by Jessica LeeAt some point after you’ve hit the dirt a few times or have knocked yourself silly you realize that it’s time for a better helmet. One that you can be confident will keep your noggin as safe as possible while you’re flying over that freestyle hit.
I have been riding since I was 4 years old and have learned many lessons the hard way; like how critical it is to wear the right protection from head to toe. This goes for both off-road and on-road; your helmet is the most important piece of gear. You can find a helmet which as far as safety goes is alright for a very cheap price but can you really trust it? Could you go down hard while racing and be pretty much fine? Do you feel confident and comfortable while wearing it? No matter what helmet you’re wearing if you crash hard enough you probably won’t be perfectly fine after but a good helmet could save your life. Over any helmet that I have worn, Arai has my vote.
Arai is a solid and devoted company that has been around for over 50 years. Mr. Hirotake Arai founded the company and it has been passed down from generation to generation. Arai has devoted their time to developing the best helmets around. Each helmet is almost completely handmade and the graphics are unbelievable. Although they are a little pricey depending on the model – Arai’s helmet lineup ranges in price from around $300 upwards of $800 - you get what you pay for.
I have worn and raced wearing HJC, Fox Racing, Shark and now Arai helmets. After wearing my new “Jolly Roger” Arai for a few weeks I can say that I have not worn anything like it. It’s comfortable and unlike most helmets, I don’t get a red mark across my head from wearing it. It’s light but tough as well. The helmet I am using - the VX-Pro3 series- has something that I have not seen on another helmet, which are cheek pads with emergency tabs so that track officials or EMS can easily pull to help remove your helmet in the event of a crash. This is like a breath of fresh air because a rider’s worst nightmare is when the ER doctor or ambulance driver starts to cut off your gear while you’re wearing it. Thanks to these handy tabs, at least your helmet, and hopefully your neck will be safe.The Arai is both DOT and Snell approved. DOT sets the minimum standards for all helmets in the USA by the government but Snell on the other hand is a private organization that sets some of the toughest standards in the world for helmets. That’s a big plus.
The folks at Arai are absolutely wonderful to deal with; customer service is obviously important with them. Until now, I have never seen a helmet come with a warranty over a year. Each Arai helmet comes with a full 5-year warranty; 5 years being Snell’s recommended helmet lifespan.
Honestly, I could go on forever about what I love about my new Arai. Most importantly though, I feel as if I were to crash hard the helmet would take most of the hit; not my brain.
You can find out more about Arai helmets by visiting their website at araiamericas.com.
If you need parts for your Arai helmet, you can visit araiparts.com.
The Arai VX-Pro3 retails for $505.95 for solids and $632.95 for race replicas.
Source: Bikeland.org