Arai Helmet Accessories

[dc]

Anyone have a good source for Arai GP5 tear-offs that are less than $2 a piece? After buying Bell tear-offs, I was kinda shocked at the price for the Arai versions from the distributors I have found. Any bulk sources for these? They seem to be sold only in packs of 5, and the cheapest I have found those is $9.95.

[andyllc]

Try talking to Corby.
He (a long time ago) sold me a big box of tear offs for my GP5 and they were cheaper than the Arai brand tear offs.

[cooleyjb]

The UltraShield tearoffs are the ones that are the cheapest out there that many people are using. I have a box of 200 that has lasted forever. They are just fine in my book. I can't remember where I got them, saferacer does carry them though.

[glenn cooper]

Tim w/ Trackside Supply. He does a lot of the southeast races, and he'll probably be at Rd Atl at the end of the month. I can get a box for you and bring to the Sprints if nothing else comes together.
GC

[Marshall Mauney]

Slightly off-topic, but:

I've had issues with the liner fabric of my GP-5 fraying, even though it's still fairly new. Does anyone know if it's possible to replace the cheek pads, or even just the liner fabric? I seem to recall seeing a YouTube video where the Arai rep shows how to adjust the fit of a helmet by replacing pads, so it would seem plausible....????

[negron]

Marshall, I had mine replaced after it started to tear. Aparently there was a problem with the liner on a batch Arai helmets. I contacted where I bought it (Speedware Motorsports) and they aranged to have it replaced no charge. Great service from them and the helmet has been fine since.

bob

[cooleyjb]

Marshall,

If you have any issues, contact me and I can facilitate the return. I've returned a couple for the liner repair issues and Arai does a great job fixing it. The one thing is that you may want to wait until after the season as the turnaround time is not super fast.

[Marshall Mauney]

Thanks, guys! I wasn't aware that there was a batch-related issue, so that lets me know that it's not something I'm doing wrong. If the turn-around time is long, I'll have to fix it at the end of the season - I don't have a legal back-up.

[Robert Zecca]

We have a box of tearoffs for Arai that are $24.95 for 200 and are 2 mil thick. There is no reason to buy theirs. Regarding the wear problem on interiors, we have been selling Arai for about 20 years and in the past two years the interiors are terrible. I do not know what they did but YES they are prematurely wearing. When you consider the price I think it is time to look at others helmets.

[Chris Fox]

I had a problem within a year with my GP-5W. I contacted Arai, explained my schedule and worked out a time when I had about 3 weeks between races. They fixed it quickly, and I'm very happy with the helmet, the service, and the repair work. Based on their response, I would not hesitate to buy another when the time comes to replace this one.

[Robert Zecca]

I agree the service is good but the bottom line is there is a problem and they should rectify this. I have not seen this happen with other lines at half the price.

[Marshall Mauney]

I have to say that I was a lot happier with the OMP that I had prior to the Arai. The fit was better, as well as the durability. The best fitting helmet I've ever had was a Shoei, but they no longer make SA lids.

That said, I need to keep the Arai for another year or two. It's just not in my budget to replace it that quickly.

Thanks again, guys - I appreciate the info.

[cooleyjb]

I have to say that I was a lot happier with the OMP that I had prior to the Arai. The fit was better, as well as the durability. The best fitting helmet I've ever had was a Shoei, but they no longer make SA lids.

That said, I need to keep the Arai for another year or two. It's just not in my budget to replace it that quickly.

Thanks again, guys - I appreciate the info.

Whatever happens if you want to get the Arai fixed, give me a call.

OMP makes a great helmet FWIW.

[dc]

FWIW, I picked up a box of the 1201 UltraSheild tear offs (200 count) from SafeRacer and they arrived yesterday. They supposedly were for the Aria helmets, but I would disagree. I was surprised to see that they have no shape to them and are straight across. While the fit the 11.5" posts fine, they fit the GP5 visor terribly, only covering the bottom 2/3rds of the visible sheild, and overlapping the latch area. They are a very different shape from the Arai tear-off, and I'll be sending them back. FWIW, SafeRacer has been really great to deal with so far.

I'm still looking for something that fits better that doesn't cost $2 a tear-off.

[JC Racing]

FWIW, I picked up a box of the 1201 UltraSheild tear offs (200 count) from SafeRacer and they arrived yesterday. They supposedly were for the Aria helmets, but I would disagree. I was surprised to see that they have no shape to them and are straight across. While the fit the 11.5" posts fine, they fit the GP5 visor terribly, only covering the bottom 2/3rds of the visible sheild, and overlapping the latch area. They are a very different shape from the Arai tear-off, and I'll be sending them back. FWIW, SafeRacer has been really great to deal with so far.

I'm still looking for something that fits better that doesn't cost $2 a tear-off.

Thoes are what I haved used for years. I do run a logo on the top of my visor so the tearoff covers what I need covered. If you don't like the overhang you can cut it. I do that sometimes, and SafeRacer IS GREAT to deal with

[Bob Coury]

For what it is worth, I purchased some Arai brand tear offs a few years ago, and found them to be thicker tahn most, but at the same time opaque, or cloudy. I gave them to the kids to play with as I could not stand to look thru them.

I am using the Ultra's now.

[dc]

Interesting Bob, as I noticed the exact opposite. I have both tear-offs and have tried them both. While the generic shaped UltraShelds are thinner (and a lot cheaper), the Arai tear-offs were virtually invisible on the visor. I was actually really surprised how clear the visibility was with the Arai tear-offs on the face shield.

I have found though, that the quality of all of my Arai gear is top notch. I'm very impressed wth all of it.