Arai Concept-X

The new Arai Concept-X Full-Face Helmet, like with the new Urban-V, Arai seems to be building up on it´s previous success with its more retro style helmets, like the Arai Defiant-X. However, just because the helmet looks a bit simpler and retro, doesn´t mean it doesn´t have a few interesting quality features. Not to mention the much more aggressive looking chin bar. With the Arai Concept X Helmet, you´re getting both retro and modern aspects which give this helmet the unique aspects of both, which make it, in a nice way, hard to date. Coming in at a recommended retail price of about 579 euros, or about 630 US dollars and will compete with the AGV X3000, Shoei Glamster, Bell Bullit Carbon, Bell Eliminator and the HJC V90

Shell

The shell of the Concept-X is made of Arai´s Super Fiber Laminate construction, which is stronger than fiberglass, while still staying pretty light. To prove it, this helmet’s got a E22-05 safety rating as well as Arai’s in-house testing. Another interesting aspect is that Arai always tries to focus on safety. Their helmets are actually round and smooth to try and actually direct the impact away so that the helmet will glance off of any surface, rather than absorbing the impact. The shell is available in only 1 shell size and only supports two sizes, which is a disappointing result for such an expensive helmet from a big brand. Then again, these retro helmets do usually come with less frills, so there’s the tradeoff. Nonetheless, the helmet comes in weighing about 1506 grams in a size M.

Ventilation

For ventilation, this helmet may not look like much, but it actually has a fair amount of ventilation to offer. We’ve got two visor vents that you can flip up or down, which help preserve that round profile while giving you some air on the face and blowing air into the entire helmet. There’re 6 chin vents down that you can control with a switch on the inside. So in this case, Arai was really focusing on keeping that retro look by keeping the main shell as classic as possible.

Visor

If we take a look at the visor, then we do have some nice features. First, it doesn’t have a Pinlock lens in the box. This helmet has a VAS-V Visor system. The VAS stands for Variable Axis System, so as you open the visor, the pivot point also moves. This visor is also meant to improve safety by sitting tight against the shell, giving it that same round profile. It also has a nice locking system to make sure it stays shut when you’re riding. The visor should also give you a good field of view and is a bit more complicated than the RX7-V to remove. It’s held in place with plastic screws which means you need extra equipment to remove it. Also, with screws, there’s always the potential to lose them. It seems like this style with the screws may have been chosen for more aesthetic reasons as well as bringing the visor mechanism closer into the shell. With regard to user-friendliness of removing the visor, Arai’s other helmets like the RX7-V are much simpler and need no tools.

Liner

This lining is removable and washable. It’s of Arai’s high quality material with mesh around the interior. The lining is actually really soft, so it is comfortable to wear helmet. The lining can be removed. You can’t remove the cheek pads, only the inner liner. This also means you probably can’t have a communications device inside the helmet very easily either. This helmet doesn’t have EPS grooves, but it does have those hidden vents that move air around the helmet. The liner looks good, you’ve got some mesh on it and space for air to move through.

General Features

A last few points. For noise isolation, this helmet works pretty well though those vents on the visor will probably affect it. To finish up with the Concept-X, this helmet comes with a double D-ring closing system. This helmet – like all Arai helmets – comes with a 5 year warranty, which goes to show Arai’s confidence in the helmet’s quality. As far as retro helmets go, the Arai Concept-X is a great retro helmet that’s bringing you a nice blend of modern and retro stylistic features as well as great protection. We’ve got Arai’s round head shape without any bells and whistles to give you that classic look while on the bottom there’s the more modern aggressive chin bar. You could see the Concept-X as trying to go after the AGV X3000, while bringing more ventilation.

Summary Arai Concept-X

Helmet type: Full face helmet
Shell material: Fiberglass
Visor: no pinlock, VAS-V Visor
Weight: 1506 grams
Lining: The lining is removable, washable (the neck roll doesn’t come out)
Ventilation: 2 visor vents, 6 vents
Certification: ECE-22.05 certified
Extra: Retro style helmet