What’s the Quietest, Noise Canceling Helmet? Our Top 3 Picks

Tired of the whistling wind through your $100 lid? The crack of your uber-expensive Vance & Hines pipes shattering your eardrums? Or you just want to hear the radio over it all?

I’m Evan, and I’ve been there before.

I even had a brush with death once as a result. Too much wind noise in my helmet and I didn’t notice a semi-truck bearing down on me late at night until the last minute.

Here’s a quick rundown of the quietest helmets. Want the full reviews of each? Keep scrolling.

• Absolute Quietest: Shoei RF-1400
• Quietest Touring (Modular): Schuberth C5
• Quietest Adventure/Off-Road: Arai XD-5

Need more details? I don’t blame you.

Here are a few ground rules to keep in mind as we go through all the quietest helmets on the market today.

• You’re going to spend more than $500 on this helmet: If you want a helmet that keeps noise down, build quality is key. No cheap helmets will rank here. Expect to spend $500 – $900 on this helmet, but you will get the best in class comfort and safety.
• Do not buy a loose helmet: Helmet fit is the biggest factor in helmet noise. Even a high end helmet won’t be quiet if air is rushing in every nook and cranny. Fit is not just about size, but shape as well. Find the perfect fit with our helmet fitting guide.
• Noise cancelling is not what you want: Active noise cancelling is not a thing in helmets. If you want that, get AirPods (actually a good choice). What you want is a well built, quiet helmet that fits you just right. This will dampen the noises you don’t want, leaving room for those you do.

Other reviews on quiet and noise cancelling helmets will shill you junk knockoffs froom Chinese manufacturers that just don’t do the job in any sense. This list of noise canceling and quiet helmets is for those of you who don’t want to get pancaked by stupid drivers, or stuff in ear plugs in every time you ride.

Before you turn around and yell, “Evan, how is a quiet helmet going to help me stay aware of what’s on the road?!”

A well built and quiet helmet helps because it tunes out the routine noises that deafen your sense of hearing, like your tires on the road and the wind rushing over your helmet. Certain types of ear plugs do the same.

And boy am I glad I had a very quiet Shoei when I tailed the red and black beauty below. I was riding from Denver to Phoenix with my dad, and we came across more than a few loud cruisers.

A quiet helmet actually makes it EASIER to hear cars passing you, horns and other out-of-the-ordinary noises. Sure, those noises will likely be quieter than before on an absolute, decibels basis – but they will be louder than other distracting noises.

So for this roundup of helmets, I rode around with a couple friends to chat about their experiences with noise in different helmets…

Here’s what we came up with as the quietest helmets on the market today:

Quietest Overall	For Touring (Modular)	For Adventure
Shoei RF-1400	Schuberth C5	Arai XD-5
Quietest helmet, probably ever Plush noise-sealing cheekpads and neck roll Great fit (4 shell sizes) DOT and Snell certified, with ECE in EU Staff pick at Revzilla	Modular flip up chin bar Drop down sun visor Space for integrated comms unit Many colorway options DOT certified, with ECE in EU	Quietest ADV helmet Removable peak Tons of ventilation Can use with googles DOT and Snell certified, with ECE in EU
Buy from Revzilla	Buy from Revzilla	Buy from Revzilla
Buy from Amazon

Quietest Overall

Shoei RF-1400

• Quietest helmet, probably ever
• Plush noise-sealing cheekpads and neck roll
• Great fit (4 shell sizes)
• DOT and Snell certified, with ECE in EU
• Staff pick at Revzilla

Buy from Revzilla

Buy from Amazon

For Touring (Modular)

Schuberth C5

• Modular flip up chin bar
• Drop down sun visor
• Space for integrated comms unit
• Many colorway options
• DOT certified, with ECE in EU

Buy from Revzilla

For Adventure

Arai XD-5

• Quietest ADV helmet
• Removable peak
• Tons of ventilation
• Can use with googles
• DOT and Snell certified, with ECE in EU

Buy from Revzilla

On to the helmets!

