The latest Arai helmet hit the market — Profile-V or Regent-X. Established in Japan, the creator of Arai wanted to bring safe helmets to the Japanese market. Now as the only family-owned helmet manufacturer, Arai continues to create new helmet models like the Profile-V.
This helmet has two names — Profile-V or the Regent-X. It is the same helmet and an improved version of the past Arai protective headgear models. It is an entry-level, full-face sport touring helmet released on 23 January 2020. While the headgear is suitable for most individuals, you can also substitute it for the Shoei GT Air 2.
Are you interested in learning more about the Arai Regent-X or Profile-V helmet? Then, keep reading this review to check out the ratings, specifications, safety, shape and materials, overall comfort, visibility, quietness and ventilation.
Ratings
Comfort:
Visibility:
Coolness:
Ventilation:
Quietness:
Overall rating:
Specifications
Outer shell material : PB-cLc shell construction
Shell size : XS-XXL
Liner : One-piece multi-density EPS inner liner
Weight : 4.89 pounds
Pinlock : VAS-V Max Vision pinlock ready face shield (Pinlock insert not included)
Strap System : Double-D ring fastener
Safety Ratings
DOT : Yes
ECE : Yes
SNELL : Yes
SHARP : Not tested
Shape and materials
Arai highly focuses on the shape and materials of their helmets. Every single one of their helmets is almost 100 percent handmade. The only thing not made by hand is the opening for the visor. They use a laser to cut out an exact shape. Each helmet takes about 18 hours to create.
The helmet comes from a fiberglass material called PBe CLC or peripherally belted e complex laminate construction. It is strong and lightweight with a hyper range, extra reinforcement and a lower center of gravity, making the headgear more stable. It also has a good grip to help you easily pull it on and off.
This Japanese manufacturer creates all their helmets with an R75 shape that has a 75% curve. While it is a round helmet, it will look intermediate oval. Therefore, it does not necessarily fit every face. However, it works well in the Japanese and American markets.
Arai deliberately creates rounder and smoother shells that have glance-off capabilities. This glance-off capability helps most of the kinetic energy disperse, which helps it reduce enough to absorb into the helmet on impact.
For a better understanding, the shell helps bounce objects off, causing less damage to the wearer. There is also APS foam to help absorb impacts. The outermost vents will also fall off in a crash to help create the most round and smooth surface possible.
The interior of the helmet has a basic lining, not the premium, but you can buy upgrades. There is a facial contour system that has a spring in the cheek pads. Plus, there are speaker holders in the cheek pads for your communication system. There is an updated pod system as well on this Regent-X helmet.
The cheek pads and crown pads are removable and washable. All other interior pieces stay attached to the helmet. Do not try to remove them.
Overall Comfort
Since you are wearing a helmet for long periods, you want it to be comfortable. One of the biggest complaints about the previous Arai helmets is that the opening was not wide enough for many users. While some wearers were able to squeeze it on, many were not able to put it on. Arai took this criticism and increased the aperture’s length and width by five millimeters.
The facial contour system is one of the best features for comfort on this Profile-V helmet. Previous Arai models would harshly push against your face, eventually causing the wearer discomfort. Now there are springs in the cheek pads that are gentle and form-fitting; therefore, it adjusts to your face shape.
There is a chin strap that is a Double-D ring that is adjustable, so you can place it in the perfect position on your chin. It will also help keep the helmet steady on your face.
Visibility
You need to be able to see when you are riding a motorbike. If you cannot see, you are increasing your chances of getting hurt or, in worst cases, death. The Regent-X helmet has the basic visor.
The visor is PINLOCK and is removable. Luckily, the removing and reinstalling mechanism is pretty simple, so you should not have any issues taking the visor on and off. While most visors are scratch-resistant and anti-fog, there is not much information on if the visor on this helmet is or not.
One of the visibility issues on the Profile-V is that the two brow vents are right above the eyes. For some users, it may obstruct their vision. That is why you should always try on the helmet before purchasing. However, some riders say that eventually, your vision will adjust to having the brow vents slightly in your line of vision.
Quietness
Being able to hear while wearing your helmet is an important factor for many riders. The Regent-X does not have any extra features or elements to help reduce noise. Therefore, the quietness of the helmet depends on the wearer.
Things I liked
Things I don’t like
The helmet does have a Free Flow ventilation system that helps reduce wind noise and turbulence. Some Profile-V owners recommend wearing earplugs to help with the background noise.
Ventilation
If you worry about staying cool while racing or riding your bike, then you need to try out the Arai Profile V helmet. This protective headgear has a total of 11 vents. It has six exhaust vents and five intake vents.
The six exhaust vents include three upper vents, two smaller vents and a neck roll vent. All the exhaust vents are passive; therefore, you cannot adjust them. The main purpose of these vents is to keep the back of your head cool.
Luckily, the intake vents are adjustable. They include two brow vents, a chin vent and two-scoop vents on the upper section of the helmet. The brow vents are on the visor and have three positions. These two vents help strengthen the visor, making it more stable and sturdy. They also will fall off in case you crash. The chin vent has three positions as well as a mesh screen to stop insects from flying into your helmet. The last two vents on the front of the helmet are the scoop vents. They have a switch mechanism and will also fall off in a crash to help your helmet stay as smooth as possible.
Safety
Arai’s main priority with all their helmets is safety. The CEO of Arai continues to emphasize it every time a new helmet comes out. Arai tries to meet almost all safety requirements for most countries, which is a plus if you like to compete or ride internationally. They are DOT, ECE, and SNELL 2020 safe.
Every Arai helmet is safety tested at the manufacturer. They have specific machines that imitate the impact of high-speed crashes. The only rating they do not have is SHARP, but it is not necessary for most countries like the United States.
Conclusion
he Arai Profile-V is a huge improvement from the previous helmet models. To help you have a better understanding of the helmet, here are some of the pros and cons.
Where to buy this helmet :