I gotta say, it looks great. So much is hanging on how the pricing comes out. And if they only package ABS with the DCT like they did to the NC700X. Read more

Everything is designed by committee theses days. Lawyers and accountants are now part of every design decision. Squeezing profit and fear of lawsuits is the reason every product is compromised in some way. That said, committee or not, an improvement on the current AdSis system is welcome. For every person that changes… Read more

Actually, if you follow Wes’ recommendation, the helmet he recommends is not an Arai at all. Arai refuses to import ECE22.05 helmets to the USA. Here, they sell what some (myself included) believe to be a less safe SNELL certified helmet. Since Arai sell the only helmet I’ve ever worn that fits like it was custom… Read more

It might also be because Arai is incredibly stubborn about keeping the side pods when every other manufacturer have moved away from it. Read more

Great to see you’re the same as ever Wes but you’re wrong about this. The pod system simply sucks and that is the consensus of most people. For every person that says they can change their shield in 2 seconds and NEVER break a pod there are 5 that break it every 5th change. Read more

This, x1000. Every other helmet manufacturer in the world apparently can build a safe helmet with a sunvisor, but Arai insists on some luddite paternalism that no, it can’t be done. I’ve been very happy with my Shoei lids, but I’d love to cross-shop Arai, but I just can’t lose that convenience, not at this price point.

The Bell Star is a pretty loud helmet in general, which is probably what he had. Read more

Duh. Read more

Have you ever looked at the SHARP rankings for Arai’s helmets? Not exactly the best in terms of safety. Not terrible, but their models are kinda all over the map. I’m personally a big fan of my Shark Race-R Pro as it does all the things you mentioned well and gets a 5-star rating from SHARP.
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Fundamentally: cool is the opposite of safe on motorcycles. Read more

The Honda CB500 series is pretty nice. One of my buddies has one and it gets incredible mileage, looks pretty decent in person and is a good bike to learn on. He bought an exhaust for it and it sounds pretty nice too. They are very cheap new and you could likely find a used one for well under your budget.


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Fit would probably be the biggest reason for going with Arai over a Shoei or other high-end brand. The Arais always seemed a little nicer in terms of weight/material quality, but they fit me like a torture device* so I wear a Shoei. Read more

The $1500 a Skully costs will get you a better helmet, a jacket, pants, boots, gloves, and a chest/back protector, if you’re into that sort of thing. Add on a Chatterbox paired to the smartphone you already own, and you’ve got everything except the HUD. That said, if money is no object I’m sure it’s a neat (if… Read more

Unfortunately for Arai they’ve stuck to their high priced ways, while delivering nothing better than so many other, lower priced brands like HJC. I’ve owned a dozen + helmets, including a couple of Arai, and while I’ve never tested their crash protection, I doubt they’re any better.
Ventilation, and ease of shield… Read more

They’re not sponsored by them. They would mention it if they were, even if they got a free helmet. Wes didn’t even single out Arai as a specific brand to go with, just pointed out that the Skully is focused on gadgets instead of safety so far. Read more

Wes, while I agree with your ranking, i’m interested in knowing if you or this site are sponsored in any way by equipment or apparel manufacturers such as Arai. thanks. Read more

I’d rather have an RC51 to be honest. Read more

I was thinking its was a shot at homologation. They've been getting their tales handed to the in quite a few series.
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