TRIED & TESTED
Arai Rapide & AGV K6 helmets
Arai Rapide
Tested by: Mikko Nieminen | £529.99 www.whyarai.co.uk
The Rapide stands out from the Arai range of helmets with its distinctive retro-look. There are two things that immediately catch your eye if you know your Arais: firstly, although the helmet uses the same VAS-V visor with a Pinlock lens as many other Arai full-face helmets, the fastening mechanism is different. Where you would normally find the quick-release pods, you have two screws holding the visor in place. This looks more like the good old days, but makes changing the visor a slightly longer process. Secondly, you will notice that the ventilation doesn’t look very familiar. You have a visible grill on the chin bar and at the rear, but no top vent, just the two ‘brow’ vents in the visor. The chin vent is operated from the inside of the helmet, which isn’t as difficult as it sounds, although you do need a little practice.
The shell shape is typical Arai, designed to glance off and spread impact forces, with no ridges or spoilers. This test helmet featured the blue HA graphics (a nod to Hirotake Arai, the founder of Arai Helmet). I’m not usually too bothered about looks, but this helmet was so nice that I couldn’t bring myself to bolt an intercom unit on it because it just didn’t look the part.
Inside the helmet
