For the first time in more years than many of us can remember, there will be no Signet model in the Arai helmet line-up. In its place is the brand new Profile.
Arai admits there was a lot of talk about simply making the new helmet yet another update of the legendary Signet. “In the end, though, we realized it has so many new features and such a completly new and unique look that it needed its own name and identity,” said Brian M. Weston, Arai America's Director of Operations.
The Profile's unique look isn't for cosmetics. It has a distinct purpose rooted in the Arai company's philosophy and 50-year “obsession” with change for the sake of improvement, not vanity. For example, the Profile's distinctive new hyper-ridge reinforcement band along the bottom of the outer shell is for reinforcement and added shell strength that includes the area around the lower rear exhaust vents. The overall helmet shape is called “organic” by Arai: narrower, sleeker, more aerodynamic instead of round and bulbous. Its purpose, according to Michio “Mitch” Arai, the company's CEO and son of the founder, is “to fit the rider's head shape better, to feel more "calm" in the wind, even when the rider turns his or her head while riding.
For all of our science and pursuit of ‘perfect protection', Arai's mission is to make riders more comfortable and happy when they're riding. To make them forget they are even wearing a helmet.” The Profile also represents a new level of technological innovation for Arai, which is quite a statement for a company already legendary for its decades of innovation. An exceptionally-advanced (and rare) 5-Point Laser Scanner takes the Profile's handmade and hand-shaped shell (Arai believes that human hands and brains still do a better job than a computer at creating the best helmet shapes for human heads) and then has the laser copy the shell design.
The result is an extremly high level of detail and the tightest tolerances in Arai's history. The results are extraordinary. Arai's SCLC (Super Complex laminate Construction) Shell Design, utilizing the latest-generation of proprietary aerospace fiberglass technology, is used for the new Profile.
Although very light in weight, Arai says that it's the shell's exceptional energy-absorbing strength and flexibility upon impact that allows the company to make its liners the softest of any Snell-certified helmet, the reason behind Arai's enviable reputation for rider comfort. “When you build the shell to do its job, you do not have to ask the liner to help.” The liner itself is ARAI's unique single-piece, multiple-density hybrid eps foam liner, a technology that combines different densities for the various areas of the interior as a single component, rather than an assembly of separate pieces fitted together.
Additionally, the plush interior comfort liner is fully-removable and washable.Ventilation on the new Profile combines: a new recessed TDF-2 front intake duct that's wider and flatter than the Signet's, with larger intake holes; the DDL-3 rear exhaust duct more efficiently draws hot air and moisture from the inside; and an enhanced side exhaust port ventilation system.
The dual-position chin vent features an integrated, activated-carbon coated filter. Shield removal is handled by the latest-generation of Arai's LRS tool-less shield removal system. Similar to the Signet, the profile has a long oval interior shape for riders whose heads are longer front to back and more narrow side to side. It's available in 18 colors, graphic designs, and replicas, in sizes XS - XXXL.
Prices
- White, Pearl-Black - 475.95$
- Al. Silver, Al.Grey, Frosts, Touring - 486.95$
- Multi Color Graphics - 555.95$
- Racer Replicas - 584.95$