[Helmet Question] HJC RPHA 10 Pro & Arai Defiant Opinions?

[Duke]

Hi everyone,
 
Traded in my 250cc bike for a 2015 FZ-07 last week and am super proud to be part of the club!
 
I've been looking to update my helmet as it is about 4 years old now. Would like feedback from anyone who has experience with these two helmets that I've narrowed down to. I've only tried on these helmets at the store but haven't ridden with them. I don't doubt their build quality as both are DOT and Snell 2015 certified. I want to know about comfort, practicality and wind noise since I'll be mostly doing commutes to work and weekend road trips. 
 
So anyone who does own any of these, please give me your opinion on them!
 
Arai Defiant ($599.99)
 - My head shape fits them better than Shoei helmets
 - Touted in video reviews as made for naked bikes and long rides (high ventilation and low wind noise inside)
 - Works okay with my glasses
 
HJC RPHA 10 Pro ($414.99)
 - Considered high quality like Arai and Shoei without the price tag
 - Works with my glasses well
 - Less expensive than the Arai Defiant
 - Good amount of ventilation
 
 
 

[fusbal]

I debated between the Defiant and an HJC, and I went with the HJC. I've got the HJC RPHA ST Zaytun (http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/hjc-rpha-st-zaytun-helmet). It seems pretty similar to the 10 Pro, so I can give my impression of what I've got.
 
It's super comfortable, super lightweight, and pretty dang loud. It's more on the "round" side of the round oval spectrum, and as such it has a lot of empty space around the ears (at least for me). That causes quite a bit of wind noise echoing. There's no whistling or anything of that sort, but the wind noise is quite pronounced and is my biggest complaint. I'd give it a 4/10 on quietness.
 
It cuts through the wind reasonably well, but not as well as the premiums like the Shoei GT Air. On really windy days it drags a bit. I'd give it a 6.5/10 regarding cutting through the air.
 
It gets a 9 on comfort. I wear glasses also, and they fit just fine. The faceshield has a center-lock feature that is extremely effective and easy to use with gloves.
 
It gets a 9 on ventilation. It's great in the summer, which is primarily when I wear mine.
 
All told, I'd steer you towards the Arai, since I'm wishing I spent my money on the Defiant instead of the HJC.
 
 

[bigdaddybane]

Both helmets are very good although I would go with Defiant ... riding with Arai for more than 20 years and I haven't had one that I wasn't super happy with.

[Duke]

I debated between the Defiant and an HJC, and I went with the HJC. I've got the HJC RPHA ST Zaytun (http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/hjc-rpha-st-zaytun-helmet). It seems pretty similar to the 10 Pro, so I can give my impression of what I've got. 
It's super comfortable, super lightweight, and pretty dang loud. It's more on the "round" side of the round oval spectrum, and as such it has a lot of empty space around the ears (at least for me). That causes quite a bit of wind noise echoing. There's no whistling or anything of that sort, but the wind noise is quite pronounced and is my biggest complaint. I'd give it a 4/10 on quietness.
 
It cuts through the wind reasonably well, but not as well as the premiums like the Shoei GT Air. On really windy days it drags a bit. I'd give it a 6.5/10 regarding cutting through the air.
 
It gets a 9 on comfort. I wear glasses also, and they fit just fine. The face shield has a center-lock feature that is extremely effective and easy to use with gloves.
 
It gets a 9 on ventilation. It's great in the summer, which is primarily when I wear mine.
 
All told, I'd steer you towards the Arai, since I'm wishing I spent my money on the Defiant instead of the HJC.
 

 
Thanks, fusbal for the valuable feedback!
 
My friends also say the HJC are a bit noisy too since they're made for sport bikes and intended for full tuck position. Would you say ear plugs might reduce noise level for your HJC?
 
And yeah, I am leaning towards the Arai right now due to its wind noise performance.

[fusbal]

I tried it, it obviously helps, but the noise is noticeable. Honestly, if you're cool spending the money then I'd say 100% go with the Arai. Eliminate the guesswork. The helmet is such a key part of the riding experience that you don't want to mess around with getting one that gives you a poor experience.

