Arai Helmet - The life and philosophy of Mr. Michio Arai. A legacy of protection.
The Life and Philosophy of Michio Arai
Few details are known about the circumstances that led to the 1928 photograph of Hirotake Arai standing boldly on the saddle of a speeding Harley-Davidson JD. Hirotake’s gloved hands hover at his hips, necktie blown over one shoulder. His knees are bent like a big-wave surfer.
Arai Helmet’s origins can be traced to the kepi-style caps made by Yuichiro Arai in the early 1900s. Upon taking the helm of his father’s company in 1930, Hirotake Arai was petitioned by the Imperial Japanese Army to create a sun-barrier hat that prioritized ventilation. After World War II, Hirotake Arai opened the Arai Sewing Machine Co., which crafted T-shirts and coveralls. When industry demanded protective headwear, Hirotake Arai developed helmets for construction workers and miners made from a resin shell lined with a textile tape cradle. “Initially, my father didn’t know how to make a shell,” explained Michio. “He bought a
A framed print of that picture takes pride of place at the Arai Helmet factory in Omiya, on the outskirts of Tokyo. The image captures the determination with which Hirotake Arai founded the company respected worldwide for its unwavering commitment to rider protection. Hirotake Arai is wearing a classic straw boater hat, standard summer fare for millions of men in the early 20th century. His revolutionary motorcycle helmet, with its fiberglass shell, cork lining, expanded polystyrene crown and leather details, was still years in the future.
“My father was the son of a hat maker, and riding motorcycles was his hobby,” said Michio Arai, one of Hirotake’s four children and his only son. “He used to say, ‘I am a good rider.’ I don’t think that was actually true, but he loved to ride a motorcycle.”
surplus American army helmet that U.S. soldiers had discarded. He then constructed a shell in the helmet. After that, he started to make shells himself. “I was in grammar school. I remember the first shell was canvas with resin. My father could have survived making construction and mining helmets. Meanwhile, he also found time to work out a motorcycle helmet for his own protection, a product that didn’t exist in Japan.”
A STRONG FOUNDATION
In 1950, Arai Hirotake Shoten Co. Ltd. was awarded a Japanese Industrial Standards license. Soon after, Arai began manufacturing and retailing the first commercial motorcycle helmets in the island country, marked “H.A.” after his initials. “The first market was for Japanese ‘gamble’ racing,” said Michio. “It’s like betting on horses, except the ‘jockeys’ ride motorcycles. Naturally, the racers had a lot of crashes and injuries, so they approached my father to supply helmets.” Hirotake experimented with new materials and pioneered manufacturing techniques that are still in use today. A strong fiberglass shell allied with an energy-absorbing, expanded-polystyrene liner remains the foundation for all Arai helmets. “My father didn’t even finish high school,” said Michio Arai. “I don’t know how he
According to Michio, his father knew little about chemicals. “He read an article about fiberglass, and he went to a professor at a Japanese university and found out how to make a half shell. That was the first fiberglass shell in this country.” Decades have since passed, but the manufacturing process is comparable. “My father made a ‘bird’s nest’ shaped from fiberglass,” said Michio Arai. “He put the nest in a mold, added resin, and applied heat and pressurized it with an airbag to make a shell. We still do it that way.”
did it, but he somehow discovered what was needed to protect riders even before there were standards for helmets. That was the basis for the modern motorcycle helmet.”
Hirotake even cobbled together a drop test. “To make a helmet better, you must test,” said Michio Arai. “There was no device to test, so my father made a device: a junk helmet, a head form and a rope. That was very primitive, but at least you could tell which one was better.” Hirotake Arai was alone in his efforts, Michio noted. “Before my father, there was no helmet business in this country. He started an industry that has gotten bigger and bigger. I was born with helmets, and I raced with helmets. A helmet is like a part of my body.”
He put the nest in a mold, added resin, and applied heat and pressurized it with an airbag to make a shell. We still do it that way.
Michio Arai turned down every offer. “The U.S. was like my second home; I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life there,” he said. “Japan in those days was not like it is today, but I figured if I went back to Japan, at least I could ride motorcycles and drive sports cars.” His first motorcycle ride remains a vivid memory. “I was six or seven. My father bought a scooter, and he left it in the warehouse. I pushed it, and it started.” Michio Arai tried his hand at off-road
racing, wearing one of his father’s helmets. “I wasn’t bad,” he said, downplaying his innate skill, Michio Arai also explored auto racing in Japan. “I became a semi-works driver for Nissan,” he said. “I really enjoyed racing. I thought I was a good driver, but some other guys were born with a gift that I didn’t have. After two years, I said goodbye to racing.” Driven by his deep-seated competitive spirit, Michio Arai considered a new career path. “I really wanted to be a big name in racing,” he admitted. “But, I thought, ‘This is something I can learn from. Maybe I will help my father in the helmet business.’”
