Arai Concept-X, finally an unconventional helmet without sacrificing look, safety and comfort. Perhaps the best new old school.
Mother Arai's new helmet really amazed us for several reasons:
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prima has managed to re-shape its typical rounded shapes to obtain a truly captivating look, indeed I would say very sexy
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second, it did not compromise either with safety or comfort, maintaining the highest quality standards
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third has created a product that certainly stands at the top of the new old school models, that is the restyling of the helmets of the past
We passed well 3 full months to test this newcomer from Japan, which at first sight did not convince us very much, above all because the numerous attempts by competitors to recreate helmets with the looks of the past they have often been unsuccessful. But when we put the Concept X it was a whole other story.
- The helmet, even if it has one chin more pronounced, it has a perfectly round and streamlined shape, and, together with the cap and the VAS technology, guarantees the highest standards of safety typical of Arai. The VAS system provides for a shift of the visor mechanisms downwards to give greater thickness to the shell in the area of the temples.
- The lower air intakes, the cool very clean, they are very reminiscent of the 80's helmets typical of drag races. There visor it is equipped with a predisposition Pinlock, present in the package, and it is very easy to replace it with other colors. The closure of the visor is derived Formula1, to ensure perfect airtightness against air and bad weather and to prevent accidental opening while running or in the event of a collision.
- La ventilation it is guaranteed both from below, by the chin guard grille which can also be closed, and by the air intakes on the visor which reconnect to the internal channels. In this way you do not feel a direct flow on the skull but a more pleasant one lowering of temperature interior very well distributed. The flow flows centrally and laterally up to the rear side extractors and the central one at the nape of the neck.
- - interiors are very fresh and breathable. Even with the scorching summer heat we experienced an optimal sense of comfort, both when driving and when stationary at the traffic lights under the sun, also thanks to the white color, very old school and clearly visible both day and night. The padding, detachable and easily washable, they are also adjustable in some points, subtracting 5mm thicknesses, to better adapt the already excellent fit to your skull shape.
- The Concept-X has as always the double ring closure, the best for comfort and adjustment and the predisposition to house the earphones of a Bluetooth system. We have opted for i Sena 10C EVO and for the Sena SF4 for the passenger.
- Il acoustic comfort it is not comparable to the Arai QV-Pro as the chin guard is more protruding and the windproof chin strap is not pronounced enough to seal the chin well. In any case, the music we listened to and the various phone calls made even at 130 km / h, show that the soundproofing is still good.
- Good compromise between aesthetics and aerodynamics however, it involves a slight resistance to the wind when, above 120 km / h, you get up a little from the usual driving angle with the chin guard facing downwards. In fact, above 130 km / h when you raise your head to look around, or read a sign, you feel that the air pulls the helmet back a little. But to be honest we expected it, as it wasn't a full-face designed for the track.
So once again Arai has put on the road, or rather in the head, a really successful helmet that has been able to combine safety, charm and comfort, positioning itself at the top of the New Old School helmet category that today is very popular among naked, scrambler, café riders. racer, custom and more. We have used it for many kilometers and long journeys, almost never regretting the QV-Pro, another travel “thoroughbred”. The retail price is Euro 599,00.