Shoei RF-1400 – The Best Motorcycle Helmet for Wind Noise Reduction

Throw out your beloved Shoei RF-1200. With the release of the RF-1400, the wizards at Shoei made the 1200 look like an old bucket in your garage. While the 1200 was already quiet, you could wear the 1400 in a Category 5 hurricane and get the best sleep of your life.

In fact, if you have young kids, you might want to wear this to bed too. How do I know?

While the RF-1400 isn’t an active noise cancelling motorcycle helmet, I have a crazy friend that has put it to the test.

Why the Shoei RF-1400 is So Quiet

A friend of mine with low regard for his own life donned this lid and ripped up to 120mph. When he hit that speed, he moved his head all around while chatting through his Sena headset with us humble folks rolling at highway speeds.

Not only did he say he could barely hear the wind even at 120, we could hear him clear as day over the intercom. Nothing short of zen.

The RF-1400 is one of the quietest helmets ever to grace this Earth. Shoei knocked it out of the park with the RF-1200, so they eeked out a 4% improvement on drag and 6% less lift with the RF-1400 in their wind tunnels.

Why do you care? That’s less turbulence for you, meaning less strain on your neck and less wind noise.

Back to my friend’s ‘daredevil test’ – did I forget to mention he ripped that run a second time with all five vents open? The RF-1400 has a chin vent about the size of the Joker’s smile, and three across the brow that give BMW’s latest front grille a run for its money in size. Again, no ear plugs.

A tight neck roll that curves in at the front to fit to the rider’s jaw and a nice big chin guard to seal wind noise out from below. The visor seal is, in classic Shoei fashion, incredibly well sealed. You couldn’t fit a razor blade anywhere in between the seal and the visor (do not try this at home!)

Still not convinced? A couple other benefits:

• Lightweight Helmet (for a full face): Weighs just 3.56 lbs or 1,616g in Medium
• Ear Cutouts for Added Comfort: Not only is it quiet in there, Shoei made little lounges for your ears. No padding squeezing them in, and space for speakers from a Bluetooth headset.
• Better than Average at Absorbing Impacts: Using Shoei’s AIM (Advanced Integrated Matrix +) material – a fiber-reinforced plastic (1) – the RF-1400 one-ups all the polycarbonate brain buckets out there without entering the stratospheric price range. It’s also Snell certified!
• Comfortable fit for Everyone’s Head: Even if you came off a spaceship, the four shell sizes covering XS to 2XL mean no matter your head size, this helmet will fit snug. That means quieter too.
• Easy Visor Operation with Gloved Hand: Crack the visor 1/8th open with a gloved hand, using the huge lip in the center.

Seal Out the Bad, Keep the Good

Sure, the Shoei RF-1400 doesn’t actively block out noise. But it’s quiet, and that’s what really matters. The brilliant design in this helmet’s shell and padding make it one of the quietest helmets on the market. Shoei has noise reduction down to a science. No need for foam ear plugs in this one.

Recent reviews speak for themselves:

• “Awesome Helmet. Very light and great aerodynamics. Great vents and noise protection.” (2)
• “This helmet dampens sound better than my other helmets. I wear earplugs and still hear some wind noise, but the snug fit and chin curtain helps a lot.” (2)

Pick it up in classic glossy or matte black, blue, grey, or even yellow. Toss in the Cardo Packtalk Edge (10% off with code BTR) and you’re set for rider comms, GPS, music and calls.