Michio Arai was born in Tokyo in 1938. He had three sisters—two older, one younger. “I still appreciate my father and mother,” he grinned. “They looked at me, their only son, and said, ‘All he does is ride a motorcycle. We have to do something.’” Michio Arai breezed through formal education. After he completed two years at a Japanese university, his parents sent him to the U.S. to live with his older sister, a physician, and to attend Indiana Technical College, a private engineering school in Fort Wayne. “It was a small school, less than 10,000 stu-
VENTILATION PARTS Arai ventilation parts are designed to enhance the “glancing-off” per- formance of the helmet. They break off in an impact to not interfere with the helmet’s round, smooth shell. The vents are carefully applied with a special adhesive tape that resists weathering. Careful attention to alignment is required, especially for graphic designs, and that alignment is meticulously checked by hand. Each step of the process is connected to rider protection, providing a strong sense of responsibility and pride.
Before moving to Indiana, I never, ever studied. I majored in chemical engineering and became number one in my class. I quickly realized I wasn’t stupid, that I had above-average intelligence.
dents,” said Michio Arai. Before moving to Indiana, I never, ever studied. I majored in chemical engineering and became number one in the college. I quickly realized I wasn’t stupid, that I had above-average intelligence. Michio Arai chose to leave the school in 1962 before graduating from the college, a year after President John F. Kennedy proposed that the U.S. commit to landing a man on the moon before the end of the decade. It is true that he received a number of offers for high-paying engineering jobs from U.S. firms, including one from NASA.
One day in the mid-1960s on the streets of Tokyo, Michio Arai encountered two motorcyclists, both wearing H.A.-branded helmets. “Those guys were proud to be wearing Arai helmets,” he said, “and that made me happy. I thought, ‘If I keep making helmets, I can do something.’”
A question from a motorcycle-riding journalist triggered a prophetic reply from Michio Arai, now working full-time for his father. “She asked, ‘What do you intend to do?’ She was wearing a Bell helmet. I looked at her and said, ‘One of these days, my helmet will be better than what you’re wearing.’” Michio Arai flew to Sacramento, California, to meet Dr. George Snively, a leading expert in head protection, who co-founded the Snell Memorial Foundation with fellow racers Norm
What Michio Arai discovered surprised him. “Bell was making helmets from fiberglass and styro - foam. We were making helmets from fiberglass and styrofoam. But the way we were making our helmets was completely different from Bell. “We never copied Bell, and Bell never copied us,” he said. “Bell was a respectable company, and I never thought of competing with them. But then I thought, ‘If I’m going to do this, I have to make better protection than Bell.’” Michio Arai labored three months in Arai’s shell- molding department. “I struggled with no results,” he sighed. “One day, one of the shell makers approached me. He said, ‘I can’t stand to see you struggling like this. I will do it for you. You concentrate on the business in the office.’” Different production methods and materials were analyzed. Some were approved, others were rejected. “My father said, ‘Polycarbonate could make production easier. It’s less expensive, and we can make more helmets. I said, ‘That’s a mistake. I don’t want to do it.’”
Benedict and Roy Richter, the owner of Bell Helmets. Snively phoned Richter. Michio Arai recalled the con- versation: “There’s a young fellow here from Japan. He also makes helmets. He’s an interesting guy. You should meet him.” Michio Arai flew that afternoon to Los Angeles, where Richter welcomed him with open arms.
ARAI PROPRIETARY RESIN To make the most of the many materials used in an Arai shell, each chosen for the unique characteristic it contributes to the construction, the resin that holds everything together is critical. Like the conductor of an orchestra, Arai’s proprietary resin brings out the best harmony—in this case, protection performance—of every shell.
When I took over my father’s business, I asked myself, ‘Why am I doing this?
