Arai Contour-X Helmet Review

The Arai Contour-X Helmet continues Arai’s long tradition of making helmets by the hands of highly skilled craftsmen. With the Peripherally Belted e-Complex Laminate Construction outer shell design, this helmet is stylish, lightweight, and extremely strong. New materials in this helmet have helped further lighten it without sacrificing any of the strength that Arai is known for. The Contour-X offers riders another option to get their head into one of the most storied helmet brands in the world.

[TommyD]

I've been riding with the Arai Contour-x for 4 weeks now after a gruelling search for my new lid, so I'll give you all the highs and lows...
Highs:
1) This thing is SOO unbelievably comfortable. It's like pushing your head into a velvet condom. (And that's a good thing!)
2) It's light. Real light. The reviews say the weight is on the higher side, but I find it remarkably light. Almost AGV light.
3) The ventilation is crazy good. You live in a hot climate? This thing is going to keep you cool.
4) My glasses go in with ease and sit on my nose. In fact, easier than any other AGV, Shoei or Shark helmet I've worn in the past.
5) It's got a smaller footprint than my old GT-Air... no bobblehead effect in a size XL.
6) It is beautiful. The Arai craftsmanship is stunning. I got the Face graphic, and I find myself just staring at the thing. 🙂
Lows:
1) Hot dang, it's expensive! The most money I have ever spent on a lid, but I keep them a long time so that's life.
2) WITH ALL THE VENTS OPEN, there is a lot of wind noise. But you see, ventilation requires moving air. Moving air is not quiet. When you close the two small top vents, it quiets down considerably. If you want a silent lid, go with the Shoei GT-Air 2 or 3.
3) The visor mechanism takes some getting used to. I have an old Arai Vector-2, so I'm used to it. Not a deal-breaker.
4) No photochromic shield available as of writing this. It's okay, I own sunglasses.

Regrets: Zero
Wallet: Hurting

[noahnitikman]

I’m a rider training instructor. I have a few Arai helmets and I love them. I have other helmets but I always put on an Arai when teaching or ripping up to Whistler on a beautiful Sunday morning. The fit and finish is awesome and every piece is replaceable. Thanks Arai!

[bigdoddyloco]

My son talked me into getting a different helmet. I bought it today and it's a wonderful helmet.

[human__________]

i bet that chin vent closed position air leak is intentional to mitigate co2 build up.

[roscoeskipper]

Love my Contour-X. I’ve had a few Signets prior, so if you’re worried if this lid will fit a long oval, it will except for the most long ones.

Even though I’ve had my share of Aria’s, this one requires some training. The visor is very hard to pull up and down, not as easy to use as the previous lids. BUT, it locks down much better than before.

It’s way comfortable, even with glasses. The ventilation is amazing but a little noisy. Still I can hear comms and music while riding. The venting requires a little training as well, the vent behind the logo is for low speeds, the upper ones more for high speeds. The chin vent needs to be put at the middle position for riding or you get wind directly on the eyes. But I’m impressed by how fine tuned the venting is.

Easy to attach a comm unit, and the pro shade visor works quite well in place of an internal visor. But with one of my bikes, I get a fair amount of drag if the shade is up.

It’s lighter than my modular, so tends to be my trip helmet.

It’s spendy, but it’s a hand made product. Anything handmade is more expensive. I love my Contour-X and recommend it.

[teeth]

In case this helps anyone… I have an intermediate-oval head and a large chin. Bought the Corsair-X and had to return it to Cycle Gear because it was absolutely crushing my chin, and when in a tuck I was unable to close my mouth. Even my AGV K6 has far more chin-room by at least 1/4”. 

Read that the Signet’s long-oval fit should have more chin room—tried it, and it really was no better than the Corsair in my opinion. 

Happened to try on the Contour-X, and it was night and day. Way more chin room than any other helmet I’ve tried except the Shoei X-15. Even in a full tuck, my chin wasn’t touching the bar.

Strange, but even the salesman at CycleGear wasn’t aware of the drastic difference in chin-room on this model. The difference between all of the Arai helmets I tried on is substantial. Unfortunately, I prefer the Corsair in every other way—especially its firmer cheek pads. The upside is that the Contour feels slightly lighter than the Corsair. Anyway, if you have a big chin and want a Arai, this is the lid for you. You’re welcome :)

[fluffy_rod]

Im in love with the look of arai helmets

[Ridehighfxdb]

My arai dtx saved my life a few weeks ago. Absolutely getting another one

[MCarmer]

I still love my corsair x, gonna get another one after this one hits 5-7 years. Cadillac of helmet comfort with the best interior imo.

[markwhitney]

I have a Signet-X and absolutely love it. Super comfortable!

[TheRealBhuado]

probably the best helmet i have ever owned.

[johnm]

I have the ECE one in Diamond Black with dark tint visor. Badass looking helmet imho. Only downsides are wind ingress through crack in front vent as mentioned and the visor latch is a bit cheap and hard to use with gloves on. The top vents also whistle when open sometimes. All trade offs I’m prepared to make for Arai safety.

[bikersquest]

I didn't have any issues using the Arai logo vent except when using the Pro Shade in the high position (it gets in the way then)

[matthewspecker]

Glad to see this added to the Arai lineup. Go for this over the regent. I had a regent. It had awful airflow. Hot as hell.

[brianreynolds]

I agree completely that Arai also fit me better than any other helmet on the market and I love, love, love their commitment to safety; however, why are they all seemingly so damn LOUD????

[oleksandrsukstanskyy]

I've been using this helmet for a year (EU version - Quantic) and can tell that this is an amazing helmet... with one hidden flaw. With visor opened all the way up - it whistles. Loud. VERY loud.

[cpuuk]

What I want is a helmet where the visor stays solid at any position I leave it, especially the quarter inch open position.

[blandrooker]

For some reason with that little spoiler I'm reminded of Astro Boy 😜

[NoBrakes]

Over 20 years ago, (2001-2002, ) I only wore Arai Quantums. I still like Arai's build quality, but cheaper, (arguably less safe, ) more practical helmets like the AGV K3SV ended up getting more everyday use. But as my AGVs age out, (and the last one I got seemed to have significantly lower quality than the first, ) I find myself looking back at brands like Arai. Seems like the visor is never going to be an easy swap, but the removeable liner and pin lock address two of the issues I had with the old helmets. I'm ambivalent about the duckbill, so it might be a tough call between the Quantum-X and the Contour-X

[benbookworm]

8:45 the chin curtain isn't removable? Fortnine just did a video on CO2 buildup caused specifically by chin curtains...