Arai RX7 Corsair SHARP testing

[Paivi]

Originally Posted by Ghost

You took that out of all context there are helmets in accesorie shops at £30. Would you buy and wear one. That was my point.

If it were approved, which it'd have to be to be sold here, yes I would if it were a perfect fit. I'd much rather pay £30 than £500, especially as I don't rate the comfort or quietness of Arais very highly, in fact, not at all.

The lids I use are both Schuberth (J1 and S1) and they're both very comfortable and quiet, which is why I bought them. A large amount of the money I paid probably went towards this comfort and quiet, but also towards the name (perhaps not in this country, but they are very highly thought of in Germany, being as they are the suppliers to a certain M Schumacher and the German Fire Brigades).

[Sorted]

Each to their own but as I said:
3 Rules:
Fit
Fit
and Fit
Then style and budget!

I'm sure Arai are every bit as safe as other makes and if thats what fits and feels good???
If the cap (helmet) fits, wear it!

If Schuberth are comfortable and quiet... Schuberth it is!

If the Arai is good and you have the budget (some may say money to blow on a "name") why not.

D&G and Prada Jeans are probably no better than Levi's etc but hey............

[Ghost]

Originally Posted by Sorted

Each to their own but as I said:
3 Rules:
Fit
Fit
and Fit
Then style and budget!

I'm sure Arai are every bit as safe as other makes and if thats what fits and feels good???
If the cap (helmet) fits, wear it!

If Schuberth are comfortable and quiet... Schuberth it is!

If the Arai is good and you have the budget (some may say money to blow on a "name") why not.

D&G and Prada Jeans are probably no better than Levi's etc but hey............

Absolutely I bought my Arai as it fits and is comfortable I don't wear ear plugs, it is a bit noisy but it just feels part of me and I don't realise that its on. Yes they are expensive and prob over priced as a lot of top riders use them, but sim prices are rflected in Suomy and Nolan now also.

[Pax]

I busted one of the posts on my trusty AGV last weekend and as a 'get you out of trouble' measure, purchased a Caberg helmet for £100 with a view to getting my AGV repaired. Surprisingly I find the Caberg helmet great, comfy, reasonably quiet. The flip down tinted inner screen is great and its a flip front helmet also which is useful. All for not alot of money, however will it bash my brains in if I go bouncing down the road. I read that it meets current regulations etc. So is it safety for price or style ?

[The Rookie]

Flipping heck, this is an emotive one, cheers for all the replys.

Its all about safety and little else for me. I went for the Arai for its reputation as the 'best' helmet based on nothing but opinions and sales blurb. The Arai fits perfectly and I am having a fitting session at the shop to try all the different cheek pads and skull caps to really optimise it. I love some of the AGV designs but they fit me like a square peg in a round hole.

As for the helmet looks i think all Arais look naff (apart from the Joey Dunlop & TT ones) so I am having a plain black one. I am choosing fit and compromising looks/fashion because I believe it to be the best helmet I can get. If testing is going to undermine this then perhaps I need to think again and save myself a few hundred quid!

I have a niggling doubt that top spec race helmets put a lot of effort into lightness/aerodynamics with the odd scrape down the tarmac. What I need for the road is the best noggin protector possible and nuts to everything else. These test results will be very interesting indeed...

[JerryXt]

Originally Posted by The Rookie

I have a niggling doubt that top spec race helmets put a lot of effort into lightness/aerodynamics with the odd scrape down the tarmac. What I need for the road is the best noggin protector possible and nuts to everything else...

yes, you need the best noggin protector and that is going to be provided by the companys that put their money into research and development. I remember reading an interview with the chief tester at BSI, who when asked which helmet he'd use said:

I'm not allowed to make a recommendation, but there's one company that lives and breathes safety.

The next page was an ad by a helment company that said:

we live and breathe safety.

[Gilps]

Originally Posted by Cess pit

I believe that the Titanic not only met the safety legislation of the day...it exceeded it.
I don't trust the b*ggers

It only just met UK safety limits at the time, and would not have been allowed to sail if it was registered in the US. There were insufficient lifeboats. The UK Board of Trade which declared it fit to sail was heavily criticised by the US led investigation held after the incident.

[David.Hicks]

Originally Posted by The Rookie

Flipping heck, this is an emotive one

Sure is ... there's no way that people who have worn Arai for years and have shelled-out up to £500+ because they want to have (and want to be seen to have) the 'best' are going to pay much attention to a scientific test that challenges their values and beliefs.

What will these people do however when Arai inevitably redesign their helmets to get better SHARP scores? Will they abandon them as pandering to a 'flawed' test? I doubt it!

I'm not blaming them of course - I'll probably be exactly the same if SHARP only gives three stars to the Shoeis that I use

[JerryXt]

Originally Posted by David.Hicks

Sure is ... there's no way that people who have worn Arai for years and have shelled-out up to £500+ because they want to have (and want to be seen to have) the 'best' are going to pay much attention to a scientific test that challenges their values and beliefs.

David, taking this in the spirit it's meant (tongue in cheek):

Proper equipment tests that challenge the manufacturers can only improve standards and safety for all brands.

That said, peoples' purchasing decisions are unique - look at those people who buy those retro Triumphs! The fact is, they are happy with their decisions and I'm guessing don't give a monkeys about other peoples judgement.

My problem, and I'm presuming other people feel the same, is that while I'd love to spend less money on a helmet, I may not feel as safe in a cheaper helment, or as comfortable - the fit issue. When you're sliding down the road on your head, you don't get the opportunity to go home and put a better helmet on if this one is falling to bits. You may not get to go home at all.

