Arai Regent-X Helmet Review

[Hugh Janus]

The Regent-X is Arai’s lowest-priced full-face helmet. It’s also one of its most comfortable. (Arai/)

Arai has earned a reputation for meticulously handcrafted, premium, and expensive racing lids over the years, but with the new Regent-X helmet, the famously high-end hat maker turned its sights on what it says is the true measure of a helmet’s worth: comfort and protection. We’d have to agree that the better a helmet feels on your noggin, the more you’re likely to wear it, ergo the more protective it’ll be. And since Arai already makes some of the industry’s most comfy lids, it’ll come as no surprise that the new Regent-X seamlessly continues the theme. But that doesn’t mean it didn’t drop the ball elsewhere.

New shell design and construction make their debut on the Regent-X, but it’s still DOT and Snell M2020 certified. (Arai/)

Arai’s newest helmet trots all the hallmarks of the brand, like superior comfort, excellent optics, and a robust shell construction, but at a lower price than we’re accustomed to from the brand. The Regent-X is an evolutionary redesign—basically a replacement for Arai’s entry-level DT-X lid. But it still rolls in premium features including the company’s latest Facial Contour System (FCS)—a set of articulating pads that move when you put on and take off the helmet, and wrap around your face for a snug fit (which also happens to cut noise). Those interior pads have a decent amount of adjustment (and different sizes are available), and now get deeply recessed speaker pockets for more comfortable fit and easier comm unit installs; they’re also removable if you need to wash the stink out. And if you wear glasses, channels within will accommodate your peepers.

The semi-removable padding itself is ridiculously plush yet somehow firm and supportive, a silky kiss of soft brushed nylon that makes everything feel all right whether you’re WFO in the hairpin or just tooling around at cruising speed. It’s one of the most comfortable Arais I’ve ever worn, and, no surprise, the inner lining is sweat wicking and antimicrobial too. A new, thinner neck roll also reduces weight and offers a more snug fit, which Arai says makes the helmet quieter as well, though we’d argue it’s the new chin curtain blocking air from below that reduces noise even more effectively. That said, we didn’t find the Regent to be that much quieter than the mid-range Defiant-X (possibly because its wider bottom opening lets in more air).

Arai’s articulating FCS cheek pads carry over to the Regent; the pads get recessed speaker pockets for more comfort. (Arai /)

Next up is a one-piece EPS liner tuned with varying densities according to their position within the shell, helping to further the aim of a compact yet protective design. To that end, the Regent-X also benefits from a new shell that uses a more cost-effective resin than its higher-end Quantum and Signet cousins; the lightweight, stiff Peripherally Belted Complex Laminate Construction—laminated fiberglass, for the layman—also reinforces the upper edge of the eyeport to increase shell strength without adding weight or price. But if the Regent is the lowest-priced full-face in the lineup, it’s not like you’ll find many compromises; Arai goes so far as to claim that protection is on par with its race-ready Corsair-X. The smooth egg-like exterior profile, according to Arai engineers, is meant to better deflect direct impacts and allow the helmet surface to slide freely, and like all of Arai’s helmets for North America, the Regent-X meets or exceeds Snell M2020 and DOT standards without even breathing hard. Despite it being slightly heavier than Arai’s more expensive lids, the Regent still felt perfectly balanced on my head.

We can definitely feel the difference; Arai increased the Regent’s opening by 5mm for easier head entry and exit. (Arai/)

If you’re a charter member of the Arai club, you know the Hyper Ridge to be that slightly enlarged band around the base of the shell that lets you slide the helmet’s intermediate oval interior over your noggin just a little easier by widening the entry point. For the Regent-X, Arai tweaked the opening 5mm more in every direction, and I definitely felt way less resistance slipping the thing over my head compared to previous designs. While 5mm sounds like just a subtle tweak, that along with a thinner neck roll makes for a huge difference. Build quality and fit and finish have the usual excellent craftsmanship Arai is famous for, and comfort feels better than ever. It’s in some of the details that I found frustration.

The VAS latch captures the shield to hold it closed but the shield occasionally gets caught on it, interfering with a smooth open or close. (Andrew Cherney /)

Like all of Arai’s X-series full-face helmets, the Regent comes with the VAS face shield system which includes a lever-operated demisting feature to let you crack the shield and allow in airflow for, uh, demisting. Or is it defogging? Anyway, It’s a two-part process to get the shield fully open.

RELATED: DT-X Helmet Is Arai’s Best Full-Face Value

The first move is to push up the crescent-shaped lever at the shield’s left-side lip to guide it up over the latch (yup, there’s a latch within that lever) which props it slightly open for airflow. Sounds easy, but it’s not always smooth. If you want the shield up fully, a second motion requires you to curl your thumb under a tab on the shield, and pull it out and off the aforementioned latch while guiding the shield up simultaneously. That means taking attention off the road to clumsily fiddle with gear—usually at speed—and if you’ve got thicker gloves on, it won’t go smoothly. The motion got easier and more intuitive the more times I did it, but if you’re switching helmets often like we do…

To close the shield, you push it down until you hear the click of the latch, though some force is required to get it fully seated over the gasket. At first I attributed the stickiness to new-lid syndrome; I figured it’d work itself out once things were broken in, but three months later, the shield still gets caught on the latch more than I like. Who knows—maybe I got a lemon?

RELATED: Here’s How You Change the Shield on Arai’s New Corsair-X Helmet

That said, when fully engaged in the closed position, the shield completes a damn-near airtight—and definitely watertight—seal at the gasket, experienced through many a rainy ride. The Regent’s eyeport is optically perfect, plenty wide, and offers great peripheral vision, and the shield is Pinlock ready to boot (a Max Vision insert is included). Below the eyeport, a fairly wide three-position chin vent keeps a nice amount of air flowing into the lower half of the lid, and the four exhaust vents do an excellent job of evacuating warm interior air, though the two upper crown scoops are only adequate in the flow department and their smallish slider buttons a pain to handle with gloves on.

The front intake vent flips up and down easily to pull in a good volume of fresh air (to its right is the VAS latch). (Arai /)

Caveat number two (Arai lifers can probably tune out now, because they know the drill) is Arai’s VAS-V shield changing mechanism. The shield swap process needs no tools and is incrementally easier than previous systems, but despite what Arai claims, it’s still not intuitive, especially compared to nearly every other major helmet manufacturer’s arrangements. If you’re new to Arai, you’ll want to watch the video on the company’s website for the best explanation. But if you’re familiar with the system, you might love it.

The Regent-X comes in six colors and three graphics options. (Arai/)

The bottom line? Arai’s Regent-X turns out to be an excellent all-around street helmet at a reasonable price, opening up the company’s products to a large portion of riders who simply couldn’t afford them before. The class-leading warranty of seven years from the date of manufacture is huge. And the Regent-X does a great job of eliminating distractions and improving comfort without compromising on Job One: head protection.

Crown scoops are operated via small sliders that can be fiddly with gloves on. (Arai/)

If it could only get the shield thing simplified…

The Regent-X is available now in White, Black Frost, Gun Metallic Frost, Modern Gray, Code Red, and Code Yellow, as well as several graphics options. MSRP is $560 for solids and $690 for graphics.

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[Tym]

That Arai decal doesnt come cheap...

[XTreme]

11 minutes ago, Tym said:

That Arai decal doesnt come cheap...

Well if people choose to have Arai heads........