Any Arai owners

[STony G]

I have chance to purchase an Arai Corsair for a very good price. I read somewhere this helmet does not get enough air with windshield to keep cool.

Anyone have any thoughts.

[Hewhois]

Greets!

I don't ride an ST (yet), but my Corsair on my 1150RT is fine. Lots of venting options. When very warm/hot out I wear sunglasses and leave the visor up, with the windshield protection don't really need the visor down anyway. The lining is removable so easy to keep clean and fresh. Also, supposedly the lining is made from some techy stuff that helps you keep cool.

Expensive lid, but worth every penny in comfort and features IMO. Not many helmets can be worn for 12+ hours straight with the rider not even thinking about the helmet at all. This one can, been there, done that, as they say :D

Very light, seems to have a low center of gravity. Aerodynamics are great, no wind buffeting of the head even when I am on my cruiser. No matter how windy or gusty the helmet just seems to slice right through it.

That's been my experience anyway.

[skydog]

I have the Quantum 2 Hacking and love it. Lightweight and plenty of air capable of getting through if I open the ports. My old helmet would cause neck and shoulder pain after a short ride, but with the Quantum, no more neck pain to make me pull over. The Corsair was on my list as well but I chose the Quantum as it seemed to fit better. IMHO you can't go wrong with ARAI.

[dannyk]

I have a Quantem E love the helmet, would buy another in a heartbeat

[Hitcher]

As a "fuller-headed" gent, I have only one thing to say regarding helmets:

"Bless you Mr Shoei. For without your care and consideration I couldn't ride motorcycles!"

Yes, I have a 64cm head. A Shoei XXL with a bit of frontal "spoon work" does the job perfectly. Nothing else comes close. Money no object.

The only downside with the Shoei is a "Henry Ford" colour choice...

[eddiemack]

I had a hard time deciding what helmet to get, the Shoei X-11 or the Arai Quantum F. I liked both (real bad). Both real lite helmets and both fit great. In the end I picked the Shoei x-11 due to the reviews I've read. Not many people dis'n Shoei other than price.
Hint: if you go with a plain (no graphics) x-11 it can be had for the same cost as the Quantum F. However, I'm not kidding myself here,... I will own both helmets by spring. I have a buying habit..... especially with cycle gear.

[Nick Cross]

I got an Arai RX7 Corsair to replace my 5 year-old Arai, also RX7. I paid $400.00 for the helmet, in silver, from a Honda dealer in South Florida.
I find the shape of the Arai is best for my head. The Shoei presses on my forehead, the BMW/Schuberth is too tight, even in XL (although I really liked Schuberth's flip up sun screen). They've improved the shield removal system on the new Arai.; two small levers emerge when you pull the shield all the way up. If you flip these up, the shield slides off smoothly. With the old helmet I had to grab the face shield and pull it up and off. I always felt that I was going to break something, though I never did. This feature is important to me because I carry a tinted shield for daytime and need to be able to swap to clear on the road at dusk or when it rains.

There's less buffeting with the new helmet. It seems that the aerodynamics are good because I'm unaffected by passing trucks or by changing the height of the windshield. The old helmet was more sensitive and would tend to pull up at high speed. Ventilation is better, much better, but wind noise is much worse. I guess there's a trade off there. I think I'm going to have to use earplugs on longer trips; never felt the need before.
All the internal padding can be easily removed for washing, for those of you who do not wash their hair. It looks as though a headphone can be added without too much fuss.
For the price I paid I'm very pleased with the Arai RX-7 and can recommend it to anyone with an "oval" head.
Nick Cross

[Dave Austin]

My wife and I went to the Helmet Shop in Daytona Beach Fla. today. Only about 135 miles from our home. We have older Arai Signets and decided it was time for new full face helmets. My wife settled on a Arai Quantum 2 and I liked the fit of the Arai Signet GTR. We were able to get both helmets in the Aluminum Silver metallic color. They had both models in our size in stock.

I have to say that "Bart" the owner spent about an hour or so with us as we tried on different Arai helmets. He made sure we got the exact comfortable fitting helmet. He made it a great buying experience for my wife and I. When your spending several hundred dollars on a set of helmets its nice to feel like a valued customer. Bart did a fine job at that. Based on my experience with Bart I would highly reccomend the Helmet Shop and Bart.

We stayed with Arai because we both agree we have not found a more comfortable helmet. We also like the lightness of the helmet. I tried on a Nolan N100, N102, and Xlite 1002. None of these felt as comfortable or as light in weight to me as the Arai Signet GTR. In fact one of the Nolan's made my head feel top heavy when I flipped up the shield. That would take a bit of getting used to. Its also a heavier helmet than the above Aria's. This is one thing that my wife did not like. Aria helmets are also indorsed by the Snell foundation and DOT. The Nolan only had the DOT endorsement. I am sure the Nolan is a good helmet, just not for me.

The Arai is pricey, I always feel like its a small price to pay for quaility decent head protection.

Not sure what we will do with the old Arai Signets, they are in nice shape. Just 6 years old. Probably only worn 25 times. They have been very good comfortable helmets. We also have the three quarter Arai Classic M's which we still wear in the summer. Here in S.E. Ga we ride year round. And you can bet we always wear our helmets in Florida. Hope this review helps anyone looking for a good skid lid. If I can be of any help shoot me an email.

