From: cjackson@adobe.com (Curtis Jackson)
Subject: Re: Helmet Recomendations Wanted
Organization: Adobe Systems Incorporated, Mountain View
Date: Mon, 14 Dec 1992 21:58:33 GMT

I have an Arai Quantum. Here's some answers to your questions/criteria:

It does not lift discernably at high speeds. It has a very low wind
noise level; quite comfortable. It doesn't squish my cheeks to death
like the Shoei's I tried on. It has the following "special" features:

- Pull-down chin guard; designed to deflect air from neck opening and
  thus reduce wind noise and keep you slightly warmer in the winter.
  It does a good job of keeping the wind from howling right up your
  chin; a noticeable improvement in cold weather. I can't tell any
  difference in wind noise, and it is very difficult to take the
  helmet on and off with the chin deflector deployed. Therefore I
  only use it on longer rides when it is cold.

- Chin vent. Hey, it's just a vent. Works OK; I leave it closed
  in cold weather.

- In-visor 3-position "eyebrow" vents. These vents are nice. They
  can be open, half-open, or closed. They are in the visor supposedly
  to increase the structural strength of the helmet (by not having
  holes in the helmet). This seems pretty lame to me given the top
  vent (see next item). The vents are well-positioned, and they are
  the only ones I use during cold weather. They do, however, mean
  that an extra visor is $34.95 retail at Road Rider here in San
  Jose.

- Top vent. Can be either an intake or an exhaust (it turns around),
  and each way it can either be open, half-open, or closed (it
  slides longitudinally for that). I haven't yet noticed any appreciable
  effect from using it as an exhaust vent, but I haven't ridden with it
  in broiling weather. As an intake, it *REALLY* cools down the top of
  your head; very very nice. My second-favorite feature.

- Locking visors. When the visor closes it CLICKs into place firmly so
  you are sure it is closed and will stay that way even at Ludicrous
  Speed. Easy-open even with gloves on, though -- very nice.

- Easily changeable visors. I can change my visor in about 30 seconds
  now; 1 minute if I'm really fumbling. I use the soft helmet bag that
  the helmet came in to keep my spare visor from getting damaged in my
  trunk. It is just like the Shoei visor change, except you have to pop
  off and replace an "ear" cover on each side. One downside -- Shoei
  has a very nice blue-blocker visor that I covet, but since Arai's
  visors are custom I'm stuck with one clear and one quite dark visor.

The helmet is fairly lightweight. It comes in an awesome array of
colors/patterns (of course, mine is plain ole black).

I could go on for a while, but the bottom line is that my most important
criterion was easy visor changeability, and I was going for the Shoei
RF200. But it crushed my fat cheekbones so badly that I tried the Arai,
and it fit like a glove. I have been very pleased with it.
-- 
Curtis Jackson  DoD #721   '62 Yankee Brunette "Dorothy"    '81 Maxim 650
cjackson@mv.us.adobe.com   '91 Black Lab "Studley"  '92 Collie/Golden "George"
  "They that can give up an essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
   safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." -- Benjamin Franklin (1759)
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