Member Contributer Solomoto Posted December 5, 2010 Member Contributer Share Posted December 5, 2010 After 12 years of faithful service, I retired my Arai Quantum/E helmet. It was getting shabby around the edges and scruffy from all the miles, but it was good to the end though. At this years IMS show in San Mateo, CA I had the Arai rep size me up with an XD-3 crossover helmet, then he pointed me to the Service Pavilion across the hall for actual purchase. These guys did a further fitting of cheek pads, I had to go from 28mm down to 12mm to get my cheeks to fit comfortably. Since they didn't have the color I wanted in stock, they had to ship it from their home base in PA. Why an XD-3 crossover? Most of my riding is not tucked-in high speed riding i.e. squidly or track oriented. I wanted the visor (or "peak" as Arai calls it) to help block the sun especially when it's low on the horizon and just for added shading on a bright day. The VFR air management works very well with this helmet, I got up to 90mph in a normal riding posture and the peak had virtually no buffeting or head pull at all, of course this may differ depending on one's height, I'm 5'7". I felt I could go even faster if need be and still be comfortable but I rarely ever am over 85mph on the street anyway. At freeway speeds, there is a mild drag when turning my head to the side but this too is very manageable. Arai did a very good job of getting the peak aerodynamics right. If you do a lot of tucked in riding, this type of helmet is not the most appropriate, on the other hand, the peak can be removed if desired for this type of riding. This helmet is chock full of vents and controls to adapt to cold or hot riding conditions. I didn't experiment much with the settings, basically closed them off since it's getting on the cool side here in CA, but good to know those options are there. Comfort wise, this helmet is top notch. Of course this will vary depending on how closely it fits your head profile, but in my case I had nothing but great fit, snug all around as it should be and with the cheek pads changed to fit I didn't feel like biting off the inside of my cheeks. The helmet feels balanced and very light. As for noise, I usually ride with ear plugs all the time regardless so I can't really comment if this helmet is quieter or not. At least with the plugs, it sounded no louder than my previous helmet. The overall construction and quality is typical Arai, the best in the business. The fit and finish can be described in Honda-like terms, all the pieces integrate together into very polished product. The face shield has a smooth double detented movement to it, and the paint can only be described as luxurious and deep, very much like the new VFR paint process. Arai's are pricey, but you certainly get what you pay for. For more info, check out their website: http://www.araiamericas.com/default.aspx?pageid=57#/helmets/moto/xd3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monk Posted December 5, 2010 Share Posted December 5, 2010 When you have the peak inplace and you want to lift the shield.... What moves and what doesn't ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Solomoto Posted December 5, 2010 Author Member Contributer Share Posted December 5, 2010 When you have the peak inplace and you want to lift the shield.... What moves and what doesn't ? The peak is fixed in position always (it is adjustable however). The shield operates like that of any other helmet, it tucks up under the peak in the raised position. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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