Shoei RF-1400 Street Helmet

$649.99

Pros:

• Staff pick at Revzilla
• Excellent build quality
• Thick noise-sealing cheekpads
• Airtight visor seal

Buy from Revzilla Buy from Amazon

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Quietest Touring Helmet: Schuberth C5 Modular

For long tours, quiet isn’t just a comfort thing; it’s a fatigue issue as well. I’ve been on both ends of the spectrum:

1. 12 hours seat time from downtown Bangkok to Chiang Mai in a single day, on a CRF250 with a straight pipe and a $150 dirt bike helmet. Needless to say my ears were ringing for a week.
2. 8 hours across Kansas (can’t recommend it) on my Harley Ultra Limited in a Shoei RF-SR (actually a decent budget option for a quiet helmet) – still had the energy to go out for dinner and drinks that night.

If you’re racking up serious miles, comfort and quiet are non-negotiable. Wind noise is the enemy of a blissful tour. Thankfully, Schuberth has your back.

Schuberth built its entire reputation on making whisper-quiet helmets, and the C5 is their latest masterpiece. Seriously, this thing is SERENE. We’re talking library-levels of quiet inside this helmet, even when you’re cruising at highway speeds on a streetfighter.

How did they do it? They obsessed over every millimeter of this helmet to kill noise. Aerodynamic shell? Check. Visor seals tighter than a marching band snare drum? Double-check. Plush, noise-absorbing lining? You betcha. The C5 is German engineering at its finest, applied to the art of silence.

You’d be hard pressed to notice you’re wearing a modular, which is typically far noisier than a full face.

And it’s not just about quiet. This is a Schuberth, so you know it’s packed with all the touring goodies. Integrated sun visor for chasing those blinding sunsets? Yep. Ventilation that actually works without sounding like a wind tunnel? Absolutely. One touch to lift the chin bar for gas stops and chats? Of course.

You get a meticulously crafted composite shell for great impact absorption and low weight, multi-density EPS foam, a wide viewport and an anti-fog Pinlock lens included in the box.

The C5 is an investment, no doubt. It will make your wallet a little lighter. But fixing your hearing in ten years is a lot more expensive, not to mention the extra energy and safety benefits of not having 100dB rushing past your ears on every ride.

You’re paying for top-tier German engineering, meticulous noise reduction, and a helmet that’s built to last tour after tour. Consider it the cost of admission to the “blissfully quiet miles” club. You might actually save you money in the long run by preventing hearing damage and reducing fatigue, meaning you can ride longer and enjoy it more. Worth it? We think so.

My only gripes with this helmet?

That Schuberth has such an obsession with selling helmets built to fit custom made Sena systems, like the SC2 communication system that’s built to fit in this helmet. These are a pain for two reasons: It makes putting any other communications systems in these helmets a little trickier (usually can’t use a clamp mount) and you can’t take your comms system to another helmet if you switch helmets or get a new one.

That one system is forever tied to that helmet – so you can’t use the comms system in multiple helmets, or upgrade it when newer tech comes out. But if you like Senas and don’t mind marrying comms and your helmet, the SC2 is a good buy.

That all said, the helmet itself is fantastic. For touring riders who prioritize a quiet and comfortable ride above all else, the Schuberth C5 is your go-to. Schuberth is renowned for producing exceptionally quiet helmets, and the C5 is no exception.

Schuberth C5 Helmet

The quietest touring helmet money can buy, kitted out with all the features you expect for those long days in the saddle.

Pros:

• Modular flip up chin bar
• Drop down sun visor
• Space for integrated comms unit
• Many colorway options
• DOT certified, with ECE in EU

Buy from Revzilla SC2 Custom Sena System

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Quietest Adventure Helmet: Arai XD-5

Let’s be real, adventure helmets and “quiet” are not often uttered in the same sentence.

Adventure isn’t exactly about comfort either, so maybe noise doesn’t matter to you – however, if you’re still reading, it does. And I’ll bet safety and practicality matter to you as well.

The Arai XD-5 delivers all of that, especially for adventure riders who are doing equal parts road and trail. For an adventure lid, the XD-5 is remarkably quiet.

