Arai Chaser V review. For other motorcycle crash helmet reviews, visit our All Crash Helmet Reviews section or our Only SHARP 4 or 5 Star Helmet Reviews section. To see all the available helmet designs or to buy a Chaser V, visit here.
Summary: A middle of the range (though still pretty expensive) Arai with a fibreglass shell, fully removable lining and wider than average visor aperture. A great all rounder that’s comfortable, has good ventilation and average noise suppression.
The Arai Chaser V is a updated replacement of the popular Chaser helmet. It was designed to be an update on the previous version, making a few improvements in key areas based on user feedback.
The Chaser V is middle of the price range for an Arai. Like most Arais, the Chaser V has a fibreglass shell and is ECE 22.01 approved. However it hasn’t yet been SHARP tested in the UK though the DOT (US) version has been Snell M2015 certified.
Arai’s usually score slightly above average for safety and their more recent helmets have performed particularly well, so it’s expected the Chaser V should be OK.
It’s worth noting that the rear spoiler on the Chaser is actually stuck to the outer shell so that in an accident, it’ll fall off so the integrity of the helmet shell should remain intact.
It’s not widely available, but the Chaser V is still available at Amazon UK the last time we checked. Please click the link below – and if you buy from them, we get a small sum from the sale at no extra cost to you – a massive THANKS! (it’s how we finance the site).
Arai developed the Chaser V with a slightly wider visor aperture to improve peripheral vision. It also has a locking mechanism on the visor that allows you to either lock the visor firmly shut or keep it cracked open – and owners say it works well. The Arai visor-removal system is also very good. It has a lever at one side that releases the visor and it’s simple to slot a new visor back in – probably a 20-30 second job it total to replace the visor, once you’ve got the hang of it.
We recommend SportsBikeShop (UK) for outstanding service and online reviews along with free helmet delivery. Or if you like to buy through Amazon (UK), click the link to visit GearedBiker's Arai helmets pages: they're highly rated at 93% at the time of writing. Finally, Motoin (Ger) are a quality German outfit with good service and decent prices (even with the current £-€ exchange rate). Please click any link to see their full range of Arais and latest prices.
Helmet fitting is all important when buying a new helmet (see our crash helmet fitting guide) but since we’ve all got slightly different shaped heads, you can sometimes find pressure points when wearing a new helmet. To overcome this, Arai have been pretty clever. The interior of the Chaser V is multi-density polystyrene (designed to protect the head against rapid deceleration in a crash as well as direct impacts that make it through the outer shell). However, they’ve also included a couple of 5mm strips in the polystyrene that can be ‘peeled off’. These correspond to the areas users have most problems with – i.e. the temples and cheeks. So if you buy a Chaser V and find it’s a little tight there or doesn’t wear in as much as you expected, you can tear off these strips and that will give a bit more space. Folks report these are really useful and can result in a helmet that’s nigh-on a perfect fit.
The interior in general is pretty comfortable with people reporting you hardly notice you’ve got a helmet on. It’s the usual high-quality Arai brushed nylon affair and is fully removable and washable.
While it’s a great all-rounder generally, one area the Arai Chaser V excels in is ventilation. Like most of the premium helmet makers, Arai understand that ventilation is key to making usable crash helmets – keeping the head cool in hot weather and the visor fog-free in cold & wet weather. The Chaser has the usual chin and forehead vents and both are fairly easy to use with gloves on. At the back of the helmet, there’s two small side vents which are always open, but there’s also a vent inside the spoiler on the top of the rear of the helmet. In this case, the spoiler is designed to create a vacuum in the vents which has the effect of creating a slight suck within the vents. This means if the front vents are open, then air is not only pushed through from the front, but pulled out of the rear. The overall effect is very good with riders who ride in hot places (unlike the UK!) saying they can ride all day in 90+ degree weather without any problems. Back in the UK, the chin vent also does a reasonable job in pulling air across the visor, though an anti fog insert or Pinlock are definitely a useful addition for properly mist-free riding.
Noise is reportedly about average. I think most riders tend to use ear plugs these days which means you’ll not really have a problem with the Chaser V in practise. A couple of reviewers commented that they bought the Chaser V because it was particularly easy to use with their glasses.
