anyboby else think arai are falling behing other makes. i bought an arai rx7gp racing stripes at the end of last year, and while it looks stunning and fits well, it doesnt feel much different from the corsair i had in 2006. i tried on an xlite x802r at the weekend and it just felt a lot more modern and plusher. ordered one today so anybody want to buy an arai
The carbon X802R are such value for money and the quality is top notch. I went RX7 - X802R, defo no regrets
The X-lite is very light to wear, comes with dark and clear visor and pinlock, the dark visor is very clear to see through, my only one gripe is it can be a bit noisy depending what angle you tilt your head at
not a great sales pitch!!! you might be right though..the arias dont seem to have changed alot. im looking to get a new lid as soon as im flush enough and although my last few have been aria and have been good i think there may be better for me and money wise out there
will do mate.. one of my main criteria will be lightness. my astro r was quite light compared to alot i tried on at the time of buying (7 years back ish) i doubt it is light by today's standards at all
I do, I say it every time they come up... eg Which Helmet Aaarrrggghhhhhh!!! | Page 3 | Ducati Forum 'I've had Arais, Shoeis and Schuberths and would now rank both the latter above Arai. I think Arai were market leaders for a long time, but that the opposition has caught up and they have rather complacently stood still, refusing for example to do anything about [1] their consistently above average wind noise and [2] their godawfully bad visor change system. Shoei and Schuberth finish is at least as good as Arai, and the former better value. And they're both much quieter, and with infinitely better visor systems. When you add to that the fact that Arai don't always perform very well in the SHARP tests, I don't think Arai can be said to be the best you can get, at least as incontestably as a few years back.'
My Arai I found to be easy to change the visor on than any of my other lids It was quiet and it crashed very well and kept still on my head at speed My schuberth was very comfy like having a quilt around your head It was as quiet as a mouse but didn't stand the drop test when it fell off my bike it sounded like a gun going off so I'm not sure how it would have faired in an accident I didn't think I would find another lid like the schuberth I tried loads on but the Arai came very close to it
Arai haven't changed the Lego head design for years now. Whilst other vendors regularly innovate and change molds Arai just change paint and padding. The sun visor add on is probably one of the most heinous on the market and is clearly a poor after thought. The last 5 helmets I've bought have all been from other manufacturers and will be for the foreseeable until they start to show a change. A change of paint just isn't enough for me.
Whoever was praising the x-lite I totally agree, featherweight, very well made and looks great only downsize is as said can be a little noisy but nothing to offensive.
As in my post, Which Helmet Aaarrrggghhhhhh!!! | Page 3 | Ducati Forum I was dithering over which helmet to buy. My mate has an Arai RX7 GP randy mamola. I purchased a shoei nxr brigand and his first comment was how light the shoei was. He was impressed with the quality on the Shoei even though at list price its around £200 cheaper than the Arai. Just my two penneth worth lol.
I think my old Astro R was a much better helmet than the Chaser V that I replaced it with. The Chaser feels heavier,noiser and draughtier than the Astro R - have to admit I am disappointed.
I think that barring fitting problems (unlikely) my next lid is going to be a Shark Race R PRO. I have looked at some good video reviews and it seems excellent. Shark pricing is competitive and I already have an old Shark that I found generally very comfortable and less draughty and noisy than the Arai RX-7 that I also own. The only let down was the ventilation which was less than brilliant. Still, that helmet is now 10 years old, so I imagine that things have improved somewhat. The Arai is 9 years old. I think I'm going to have to bite the bullet. I think that Arais are way over-priced. I don't mind if they don't innovate constantly, after all, how much constant innovation can you make in a helmet? I suspect that all helmets on the market protect you adequately in the event of an accident. There seems to be no correlation between price and protection. So what else do you need? Comfort and looks. Comfort means quietness, good ventilation and not a load of air swilling around making your eyes water. Looks are in the eye of the beholder, but I like a bit of graphic madness. I don't want an invisible black lid, and an all-white makes you look like a policeman.
Looks are in the eye of the beholder, but I like something grown-up. I dislike trashy, childish graphics - plain silver with very discreet logos suits me fine.
Every time I have looked for a new lid in recent years I have ended up with an Arai as they fit me better than anything else. I was looking for a new lid last weekend (had the current Arai Astro R for 5 1/2 years and it's looking and feeling a bit tired, and it fell off my desk onto the floor a couple of weeks ago). Other half (a Shoei-head) and sales-guy in Infinity suggested I try a Shoei as their fit has changed in recent years, but it didn't feel right (too tight round forehead). Tried an Arai Chaser V and it immediately felt right, my head felt "at home". Have tried other brands at bike shows over the years (AGV, Schuberth, X-lite) and puzzled at the mutant shape bonces they are apparently designed to fit in comparison with mine. Yes, the Arai visor change system sucks, yes they're expensive and yes, it's a crying shame in this day and age that you can't have an internal drop-down sun visor, but isn't the most important thing in any lid that it actually fits and won't come off in a crash? Ended up buying a Ducati branded Chaser V in Snells (or rather persuading other half to buy it for me as an early birthday present)
Just for general info, as this thing about Arai and Shoei-shaped heads comes up all the time, Arai make different helmets in three different shapes - what they call 'long', 'intermediate' and 'round' oval. When you try an Arai on it could be any one of these. Getting the right Size Arai for you | whyarai.co.uk 'For this reason, one model might fit you better than another, so try them all!' The Importance of Arai's Different Interior Shapes 'This is why Arai has gone to the considerable effort to design, create, and offer different interior shapes. (Arai doesn't believe that real comfort can be achieved by trying to stuff every different head shape into a single helmet interior shape.)'
With reference to my previous post I bought the Chaser for the same reason as you - tried it on in the shop and it felt right but as I said I find it noisy and draughty compared to my old Astro R. Are you finding the Chaser ok on the bike?
