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

Akrapovic Slip on - CBR250R

First mod - CF Akrapovic slip on

Fitment - very simple - two bolts. However taking the old graphite exhaust gasket off (at the slip on junction between the standard pipe and the aftermarket slip-on) can be tricky. If you can manage to fit the slip on over the stock exhaust gasket then do so - otherwise, hammer and flat head screw driver chiseling away will do the trick. New gasket is tight to go on and can be difficult to get it all the way in without damaging it so you're definitely better off leaving it alone if you can.

Exhaust db level will be above legal limit even with the silencer in place. The rasp is aggressive with moderate volume level. It does make drivers a lot more aware that you're next to them which is a huge plus - the standard exhaust makes the bike hardly audible. 

Fitment of the carbon Akra (among with most other slip on systems) will result in boycotting the oem catalytic converter as it is located in the oem slip on. As a result theres a bit more fuel smell on cold starts. If you wish to keep a cat in place you can purchase the stainless steel Akra which can be adapted with Akra's catalytic converter. 

There seems to be the tiniest improvement in pick up at high rpm - hardly noticeable. 

You will notice some plastic burning smell as the exhaust wears in - after about 200/300km's it was gone.

Last but not least - the weight saving is tremendous! The stock slip-on with heat shield weighs around 7kg. Akra's system weighs around 2kgs.

Happy riding!