THE PROCESS
By the mid-1970s, Hirotake Arai was eyeing retirement. “My father wanted to relax and see the world,” explained Michio. “He said, ‘You work. I will give you stock in the company. You pay me the money to spend. Enjoy this life.’ And that was it.” On September 28, 1977, Japan Air Lines Flight 472 traveling from Mumbai to Tokyo was attacked by the “Japanese Red Army,” a militant communist group. Five armed men took 156 passengers and crew hostage. Hirotake Arai was one of those passengers. The terrorists demanded a $6 million ransom and the release of nine imprisoned JRA members. On October 1, Japanese Prime Minister Takeo Fukuda shocked the world by announcing his government would accept the demands of the hijackers.
Fukuda’s compassion left a powerful, permanent impression on 39-year-old Michio Arai. “When I took over my father’s business, I asked myself, ‘Why am I doing this?’ Fukuda’s message, that the value of a human being is more precious than wealth, stayed with me. “I slowly and gradually started to change my values,” said Michio Arai. “I came to realize that protection is very important. If we keep chasing a higher level of protection with our helmets, I can do something with my life that I am proud of.
“I know the helmet business will never be big, but if we can protect the head, that is something we can be proud of. Protection is important to those who wear our helmets. To be able to give protection to riders fills everyone who works at Arai with pride. “Little by little, we changed the helmet and made it something that really worked. I thought, ‘How am I going to tell the world that our helmet gives better protection?’ If I make an advertising campaign, nobody will believe it. Then, I thought, ‘Racing.’”
“The life of a single person outweighs the Earth,” said Fukuda, justifying his decision. While other countries refused to negotiate with terrorists, Japan paid the ransom and released the prisoners. Two days later, the final hostages were freed, all unharmed.
Michio Arai focused first on domestic competition, both two wheels and four. “In those days,” he recalled, “the market was much smaller, and there were no differences between a motorcycle racing helmet and a car racing helmet. Now, they are much more specific.” Within a year, Arai had conquered Japan. “I drove for Nissan, so I was a big name,” he laughed. “All I had to ask was, ‘Will you wear my helmet?’” Having achieved success at home, Michio Arai shifted his attention to the U.S., a large market dominated by Bell. Arai helmets were still branded “H.A.,” with the initials representing either “Hirotake Arai” or “Helmet Arai.” Accessory Distributors, Inc., the U.S. importer, asked Michio to consider changing the company name, suggesting “H.A.” might be misinterpreted as “Ha.” The discussion dragged on for hours. “We drank a lot of whiskey and talked until morning,” said Michio Arai. Finally, ADI President George Nicholson asked, “What about your family name? Arai doesn’t sound strictly Japanese, but it isn’t American or European, either. And it’s easy to pronounce.”
If you come up with the right idea, I will pay you $50.’ I liked the oval graphic he created, so I paid him $100.
Newly rebranded “Arai Helmet” needed its own identity. “There was a designer working part-time in the ADI offices,” recalled Michio Arai. “I asked him to draw a nice logo. ‘If you come up with the right idea, I will pay you $50.’ I liked the oval graphic he created, so I paid him $100.” Michio Arai plied ADI VP Roger Weston to stoke awareness in the U.S. through national competition. “Racers have more chances to use protection,” he said. “I told Roger, ‘Bring Arai to the American racing scene.’ He found a rider who would wear my helmet: Ted Boody Jr.”
Michio Arai flew to Los Angeles to meet Boody in person. For more than an hour, he explained all the factory had done to produce a more protective product. “Ted told me, ‘I don’t understand everything you’ve said, but you’re a straight-talking man. I’d like to try your helmet.’
STRONG, SMOOTH, ROUND SHELL Arai believes that our rounder, smoother, and stronger shells help our helmets slide past obstacles and not catch or snag. We named this “glancing off.” We have continu- ally evolved our round and smooth shape with each new generation to increase glancing-off properties with consis- tent accumulations of small improvements to further head protection for our fellow riders. The round, smooth shape continues as the foundation of every Arai shell.
“He took my helmet and put it on his head. He said, ‘It fits great.’” With that, Ted Boody Jr. became Arai’s first sponsored racer. He won the season-opening 1979 AMA Houston Short Track in front of a packed house at the iconic Astrodome. Arai still uses the name “Astro.”
PROTECTION
Boody was soon joined by fellow flat tracker and road racer Skip Aksland. Michio Arai jokingly referred to Aksland as “a small guy with a big mouth” because of the invaluable way in which the fast Californian spread the word throughout the paddock about Arai’s protective qualities.
Michio Arai understood the value of a high-speed, high-stakes laboratory. “Racing is dangerous,” he acknowledged. “But we can learn about the realities of crashing, because there are many accidents. We can learn about finding improvements.”
