Well I've had my Shoei RF800 for 2 years or so...and I'm a long-time Shoei fan. Today my new Arai RX7 RR4 arived and I put it on and went for a ride. Here's what I noticed.

It's light. DAMN LIGHT! I can whip my head around and it doesn't move an inch on my head...the shoei was too heavy and FELT heavy on my head.

Great visibility...and hearing. I felt almost like I wasn't wearing a full face helmet.

Less wind noise. I'll still be wearing ear plugs, but if I forget 'em for a ride, I dont' think I'll have a migraine at the end of the day like I do with the Shoei.

Ventilation. Holy vents batman! This thing has SIX inlets on the front, and FIVE exhaust vents. It cools VERY well even if only moving slowly.


That's it, more to come once I put some miles on...er...in...it.

That settles it, I almost bought a new Shoei but not going to go with my first instinct and get the Arai, thanks JC

Ok so I've had the chance to put a few hundred miles on in this helmet...and I gotta say I understand why they're so expensive. It's fucking AWESOME! The vents are incredible, it's SO light and fits perfectly with no jiggle on my head like my heavy-ass shoei had. I'll be keeping The Shoei for sure, but only for use during cold weather. Now it's time to order up a tinted screen for it and call it a day.

[g®eg]

Originally posted by JC
Ok so I've had the chance to put a few hundred miles on in this helmet...and I gotta say I understand why they're so expensive. It's fucking AWESOME! The vents are incredible, it's SO light and fits perfectly with no jiggle on my head like my heavy-ass shoei had. I'll be keeping The Shoei for sure, but only for use during cold weather. Now it's time to order up a tinted screen for it and call it a day.

they ARE nice aren't they? damned if I am ruined for life now.. I mean I'll never be able to buy a CHEAP helmet again

[SilverSurfer]

What do you think of that shield mechanism, Josh? I've always had Shoei RF helmets (200s & 800s), but the 900 no longer fit me, so I went to an Arai Signet GT.

Pluses for the Arai: interior is plush, light weight, finish is excellent, little detail touches are nice.

Minuses for the Arai: less peripheral vision, noise is higher, swapping out the shield feels like I'm trying to break the helmet, high definition shield is not as good as Shoei's.

Yeah changing the shield IS a bitch! I found the noise to be lower than my RF800 though, and I get nearly as much peripheral vision as well. I have no complaints so far.

[RandyO]

swapping out the shield feels like I'm trying to break the helmet

Change the Arai shield enuf, it will wear out and break, at least that has been my experience, but still, I have broken more shields & parts on my HJC.

[flexysteve]

It does take a while to get use to changing the shield on the Arai. I thought I was going to break it the first time too. Now I swap them like it's going out of style and have never had a broken part or shield. It's also nice that you can swap parts between the Quantum and RX7RR4 (I have 1 quantum and 2 RR4s)

[Double"D"]

I just purchased an Arai Quantum/f helmet in August and I love it! I had been wearing a Simpson Super Bandit for about ten years, and I don’t miss it! It gave me a headache. I really like the comfort, and the peripheral vision is great compared to my Simpson.
Although I haven’t tried to change the shield yet, I will be getting a tinted one soon. I think Arai makes a great helmet and worth every penny.

[Rice-rocket1]

Originally posted by Double"D"
I just purchased an Arai Quantum/f helmet in August and I love it! I had been wearing a Simpson Super Bandit for about ten years, and I don’t miss it! It gave me a headache. I really like the comfort, and the peripheral vision is great compared to my Simpson.
Although I haven’t tried to change the shield yet, I will be getting a tinted one soon. I think Arai makes a great helmet and worth every penny.

Glad I bought it for you. Now maybe you'll ride a little more often.

The Arai is a very nice helmet but I have a new Shoei Z-II (got it about 3 months before Double D's Arai). Find it more comfortable that the RF 200, 800 and X-9 that I have had in the past. Maybe next time I'll try the Arai.