Review: Arai RX-7 Corsair

[Hewhois]

Greetings!

Have used this helmet for over a year now, say about 22,000 miles or so.

Can wear it all day long, upto 13 hours at a time, and not feel like I need to take it off. Very comfortable. Has many options for custom fitting. Different thicknesses in pads are available.

Venting options do a decent job, although I tend to ride with the visor open when going city speeds.

Slices through the air with the greatest of ease. Even on my 1st bike, a VLX 600, no head buffeting at all, same can't be said for the other helmets I tried before.

It's not the quietest helmet out there, but with earplugs it isn't a problem.

Very light feeling, weight distribution in the helmet seems to make it have a low COG. Other helmets I tried felt top-heavy, not a problem with this helmet.

The one issue I have with the helmet is Arai's "quick release" system for the visors. You can release the visors pretty quickly alright....getting them back on again is another story :eek: I hate it :mad: I really would like to be able to quickly and easily switch from a clear to a smoked visor whenever I want, without feeling like this time I may break the helmet and have no visor at all! Have talked to others about this issue, some people seem to have the knack for it and others don't. For those without the knack it is very frustrating.

When I am ready for another helmet I will be giving Shoei a very close look.

[Hewhois]

Well, decided I was just getting to annoyed with Arai's visor system, and the noise seems to be bothering me more lately as well.

I want to be able to switch between dark visor and clear for day/night and dry/wet when I want without feeling like this time I might break it and not be able to wear the helmet at all. Not a good thing to have a broke helmet in the middle of a ride.

As things stood, I carried a pair of clear driving glasses for night time and rode with my dark visor up all the way. Same with rain. Far from ideal!

So, since I had this 20% off coupon for CycleGear burning a hole in my pocket, and since they have a 30 day helmet return policy, I decided to give Shoei a try. Went with the RF-1000, included a breath guard (which the Arai didn't have) and a chin curtain (which the Arai didn't have). Comparing them by holding one of each in my hands, then switching them, it feels like the Shoei RF-1000 is lighter than my Arai Corsair. On the trip home I liked the Shoei, but no highway or long distance or rain riding with it yet, so need more time. Glad I have 30 days to test it out :) Will post in a new thread a more comprehensive review of the RF-1000 after a few weeks of use.

[AZST]

Just bought an RF-1000 myself. It replaced my RF-700 (ancient I know).

My early observation is that the RF-1000 seems louder at higher speeds. I also had to switch out the cheek pads to a 31mm from 35mm.

Otherwise, I really like it.

--Bryan
04ST1300A
STOC# 5197
:04biker:

[motojedi]

I have the same Arai you have (paintjob even) and love it. I can change the shield out with one in my tank bag on the fly. Their shield system (and helmets) are vastly superior to everything else. They are a little noisy on a touring bike because the RX7/Corsair is designed for sportbike use. Different airflow.

If its the noise that the shield makes when changing thats bothering you; quit worrying. You won't break it. Go to a shop that has Arai trained salespeople and have them show you the correct way to change shields. If you don't have a good dealer you can go to the Arai tent at any major motorcycle race and the techs there will help you. :)

[Hewhois]

MotoJedi,

Ahh, but I have broken it, twice, trying to get the shield back on. Have had several dealers try to show me how...some had more problems than me, lol.