Dave:03biker:

http://www.helmetshop.com/index.asp?CartId={3450B9A0-689A-4402-B792-7EVEREST29BBFF86D07}

[chris92]

Dave make a great point, the time spent making sure the thing fits properley is golden.

I have a quantum f which i am using now in the colder weather as there are less vents so much quieter and a piece warmer.
Come the summer time i use a colin edwards rep rx7.
Quality of both is outstanding and more importantly the fit for my strange shaped head :eek: is spot on

"If the cap fits, wear it"

:biker:

[rocky17]

I have worn the RX-7 Corsair for about 2 years now. Expensive, but a great helmet. Only problem I found with it is it's noisy with the windshield in the full down position. That's probably because of the great ventilation it provides.
Ken

[UNTMatt]

I usually follow a 5 year or down once rule.

I'm looking at a Arai Corsair. Expensive but Arai are the only helmets that fit my wife and I's head. I think it comes down to what fits properly. I put them on in the store and walk around for a hour or two before I purchase.

Cycle Gear gives you 30 days to return them for exchange if you don't like them after you leave the store. I think it's worth finding a good dealer with a good return policy when purchasing a helmet. You just never know how that helmet will really work for you until you have it on for a few hours at highway speeds.

:06biker:

[HankSTer]

Hmm I haven't owned the Corsair but have heard that's the 'Race' version and thus has the best ventilation of them all (re Noisiest also).

I've had a Quantum f and now a Quantum II and find them to be excellent. I tried on alot of other brands before getting the QII, just didn't have the fit the arai did. So very happy arai customer here also.

[Tim4255]

I had a hard time deciding what helmet to get, the Shoei X-11 or the Arai Quantum F. I liked both (real bad). Both real lite helmets and both fit great. In the end I picked the Shoei x-11 due to the reviews I've read. Not many people dis'n Shoei other than price.
Hint: if you go with a plain (no graphics) x-11 it can be had for the same cost as the Quantum F. However, I'm not kidding myself here,... I will own both helmets by spring. I have a buying habit..... especially with cycle gear.

I paid $369 US for my Shoei X-11 metalic black. :D

Arai face shields suck!!! My wife got sunburn with her dark smoke shield (seems Arai forgot to coat it with UV protection) There is one thing that Arai does better than Shoei.

Arai seems to have an edge on fitting the helmet. (oval and round heads)

You can get much better pricing on Shoei helmets because they allow online sales. The new policy of not allowing low prices to be displayed online does make the super deal harder to find though.

Tim :03biker:

[ejworthen]

I have an Arai Quantum f and love it. It has lots of airflow and is extremly light.

I use a mirrored shield and never had an issue with sunburn. Maybe it's just the smoke shields?

No matter what helmet you buy fit is the most important thing. It doesn't matter if it's a $100 or $500 helmet. If the $100 helmet fits better buy that one.

[jbim]

I have a Corsair RX7 too. Buy it!

[Highrider]

I too have a Quantum f and have been extremely happy with the comfort and quality. If you are not coming from a current model, you should try all of the styles or find a dealer that has been trained to fit helmets. Don't target a specific model because it has features that have been recommended or the design or color appeals to you, find the model that fits the best for the shape of your head. The road bike models are designed to fit different shaped heads. The Quantum and Astral models are more round and the Corsair model has more of a long oval shape. This can not be changed with padding modifications, this is the way they are designed. Paying attention to this feature can make a huge difference in fit and comfort.

There is excellent info on how to fit your head on the Arai site:
http://www.araiamericas.com/Sizing.html#


Dave
:biker:

[UNTMatt]

I too have a Quantum f and have been extremely happy with the comfort and quality. If you are not coming from a current model, you should try all of the styles or find a dealer that has been trained to fit helmets. Don't target a specific model because it has features that have been recommended or the design or color appeals to you, find the model that fits the best for the shape of your head. The road bike models are designed to fit different shaped heads. The Quantum and Astral models are more round and the Corsair model has more of a long oval shape. This can not be changed with padding modifications, this is the way they are designed. Paying attention to this feature can make a huge difference in fit and comfort.

There is excellent info on how to fit your head on the Arai site:
http://www.araiamericas.com/Sizing.html#


Dave
:biker:

+1

This is the only way to buy a helmet. I ended up with the Arai Profile which was the replacement for the Signet GT which is what my wife wears. It is the only helmet that properly fits our heads. I would love to have the Scorpion helmet for price and features but they just didn't work for either of us.

[uncal]

My old helmet would cause neck and shoulder pain after a short ride, but with the Quantum, no more neck pain to make me pull over.

Thanks for writing this! I was having similar pain. Got a Shoei RF1000 to replace the old Fulmer modular - Pain Gone! ;)

[BETHEBIKE]

Arai bulds an excellent helmet...exited my fjr airborn wearing arai quantum as a result of a t-bone at about 75mph. flew about 100' and rolled about 15 times on median strip on tpke...according to witnesses. Got only a small scratch on my chin from the strap. Nevertheless that helmet was replaced with a Quantum Nakano from Arai...they work well...than God.
Another advantage Arai has different shell shapes for different models so that you can tailor the fit to your head which in the end provides an extremely comfortable fit. The padding thickness can be altered also. I find the ventilation is excellent and which is mandatory for me as I live in Florida.

Ride safely,

Dan