[fusbal]

Also, once I'm done buying new lighting/signals/etc for my FZ07 I'll be getting myself a Defiant Pro Cruise to fix my mistake with the HJC.

[x3rolink]

I have the Arai RX-Q and I must say it is very comfy. It fits like a glove and my glasses was not an issue.
 
Wind noise is around medium at 60mph, and unbearably loud at 80+mph (imho, for my taste). I do ride with earplugs/in-ear monitors (Westone UM3X), so wind noise is not so much of a problem. but if I don't wear them, then I restrain myself from going over 75mph because I don't want to lose my hearing.
 
Ventilation is pretty good too. especially on a hot summer day
 
One issue I did have with this helmet was that I couldn't mount a Gopro on the chin.
 
All in all, this helmet is good. I'd definitely buy it again
 
 
p.s. I know its not the defiant, but I hope my input helps ^^

[Mr.Puss]

 
You might find some extra info from this site:
 
 http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/
 

[pgeldz]

The Defiant is awesome. I have one. I also have the Arai Corsair V, and honestly I like the Defiant better. The liner is more comfortable, and it really is made for naked bikes with a 3/4 riding position. No annoying whistling from the vents, and to me it's light enough that I don't feel any fatigue at all during long rides, or on the track.
 
Little note though about the Defiant...they run 5% bigger than the the rest of the Arai line. I'm always a Small in Arai helmets, and in the Defiant, I'm an XS.
 

 
- Paulie
 
 

[nakedbiker]

I have the Arai Defiant and love it! It's super comfortable and every part is of top notch quality. I bought a Bell RS-1 for my wife in Matte black to match my Arai. The first thing I noticed is that the Bell Hemet when I touch it shows my finger prints but the Arai does not show any. Just the difference in what they use for paint maybe. You will not regret the Arai.

[motomeek]

I have the Arai RX-Q and I must say it is very comfy. It fits like a glove and my glasses was not an issue.  
One issue I did have with this helmet was that I couldn't mount a Gopro on the chin.
 
All in all, this helmet is good. I'd definitely buy it again
 

I have the Arai Vector-2 and was able to do a chin mount for my GoPro on there. From the images online, it seems flat enough. Is there not enough space? My mount comes down into the black rubber a bit, but as long as you get the J hook, it works. 
 
But I did find this in case any of you have the space, but the chin's shape isn't flat. I wasn't able to open the files with the instructions (thanks work), but hopefully this could help anyone out. DIY CHIN MOUNTS
 
 
 

[Duke]

I will take your advice on getting the Arai Defiant and eliminate the guesswork/regret like fusbal said.
 
And thanks pgeldz, cafefighter, x3rolink and motomeek for the valuable feedback. Definitely going to spend the extra money to get the better quality and assurance.

[fusbal]

Keep in mind when ordering that the Defiant runs a tad large, so order one size down.

[yamahazaki]

I am at a 100% failure rate on Korean made products (all 5 Korean branded products I've owned died or failed in less than 2 years, plus recently rented on a trip a 2016 Hyundai Sonata with 5k miles with faulty transmission issues) so I personally would never buy an HJC. But to be fair, my experience is all with Korean tech products (phones, cars, monitors, etc).

[fusbal]

On a related note, if you want to save some money order the helmet from an Italian store like EMLineamoto. It's called the Arai Rebel in Europe, I believe. You can usually save upwards of $100 doing that with helmets and other gear.

[fusbal]

http://www.motostorm.it/en/jackets/sub-leather/alpinestars.html
 
http://emlineamoto.com/en/motorcycle-clothing/caschi/integrali.html?manufacturer=2334
 

[w1ngzer0]

The Defiant is awesome. I have one. I also have the Arai Corsair V, and honestly I like the Defiant better. The liner is more comfortable, and it really is made for naked bikes with a 3/4 riding position. No annoying whistling from the vents, and to me it's light enough that I don't feel any fatigue at all during long rides, or on the track. 
Little note though about the Defiant...they run 5% bigger than the the rest of the Arai line. I'm always a Small in Arai helmets, and in the Defiant, I'm an XS.
 

