Arai Helmet Online Retailers

[Prense01]

Need to know opinions of which online retailers that sell Arai helmets are the best regarding return policy for sizing, value, customer service and shipment speed.

I despise retailers that claim to have items in stock when they do not.

Please reserve helmet quality opinions for a different thread.

Chris :f_spider:

 

[bikeguy]

I find newenough.com to be an outstanding online retailer. Their return policy is about as good as it gets, their prices are decent, their employess are friendly, knowledgable, and helpful. They are located in Shallowater, Texas which is good and bad depending. The good is that they are close enough to you to make it possible to actually visit their warehouse and try on a helmet once you decide what you want. The bad is that, since you are in Texas, you will have to pay sales tax.

http://www.newenough.com/

Cotton

 

[Frig]

I really like Helmet Harbor. www.helmetharbor.com. He has great video reviews and great service. Check out the site and give him a call.

 

[NancysToy]

I applaud your choice, in targeting an Arai. The choices in fit with that brand are top-notch. By buying mail-order, however, you miss out on the best benefit Arai has to offer. Their trained dealers are fit experts, and making a fairly long journey, just to take advantage of a fit session with an experienced and trained fitter, is worth the effort. I'll virtually guarantee that you will end up with too large a helmet, and possibly the wrong shape, if you fit yourself. My wife and I have both undergone these fitting sessions, and the difference is amazing. Neither of us would have selected the helmet that was best for us. Even after fifty years of buying helmets, I could not have done anywhere near this well on my own. If you can find a dealer within a day's ride, or wait until next year's Cycle World International Motorcycle Show in your area, it will be woth your time and mileage.

 

[Jornie1]

Arai Helmets...

I just purchased two Arai helmets with head phones/mic built in for Can Am Spyders.... from Overby's Two Wheel Sound in Murray KY, they are connected directly with well known J&M Motorcycle Audio. Robert Overbay is incredibly knowledgeable and helpful when it comes to motorcycle electronics and helmets. He will allow and encourages sending items back and trying another to get it right... no charge. With the exception of shipping of course. He has sent me different cheek pad sizes until I found one that fits perfectly, my round cheeky face. Overby's is an excellent source of Arai sound fitted helmets..I highly recommend them. Take a look at their website: www.twowheelsound.com
Phone Number: 270-753-4092
I have been using their dependable servicies for nearly 20 years.
Len Smith...sunny Cape Coral FL

Need to know opinions of which online retailers that sell Arai helmets are the best regarding return policy for sizing, value, customer service and shipment speed.

I despise retailers that claim to have items in stock when they do not.

Please reserve helmet quality opinions for a different thread.

Chris :f_spider:

 

[mdminc]

Got my Arai Profile from

www.BikeBandit.com

If you are a member of www.ama-cycle.org than www.BikeBandit.com gives you a 10% discount.

 

[wyliec]

I applaud your choice, in targeting an Arai. The choices in fit with that brand are top-notch. By buying mail-order, however, you miss out on the best benefit Arai has to offer. Their trained dealers are fit experts, and making a fairly long journey, just to take advantage of a fit session with an experienced and trained fitter, is worth the effort. I'll virtually guarantee that you will end up with too large a helmet, and possibly the wrong shape, if you fit yourself. My wife and I have both undergone these fitting sessions, and the difference is amazing. Neither of us would have selected the helmet that was best for us. Even after fifty years of buying helmets, I could not have done anywhere near this well on my own. If you can find a dealer within a day's ride, or wait until next year's Cycle World International Motorcycle Show in your area, it will be woth your time and mileage.

I purchased my Arai from what you may be calling a trained dealer. It turned out to be 2 sizes too big; I went over this with baja ron. I ended up having to purchase thicker cheek pads and a helmet liner.

 

[SethO]

best price I found when they are on sale, I have a round head the vector shaped head, they have 4 different shapes of the inside of your melon.

I have had my head fireformed to a shoei and they arai's blow them out of the water

http://www.compacc.com/Arai

 

[NancysToy]

I purchased my Arai from what you may be calling a trained dealer. It turned out to be 2 sizes too big; I went over this with baja ron. I ended up having to purchase thicker cheek pads and a helmet liner.

I have never run across someone that was not properly trained...but I have dealt only with the larger distributors. Sorry to hear of your bad experience.

 

[Prense01]

Thanks for all the input. I ended up ordering a vector from Revzilla since they were much cheaper and have a good reputation for customer service.

Chris :spyder:

 

[SethO]

Thanks for all the input. I ended up ordering a vector from Revzilla since they were much cheaper and have a good reputation for customer service.

Chris :spyder:

I checked revzilla vs compacc and they are cheaper is the latter.

 

[Prense01]

You are correct. I had Teamzilla dollars saved up from previous purchases that drove the price cheaper at Revzilla. Also, I like their return policy better and they process/ship orders quickly. Typically, I receive items from Revzilla in about 4 business days with their standard free shipping. Compacc boasts 7-10 business days typical.

I should have clarified on my previous post about being cheaper...you are absolutely corect on that.

