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New Aria XD Helmet

Grey_Matter

New member
In light of my most recent helmet purchase I thought I would take a few minutes to give you all my first impressions of my new Arai XD Helmet. For some back-ground on the why of my helmet purchase you can see the thread I started in the Clubhouse called ÔÇ£Do I need a New HelmetÔÇØ. http://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?s=&threadid=4242

I have had the new Arai XD for a total of 4 days & have ridded with it a total of about 250 miles. So these are very much first impressions. The only other helmet I have owned has been an Arai Quantum so my thoughts are for the most part in contrast to the Quantum.

I also believe pretty strongly in Fog City face shield inserts. I used these in my Quantum & installed one in my XD. I have not had any problems with fogging on the inside of my face shield so this is a moot point.

xd_a_silver_lrg.jpg

Note: This picture does not show the slight fade to dark grey/black around the mouth vent & tip of the visor. In addition my helmet has an additional air vent on the top center. They may have changed the model & not updated the picture on the Arai web-site.

Pros:
ÔÇó Cool factor. This thing is a very good looking helmet. The silver to black fade paint is awesome.
ÔÇó Materials & finish are first rate.
ÔÇó The full helmet liner & cheek pads can be removed for washing.
ÔÇó More open feeling. This helmet makes me feel less claustrophobic.
ÔÇó Wider peripheral vision.
ÔÇó More air flow around face.
ÔÇó Better ventilation.
ÔÇó Visor is nice on dark mornings as the sun comes up.
ÔÇó Fit, the XD seems to fit my head a little better that the Quantum did. I have a XXL size melon & it has been hard finding helmets that fit me well.
ÔÇó The face shield & visor can be removed for either serious road use or dirt use with goggles.
ÔÇó Many face shields options are available. I ordered a dark smoke & a second clear.

Cons:
ÔÇó Price, it cost about $500.00. This is a BIG negative as far as I am concerned; the price will keep this great helmet off many heads.
ÔÇó More air flow around face. This morning it was very cold & foggy. If I would not have had my windproof face mask on it would have been very cold indeed.
ÔÇó A screw driver is needed to remove the face shield and/or visor. This is not too big of a deal but compared to removing the face shield on the quantum it takes more time & you do need a screw driver.
ÔÇó Removing & re-installing the cheek pads was a little harder than with the Quantum. Not sure why, both systems seem to be identical.
ÔÇó Face shields are not stocked in high quantities. Almost every MC shop has face shields in stock for the Quantum. I had to special order spare face shields.
ÔÇó Face shields are expensive at about $45.00.

That is just about it for now. If you are in the market for a duel sport helmet I can recommend it. I still think a ?¢ grand is a lot to spend on a helmet. But in the end I think my head is worth it.
 
Thanks for the info. I am in the process of starting to shop for my next help. My Quantum turns 5 years old in about three months.
 
Cool lid!! :thumb . Looks like spaceman meets motorcycle :D
You mentioned price as a negative, however, think about what your brain is worth and the price suddenly is not THAT important no more. I know it's a lot of money to spend on a singular item but compared to other things we buy for our bikes, it may be some of the least expensive items. (pst, be smart don't tell the wife :rofl )
I just got a Arai corsair and like the it, as it vents very well and is fairley quiet . Lightweight too!, compared to the Schuberth I had.
I hope your nemesis paid for that one!!
Good luck and keep the rubber down.

Now back to regular programming :coffee
 
grey matter,

thanks for sharing - in the end it is what makes these forums useful.
 
Cool looking helmet, Grey Matter, but before Flash jumps down your throat and accuses you of being on the take, please publish your tax records for the past three years and a notarized statement from your tax attorney (or your mother) that Arai did not give you this helmet in exchange for a favorable review. :bliss
 
GM-Have you ridden at high speeds yet? I was very interested in the XD until someone told me the visor was, shall we say, "Scary" at high speed. I've ridden 70-80 mph a few times with my MX helmet and it wasn't so bad. What do you say?
 
I have had the XD for about 2 years. I got one when the new version first came out. For real dual sporting it canÔÇÖt be beat. Great air flow, good vision/fit with goggles and great visor. For street rideÔÇÖn it is a very poor helmet. Very very noisy even with ear plugs and yur speeds must be kept down along with tilting yur head down due to the visor. You can take the visor off but it is not quick and then ya might a well be useÔÇÖn a street helmet.