Overall, the Arai Chaser V is a nice helmet with good features. Arai has a long established reputation for good build quality and has produced some of the best selling crash helmets over the years, culminating in a range of helmets that can generally be relied on to perform well. The Chaser V is no exception. Laying aside from the fact that it hasn’t been independently SHARP tested for safety (though the DOT US version has been Snell safety tested), the Chaser V is well featured, has a good price point, and is a worthwhile buy.
A review from the Helmet centre including an on-bike review:
If you’ve found this Arai Chaser V review helpful – or if you’ve owned an Arai Chaser V, we’d love to hear what you thought about it – please let us know in the Comments area below. For other motorcycle crash helmet reviews, including other Arai Helmets UK, visit our All Crash Helmet Reviews section or our Only SHARP 4 or 5 Star Helmet Reviews section.
It’s not widely available, but the Chaser V is still available at Amazon UK the last time we checked. Please click the link below – and if you buy from them, we get a small sum from the sale at no extra cost to you – a massive THANKS! (it’s how we finance the site).
Here you'll find all our Arai crash helmet reviews and previews including full face, flip-up and open face helmets.
A Review of the Shoei Multitec motorbike helmets. For reviews of other flip up or modular crash helmets, check out our flip-up helmet reviews area. Or for 4 & 5 Star SHARP Helmet Reviews or All Crash helmets, please click the links!
Summary. The Shoei Multitec is a well-built, easy to use and well thought out flip up helmet that’s only let down by its average SHARP safety rating and the fact that users think it’s noisy.
People like it because: typical great Shoei build quality, good ventilation, convenience of a flip up, simple controls, good for glasses-wearers.
People don’t like it because: it’s noisy, slightly heavier than full faced equivalent.
Flip up (or modular) helmets can be really convenient. It depends on what you need to do when your helmet’s on of course (I tend to just leap on the bike and head off) but some people have need to talk to people, kiss children, ask for directions, slot on glasses (without removing chunks of ear/hair) and so on. They like the freedom that flip up helmets offer. So, for them, Shoei designed the Multitec.
Shoei has built its reputation by producing solid, reliable helmets. They feel right, look right, make the right sounds when you open/close them or buckle them up. And the Multitec is no different – users love the build quality of the Multitec. The flip up front clicks satisfyingly when you lock the chin guard closed. The visor ratchet clunks satisfyingly and the visor stops just where you want it when you want it to. It does most of the things you want under your control, not controlled by the wind or position of your head, which is more than we can say for some helmets.
However, that’s not all the story. The Multitec is ECE 22.01 approved of course (like all motorcycle helmets for sale in the UK/EU) but it only scored 3 stars in the SHARP motorcycle crash helmet safety test. Which is about average. However when you’re paying decent money for a top brand, it’s a little disappointing – and more than disappointing when your helmet fails to protect your noggin when saying a close ‘hello’ to your local curbstone. Shoei proclaim that the helmet’s constructed with a multi-layered organic fibreglass and multi-density shock absorbant interior. Well maybe they ought to take a look at the way some of their competitors make their helmets, becasue both the Lazer Monaco and the Roof Boxer Classic score 4 out of 5 in the same test. Also, the chin guard popped open 17% of the time during the tests on the Multitec, which has got to be a bit of a worry!
But enough of this grumbling. You’ve decided you want a flip up helmet, you like Shoeis and you like the look of the Multitec. So what’s it like?
Well, provided you get the correct fitment, owners do like their Shoei Multitecs. The interior is comfortable, there’s some handy channels for the arms of glasses, and the cheek pads are removable with different sizes available should you need to customise the fit a little. There’s also a couple of spaces for speakers if you need to use an intercom. The ventilation is by chin and forehead vents and both seem simple to operate easily and are effective – with a single exhaust vent to the rear at the bottom of the helmet. They’re generally up to the job of cooling in the summer and demisting in the winter (mostly, though one or two people reckon they’re a bit feeble for this). Both controls can be easily operated with gloves on too (hurrah!). The Shoei comes with a Pinlock anti-fog insert so even if the vents turn out to be a bit too gentle, this keeps the visor mist-free (double hurrah!).