Building a quiet adventure lid is a tough nut to crack: A good adventure helmet has great ventilation to keep you cool when you’re battling muddy tracks and bouldered paths. You need a peak to shield from the sun and the monsoon of dirt coming from your buddy’s rear tire. Typically that combo means wind noise galore.

But Arai, with their legendary build quality and attention to detail, have somehow pulled off a bit of magic with the XD-5. And a few simple tricks to reduce the downsides of a traditional adventure helmet.

Arai’s legendary smooth, round shell shape – their bedrock principle for deflection and safety – becomes a secret weapon against noise. That organic shape, honed in their wind tunnels, minimizes the turbulent eddies that whip up wind roar.

Then there’s the visor system – Arai’s meticulous sealing around the eyeport is legendary, and in the XD-5, it’s been further refined to create a vault-like closure against wind intrusion. Closing the visor gives a solid click. Arai is sparing no expense on build quality, as usual.

And the peak – while useful offroad, it’s a liability on the highway when it tends to grab the wind and create turbulence, contributing to both noise and fatigue. But Arai made the XD-5 peak even easier to remove than the previous XD-4’s peak, with just the turn of a screw and a lever to push. This allows the XD-5 to enter “road mode” when you’re going to or coming from the trails.

In typical Arai fashion, the details are also perfect: the plush cheek pads, denser than you might expect in an adventure helmet, cradle your face and create a snug, noise-dampening seal around the jawline. The neck roll, carefully sculpted and contoured, acts like a wind skirt, preventing turbulent air from swirling up into the helmet from below. It’s these layers of meticulous engineering, working in harmony, that add up to a surprising level of quietude.

Now, don’t get me wrong, it’s still an adventure helmet. Physics is physics, and this helmet will not be as quiet as the Shoei RF-1400 or another purely street helmet. But for those days when your adventure includes long stretches of pavement to get to the good stuff, the XD-5 keeps it calm. It’s quiet enough to make those highway miles genuinely enjoyable, and that’s a huge win in my book.

Plus, it’s an Arai – you know you’re getting a helmet that’s built to last and will protect your noggin when things get spicy.

Arai XD-5 Helmet

Check price

The sequel to the legendary XD-4 helmet, this lid improves in every way from its round shell design to flexible shield that always fits, goggles or not.

Pros:

• Quietest ADV helmet
• Removable peak
• Tons of ventilation
• Can use with googles
• DOT and Snell approved

Buy from Revzilla Buy from Amazon

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Adding Noise Cancelling to Your Current Helmet

Maybe you already have an awesome customized helmet and you want to make it quieter. Never fear – there are fixes for your current lid: Earplugs and noise cancelling headphones.

Earplugs

Earplugs are a lot cheaper than a top notch quiet helmet, but they’re often a pain.

For me, earplugs either fall out constantly or get uncomfortable after 10 minutes. It’s hard to find a set that does its job without feeling like a screw tightening in to my ear canal.

The solution for me was finding a set that molded to the shape of my ears, to stop vent noise and engine noise.

Decibullz are those plugs. Our correspondent Alan Jackson had a chance to test these, so we’ve weaved in his thoughts below.

First, these plugs are moldable (and re-moldable) – drop them in boiling water, let them cool, and mold them to the shape of your ear. Alan had to remold them once to get a good seal, but said the process was easy and well documented in the instructions.

These earplugs have a noise reduction rating (NRR) of 31 dB, taking motorcycle engine noise down to the level of normal conversation.

That means more awareness of the road around you and less chance of hearing damage. They are not meant to block out all noise like foam earplugs, but instead to block out damaging levels while retaining the ability to have conversations and hear traffic. Alan’s experience was exactly this – noticing reduced noise while riding his Harley and while walking around the jet he flies while the auxiliary power unit was running (which makes a shrill noise).

Even better are the Decibullz that feature percussive filters. These special filters block out large spikes in volume, like say each power stroke flying out the back of your 2-in-1 pipe.

Again, less fatigue and lower overall volume means less hearing damage and a safer ride. Don’t be like me, almost getting run over by a semi!

