Not many reviews exist on open-face helmets. The industry is flooded with evaluations on full-face helmets, which, in popular opinion (including mine), are the number-one pick for any type of riding. But lately I've been doing a lot of V-Twin cruising, and there are days I just want to screw on the throttle, allowing the breeze to slap me hard in the face.

Many top brands sell open-face (also known as 3/4) helmets, but I’ve been faithful to Arai since Y2K, so why change brands? Arai has saved my noggin many times, and each accident I limped away headache-free. Around since 1926, Arai offers helmets that are virtually 100-percent handmade, and the company has earned the number-one ranking in J.D. Power and Associates’ Motorcycle Helmet Customer Satisfaction Study for 10 consecutive years. Considering J.D. Power began the annual study 10 years ago, that says much; yes, Arai took first in ALL the studies.

 

Known for their full-face lineup, I was shocked to find that Arai offers a vast selection of open-face helmets, including the SZ/Ram III, SZ/M and the Classic/M. After a few days of research, I initially settled on the SZ/Ram III due to the face shield. But that changed due to my naïve days of pop culture influence; although Easy Rider was made 10 years before I was born, Wyatt made one of the biggest impressions on me, and I’ve always wanted to take on the highways donning an open face.

So I the decision was easy: a Classic/m. The helmet is designed as classic as can be, with snaps for a bubble shield or visor (both not included), but with the technology of modern brow vent ducts that provide additional cooling to the forehead on those hot days. It also features an “M” style four-way ventilation system (two front, two rear vents) that act as air scoops, moving cool air throughout the interior while displacing the hot air.

The open-face design was cool enough for most trips, but when temps reached into the 90s, it was easy to reach up while cranking down the road and open the four vents. The difference is immediately felt; plus, on some highway rides over 70 mph on a bike with no windshield, opening these vents lessened the wind buffering.

The shell, which is Snell tested (Arai doubles the standard) and DOT approved, has a fiberglass-based construction, a proven material for what the shell is supposed to do in case of an accident: “spreading and dissipating impact energy through strength, structural integrity and impact-flexibility.” After seeing what occurred to my other Arais when I body-flopped the pavement, I knew the protection would be there.

The shape, which is as important as head size when choosing a helmet for ultimate protection, is an intermediate oval size (all Arai open-face helmets are currently this shape). The oval shape caters to the person who has a longer front-to-back head size over side-to-side. Luckily for me, I wear a size medium Cosair-V full face with this same shape, so the same sized Classic/m snugly wrapped around my dome. 

The helmet also features removal ear cups that are available in different thicknesses, ensuring you have ultimate fit. And if you muck up the interior liner, it’s washable for easy cleaning.

The Classic/m is one of the lightest lids I’ve ever wore. I used it on a 400+ mile trip to NY Wine Country, and after the first few minutes I forgot I was even wearing it. The only issues I had were the usual when a few hundred miles are traveled without a windshield or face shield: windburn and multi-colored bugs plastered on the face. But I embraced them, knowing both brought me closer to that iconic image of Wyatt easy-riding on some desolate desert road toward Mardi Gras. 

The Classic/m has an M.S.R.P of $319.95, and I’ve saw them going for around $280. It’s offered in Pearl Black, Pearl Glacier White, Pearl Twilight Silver and Candy Spectra Red, in sizes XS-3XL.

For additional information, log onto araiamericas.com.