The flip up front is simple to operate too. A single BFO red button sits front and centre. Press it and the chinguard and visor swing up. Pull the guard down and it clicks home with a reassuring metal thunk. What else? Well, there’s a few other extras supplied – a whisper kit adds a skirt around the neck and chin should you want it – to reduce draft and noise (bless you!). Seems to work reasonably well. However, many owners do complain that, despite Shoei’s best efforts, the Multitec is a bit of a noisy beast. Now, I have to say that in my experience, the noise of a helmet is mostly judged by the helmets you’ve been using before. A person who’s been riding with a paper bag on his head will probably think a £10 helmet is the last word in safety and quietness. Having said that, there’s enough people moaning about them for us to be pretty certain they can be noisy. It probably also has something to do with the aerodynamics of the specific motorcycle as well as wind catching on the exterior shell – but it’s safe to say it is noisier than your average helmet.
The visor is typically good – like most Shoeis. Their visor mechanism means that it stays exactly where you put it. And should you want to replace the visor, it’s dead easy. Shoeis is one of the best visor fitment mechanisms. There’s also a little locking tab on the left hand side which will keep the visor locked shut if you want it to – or cracked open a little if you push it forward. Simple and effective.
Other Stuff. The Shoei Multitec has two helmet shell sizes and is available in XXS to XXL. It’s got a double D ring fastener, which are fine (though I personally prefer their seatbelt style fasteners because I’m lazy) and it’s available in mostly plan colours.
Overall, the Multitec is a pretty decent performer, though nothing exceptional. It’s got intuitive and simple controls and has good build quality, although that doesn’t necessarily translate into a safe helmet, as shown by its average SHARP score. It has good ventilation, is comfortable and the flip up mechanism works well. If you want the functionality of a flip-up and can find one at our target price point (and are a bit hard of hearing so won’t notice the wind noise :-)) it’s probably worth a shot.
If you own a Shoei Multitec or any other helmet, we’d love to hear what you think – please add your thoughts to the comments box below.
For other motorcycle crash helmet reviews, visit our All Crash Helmet Reviews section or our Only SHARP 4 or 5 Star Helmet Reviews section.
If you found this review useful and you’re interested in buying a Shoei crash helmet (or see some prices) – please check out the prices by clicking the link to the page at FC-Moto below where, at the time of writing, the Multitec is still available. If you buy from there, we get a small sum from the sale – thanks a million! (it’s how we finance the site).
Here you'll find all our Shoei crash helmet reviews and previews including full face, flip-up and open face helmets.
Helmet Reviews: Suomy Vandal. For reviews of other motorbike helmets, see our All Helmet Reviews section or just SHARP 4 or 5 Star Helmet Reviews.
Summary: Suomy Vandals are medium priced, SHARP 5 star-rated motorbike helmets (that’s the top score), that are light weight and comfortable. They’re also noisy and their visor mechanism is a bit suspect. Very safe, well liked but flawed.
People Like it Because: they love the Suomy’s range of graphics, it’s surprisingly light weight, it’s comfortable and finished to a high standard.
People Don’t like it Because: it’s noisier than most helmets; fitting or changing the visor is incredibly fiddly.
Suomy helmets have always been pretty eye-catching. I guess it’s mainly because they’ve produced some bonkers and in-your-face graphics in the past. But this Suomy Vandal helmet is also getting noticed because people are saying it’s surprisingly light weight and well finished. So here’s all you need to know about the Suomy Vandal before you make your decision to buy one or move on – taken from reviews, forums and comments around the internet.
The Suomy Vandal is a full faced helmet from Italian manufacturer Suomy. They’ve got a reasonably high pedigree in that they’ve a deal with Ducati to provide their riders with helmets and they do provide helmets to some reasonably high profile riders – the most recent being Max Biaggi (and the slightly less recent being Troy Bayliss and James Toseland). I guess it gives you a modicum of comfort knowing some of these serious racers trust the brand to keep their head safe.
