Bust one of the sidepods on my Arai GT Viper. As far as I can see a lot of the Ariai range use the same type , the type for the Viper are J type. Anyway could not get a matching side pod for the helmet, probably too old. So I opted for the smoked type from Sportsbike Shop off the web, about £7 cheaper than matching solid colored types. These are really good as on my helmet the design is carried through under the pod up to the visor mechanism so they don't look particularly odd. The big advantage is you can see whats happening when fitting the pod or taking the visor on or off. This was a really handy as the latch mechanism which retains the pod was sticking and preventing the pod securing, you'd never have seen this with a solid colored pod. I eventually got them seated by pressing hard on the pod and pulling the catch forward with a small long nose pliers. If I'd got the solid color there is more than a good chance I'd either have broken the pod fitting it or worse thought it was secure only to have the pod and one side of the visor fly off when on the bike. On an aside I really like Arai's BUT the helmet pieces are pants, on my third set of pods, third chin vent (these are particularly poor and just break off, the next one is getting glued in place to secure it) and my second rear vent (I have still no clue how that broke). John
I've had Arais for, what, 15 years? One side pod did give up the ghost about a year ago, but I managed to order a new one, even if the helmet is about 7 years old. I change the visor frequently - clear, smoked, iridium - I'm always pissing about with them. I tend to remove it whenever I clean the flies off it - so that is almost every time I use it. The Arai visor change mechanism seems a bit violent, but frankly, as you can see, do it right and it rarely gives you a problem. Nothing else has ever broken.
Glid The sidepod breaking was my fault, I put my hands up to that, but the clips were sticking on both sides. On another previous Arai I never had anything break, but on the Viper the chin vent is held on with flimsy posts and both times they broke I hardly touched them and they fell off. Poor design, maybe just the Viper, don't know until I get a new helmet. As for the rear vent still no clue came back from a run and it was in 2 pieces. Here is a picture of the tinted sidepod
I had a chin vent break once. Arai replaced it free of charge and lent me a lid in the meantime. Ive also ham fisted a side pod myself. But that was partly due to a non arai visor. Since then Ive only used arai visors and never had a repeat of the issue. I dont give a hoots what anyone else says, Arai are THE BEST. No question. Says a man who's had a van drive over his head. Quite like that smoked pod. Looks good.
Arai are good helmets, but the Sidepod system is utter shite.. My recommendation is that when you buy the lid, buy a spare pair of side pods at the same time because you WILL need them. I used to sell these lids when I worked in the shop and I rated them highly but used to get pretty nervous when customers asked me to change their visors. I stopped doing it after a while as like you say it just takes one wrong move and you bust it! They are different, if you look closely some have a different profile and over the years Arai have re-shaped the helmet to get them to fit as 'flush' as possible.
Side pods are a nightmare - have mothballed my great looking Viper GT and got an HJC instead. So much for progress....
So I got a new chin vent today and discovered (after damaging it) why I'm going through so many of these things The 2 lower pillars have a triangular catch on the end to retain them into the rectangular space cut in the helmet shell, they sit on the lower edge of the cutout. However the pillar before the catch is like an T in section. I think where the posts slot into the helmet are meant to have a small slot in the helmet shell to accept the vertical part of the T with the top part sitting on the lower edge of the rectangular gap. My helmet doesn't have these slots, really surprised but the shell looks like its been marked for the slots but they have never been cut. So every time I pushed the vent on I broke the lower posts and then its a matter of time before the top posts snapped and the vent fell off. With the force required to snap the vent into place, you'd never notice that the posts had snapped. There is no way I'm taking a Dremel to the shell so I ground down the lower section of the one remaining lower post left and it now sits in place. Superglued the top lip of the vent and along with the 2 top posts (which just press into place) that will be enough to retain it. Despite this I'm still going to get another Arai as I just have never had any other helmet that is so comfortable. John
I wear an Arai for riding to work, it really is comfortable! I have to say though my X-Spirit 2 is much more aerodynamic and I don't get any wind buffeting with it at all really. The Arai shakes around a bit!
when my mate broke one of his side pods, he got another for free at one of the shows where the Arai service truck was, they rooted round in a spares box & handed it over.
I wrote the Arai service people an email with a question about my lid a fortnight ago. Never heard a peep back. There doesn't appear to be anywhere in Switzerland you can get any Arai service either. I suppose I'll just have to strike lucky one day at some race meet or other.
Only just seen this thread so apologies for resurrecting it! I too have a Viper GT, I too have just had the third side pod break on it!! on the last two occasions I phoned the distributors and they sent out a new set of pods both times. Luckily on the first two occasions it was opposite sides that broke, so I had a spares this time round, but if the left one goes again I'll be stuffed. I know that the distributor has changed in the UK a while ago. So I called the new distributor today, I couldn't believe the difference, they didn't really want to know! take it back to where you got it, is all I really got from them! Since the first pod broke I have always been paranoid about breaking it again so I have always been very careful when changing the visors, but still its let me down. Maybe it's just the Viper's, but its definitely put me off buying another Arai! Its too much money to pay for this sort of hassle!
I once asked a dealer to change the visor on my Arai since I was scared of breaking a pod. He wouldn't do it: he didn't have any spares in stock and broke them so often himself he didnt want to do it without backup... It's complacent of them not to have addressed this years ago. I switched to Shoei and Schuberth and haven't looked back. Infinitely better visor-change, at least as well finished, and much quieter.
Interesting guys I have had a Schuberth, nice quiet helmet but just not my head shape so I never got on so well with it. Glad its not just me that has had bad experiences with the pods, kinda makes me fell less ham fisted I'd moved the pic but here it is again, not the best photo in the world Sportsbike Shop still have them but £20 for 2 bits of crappy plastic really is taking the piss but what can you do if your in that situation John
I was thinking of a solid black if I can't get the right one next time, but that looks just fine John. And. Like you said you can see what's going on. Hopefully mine will last until I can afford to change my helmet!
I paid about £25 for 8 razor blades on Friday. I'm still smarting about it. Changing visors on an Arai is simples. Open the visor and press up the little levers which appear which release the visor (one side at a time). To put a new one in, just locate the visor in the up position and close it (one side at a time). I can't really figure what all the problems are about.
Nor me. I've only ever had Arai lids and have never had a problem with changing the visor or sidepods. Maybe I'm just lucky. That being said my quantum did have a broken chin vent which was replaced foc by the shop I bought it from.