Thanks again.

Chris :spyder:

 

[BajaRon]

I purchased my Arai from what you may be calling a trained dealer. It turned out to be 2 sizes too big; I went over this with baja ron. I ended up having to purchase thicker cheek pads and a helmet liner.

The problem is that Arai helmets are expensive (Duh!). So it ties up a lot of capitol for a dealer to keep a broad inventory of them sitting on the shelf. Some dealers would rather sell you what you have than sell you what you need. Not good.

I have been dealing in Arai (and other brand) helmets for about 12 years. It is amazing how little the average person knows about the helmet they wear or what they need.

This is a very important subject. People (especially guys) are embarrassed to ask questions revealing how little they know about it. But it doesn't take all that much to understand what makes a helmet right for you.

Unfortunately, you can't always trust what you get from a salesman. Many times the person selling you a helmet knows very little about them other than how to convice you to buy it. if you don't know what you're doing they can sell you anything

It's much better to BE protected than to just FEEL protected.

If you have a question about a helmet you are welcome to PM me. I will help you any way I can. Size/fitment, features and aspects of head shape and design, are all important.

Just like coming here and learning about your Spyder may leave you better informed than the "Experts". An informed customer is in a lot better position to get what they need in a helmet than someone who has no other option than to take the dealer's word for it.

 

[wyliec]

The problem is that Arai helmets are expensive (Duh!). So it ties up a lot of capitol for a dealer to keep a broad inventory of them sitting on the shelf. Some dealers would rather sell you what you have than sell you what you need. Not good.

They ordered mine.

 

[bruceofthebronx]

Baja Ron

might always be late but he's on time and target with some great advice. I'll be reaching out for that advice when I can get the money to buy an Arai helmet. I thank you .

 

[BajaRon]

They ordered mine.

I am not saying that all dealers are an issue. Sorry if it came across that way. I guess I tend to encounter more of the problem purchases. And there are many good sources for sound helmet understanding.

Most dealers (especially with expensive helmets like Arai) are probably knowledgeable and conscientious. But the only way you’re going to know this is to have some good information going in.

 

[Prense01]

This is what I ordered...

http://www.revzilla.com/product/arai-vector-web-helmet#

Should go nicely with my blue RT-S. :2thumbs:

Chris :spyder:

 

[BajaRon]

This is what I ordered...

http://www.revzilla.com/product/arai-vector-web-helmet#

Should go nicely with my blue RT-S. :2thumbs:

Chris :spyder:

The Vector is a great helmet and that Web design is sharp. Will look good with your Spyder. With the Vector you get all the great Arai engineering and quality without all the 'Go-Faster' bells and whistles (which you don't need - which makes it ligher and quieter too) at a great price.

It has the Intermediate head shape which fits the majority of people. The only small downside is that the interior liner is not replaceable (the Cheek Pads are). With a high quality helmet like Arai the helmet well outlasts the interior padding (if you take care of it). But even this can be overcome with a bit of ingenuity. Something you won't have to even worry about for some time.

 

[Prense01]

The Vector is a great helmet and that Web design is sharp. Will look good with your Spyder. With the Vector you get all the great Arai engineering and quality without all the 'Go-Faster' bells and whistles (which you don't need - which makes it ligher and quieter too) at a great price.

It has the Intermediate head shape which fits the majority of people. The only small downside is that the interior liner is not replaceable (the Cheek Pads are). With a high quality helmet like Arai the helmet well outlasts the interior padding (if you take care of it). But even this can be overcome with a bit of ingenuity. Something you won't have to even worry about for some time.

I went with the vector for the interior shape. I am almost certain that the profile is a little more oval than I really need. I have heard of the vectors being a little more oval than expected, but not as much as the profile. That should serve me well. I knew up front about the non-removable liner...that is unfortunate for such a pricey helmet. Regardless, I am willing to overlook if it comes close to meeting my expectations which are rather high for this helmet. I have done a tremendous amount of research on helmets in general. There are pros/cons to just about every brand/model you look at. Factors I considered: fit, airflow, noise, space for helmet speakers, liner/cheek pad performance for wicking away moisture, weight, balance, visor function and field of view and finally...overall comfort. I am certain I will need different cheek pads, but I'll assess that once I can validate fit on my head. I'll swap out cheek pads if needed.


Chris :spyder:

 

[SethO]

You are correct. I had Teamzilla dollars saved up from previous purchases that drove the price cheaper at Revzilla. Also, I like their return policy better and they process/ship orders quickly. Typically, I receive items from Revzilla in about 4 business days with their standard free shipping. Compacc boasts 7-10 business days typical.

I should have clarified on my previous post about being cheaper...you are absolutely corect on that.

Thanks again.

Chris :spyder:

Oh I did not know you had teamzilla dollars and comp acc is sometimes shady with a few extra days shipping but they for the most part on their lids have been 5 days, I am glad you got that setup, I wanted to try the other round oval design with diffrent venting and different graphics, didn't know that they were both round oval until I had mine for a while.