Mid-Life Rider

Arai and Shoei are the titans of motorcycle helmets here in the big PX. They invest tons of money in research, materials, and manufacturing and it shows in every way. The quality is outstanding, the finish equally so. Everything fits and works just like it should.

Probably more so than Shoei, Arai helmet owners love their lids beyond reason. One obvious reason is the fit. The company makes different shapes for different heads and if you can’t find a perfect fit in an Arai, you have a very strange skull indeed. This contrasts dramatically to brands like Suomy which run small and tight. If you don’t have a Suomy head, you will not like their gear.

I bought an Arai Vector last year, mostly for my son, who banged up my trusty Shoei RF 1000 in a series of low speed track spills. He wore the Arai twice and then went back to school leaving it sitting alone on the shelf until I decided to see what all the fuss was about (I am currently favoring a Suomy Extreme).

I go either way when it comes to helmet graphics. In the case of the Arai, we went with something called Frost Black which is a stunning flat black . . . but not really flat. It is the last choice if you care about making your noggin visible, but it maxes the batman needle. Put on a smoke screen and your all black leathers and you’ll be ready for a roll-on part as the bad guy motorcycle rider in the next Uma Thurman movie.

One of the big difference makers between top shelf helmets and the pretenders are the parts inside. I’ve worn Shoei, Arai, ZR-1, and Suomy, and in my mind, the most luxurious feeling materials find a home in the Suomy. But the Arai is not far behind. Cheek pads are removable. The inside collar is especially comfy.

Arais flow a decent amount of air. In my experience, the Vector is about mid pack. One unusual bit are the little vents on the screen that open into ducts that move air through the top of the helmet. I never did wear it in scorching weather, but I can tell you that the venting works well.

Anti-fogging is handled primarily with a small nose mask that blocks respiration from swirling up the inside of the screen. As long as you’re riding in an upright position (think sit up and beg), it works acceptably well. I didn’t find it worked at all well on my sport bike as the mask is actually quite small. Within almost no distance at all, my nose would find its way above the mask at which point, let the fogging begin.

Every manufacturer has a different theory of the proper way to attach face masks. Arai and Suomy are two companies that believe in shrouding the attachment points with color matched shields: Shoei and HJC, just to pick two, do not. Removing a Suomy screen is an epic pain in the butt as it requires removal of the shrouds. Arai’s engineers are much more clever as the same maneuver can be completed with the flip of a lever and a minor amount of jimmying around.  Having used both, the Arai is easier, but both generate noise at speed as the shrouds allow for a fair amount of turbulence.

To that last point, I find the Arai to be a bit quieter than my Suomy but not to the point that I don’t wear ear plugs. Around town, the Suomy is just hopeless; the Arai is tolerable.

Recently there has been a lot written, including by me, about helmet safety standards. In the US, Arai sells Snell certified helmets. The Arai loyalists I talk to look past this as do the retailers who do good business with the brand. As I said at the beginning, these are comfortable, durable, high quality lids manufactured by a company that is completely committed to making the best product it can. If you like the fit, and you should, and you don’t mind the Snell, by all means buy one.

Tags: Arai, Vector, Shoei, RF 1000, Frost Black, Suomy Extreme