And if you’re interested in buying a safe helmet, we think the SHARP test gives a reasonable (and easily comparable) idea if your helmet’s going to perform well in an accident, and the Vandal scores a maximum of 5, which is very good going. This means not only has it passed the standard ECE 22.05 test that all helmets have to pass, but independent testing has found it to be right at the top of the pile.
Having said that, it’s constructed of polycarbonate which tends to have a shorter life span than other helmets made of materials like as carbon fibre or fibreglass. And though all helmets need to be treated carefully so as not to damage the integrity of the shell, polycarbonate shells are a little more prone to damage.
Polycarbonate helmets tend to be lighter too and the Suomy Vandal is no different with lots of riders saying it feels incredibly light. In fact, it’s one of the main reasons riders tend to choose it over their other helmets.
The Vandal tends to fit people with rounder head shapes and the shell is manufactured in two sizes (which is pretty typical; only manufacturers like Arai or Shoei tend to produce more than 2 shell sizes) although despite this, it’s available in a wide range of sizes from 53-64 cms. There are also a couple of lining and cheek guard sizes available if you find it too tight or loose, so with a bit of fiddling, you should be able to get it to fit OK for most head shapes (but always make sure your helmet fits correctly).
Most riders reckon it’s a really comfortable helmet though. The only real downside when riding is that pretty well everyone reckons it’s noisy. It’s a subjective area with much depending on how quiet your previous helmet has been – but the fact that more or less everyone complained means you can be pretty sure it’s noisier than the one you’re binning off. Having said that, they also reckon that it’s not really a problem if you wear ear plugs.
The visor is the one area everyone moans about. The visor itself is OK. It’s scratch resistant (obviously) and coated with an anti-fog layer which some people reckon is pretty poor (there are reports of having to crack your visor all the way up to 70 MPH on cold or wet days to keep it clear) but most ‘standard’ visors with or without factory anti-fog coatings tend to suffer from this at least a little. A decent anti-fog insert or Pinlock will cure pretty well all these problems.
No, the main problem with the visor is that it’s a nightmare to fit or change. It’s got a twisting fastener which tends to either confuse the hell out of you or fall apart (or both). Like most helmet visor systems, they tend to be a bit confusing until you’ve got the hang of it, but the Suomy system is moaned about generally and has got to be one of the worst. If you do try one on or are considering buying a Vandal, it’s probably worth getting the shop to show you how to change it. That way you learn how to do it properly and if they damage it, they’re not breaking your helmet!
Here’s a quick look over the Suomy Vanda.
Onto the vents. People reckon that the vents are a bit fiddly with gloves on but generally provide OK ventilation. The forehead twisty vents are particularly fiddly so tend to get set then left. There are some issues with it not providing enough ventilation onto the visor when riding on cold/damp days and there are also some problems reported, including by hot girl above, of the visor not ratcheting properly so it’s tricky to keep it cracked (which usually solves the misting problem on most helmets).
Other stuff: the Vandal has double-d ring fasteners (necessary if you want to take it on the track). It’s got fully removable pads and lining so you can wash them. The finishing is said to be good (same with pretty well all Suomy helmets) and folks like the range of colours and designs available.
Conclusion:
We’d rate the Suomy Vandal as average. If you’re after a mid-priced helmet that’s light, offers some of the best protection around and you like the designs, then go for it, it’s not a bad helmet and you’ll probably be happy together. However, if you’re after a SHARP 5 Star rated helmet, we’d recommend the Caberg V2R which is another polycarb helmet but which is cheaper and, has an integral sun visor and works really well.
For reviews of other crash helmets, see our All Helmet Reviews section or just SHARP 4 or 5 Star Helmet Reviews – or click the brand name at the top of the page.
If you’ve used a Suomy Vandal, we’d love to hear what you think – please share your views using the comment box below. Thanks!
Summary: the original flip-up dual homologated bad ass Roof helmet. Comfy, quiet, quirky, 4 star SHARP tested, quiet(ish), mean-looking and surprisingly practical.
- SHARP 4 Star tested (out of 5)
- Fibreglass shell
- 1.68Kg
- Sizes XS to XL
- Target price £199 (depending on colour)
I love Roof crash helmets. I especially love the original Boxer Classic. I love them for their uniqueness and that fact that Claude Morin was bold enough to design and produce such an avant guard helmet in the first place. And I love them because they just look so cool. I might not own one (I do own a Desmo tho!) but I reckon they really are fantastic looking things.
