Helmet on Nanikore

Arai Pro-Shade

Sun, 17 Apr 2022 14:10:51 +0000

As I mentioned in my update on my new Arai Astro GX helmet, one thing it doesn’t have compared to some other brands of similarly priced helmets is a sun visor. Arai has said this is because to do this, a manufacturer would need to either make the front EPS protection thinner, or make the shell more bulbous at the front, which would eat into Arai’s preference for more spherical lids (such as their R75 initiative).

Their solution is the Pro-Shade’ed clear visor is now a spare - never a bad thing.

pro-shade1.jpg" alt=“Arai Pro Shade System” caption=“Arai Pro Shade System”

Fitting

I don’t think Arais have ever been famous for how simple it is to swap visors, though I have to say that this one is significantly easier than my previous helmet if only because the lever to release the visor hinge is a little better, and there are now short cables holding the hinge covers on to the helmet, instead of them just falling off as previously. Thus, getting the old visor off was quite simple - pushing the black levers in not only allows you to pop off the covers, but also to remove the visor from the track. We’ll come back to this in a few minutes.

Next up was putting the Pinlock in the new visor. It requires flexing the visor and sliding the Pinlock lens flush with it and fitting under the locking posts on each side of the visor and then turning them into a gripping position. It required a little bit of messing around, but it finally went in OK.

I will say so that the black and white Japanese instructions which came with them looked like something from the 1990s with grainy photos, but these looked great compared to Arai’s instructions, which looked similar, but with the added bonus of being a ninth generation photocopy.

So the Pinlock was now secured to the visor and looking good - the first time I somehow got a big fingerprint in the middle of the Pinlock lens and had almost secured it in place when I noticed and had to back it out and give it a clean.

Next up, install it back into the helmet. This is where it did get a little fiddly, borderline frustrating at times.

The reason for this was that I couldn’t get the copper looking pin on the visor to go back into its track correctly. Thus ensued a cup of tea, a couple of YouTube searches - which didn’t help - some gentle prodding, some more general prodding, some fairly choice language and another cup of tea.

Then I hit upon my error. The black lever I mentioned earlier which allows you to remove the hinge covers and visor actually has two positions, the first allows the panels to be removed, the second to pop out the visor pin from its track in the right position. I hadn’t noticed this when I popped the old visor out, but when I tried to put the new one in I only pushed it to its first position. Eventually I figured it out, a lo and behold, everything is in place, and with some silicone lubricant, moving smoothly.

(Oddly, despite all visors coming from Arai with a small bottle of silicone lubricant, the OEM one which came with the helmet had very little on the hinge.)

In Use

OK, so let’s get to how it actually works.

The smoked visor moves independently of the main visor on it’s own hinge, and clicks quite securely as it moves. It has a rubber guard at the top which performs the function of a bumper so it doesn’t scratch the main visor, and also stops water from getting between the two. I thought it might be difficult with gloves on to raise the pro-shade but actually it’s really easy. The main visor also has a slightly different vent for the front of the helmet, sliding up and at an angle rather than just open and closed on the stock visor vents. I find this to be a far better design for controlling airflow.

Whilst riding with the Pro-shade smoked area down, it does exactly what you’d expect - it really reduces that sun glare. For me that’s a great benefit on the morning runs down the coast but also on sunny days when I’m on a tree lined route and the sun flashes between the trees, which can be a distraction.

As you can see the shaded visor covers the top ~75% of the main visor. What this means is that there’s about a 3cm gap with the just the normal visor at the bottom. In practical terms, this is a good thing, since it makes it easy to see the speedometer, navigation screen etc.. It also makes it easy to lift the smoked visor without hitting the clear one.

One thing which I was concerned about was wind drag when the visor was up, but after a few hours on an expressway as well as around town I have to say it’s not a factor at all. There might be a minor drag when turning your head at speed, but it really is barely noticeable.

Overall then, it’s all positives, the visor works really well when down, and is easy to move away when not needed - it’s definitely a decent solution. Is an interior visor a better solution? Potentially I suppose, but the Arai Pro-Shade at least gives the option of different visors, and in theory, if they don’t change the design, it means replacing damaged units should be fairly easy to find and change.

If you have a compatible Arai helmet, you should definitely give it a go.

New Helmet - Arai Astro GX

Sat, 11 Sep 2021 08:20:25 +0000

It is that time again - time for a new helmet. After spending quite a lot of time in NAPS having to use the make-up bags on my head as additional COVID protection, I finally settled on an Arai Astro GX helmet in Glass White (or Diamond White according to their European site where the helmet is called the Quantic).

a-gx_gly_020.jpg" alt="" caption=""

This is my third Arai helmet in a row, but whenever I’m looking for a new one, I try to evaluate as many helmets within budget as I can, and this time the gap was narrower with some other models than before. For example, previously I always found Shoei helmets never quite fit comfortably on the top of my head, but this time, their GT Air II was very comfortable. The only downsides were that they favour Sena communicator mounts meaning people like me with Cardo units have to use the adhesive pad further forwards on the helmet, and if you want to mount a GoPro, the large front vent cover means it’ll have to be side mounted. Not deal killers individually, but factors to bear in mind.

