Arai Ups The Ante And Drops The Price

. By Jon Row and Bikeland staff


Family owned Arai Helmet is known for ultra high quality headgear. Hand made in small volumes, Arai’s trademark, smooth-egg shell shape foregoes snag-inducing styling pieces. Traditional shell shape and strategic placement of up to five of ten proprietary compounds in each EPS liner delivers protection levels pro racers stake their lives on. Everyday riders and racers both count on one of Arai’s three head forms, Round, Intermediate Oval or Long Oval to also be near perfect fits. Standard, customizable pad components can be fine tuned to almost any head. The low volume, high quality Arai business model often produces understandably high price tags but their bigger challenge has been offering enough models & feature combinations in each shape, especially the highly popular Intermediate Oval.

Enter the DTX.

Situated as a high value street option to the race-oriented Corsair X, the Down Town-X, as Arai calls it, offers I / O wearers (North America’s most common) a more affordable daily user feature set.

DTX’s high end shell features include multiple vents, a proprietary Peripherally Belted complex Laminate (PB-cLc) reinforcing rib, and VAS Variable Axis Shield system which allow an additional inner shield. The clever VAS pivot design gives quick drop down shade without shield changes. Plush, Eco Pure cheek pads and headliner use anti-microbial covering and are easily removed for cleaning. Both feature peel away foam layers to adjust fit. Optional thicker or thinner pieces are also available.

Getting it on
DTX has a slightly different fit & feel than other Arai I/Os we’ve tested. It’s significantly roomier with expansive ear space for in-helmet speakers. Sliding on eyeglasses is also refreshingly easy. The EPS liner and cheek pad shapes make even large frame specs easy to slip on.

Weight is similar to other Arai models/sizes but DTX feels lighter on the head because the Peripheral Belt rib is low and reduces center of gravity.

With ten ventilation ports DTX cooling is good but not as free flowing as pricier models with more extensive liner channels. In contrast to heads-down race helmet designs, DTX’s Dual-Flow top vent works well in upright riding positions. We didn’t experience scorch level temps with the DTX but its chin and brow vents kept things reasonable in hot conditions.

Eye port width provides plenty of peripheral vision to help monitor side traffic and allowed us quicker reaction times to distracted lane drifters.

The high quality polycarbonate shield comes with an anti-fog pin lock insert. A positive lock down and lever activated de-mist position is handy but not always easy to use with thicker gloves. Arai’s new shield replacement method requires side cover removal which isn’t our favorite but with VAS internal shade options there’s rarely need to use it. As with other Arai shields our DTX proved impressively durable and scratch resistant.

Summary
Six months on with the DTX we’ve found a lot to like. Fit is everything and Arai now has more folks covered with this I/O offering. Street riders who know the drawbacks of “race” helmets and their lofty price tags will find DTX well worth considering. Its balance of features and price gives Arai street riders a nice choice.

Pros:
Snell rated
Easy to use with glasses
Modest heft 3 lbs 9 oz Size M
Plush, comfortable and customizable
Good price point for an Arai

Nits:
Chin spoiler optional
Doesn’t have quick release emergency cheek pad removal system.

DTX is available in twelve colors & designs
Sizes: XS – XXL *Not all designs available in 2XL sizes.
SRP $589- $739

More details at www.araiamericas.com


DTX in Guard Red


VAS system Pro Shade installed


Standard 25mm cheek pads can be custom trimmed in 5mm increments for personalized fit. 15-30 mm options available








Eyeglass wearers rejoice


DTX in Black Frost

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Tags: arai, helmets

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