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Do You Wear ARAI?

TheRoss

Certified Beemerphile
I wear a 4 year old Arai Vector, Web White. I love the helmet as it is one of the best fits I have found. However, the difficulty I have had in getting replacement side covers makes it doubtful that I will ever buy another one. The tab on the top of one of the side pieces broke, making it so the visor will not stay closed. I searched the internet for replacement side parts, and the only place I found offering them was GP Helmets out of Phoenix. The Arai website was ÔÇ£experiencing technical difficultiesÔÇØ so I couldnÔÇÖt order direct.

GP Helmets claims to be the ÔÇ£Arai SpecialistsÔÇØ, and their home page begins like this:

GPHelmets.com was created to provide the Arai customer with the best collection of Arai Helmets and Genuine Arai Parts and Accessories. By providing more product options, better pricing, faster service and excellent customer service, we are determined to become The number 1 Arai store and the leading retailer of Arai Auto Racing, Arai Karting and Arai Motorcycle Helmets.

Now hereÔÇÖs how my experience with GP Helmets has gone:

Fri, March 23 - I emailed GP to confirm that they had the side pieces I needed. The company emailed me back with a link for ordering them online.

Fri, March 23 ÔÇô After confirming the item with the company, I placed the order. Side covers $35, Base plate screws $4, Base plates $9. They charged me $14.50 for shipping, which I thought was high, but I figured they would send them right out and shoot me a tracking number. The funds were taken from my account right away, unlike some companies that only charge you when the shipment goes out.

Mon, April 9 ÔÇô Over 2 weeks later, and I had not received either the side pieces or a tracking number. I emailed GP and asked for a tracking number or a refund ÔÇ£TODAYÔÇØ. GP responded and let me know that they didnÔÇÖt actually have the items they sold me, and they were looking for them. Victor at GP promised that he would take care of this the following day, so I backed off on wanting a refund. I miss being able to wear the Arai, and decided to give them a little more time.

Wed, April 11 ÔÇô No word from GP. I emailed asking for an update. GP responded saying ÔÇ£good news, Arai has the parts, and they will be ordered the following dayÔÇØ.

Mon, April 16 ÔÇô Still no tracking number or communication from GP. I emailed asking for an update. GP responded saying the parts will be in their hands ÔÇ£tomorrowÔÇØ, and they will send them right out to me.

Thurs, April 19 ÔÇô I emailed GP asking if they received the parts from Arai as expected, and asked if they had a tracking number. No response.

Fri, April 20 ÔÇô I emailed again asking for an update. Again, no response from GP.

Mon, April 23 ÔÇô I emailed yet again, with no reply. I then called them twice (12:15 and 1:30) and got an automated answering machine each time. It has been a full month since I placed the order for parts that I believed they had in stock. They processed the funds for the order, charging too much for shipping, and since then have given me the run around.

I am not the type to complain in public, but my emails and calls are being ignored.
I am now publically demanding from GP Helmets a full refund. You should process this TODAY to avoid an official complaint.

Order 2054, Placed March 23, $62.35
Christopher Ross
 
I have an RXQ and a Quantum II. The RXQ had a broken vent, and the Quantum a broken visor mechanism. Got new parts (free) from Arai directly and fixed both helmets in about an hour.
 
gee, sounds like your issue is with GP, not ARAI.

fwiw- i ride with an ARAI Profile series- it is my favorite helmet of all time, and will absolutely go with them again. but it sounds like i won't bother talking to GP about them.
 
Contact The Service Pavillion http://www.theservicepavilion.com/

If they cannot help you nobody can. They started as the official track side Arai outfitters. Call and ask for Robert the owner.

BTW. Arai site for parts has been down for a very long time. They want you to go to a dealer. As for GP I have never heard of them or have any experience with them. All I do know is The Service Pavillion has taken good care of me and replaced a broken rear vent for free on my Profile. They fit me and switched out pads for free. The word "Service" in their name is there for a reason. Another good thing with Arai is that they have a helmet to fit all head shapes. NSR, No Spoons Required.
 
Arai Helmets

+1 for The Service Pavillion. They fitted me correctly with the Arai Profile at the Johnson City BMWMOA Rally. Give The Service Pavillion a call and see if they can repair your Arai helmet.


I wear a Arai Profile because that is what fits my long-oval head and when they discontinued that model, I was able to purchase a Profile at a closeout price. I hope they re-introduce it before my current helmet wears out.



Bill
 
Arai

I own an Arai Profile and had trouble with the side clips and face mask. I recently bought a Schuberth C 3 which I found remarkably better that the Arai. No more Arai for me.
 
I'll be a dittohead and say I also had a very good experience getting parts from The Service Pavilion for my three Arais.
 
