Arai Quantic Helmet – Protect Yourself
Arai is a fascinating company, with roots tracing back to 1900. In the early years, Arai manufactured sun hats and caps for public and military use, evolving in to industrial safety headwear in the ‘30s, leading them into motorcycle helmets in 1950.
In 1976, Michio ‘Mitch’ Arai, grandson of the founder, Yuichiro Arai, made a decision to make Arai the number one helmet in the world. The rest is history.
I remember drooling over Arai helmets as a lad, my mates had them. It must have been the late ‘90s when one of them had a Doohan replica Arai. That was the stuff of dreams, but way out of my price range in those days.
Arai’s reputation for quality and safety has not been won overnight. Their reputation for manufacturing some of the best motorcycle helmets you will find today has been earned over 70+ years of motorcycle helmet manufacturing and through constant testing and development evidenced by their extensive sponsorship programs for an unending number of riders across all spectrums of racing.
The Quantic is a handmade, high-quality, full-face motorcycle helmet and was the first helmet to pass the new ECE 22.06 helmet test
The outer shell utilises PB e-cLc (Peripherally Belted e-Complex Laminate Construction) to ensure the Quantic is significantly lighter than previous models yet maintains core strength. The shell combines fibreglass, aramid, and carbon fibre to create a strong and lightweight helmet.
The signature Arai smooth, round shape is primarily designed to glance off and spread impact forces, wrapping its wearer in a cocoon of luxury.
Kate’s Arai Quantic also features a VAS MAX Vision visor with a Pinlock insert, a Quantic 12 port ventilation system, a premium brushed nylon interior with Facial Contour System (FCS) and Emergency Release System (ERS), and a Double-D ring fastener.
Last year, Arai completely redesigned the Quantic’s ventilation system.
One cool feature is the new, thin, 3D Arai logo that is actually a duct feeding two central 10mm intake ports and can also be opened, or closed, easily with summer or winter gloves (The Arai logo duct is designed to break away in the event of an impact).
There is a new air-scoop chin vent. The 3-position sliding air-scoop chin vent flows a larger volume of air and has a replaceable filter. The actuating mechanism is thicker and easy to use with gloves. You also have a couple of brow vents on the top edge of the visor. The vents are also covered with a new type of mesh, designed to reduce wind noise.
Getting air in is more than covered, and to get the air out Arai has added a one-piece rear exhaust with spoiler function. The one-piece rear exhaust/spoiler is operated by a 3-way switch and is designed to crush or break away upon impact. There is also a neck exhaust vent and side exhausts.
Quantic’s comprehensive ventilation system efficiently draws air into and through the helmet, but also smooths airflow over, and around the helmet, improving stability and reducing buffeting, resulting in improved rider fatigue.
As well as the superb shell design and excellent ventilation system, the Quantic’s interior is also new. The helmet now features a new, more comfortable cheek pad design and a new, more breathable liner. As you would expect, the liner is also removable and washable, making it easy to keep the helmet clean.
From the moment you unbox Arai’s Quantic, you can feel the quality. It is very light and is obviously a high-quality helmet. The visor, the vents, and the general fit and finish all reinforce the feeling that this is a premium product and very well made. It is absolutely gorgeous.
Kate’s been using a different, semi-budget brand of helmet for a while, but has suffered from neck ache due to the weight, and buffeting, particularly at speed. I presume this was due to poor aero.
Slipping on the Quantic for the first time was a revelation. The fit was perfect straight away, with comfortable padding all around, including cheeks, and so light.
We tend to spend hours on bikes so the weight, comfort and aero have made a huge difference to our riding and durability and has given us an improved sense of safety.
Temperatures have been high so the excellent ventilation has been a good send.
We use intercoms when we ride and have fitted a model-specific Senna intercom to the Quantic. It fits so well into the in-built compartments that you can’t tell there is one fitted, and due to the high quality of the helmet and the excellent fit and finish of the visor, vents and internals, the intercom is uncluttered by wind noise and Kate can hear me, her music or calls easily and clearly.
We both love the retro colours of the Dark Citizen. Paired with a black leather jacket and bike jeans it looks absolutely superb. The blend of retro looks with high quality and modern technology makes this a perfect choice for our lifestyle and riding style.
The Arai Quantic is of course available in lots of other colours; https://www.whyarai.co.uk/bike/model/quantic.html
The Arai Quantic Dark Citizen has an RRP of £599.99