The Roof Boxer Classic (or just Boxer when launched in 1995) is a fibreglass dual-homologated jet-style crash helmet. At least, the shell of the helmet is fibreglass while the chin guard is epoxy. The dual-homologation label means that it’s approved to be sold as both an open face and a full faced helmet and the SHARP testing tested it in both settings to give it its 4 star rating (out of 5).
Apart from looking good, the Boxer works pretty well too. It’s generally regarded as both a good performer with the chin guard up or down. The chin guard secures to the helmet using distinctly low-tech press-studs but users reckon they work pretty well, once you get used to them. For those of you who haven’t seen a Roof Boxer in action, the chin guard and visor are separate, meaning you can unpop the studs and rotate the guard all the way to the back of the helmet and still keep the visor in place to shield your eyes. It’s very unique, very cool and works well.
There you go – here’s a picture of the Roof open.
You'll find a good range at these stores (both recommended for excellent customer service and compeitive prices). First up is SportsBikeShop (UK) who offer free delivery and 365 day (free!) returns. Or if you're happy to buy from Germany, Motoin are a quality operation with decent Euro prices and great review scores too. Please see here for more info on our recommended stores or click the links to go straight to their Roof helmets pages.
Ventilation shouldn’t be a problem on a jet-style helmet, but the chin piece doesn’t have any vent holes in it so many users keep the chin bar cracked to allow air in when using it with the chin guard down. It’s a wee bit noisier than your average full faced helmet but the Boxer Classic is similar to many other flip up helmets in terms of wind noise (i.e. generally worse than full faced lids but acceptable).
Users also reckon that the visor (anti scratch and anti fog) gives a deceptively good field of vision. They also like the general level of finish and comfort of the helmet. The lining and cheek guards are removable and washable too.
Some users who have come to flip-up Roof crash helmets from full faced helmets reckon that once you try them, you’ll never want to go back. I reckon it’s very much dependent on where you ride (winter in the UK anyone?) but there’s a lot to be said for the enjoyment of being freed from that chin guard on the occasional steady summer jaunts, though like anything in biking, dropping your guard like that (no pun intended) leaves you more vulnerable.
Most buyers seem to be sold on the look of the helmet. If you want the best performing helmet in terms of safety, comfort, ventilation etc. etc. you’ll probably opt for one of our five star full face helmets. However, if you’re after something different at a good price point and with a good level of safety, we’d heartily recommend giving the Roof Boxer Classic helmet a go.
Please click below to visit the Roof helmets pages at our recommended stores - all highly rated for excellent service and keen prices. And if you buy from either, we get a small sum from the sale at no extra cost to you - a massive THANKS! (it's how we finance the site).
Click above to drop onto their Roof helmets pages or *quick view retailer T&Cs here.
Here you'll find all our Roof crash helmet reviews and previews including full face, flip-up and open face helmets.
Here’s a genuinely amazing helmet that’s come from those (not so) crazy Swedes. In response to a new law making it mandatory for cyclists to wear crash helmets in Sweden, a couple of designers training at Lund University decided they needed to make something a bit more user-friendly. So they decided to try and make them invisible! They studied air bag production and triggering mechanisms and created this fantastic inflatable crash helmet that hides in a fashionable (so they say!) collar/snood/scarf affair, only to inflate in 0.1 seconds to protect the head during an accident.
The airbag has a small black box that contains accelerometers and gyros which detects the types of motions that precede a range of accidents and triggers the inflation of the helmet. The crash helmet itself is made from an abrasion-resistant nylon which the makers say is good to protect against a number of impacts within the same accident. Check out them testing the helmets in their testing facility in the video below.
If you’re interested in buying one of these helmets, visit http://www.hovding.com/
For other interesting videos, check out our Fun Stuff section.
For motorcycle crash helmet reviews, please visit our All Crash Helmet Reviews section or our Only SHARP 4 or 5 Star Helmet Reviews section. Hope you find them useful!