My reason for buying an Arai in the first place was recommendation from biker babe - my introduction to biking. I took her advice to try Shoei or Arai and found that I didn't fit Shoei, but Arai was fine. The decision was mostly made in ignorance of the merits of other brands, but once I'd been down the road in one, the decision stuck and I'll continue to buy Arai until it's proved that they're positively dangerous. (But still, a 200mph off...).

And the price issue - FFS, we ride Ducatis!! The 1098R is a £25K bike that's racing against £10K blades and gixxers and yet the factory tells us it STILL needs a 200cc capacity differential to be competitive. Tell me seriously that anyone with Ohlins or radial brakes on their road bikes NEED them more than they want them.

[mickchaganis]

I've talked to Doctor Phillips, form Philips helmets, his helmet will be on the market a little later this year with a price of £150-£200. He is a head doctor and has designed a helmet to protect our little bonce! It has an outer sliding membrane which gives a little on glancing and sliding blows to stop rotational injury. Looks like a good product.
Anyway appart from the product, he has regular talks with the people at SHARP, so it is likely that SHARP talk to other manufacturers. I think that sharp is a good thing and I do believe that they have our safety at heart. Also SHARP buying helmets of the shelf will stop manufacturers doing us over by providing overly strengthened helmets for testing.
ROLL ON THE RESTULTS OF SHARP. I BET THERE WILL BE A FEW SHOCKS?

[Lucazade 749s]

I have one thing to say to people dismissing SHARP tests as bull****:

Euro N-cap

Independent testing does not go to a shop grab a lid and tests it they do a test by asking X company for a lid.
Sharp does the same but then go to a shop, buy a lid in random and retest to see if X manufacturer did not try to bull**** his way through testing. Now N-cap does the same.
Again N-cap was established to make cars as safe as possible. It is now a selling point so will SHARP be. Also gov has interest in us not crashing or at least having as little injuries as possible. One of them: If we go back to work in a week after crash we are back in the productive part of society, NHS bill is much smaller, company we work for is having less losses.

All of you people having their own business and employing people:
If your employee had an accident would you prefer him/her to come back to work after a week or after a month (due to expensive helmet being just expensive

)?

[The Rookie]

Not sure anyone is saying independent testing is a bad thing but there is inevitably some scepticism over what testing goes into producing a simple five star ranking and thus how relevant the result is.

For example, I believe that modern cars now need to be tested as pedestrian safe to get the highest rating. Can you imagine if bike helmets needed to demonstrate similar qualities to get top marks! I get the impression mid range family cars are now designed entirely to get top marks against the criteria. Does this mean they offer the occupant the best protection? I would have thought a range rover would still offer better protection than a 5 star renault. Could be wrong though.

When the SHARP results are published, if a helmet manufacturer who proudly bases its reputation on safety gets average marks then either the testing is not entirely relevant or something is badly wrong with the manufacturer!

Tim

[Lucazade 749s]

Originally Posted by The Rookie

Not sure anyone is saying independent testing is a bad thing but there is inevitably some scepticism over what testing goes into producing a simple five star ranking and thus how relevant the result is.

For example, I believe that modern cars now need to be tested as pedestrian safe to get the highest rating. Can you imagine if bike helmets needed to demonstrate similar qualities to get top marks! I get the impression mid range family cars are now designed entirely to get top marks against the criteria. Does this mean they offer the occupant the best protection? I would have thought a range rover would still offer better protection than a 5 star renault. Could be wrong though.

When the SHARP results are published, if a helmet manufacturer who proudly bases its reputation on safety gets average marks then either the testing is not entirely relevant or something is badly wrong with the manufacturer!

Tim

You are wrong Range rover gets 3 starts. You seen top gear testing them ?? Not only top gear fifth gear as well. Range rover bent in the middle, roof bent at 30MPH. You could not open the door and your legs would be smashed. 5* renault, you would walk out on your own and start swearing at range rover guy. Now cars are tested at 40MPH in old days it was 30. You are very wrong there.
In 5th Gear head on collision with tree was done not so long ago on a renault at 50 MPH. Well occupants would walk out on their own except driver he would have head a broken leg or two.

[Martinp]

Originally Posted by Lucazade 749s

You are wrong Range rover gets 3 starts. You seen top gear testing them ?? Not only top gear fifth gear as well. Range rover bent in the middle, roof bent at 30MPH. You could not open the door and your legs would be smashed. 5* renault, you would walk out on your own and start swearing at range rover guy. Now cars are tested at 40MPH in old days it was 30. You are very wrong there.
In 5th Gear head on collision with tree was done not so long ago on a renault at 50 MPH. Well occupants would walk out on their own except driver he would have head a broken leg or two.

No your thinking of the first gen freelander, this is the rangrover, YouTube - Range Rover Crash Test


I currently have an Arai Rx-7 and I've crashed at 100mph with my old Astro/J I wouldnt have anything else.

[Lucazade 749s]

Originally Posted by Martinp

No your thinking of the first gen freelander, this is the rangrover, YouTube - Range Rover Crash Test


I currently have an Arai Rx-7 and I've crashed at 100mph with my old Astro/J I wouldnt have anything else.

I am not disputing ARAI is good.
Thing is you crash and some one else crash at 100MPH bought crashes were different. On yours lid did great on second one not so great.
Only way to compare product is to do a test under controlled conditions where variables are chosen the same for all lids.