The last of six Arai helmets that I owned was an RX7RR3, after about six months plastic parts started to break and fall off starting with the air vents in the visor. I tried to contact Arai America via email (about 6 times) but never got a response. I spoke to my dealer and he told me that Arai was in the middle of a reorg and he was having trouble getting anything from them. I finally had to send Arai a double registered letter before I got a response and even then the response was a lot of excuses about how the dealer or distributor should have looked after me and if they didn't I should have called Arai directly and they would have done something. Apparently the six emails and the double registered letter was not enough.
So, seven years ago I bought a Schuberth C2 and I have been happy with the quality and their customer service (last year I sent them the helmet and they went through it and replaced anything that they felt was not "up to standard" - no charge)
I probably won't go back.
 
I've owned 7 Arai's and love them. Recently ordered face shield from service pav and it was delivered in 3 days. Bought the last 3 helmets from them and will order another one soon.:thumb
 
I use a shoie qwest, but my head is a long oval so the helmet has a lot of wind noise.
Arai seems to be designed for oval heads. So, my next helmet will be an Arai.
 
Stick With Arai, Dump GP Helmets

I thought The Service Pavillion sounded familiar, so I looked up their site. It's where I bought my Arai, (Quantum?) several years ago. Since I am not too far away, I went down to their shop and got fitted for my helmet. Over the years, I've bought a lot of helmets. Never before had I been FITTED for one. It was great, and I have never before been so happy with the way a helmet fit my head.

I love my Arai Helmet. According to an article on Arai that appeared in the ON a couple years back, they are a small, family owned business who creates their product mostly by hand. This is exactly the type of local business I would choose to support, so it's a natch to support these folks in their endeavors.

Also, When I was looking at spending real $$$ on a helmet, I looked at the racers, who MOSTLY wear Arai. I figured good enough for them, good enough for me.

Also, somebody mentioned eBay- always a great source for stuff- ANY stuff.
I look at eBay and Amazon first- then go elsewhere if I can. If I can't buy locally, I'm definitely getting things from either site. Amazon is amazing, they have FANTASTIC customer service and sell almost anything you can think of- seriously.
I've had years of positive experiences with them. Since I don't live in a major urban area, I can't always just go out and get things i want or need. Amazon and eBay ROCK because everything's at your fingertips.

HINT:
On eBay, include "free shipping" in your search heading.

On Amazon, if you think you're going to buy frequently (as I do), join their "Amazon Prime" club- for 70.00 (?) a year, you get free, two day shipping on all items. It'll pay for itself in the first few orders and you get your stuff FAST.
 
Not a fan of Arai- think they have outlived their legitimate place in the market and are overpriced. Lots of good choices these days and no need to spend that much for good protection and features.
Have done shield changes on my female riding partners Arai and had to dremel a bottom opening to get the thing to click closed and open properly. Yes I know to how to change an Arai shield and its not as bad as some say but its still more trouble than necessary and I really don't want to waste time fiddling with minor dimension adjustments to get one to fit right. Has more parts than necessary also both in the shield mechanism and the shield itself. Less parts means less stuff to break/fix/fit...
Besides, Shoei fits me a lot better off the shelf and I can just mailorder without the need to mess with mix and match pad changes....
 
Arai wearer, past!

They would NOT send me any parts for my chin vent that broke! I wore the Arai XD for 5 years without any discomfort. THEIR customer quals are horrible, however. They are priced beyond all the comps out there and lost my business. I liked the Arai overall, still have it as my backup helmet. Faceshield was poorly thought out, never stayed put well. My new ICON "variant"has many the same features, out of Korea and I like it well. No discomfort, bubble shield i like better:). My opinion, NO helmet should cost 500$ and too many great ones are found for much less. Randy:thumb
 
I thought The Service Pavillion sounded familiar, so I looked up their site. It's where I bought my Arai, (Quantum?) several years ago. Since I am not too far away, I went down to their shop and got fitted for my helmet. Over the years, I've bought a lot of helmets. Never before had I been FITTED for one. It was great, and I have never before been so happy with the way a helmet fit my head.
.

Geez--I've mail ordered from them but until you wrote this, I had no idea where they were located. Since I'm in Carlisle, I'll ride out there next time I need something as well. It will give me an excuse to go to Prudhommes' Lost Cajun Kitchen in Columbia.
 
When I have needed parts for my Arai helmets (which I've been using for about 15 years) I've always dealt directly with Arai America. I've always experienced excellent service from them.

If any of you buy an Arai, make a point of registering your purchase on the Arai America website. It helps them which, in turn, helps you when you need something.

I buy Arai only because they happen to fit me better compared to other helmets. I find them to be price competitive with other high-end offerings.
 
I hope I can! I used a debit card from my bank.

FWIW, I do not nor will I ever have a debit card for the situation you describe. It is also a huge risk that if your debit card gets skimmed: your account can be cleaned out and it will take a long time to correct it. It is direct access to your money, without limit.

When my clients ask about these things I tell them I would be committing malpractice to suggest anybody get or use a debit card. Checks work, and credit card charges can be refused.
 
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