ARAI CHASER X HELMET
TESTED BY: Max Silvester
MILES: 500-plus
TIME: 2 Years
PRICE: from £439.99
WEB: www.whyarai.co.uk
Having seemingly spent nearly my whole childhood running around banging my head against everything, keeping my head safe is incredibly important to me now. Growing up as a younger brother, I got everything handed down to me, used to wearing helmets that never really fitted right or dealt the best with dampening sound; though starting on a Yamaha TZR50 and a DTR 125, of course, I never had any complaints about the noise. My first taste of Arai was the RX-7V, and that started my love for the brand. Yes, it too was a hand-me-down from my brother – but at least he had an appetite for good helmets...
The Arai Chaser X is like the little brother to the RX-7V: side by side, the helmets are similar. The Chaser X is made with Arai's super fibre laminate outer shell, a strong composite of Arai specialty fibres and resins.
Every single helmet is handmade and tested five times over to prove they’re safe. Arai even specifically points out that it doesn’t need to test its helmets that many times for European guidelines but does it anyway. I believe I have been pretty lucky when crashing with one of these helmets on. When I've unfortunately had a crash, the most damage a helmet’s had is scraped paint, occasional small scuffs, or a smashed rear vent, which can be replaced for about £30. I think I could genuinely ramble on and on about the durability of these helmets for hours; I have and always will be charmed by their pure attention to detail.
Putting the helmet through the absolute terror that is the British climate, I've tested it in all weathers. The ventilation system does an amazing job. Using a single intake air vent on the top of the helmet, brow vents, and a three-position chin vent, I can keep cool air continuously rolling in. The single rear vent and side exhausts also draw hot air out of the back of the helmet. The visor is also made to fit a pinlock inlay lens. I have very mixed experiences with this system; despite mostly using a standard tinted visor on track, a clear visor with a pinlock is almost essential for cold and wet weather riding, it does a great job of keeping your vision clear.
Compared to the RX-7V, the Chaser X is focused more on comfort. The lining is very accommodating, as well as being customisable. It is possible to add extra cheek pads if needed, and there is even space to accommodate speakers for communication systems. Sticking with comfort, the overall weight, coming in at about 1.5kg, is not the lightest helmet on the market, but with the weight of it being well-balanced, it has never been a problem – even after wearing the helmet for extended periods. All in all, whether it’s on road or track, this is an amazing all-round helmet that I can proudly recommend.