About Arai
Twenty years ago, there was a big difference in helmets, so it was much easier to separate the good from the bad. Today, although more helmets look the same, there can still be a major difference between them. For example, people look basically the same on the outside. But this tells us nothing about the person on the inside. It's the same with helmets. They're all round, hard and shiny. And most carry many of the same certification standards that have now become the only way for many to judge a helmet's worth. However, even though these helmets may carry the same decals certifying they passed the minimum criteria for a given standard, it doesn't tell you anything about what's inside. The fit, the comfort. The quality. Arai is different. Arai designs the best helmet it can for comfort, fit, and a host of other criteria. Then the helmet is submitted for safety standards acceptance (which it passes with room to spare). In other words, Arai designs its helmets first for you, the rider, and second to pass a standards test. Some helmet companies have their priorities wrong and do it the other way around.
A History of Innovation: Arai has more than 50 years devoted solely to the advancement and innovation of helmet design and safety. Because of the many design innovations, Arai helmets have actually been exhibited in art museums.
Family Pride: Mr. Hirotake Arai, a hat maker by trade, started his company more than 65 years ago. He was a craftsman, a perfectionist - and a motorcycle rider. Today, his son Michio "Mitch" Arai, another lifelong rider, runs the company. And Mitch's son, Akihito, is now the third generation. If your family name was on your product, how well would you make it?
Handmade: Every Arai helmet is virtually 100 percent handmade. Each craftsman signs the helmet shell along the way. And every helmet is hand inspected at least three times during construction. Not every hundredth helmet, or every tenth one -- every single helmet.
The Pure Pursuit of Quality: Arai is the only helmet company we know of with a single quality standard for all of its helmets. No "special one-off" helmets for the company's A-list racers. Every Arai built for every rider has the same singular devotion to quality, comfort, and fit. In the words of Mitch Arai: "How can you say one person's head is worth more than another's?"
Unmatch Customer Satisfaction: American riders have ranked Arai Helmets number one in customer satisfaction in all seven J.D. Power and Associates Motorcycle Helmet Satisfaction Studies! Seven years in a row. No other helmet company has ranked higher than Arai.
Unmatched Reputation: Arai isn't only the choice of countless motorcycle champions and racers including all four U.S. MotoGP riders, Arai auto-racing helmets dominate the F1 grid chosen by new champion, Fernando Alonso, Kimi Raikkonen in second, and four of the top five drivers. Included in this list are Sebastien Bourdais, winner of the last two ChampCar championships; IRL Indy car drivers Tony Kanaan and Dario Franchitti; and NASCAR heroes Jeff Gordon, Jeff Burton, Mark Martin, Greg Biffle, and Jamie McMurray. Quite an accomplishment for such a small company. There must be a reason.
The Best Warranty: Arai was the first helmet company to offer a full 5-year limited warranty 12 years ago. Only recently have a couple others extended their warranties past one year. (How many cheaper helmets can a typical rider go through in the lifespan of one 5-year warranted Arai?)
Built for the Ride: An Arai doesn't just feel good for an hour or so. It's made to feel good all day, and to keep feeling good for years long after cheap helmets have become loose and shabby. You can't always see the reasons why, but they're there: lower weight from proprietary aerospace fiberglass, lower center of gravity and better weight distribution to reduce fatigue; softer multiple-density liner materials that conform to your head shape; ventilation systems that work -- extremely well; and superb scratch-resistant face shields with less distortion. There are no "minor" parts of an Arai helmet. Every part is interrelated. The result: You feel good and you want to keep riding.
Safety Standards: No one can predict the angle, severity, speed, obstacles or conditions of a crash. Arai's emphasis is on the broader potential, not the minimums required by some standards. But despite this level of protection, Arai helmets still maintain super-soft liners for all-day comfort and fit, not to mention better performance across the broad potential of impacts, from minor to severe.
(*J.D. Power and Associates 1999-2005 Motorcycle Helmet Satisfaction Studies. 2005 Study based on responses from 6,467 purchasers of new 2004 model-year motorcycles. www.jdpower.com)
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