20 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 that 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. But Arai is different. Arai designs the best helmet we can for
comfort, fit, and a host of other criteria. Then we submit it for safety
standards acceptance (which we pass 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:
Over 50 years devoted solely to the advancement and innovation of helmet
design and safety. Because of our 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 over 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% 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:
The only helmet company we know of with a single quality standard for all
its helmets. No "special one-off" helmets for our 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?")
UNMATCHED 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 Räikkönen in second,
and four of the top five drivers ... Sebastien Bourdais, winner of the last
two ChampCar championships ... IRL Indy cars' Tony Kanaan and Dario
Franchitti among others ... And NASCAR® heroes like 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:
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 liners materials that conform to your head shape.
Ventilation systems that work - extremely well! 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.
FROM MR. MICHIO "MITCH" ARAI TO AMERICAN RIDERS:
We believe no helmet manufacturer in the world makes their shells the Arai
way. We craft all of our shell designs by hand. Then we use the most
advanced five-point laser scanning system, combined with the latest CAD/CAM
software, to copy, to completely reproduce exactly what our craftsmen have
created to a level of detail never before achieved.
Arai does not let the computer design or alter the shell. We design it. We
hold it and look at it; we feel its lines and aerodynamic flow. We believe
that this is a more natural, organic way to design shells because there is
nothing 'organic' about a computer screen.
A computer extrapolates what it thinks it needs to complete the helmet
design. But because computers are not human, they treat helmet design and
the human skull as a 'mathematical' problem. They do not understand the
infinite variations of the human skull pertaining to comfort and fit. Arai
does. Thank you.
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