I use the XD on my GS and my KTM 640 Adventure when off roading or dual sporting. When street riding I have gone back to my old Shoei 800

As for the Fog City insert, I use one on my street helmet but if you ride off road it will be a real problem. The Fog City insert attracts dust and dirt and must be cleaned carefully and often. In a dirt/dust environment it would never survive.
 
JetDoc said:
Cool looking helmet, Grey Matter, but before Flash jumps down your throat and accuses you of being on the take, please publish your tax records for the past three years and a notarized statement from your tax attorney (or your mother) that Arai did not give you this helmet in exchange for a favorable review. :bliss

Can you believe I paid big bucks & still I give them a good review. Sheesh what is this world coming to. PM me for tax records NOT. I do work for a local Seattle area software company but still, money does not grow on trees.




dlearl said:
GM-Have you ridden at high speeds yet? I was very interested in the XD until someone told me the visor was, shall we say, "Scary" at high speed. I've ridden 70-80 mph a few times with my MX helmet and it wasn't so bad. What do you say?

On my GS Adventure the air flows over the top of the wind screen pretty well. I took it up to 90 mph & that is wear the visor became a problem for me, however not scary. I suspect it will affect different people in different ways depending on the bike set-up, wind screen & sitting height of the rider. If I were going on a long interstate trip I would take the visor off.




Rad said:
I have had the XD for about 2 years. I got one when the new version first came out. For real dual sporting it canÔÇÖt be beat. Great air flow, good vision/fit with goggles and great visor. For street rideÔÇÖn it is a very poor helmet. Very very noisy even with ear plugs and yur speeds must be kept down along with tilting yur head down due to the visor. You can take the visor off but it is not quick and then ya might a well be useÔÇÖn a street helmet.

I use the XD on my GS and my KTM 640 Adventure when off roading or dual sporting. When street riding I have gone back to my old Shoei 800

As for the Fog City insert, I use one on my street helmet but if you ride off road it will be a real problem. The Fog City insert attracts dust and dirt and must be cleaned carefully and often. In a dirt/dust environment it would never survive.

For higher speeds I agree the Visor should be removed. For me removing the visor is a better option than having another $500+ road helmet. My GS is the only bike I own & the XD works great 90% of the time.

For trails & Forrest service roads I will take the Visor off & use goggles.

As far as noise goes I always wear earplugs. The XD is no louder that my Quantum was. That is the only point of reference I have.
 
Hey Grey Matter,
Fuggedabout the price, Arai helmets work. I wouldn't be typing this if they didn't. I just replaced my Quantum after a little get off during Biketoberfest that totaled my K12RS. Landed on my head! Pics of the bike & helmet are here: http://home.earthlink.net/~rweis699/
New Quantum is in the closet, new RS shouild come home this weekend.
 
Holy Cow Bob, I am glad you are still with us. That looks like a pretty serious get-off.

I totally agree that the Arai is worth the money. But the price will keep many riders from owning them.
 
Rad said:
I have had the XD for about 2 years. I got one when the new version first came out. For real dual sporting it canÔÇÖt be beat. Great air flow, good vision/fit with goggles and great visor. For street rideÔÇÖn it is a very poor helmet. Very very noisy even with ear plugs and yur speeds must be kept down along with tilting yur head down due to the visor. You can take the visor off but it is not quick and then ya might a well be useÔÇÖn a street helmet.

I use the XD on my GS and my KTM 640 Adventure when off roading or dual sporting. When street riding I have gone back to my old Shoei 800

As for the Fog City insert, I use one on my street helmet but if you ride off road it will be a real problem. The Fog City insert attracts dust and dirt and must be cleaned carefully and often. In a dirt/dust environment it would never survive.

Pretty much the word I got, verbatim. FWIW, I got an Arai DS MX helmet that I wear with Oakley goggles and the combo is fine up to about 75, which is as fast as I usually ride my F650 anyway due to the gearing. I paid $375 for both, IIRC.
 
Bobmws said:
I just replaced my Quantum after a little get off during Biketoberfest that totaled my K12RS. Landed on my head!

Bobmws:

BUMMER about your K1200 and your hard landing on your noggin. REALLY glad you're OK and I totally agree with you about the price of helmets--one can't really complain.

I just spent nearly $600 on my Arai Quantam Corsair. Helmets are a lot more expensive than I remember 15 years ago. Noisy, too. But MUCH lighter. Can't spend too much on protecting the head bone.

Again, glad you're OK.
 
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