Arai Helmets

Sharks arent all that believe me - i have an evotec which i have worn about 5 times, the visor catches the lid as you open it so i now have a selection of scratches on my lid after 1 week!

I returned the original one for this reason, got it replaced, same problem! grumpy to say the least - £270 not so well spent, that said its a great lid on all other fronts.

What do you guys & gals think of the Arai Viper?

I am losing my faith in Arai helmets, have had the RX7Corsair and bought another exactly the same one less than a month ago…wore it twice and had to take it back to get the chin spoiler fixed. One side of it did not have the little wing that holds the spoiler in place. It came back a few days later, but gotta say it’s still not perfect. Some bit stilll sticks out on that side. According to my mate who has owned Arai helmets since 1998 or 99 says that the old ones are a lot better than the new ones even tho them old helmets are a bit heavier… His oldest RX7 is still in better condition than the one he bought two or so years ago:w00t:

I agree … I have hear differing stories about the ‘Sharps test’. :Whistling:

I have a great Shoei helmet, but it didn’t get the highest mark in the Sharp Test. Even so, I still trust the helmet.

Arai are also a great helmet and actually getting one for my girlfriend (as it fits her head better than the Shoei), so concentrate on how comfortable it is. :slight_smile:

I have an Arai Chaser Samurai. I’ve never owned an Arai before and find it far noisier than my Shoei’s. The Arai has two small holes in the rear of the helmet; I trust this is normal?

I’m sure the extra venting will be a God-send in the summer, but it’s going to be ear plugs all the way with the Arai it seems.

Hi,

I’ve had an Arai Viper for the past 3 years, and its been “fine”. I think next time I’d be tempted to go for a cheaper/more disposable one - with a good enough SHARP rating, as long as its comfortable!

One thing that’s concerned me is the noise from the helmet over 60mph say. I found ear plugs to be essential, or it sounds like I’m in a rocket. I don’t recall other, cheaper helmets I’ve had being so noisy.

I think its partly a combination of -

  • helmet shape - all those vents etc can’t help with noise?
  • bike-shape/wind-deflection (e.g. Honda Hornet with the mini fairing, not so bad on other bikes)
  • my height (average)
  • how I wear the helmet/“fit”/angle while on bike

So, one lesson I learned is to judge the helmet (and other clothes) while riding the bike, and at some speed. I gather Infinity will let you trial/replace helmets you buy off them, so its great to have that option to use and return if necessary, rather then “make do”.

Enjoy!

Alex