, and it was shipped fairly quickly. The actual shipping took a couple weeks, but I now finally have a helmet.
The fit is a bit tight and this helmet does sit a bit closer to your face than others. The padding inside is also rather spartan, so it isn’t the most comfortable or plush thing I’ve worn.
Other than that, the X-lite is well made. Given it’s name, it’s also very light… tipping the scales at a touch over 1000 grams.
What headshape do you think the X802 has? I’m looking for a replacement to my Shark RSR2 (tight lid). Can’t seem to find a lot about headshape but hopefully it’ll be on the oval side.
I’d say it is on the oval side, close to a Shoei in my opinion, but you have to be careful of the shell sizes the X-Lites come in. I’m used to a Small in other brands, which share the same shell size as Mediums… but a small on this X802 has its own, smaller shell size. This made the fit way too small for me.