Decibullz with Percussive Filters AND a cord – so you don’t lose your buds!!

Top Choice	Decent Value
Decibullz - Custom Molded Percussive Filters	Decibullz – Custom Molded Earplugs
4.9	4.7
$74.99	$25.99
Custom molded for perfect fit Easy to shape and remold if needed Percussive filters reduce peak noise while maintaining normal hearing	Custom molded for perfect fit Easy to shape and remold if needed
Buy from Amazon	Buy from Amazon

Top Choice

Decibullz - Custom Molded Percussive Filters

4.9

$74.99

• Custom molded for perfect fit
• Easy to shape and remold if needed
• Percussive filters reduce peak noise while maintaining normal hearing

Buy from Amazon

Decent Value

Decibullz – Custom Molded Earplugs

4.7

$25.99

• Custom molded for perfect fit
• Easy to shape and remold if needed

Buy from Amazon

03/20/2025 05:18 pm GMT

Noise Cancelling Earbuds

Earplugs are indiscriminate. Like an electric fence, they will keep you out whether you’re a cow or a bumbling human.

But on the road, I’ll bet you want to hear your music, calls, and GPS directions clear as day while tuning out repetitive road noise.

Me too. That’s why I like noise canceling earbuds for reducing noise.

I can hear some of you screaming from the back: “THAT’S NOT SAFE!!” – hear me out.

AirPods Pro are my go-to, as a member of Apple’s evil empire. Their active noise canceling is SO GOOD that I once thought my bike broke down because of them.

Seriously. I fired up my supermoto in a parking garage once, put in the AirPods, and flipped on noise canceling.

Total silence.

I thought I had bumped the engine off switch.

However… once I took to the streets, I noticed something.

I could hear cars and trucks coming to pass me much more clearly.

I heard environmental noises I wanted to hear because I heard a lot less of the constant droning of engine and wind noise. Those were reduced to a faint whine, whereas the sound of an upcoming car wasn’t tuned out in quite the same way.

I don’t have any scientific evidence for this, I only have my own experiences on the road for thousands of miles wearing AirPods. I really like them as normal headphones as well.

I find that listening to music softly with noise cancelling is the best mix for being able to hear traffic and other important environmental cues around me when riding.

Apple AirPods Pro 2 Wireless Earbuds

$249.00 $199.00

Pros:

• Stellar noise cancellation and transparency modes
• 24 hour battery life with case
• Effortless use with Apple and Android devices
• Comfortable fit with multiple eartip options

Buy from Amazon

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03/21/2025 04:29 pm GMT

If you have some insane hate for Apple but still want premium noise cancelling buds, go for the Sony WF-1000XM4s. They regularly top lists of the best earbuds and for good reasons. No unwanted noise is getting through these babies.

At the cheaper end of the noise-cancelling earbud spectrum are the Earfun Air Pros. The noise-cancelling tech is more basic than other options, but then again they won’t have you cursing if one falls down the storm drain as you lift off your lid. 

FAQs

What’s the quietest motorcycle helmet?

The quietest motorcycle helmet is the Shoei RF-1400. But that might not be the best choice for you, depending on your riding style and needs. The Schuberth C5 is a great modular for touring riders, while the Arai XD-5 has the adventure look and dirt chops.

How do I reduce wind noise in my motorcycle helmet?

There are lots of wind noise reducing options for your helmet, such as:

• Wearing earplugs
• Choosing a good riding position
• Installing a windshield
• Wearing a scarf or balaclava

Here’s our full guide to making your helmet quieter. 

What makes a motorcycle helmet loud? 

Motorcycle helmets are loud because the wind rushing into your helmet when you’re going fast is at a higher pressure than the air inside your helmet, meaning air tries to rush up into your helmet. This creates turbulence – like on a plane – and makes your helmet noisy. Engine and road noise sure don’t help either!

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