Japanese company Arai is the first helmet manufacturer to win a gold safety medal from the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme.
In fact, no other gear manufacturer has received the prestigious Nicolas Rodil del Valle gold medal since the awards began in 1983.
The gold medal is awarded to individuals who make significant contributions to “two-wheel racing activities and management of businesses”.
The awards were announced last week and Australian safety and comfort ratings system for motorcycle clothing, MotoCAP, won the road safety section.
Arai award
Arai says the award was vindication of their “achievement in contributions to the safety of many riders and numerous advancements to motorcycle sports over many years”.
“Understanding the reason for this award, Arai Helmet continues to make helmets without compromise for the sake of rider protection since the company’s founding as the first motorcycle helmet manufacturer in Japan,” their official press release states.
“It’s not an exaggeration to say these contributions are recognised around the world by the granting of this award.”
The company began was formed in 1926 by Hirotake Arai as a hat making company and was the first Japanese company to make motorcycle helmets in 1950.
The annual Australian Canstar Blue customer satisfaction survey usually rates Arai fairly highly, but it was missing from this year’s survey.
Their survey doesn’t include safety as a criterion, but judges on customer satisfaction, durability, vision, comfort, cleaning, features, design and value.
However, 32% of riders who took part in the survey said safety was their top priority, followed by comfort/fit (27%) and brand reputation (9%).
In the latest round of safety and comfort ratings by the NSW Consumer Rating and Assessment of Safety Helmets (CRASH), Arai’s open-face helmets scored just one star for safety, but its Renegade-V scored three out of five stars.
Their helmets are usually more expensive than most others in the market.