The Shark Ridill is the replacement of the beloved Shark S700S helmet. Coming in at just under AU$250, this entry-level helmet offers a great level of protection and quality. The Ridill also comes with ECE 22.05 and DOT certification. With Shark considered to be one of the safest helmet manufacturers on the market, how does the Ridill stack up against other helmets at the same price point? We decided to review the Shark Ridill and find out if it really is one of the best budget helmets in Australia.
Review Summary:
- Extremely Safe
- Feature Packed
Affordable - Loads of Designs to Choose From
Introducing the Shark Ridill
Helmet Style: Full-Face
Certifications: SHARP 4 Star | ECE 22.05 | DOT
Shell: Polycarbonate
Sizes: XS-XL
Shell Sizes: 2
Weight: 1.55kg
Pinlock Compatible: Yes | Included
Included Visor: Clear Visor | Internal Sun Visor
Liner: Removable | Washable
Intercoms Compatible: No
Eyewear Compatible: Yes
+ Very affordable with a good range of designs
+ Removable & washable liner with glasses groove
+ Comes with pinlock
− Integrated sun-visor slider is awkward to operate
− Visor opening clip is small
− Lacks a chin curtain
Safety
The Shark Ridill boasts
Helmet Shell & Lining
As mentioned before, the Shark Ridill has a Polycarbonate shell. It also comes with a multi-density Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) liner. Unfortunately, however, the helmet only comes in one shell size. Considering it covers head sizes from XS to XL, it would’ve been nice to see a few other shell sizes to lower the weight of the helmet for smaller sizes. The base model is 1.55kg, but you can expect the helmet to be slightly heavier as extra padding is needed for sizes in the lower range.
Comfort & Sizing
The liner in the Shark Ridill is incredibly comfortable and both removable and washable. It also utilises hygroscopic “bird’s eye” fabric which gives the helmet a more comfortable fit. The interior of the helmet also features grooves for your glasses and suits a wide variety of eyewear.
This helmet fits true-to-size, so if you normally wear a medium helmet then a medium Ridill will best suit you. Overall, the helmet is quite comfortable and would be suitable for longer commutes.
Ventilation & Noise
Unfortunately, the Shark Ridill does not come with a chin curtain or any exhaust vents. It does, however, come with a chin vent and two lateral crown vents. The lack of exhausts means there’s no place for hot air to escape other than the neckroll. The ventilation is still quite good considering there’s no exhaust, but in the next iteration of this helmet, we would love to see Shark put some in.
Despite the lack of a chin curtain, this helmet has fairly decent noise reduction. In fact, most riders find it slightly better than average.
Extra Features
The Shark Ridill comes with an anti-scratch visor that operates on a ratchet mechanism. It’s also Pinlock compatible and has one included in the box. You can remove the visor with Shark’s “Quick-Release Visor System”. This technology comes in the form of buttons located on the sides of the helmet that you push to detach the visor. Also included is an integrated sun visor, which is operated by using a slider located on the top of the helmet.
Shark also utilises a Micrometric fastener on the Ridill. It’s a fairly new technology for motorcycle helmets, but it allows you to easily secure the helmet to your head. This technology uses a small hard plastic or metal curved stip with teeth on one side of the chin strap. The other side has a corresponding slot with a spring-loaded ratchet mechanism. Using this chin strap, you can easily adjust how tightly you want the helmet to fit. Once you’ve initially set up your ideal fit, putting on your helmet is as easy as clipping in.
Conclusion
In conclusion, for this price, there are not many helmets that manage to balance out safety and features quite to the degree that this helmet does. Although many helmets can do what the Shark Ridill does
