Gear Review: Tony Hatton’s Shoei J.O Open Face Helmet

Tony Hatton is a legend in our industry, winning loads of domestic races and championships, Bathurst, and the Suzuka 8 Hours. He’s also been at the pointy end of multiple 24-hour races too. A tuning guru as well, Hatto is still riding these days… And he has a Shoei J.O lid. 

Tony ‘Hatto’ Hatton knows a good lid when he wears one. His short list of achievements include three Australian 125GP titles, two Australian 250GP titles, multiple Castrol 6 Hour podiums, multiple Bathurst wins, multiple Production Bike wins, top 10 Le Mans 24hr finishes, the 1974 Duke of Edinborough Trophy and an outright win in the Suzuka 8 Hour endurance race!

Well into retirement, Hatto has slowed down a little these days, to the tune of a scooter and his beloved classic BMW that he lovingly restored. He cruises around his local area and enjoys weekend runs with mates on his Honda CB500. Always an open face wearer, Tony needed a new one, and when Jeff mentioned to him how good his own Shoe J.O is, Hatto decided to give one a go for himself…

Jeff raves about his own Shoei J.O lid that has put in a solid 6 years so far. He wears it every other day all year round.

We had a chat to Hatto about the lid… The neat features with the J.O are the solid feel that is has as a fibreglass outer shell helmet. At 1050 grams it is solid enough while still being lightweight and as the sides come well forward past your ears, covering your cheek bones, the J.O feels more secure than some open face lids.

Tony Hatton on his way to second overall in the Castrol 6 Hour aboard a BMW Boxer.

Secondly, once fastened, the J.O feels very secure. The lining is really plush and comfy and there is no itchy scalp even after hot days. Also, the lining is removable and easy to wash also.

The goggle strap is handy for carrying the helmet around, but there is an integrated visor. The visor can be set to three different positions with a stop button that allows you to set the visor to stop just above your nose. The visor itself is optically good, Hatto runs a clear visor, just like he always did.

Check out the entire Shoei J.O range and prices here…

For an open face helmet, the J.O is exceptionally quiet and amazingly, pretty warm! Obviously you get a cold face in any open face lid but the rest of your noggin remains toasty with the J.O. It is also, in our opinion, really stylish.

At speeds over 90-100km/h, the J.O begins to lift and if you tilt your head forward, the visor presses on your nose. Also, over 80-90km/h there is air turbulence behind the visor, which makes the eyes water. These are pretty much universal open face lid issues, unless you run a large press on full visor.

All up, Hatto reckons the Shoei is a really impressive helmet that is showing no signs of wear, is easy to clean and worth a look if you are in the market for an open face, retro styled helmet…

SHOEI J.O FEATURES

MULTI-PLY MATRIX AIM SHELL
• Shoei aim 6 layer composite shell for optimum rigidity
• 3 Shell sizes and 4 eps sizes ensure perfect size and fit from XS through to XXL
• Superlight weight – from only 950 grams!
• Ultra-compact design ensures low, snug fit

INTEGRATED CJ-3 VISOR
• Integrated CJ-3 visor with protection from 99% of harmful UV rays
• Adjustable in 3 positions for perfect comfort
• Accessory visor colours available separately: Clear, Dark Tint, Hi-Def Yellow
• Wind tunnel design to restrict turbulence
• 100% optically correct

DUAL-LAYER / 4 PIECE MULTI-DENSITY EPS LINER
• Multi-density EPS liner for premium impact absorption
• Optimised protection through eps elements with different shock absorbing levels
• No safety compromise due to visor – most helmet manufacturers sacrifice the thickness of the EPS-liner in the front of the helmet to provide room for an internal visor. This results in a big loss of safety. Shoei keeps the same thickness EPS through the entire helmet so there is no compromise to safety

DETACHABLE AND WASHABLE 3D INTERIOR
• Premium 3D comfort liner with leather edging
• Fully removable, washable and replaceable interior
• Multi-layer 3D contoured cheek pads offer maximum comfort & hold
• Non-reflective liner material around visor opening reduces reflection for enhanced visibility
• Cheek pads available in varying thickness for custom fitting

REAR GOGGLE STRAP

• Leather goggle strap holds riding goggles in place at speed
• Premium snap button closure with embossed Shoei logo

From $599.90 to $799.90 RRP – visit Shoei Helmets Australia for full details here… Click on the colour you like and the price will appear.