Amongst other notable helmets, I did also look at the slightly cheaper Arai XD range, but it’s a 4 year old design, looks to be near end of life, and the venting didn’t look as good as my old one. In a Japanese summer, venting is important. Kabuto also have some nice helmets, but the fit just wasn’t great on my head.

So what are the main updates on the Astro GX? Probably quite a few, but these are the more immediate ones I’ve noticed:

The visor now has a physical locking mechanism which is standard across the current Arai range.
The chin skirt is larger and fits better, which should help reduce road and wind noise.
The padding and front of helmet profile is now designed to make it easier to use glasses with the helmet. This will be useful for me.
The front and top vents are much easier to open with gloves on.

Of course, it’s also using newer materials and designs for safety and comfort such as being one of the first helmets to get the new ECE 22-06 safety rating. Arai is a fairly conservative company, so doesn’t offer things other companies have offered for a while, such as in-helmet sun shades, instead offering a hinged external one for use on top of the visor. They also don’t offer more modern hinged helmet designs, instead focussing their sales pitches on the fact that they’re a family business which still make every helmet by hand. Perhaps what’s most important is that they make great, safe helmets.

I also got a Pinlock 120 visor insert fitted. The visor which ships with the helmet is sold as compatible, so it was just a case of getting the second shield which the NAPS rep installed for me. Pinlocks are fantastic and brought to motorcycle visors what snow sports people had known for a long time - double glazing prevents visors from steaming up. I got mine for my old helmet and after just one day wished I’d invested in one sooner. There are other brands which do this now, and many helmet manufacturers offer their own-brand solutions, but they all seem to be based on Pinlock, and mine was the Pinlock version itself.

On the subject of that sales rep, he (all of them?) had been Arai trained for adjusting the removable padding in helmets, and made some small additions to the side padding on mine to make sure the fit was even better. I think they will do this for anyone with an Arai helmet who comes in, and likely also for most brands, and I think it’s worth taking a few minutes to get it done. I also got a card for free checkups on the helmet every six months for three years, some visor hinge lubricant and some Arai stickers, in case you didn’t think the huge logo on the front (and back) of all their helmets is enough.

Colour-wise, like my previous helmet, it’s basically white, albeit with some very small shiny flecks on it and a gloss finish. Historically, I’ve generally not paid more for the graphic versions, as I like the small amount of additional visibility a solid white may bring, and I have an untested theory it attracts less attention from the police also. Part of me would like something more distinctive, but for helmets I’d rather put the money into a ‘better’ helmet.

To quickly go back to a previous point about that make-up bag on my head. This is a thin bag they always asked women (or anyone I suppose) wearing makeup to put on when trying helmets so the make-up doesn’t come off in the helmet. It’s similar to what some shops give out for people trying on some clothing. It’s the first time I’d ever tried one and it does feel quite strange even when testing helmets!

So that should be me set for a helmet for a few more years. As for the old one, I’m actually looking to get some artwork put on it and use as some wall art, and a bit of a talking point. Update if and when I get that sorted out.

https://youtu.be/KZz-KdPm1uc

New Arai Astro IQ helmet!

Wed, 09 Jul 2014 05:32:08 +0000

After probably too long with my old faithful Arai Rapide Or matt black helmet, a couple of months ago I got around to getting down to NAPS and getting myself a new helmet. After trying on quite a few, as always, I actually went with another Arai helmet, the Astro IQ in a matt white going by the seductive name of ’ silk white’. I went for the white as my current bike is black and quite a lot of my gear is, so for the sake of visibility, I’ve gone for the lighter coloured helmet. That said, the one thing to remember about helmets: fit is everything. My fit apparently is XL, due to the size of my cranium or something.

This model forms part of Arai’s R75 technology range, making a rounder helmet, which along with the Facial Contour System should make the helmet safer in crashes, and more comfortable in use, including making it easier for emergency services to get the helmet off after a crash. Lot’s of marketing talk, but how does it feel out in use?

I have to say that I wasn’t expecting it to be that much different to the old helmet, but after a few hundred kilometres around town, on the expressways and into the mountains, I was really impressed - more comfortable, quieter, and much easier to turn my head in at speed to check behind.

Some of this I’m sure is the new design, but some I suspect is how worn and settled my old helmet was, and whilst it’d never had an impact, the padding especially had settled a bit.

The IQ does indeed feel rounder, and lighter too, and I take it as a great sign that I began to wonder why I hadn’t bought a new helmet sooner. The ventilation is impressive, with a good selection of vents made of solid slides and switchers, which are broadly adjustable with your bike gloves on; this is definitely an improvement over the old helmet - the ventilation wasn’t bad, but it couldn’t be practically adjusted with gloves on.

So that’s it, I’m very pleased with the new helmet, and the only real downside is that huge Arai logo on the front.

Motorbike helmet

Sun, 30 May 2004 09:50:31 +0000

After looking at a few different type of bike helmets I bought an Arai Rapide Or today from the amazing Naps in Setagaya. It’s a really impressive shop, and has an massive range of items for all types of bikes from helmets and clothing to pretty much every spare part you can think of, and custom paint jobs. The staff were friendly too, and very helpful, offering some good advice, even if it meant you maybe didn’t buy the most expensive things they had.