 
- Paulie
 

 
 
I wear an Arai RX-Q in a true small. The Defiant is slightly bigger due to a rounder profile. Once you get the face shield changing down pat, I wouldn't have it any other way. Plus, pinlock is a must for me. Also, most Defiants are in close out now for like $433. ?

[sane]

I went with the RPHA ST Zaytun. Got it for about 374 after taxes at my local yamaha dealership.
Light, ventilated and snug.
 
Yay!
 

[avanti]

For balance... my experience with Korean products has been 180-degrees from yamahazaki's (cars, electronics, & wrist-watches) Just sayin'...

[fusbal]

I picked up a Defiant this past Friday and have ridden with it every day since. I also ordered the Pro-cruise visor system with a long visor which I received and installed today.
 
Observations:
- For the first couple days the noise with the helmet was quite loud, leaving me pretty disappointed. I had a loud bass noise as air would thump up against the sides of the helmet. Then on Saturday I had an epiphany when I leaned my head back a little while riding and heard nothing but a quiet woooosh and the engine noise of the bike. My Puig windscreen was slamming the air upward and messing with the helmet aerodynamics. I went home and removed the windscreen and this is now the greatest helmet I've ever owned.
- (Pro) With the natural naked bike airflow this thing is super quiet and stable. I thought the retractable chin spoiler was a gimmick at first, but after testing it out it really does stabilize the helmet and reduce noise a noticeable amount.
- (Pro) The faceshield is extremely easy to modulate and locks in tightly (and unlocks) with minimal effort. Some other helmets require you to have what seems like a minor seizure in order to lock or unlock the faceshield. With the Defiant I can actuate all aspects of the faceshield with minimal effort with one hand while riding.
- (Pro) The chin vents flow air very well in two directions. Half open vents flow air upward from the chin to the forehead along the faceshield. Fully open vents flow air direct to the lower 60% of your face. The vent is very easy to actuate with a gloved hand while riding.
- (Con) If riding with the faceshield open it's pretty "whistley".
- (Con) The head vents on top of the helmet are a bit of a pain to reach, though they are easy to actuate. I don't notice much airflow through the top vents.
- (Con) This is specific to the Pro-cruise system: It creates a sliiiight amount more wind noise as the hinges of the visor break the aerodynamics of the helmet slightly. The two hinges are at the top corners of the faceshield, and I notice a little extra wind noise coming from those two locations. It's not loud; it's just "there".
- (Pro) The Pro-cruise system works perfectly. With the long visor it shields the sun as well as any internal visor I've used. With the visor up it only creates a tiny amount of additional noticeable drag, and only when head checking to change lanes. With the visor up it creates no additional noise that I've noticed. While up it functions well as a peak to block sun straight overhead.
 
In all, this is far and away the best helmet/bike combination I've owned. Assuming you get a helmet that fits correctly (this runs a size big - I'm normally medium but I have a small Defiant) it definitely lives up to Arai's claim that it was designed for naked bikes. It's pricey, but worth every penny, in my opinion.
 

[pgeldz]

I'm glad you like it. I love my Defiant!
 

 
- Paulie

[recurveshooter]

Here's another consideration regarding the HJC. I have a CL-17 which is a very nice, inexpensive, entry level helmet (although it is DOT and SNELL approved). One of the things I've noticed is the poor optical quality of the visors. I spoke with some friends of mine who race and their visors cost more than my helmet. Maybe visor quality on their better helmets is better? I don't know. But I can say that while the clear visor is OK, the grey tinted one is horrid. A little distortion and LOTS of flare. It ALWAYS looks like you are looking through a dirty windshield. - recurveshooter
 

[w1ngzer0]

+1 on faceshield/visor with no precurve or distortion. The Arai Pinlock System with Max Vision has no distortion of fog at all. Others I have tried and tested when checking your 3' and 9' gives you this weird, what the hell I am looking at vision at times. Crucial seconds that can cost anyone.