This is the latest offering in Arai’s “intermediate oval” category—and we’re excited to add it to the shelves because that head shape happens to describe the clear bell curve of the North American market. That is, it’ll fit the greatest number of people.*

Like the other “X” series helmets in Arai’s lineup, this one carries all the hallmarks of a premium handmade-in-Japan full-face helmet. But unlike all those siblings, the Regent-X costs a cool $100 less. What’s the catch? In terms of safety and quality of construction, there is no catch.

This is the closest Arai has ever come to offering an “entry level” helmet, and yet the shell material, build process, and even paintwork on the Regent-X is on par with the rest of the Arai lineup.

The beauty of the Arai philosophy is that the company is dedicated to uncompromising build quality. Each helmet comes out of the factory with the same high-bar for Kevlar-reinforced fiberglass construction, and a design ethos that we can get behind. Sometimes criticized for being too conservative or slow to adapt, Arai eschews trends, and we respect thatand stick to what they know works.

For example, they are dedicated to the Arai shield pods on the sides of the helmet because they refuse to dig into the EPS liner to house the shield hinge mechanism, so they always put the hinges on the outside. Also, they refuse to drill vents into the brow of the helmet, instead insisting on a more complex (but defensibly safer) method of building the venting ducts into the shield itself. And as with all its helmets Arai sticks to its “glancing off” philosophy, maintaining a round exterior shape at all times so as to avoid the neck-breaking snag that they plausibly contend could happen when the hard ridge on your Brand-X helmet shell catches a bump in the road when you’re sliding down the street at speed.

One has to look hard to notice the subtle ways Arai has downspec’d this helmet to bring the price down. For one, the pinlock-ready shield doesn’t come with a Pinlock insert. So you’ll need to plunk down an extra $35 for a VAS Pinlock insert.

Also the vents on the Regent-X are an older style borrowed from Arai’s last generation of helmets. The new vent switch found on the Signet and Quantum helmets is a little more refined, but not worth kicking the Regent out of bed for.

There are a few design details that Arai bakes into all its helmets, and they're all present here.

Round exterior head shape.
Known as the R75 concept, Arai very consciously refrains from contours in the outer shell of its helmets that violate the 75-degree -radius rule. Why? Because hard edges could catch on pavement when the helmet is sliding down the road at highway speeds. By maintaining R75, the helmet has a better chance of glancing off objects safely. 

Kevlar reinforcement.
Ever seen a helmet that's been laid down at speed? Pavement makes for a hell of a belt sander. Arai anticipates this and incorporates an internal belt of abrasion-resistant Kevlar inside the fiberglass shell of every helmet it makes to provide added impact/puncture and resistance to being sawed through by passing asphalt.

Exterior shield pods.
Following with Arai's focus on keeping a round-as-possible exterior shape, and with prioritizing energy absorption over all else, Arai's telltale exterior shield pods exist to elimiate the need to carve into the spherical integrity of the helmet. This design both allows for more EPS liner between the wearer and the road, and allows for the helmet to better glance off passing objects.

Shell integrity.
Notice that all Arai helmets forgo the classic vents drilled directly through the "forehead" of the helmet. Instead, Arai builds intake ports directly into its face shields.

All SNELL all the time.
Also see, "no drop-down sun visors, ever". Because this would violate the Snell safety standards that Arai is so dedicated to (having a void between the shell and EPS liner to house a sun visor is an automatic disqualification for the Snell standard.)

*Custom fit.
Last but certainly not least, Arai is the only company offering multiple interior-fit shapes to better address the infinite variety of riders’ head shapes and sizes. In addition to customizable cheek pads and head liners, Arais various models EPS liners are shaped differently to accomodate the natural variation in peoples' head shapes.

Besides the Regent-X, Arai’s other “Intermediate-Oval” helmets include the Contour-X, and the Corsair-X top-shelf race lid. The Signet-X is he company’s “Long Oval” model; and the Quantum-X is best suited for “Round Oval” head shapes.

It doesn't matter how much you like the looks or features of any given helmet—fit should always be the first and foremost consideration. Within any given helmet model there are aftermarket cheek pads and central liners to help fine-tune fit, if needed.