Arai Corsair V Experiences and Review

I've decided to retire my Shark Speed R and upgrade to the Arai Corsair V. Here are some of the things that bugged me with the Speed R. The Speed R is very front heavy - due to the shape of the helmet - while doing head check's at speed it would feel like my head was being pulled to the side. Very annoying when changing lanes at any speed above 80km/h. The visor was a struggle to unlock when engaged in the fully locked position. And also - after 20 minutes of riding I was getting a headache around the back of my head behind my ears. If I pushed the helmet backwards the headache would go away but return soon after my hand was off it. I tried pushing the EPS foam in the area's of concern to relieve the pressure - it helped but was not a successful solution.

Enter the Corsair V - the shape is aerodynamic in all directions thus no head pulling at speed when head checking. The visor lock system is amazing. However the headache issue still existed. I am between sizes for the Corsair V - the S is a bit tight but the M is too loose. So I opted for the S hoping that it would stretch/expand/adapt over time. The headache around my ears was so acute after 15 minutes that I started to question my investment. I then tried the 5mm comfort liner available from Arai (standard is 7mm on a size S). What I discovered was that the 5mm liner is not only thinner around the circumference of the head but the top pad is also thinner. I didn't like that so I removed the top pad from the 7mm liner and swapped it over to the 5mm liner. With the 5mm top pad it felt like the helmet sat too low on my head - the 7mm/5mm Frankenstein liner I made up solved this. Upon testing - the headache still came - albeit slightly less severe. So I averted my attention to the cheek pads - the standard cheek pads have a 5mm fine tune pad that can be removed. I removed this piece and also did some shaving with a razor blade around the area that situates around the ears. This relieved the pressure and now I've not been getting headaches anymore. 

A comfortable and properly fitting helmet is absolutely imperative to the whole motorcycling experience. I just want to thank Arai for making a helmet so adaptable and fine tune friendly. Love it!

5mm/7mm comfort liner