The Arai Condor range was Arai’s entry level of full face helmets until July last year. I got my Arai Condor Neevesy in 2008 for £270, an additional £20 over the plain colour designs.
I purchased the Condor from Infinity in Great Portland Street and being a friendly bunch threw in a clear Pinlock visor insert to stop me fogging up. That made me happy and the fact that £20 from the purchase went to the Riders for Health charity was another reason to smile.
One thing not smiling was the helmet itself. The smiley face stickers on the side pod both came off within a week, although luckily I preferred the design without them. Despite this, the Arai felt like a big step up in quality from my previous lid, an OGK Areoblade II.
The Arai Condor helmet is both quiet and light and uses a double D fastening system. The chin and visor vents work pretty well to get cool air into the lid but I can’t say if I have noticed the top vents performing to the same degree.
The Pinlock has worked brilliantly, if a little frustrating at times, and I ended up getting a tinted Pinlock insert to alternate with the clear one when I didn’t want to have to take out a spare visor with me.
The interior is not removable but I have freshened it up recently with with Muc-Off’s Foam fresh.
A recent look into SHARP ratings gave this helmet only two stars so perhaps this is why the Condor series has now been replaced with Arai’s latest Axces entry level range.
Although discontinued, Arai Condors are still available. If you have previously worn cheaper lids I would recommend giving this one a go. Seeing as I now occasionally write for Visordown though, perhaps I should suggest you go for a plain colour and not the Neevesy MCN job.
