WHEN you suddenly find yourself riding for 24 hours in a three-day period, you get to revaluate every-day riding kit that you’ve had quite a while.
Boots that I’ve worn for a year and a half suddenly became uncomfortable and needed wads of tissue stuffed under the gearshift panel, whilst removing my Auritech earplugs at petrol stops became quite a painful experience.
But the Arai Quantum ST that I’ve owned since May was faultless. It was so comfortable that you could forget you were wearing it.
The vents work surprisingly well but if it’s a cool day you’ll need to close the two on the top of the lid before you get a couple of isolated spots of brain freeze. They’re certainly welcome on hot days though. And at high speeds you can really feel the rear exhaust pulling air through the helmet and across the top of your head.
In fact these air vents work so well that the chin bar air vent seems to have little effect in comparison. It might help stop misting, but you can’t tell as the helmet is supplied with a Pinlock visor. So you're pretty much guaranteed a clear view of the road ahead, even in freezing conditions.
I’m guessing tolerances have got a lot better as there’s no adjustment necessary for the Pinlock insert on the ST. It just clips perfectly in place without the need to adjust the tiny cams found on every other Pinlock visor I’ve worn to date.
The Quantum ST lining is fully removable so you can keep everything smelling fresh. I’ve only removed it when fitting an intercom but everything pops back into place easily.
This particular model Arai still hasn’t been Sharp rated (the previous Quantum scored 3/5) but like most Arai helmets it feels like a quality bit of kit.
It was designed for sports performance whilst also being suitable for all day touring comfort. And I can certainly testify to that.
Model tested: Arai Quantum ST
Price: £449-£499
Sizes: XS/54 - XL/62