Racing guided the evolution of Arai helmets, first and foremost the shape of the shell. “We wanted our helmet to be comfortable, to feel better, for protection,” explained Michio Arai. “What we got was a shape that looks the same as an egg. “To me, nature is an example. I always want to make a helmet that is smooth. When I designed a shell, if it didn’t follow the basic contour of my head, I didn’t feel comfortable. We didn’t design the helmet to take the shape of an egg, but I believe this is correct.”
Aksland fell off his motorcycle at Daytona International Speedway, Michio Arai recalled. “Skip stood up and said, ‘Did you see me? Last time I crashed, my bell was ringing for weeks.’ After that, everybody wanted to wear my helmet.” Arai signed a number of rising American stars, several of whom went on to national and international success, among them Mike Baldwin, Wes Cooley, and Freddie Spencer. The race for number one, both on and off the racetrack, had begun for Arai. In retrospect, racing was a crucial step for the company. “My father never thought of using racing for promotion,” admitted Michio Arai. “He enjoyed riding, but the difference between me and my father was that I liked to race. I liked to compete. I wanted to win.”
Replicating nature’s grace has its own challenges. “Maintaining this shape with a fiberglass shell while meeting recent standards is really difficult,” admitted Michio Arai, “because the requirements for those standards can vary from one location on the helmet to another.”
We wanted our helmet to be comfortable, to feel better, for protection.
ARAI INTERIOR Did you know that the interior of an Arai helmet is installed entirely by hand? Small details like the interior ventilation ducts are designed with soft materials and devel- oped from Arai’s experiences in the harsh environment of racing. This feedback goes directly into the retail helmets that come off the same production line as the helmets for the racers.
Arai values the helmet standards mandated and policed by government agencies and motorsports sanctioning bodies. “Standards are important,” he said, noting, “They not only protect the wearer, they protect the manufacturers and the industry.” Yet Arai never designed helmets just to meet standards. The criteria for those regulations, he explained, are based on the absorption and dispersion of energy stemming from direct, lab-controlled impacts that pinpoint specific locations on the shell.
Arai helmets meet standards without compromising the shape of the shell. “This is something nobody else does,” said Michio. “To preserve the ability to ‘glance off,’ we main- tain strict control of the charac- teristic of the lamination from one location to another.”
To retain a smooth, round shape that promotes glancing off while meeting helmet standards requires the use of a unique multi-density expanded polystyrene liner.
To preserve the ability to ‘glance off,’ we maintain strict control of the characteristic of the lamination from one location to another.
“Human heads are not perfectly round or oval, but the shell has to be round,” said Michio Arai. “The basic shape we learned from an egg. That’s the best, we believe. But the head is not shaped like an egg, so the density of the liner has to vary correspondingly. “That’s really difficult to control, but we do it. That makes the difference. It’s what we do:
We make a stronger shell and an impact-absorbing liner of different densities. It’s a very sophisticated way of making a liner. That’s what I created.”
“When you think of protection, your first thought is impact absorption,” said Michio Arai. “But there is another part, the other half of the story: glancing off.” That is, the shape of the helmet helps mitigate impact energy before any type of standard can even come into play. Struck off-center, a round, smooth shell will “glance off” a stationary object, deflecting energy that might otherwise be transmitted through the shell and liner to the wearer. “Don’t let the energy get inside the helmet,” smiled Michio Arai, pounding his fist on a table for emphasis.
HELMET STANDARDS A helmet’s ability to protect cannot be seen from the outside. Therefore, helmet standards can become the goal for some manufacturers and riders, as passing the local standard in each market is all that is required. But at Arai, passing standards is considered the mini- mum. In addition to passing standards, our mission as a helmet manufacturer is head protection for our fel- low riders. Arai makes continual efforts to pursue gains in head protection from unpredictable riding impacts.
ARAI’S EGG-SHAPED SHELL Why does an Arai helmet look and feel like an egg? Besides sharing one of the strongest shapes in na- ture, the round, smooth properties deflect objects away from the shell, minimizing energy that could oth- erwise be transferred to the rider’s head. Arai calls this “Glancing Off.”
While a state-of-the-art automobile helmet is highly labor-intensive to produce, its motorcycle counterpart presents a greater design challenge. “These days, car racers are well-protected,” said Michio Arai. “Motorcyclists will always be more exposed.” Regardless of their status in the sport, racers don’t receive special treatment. “Formula One drivers and MotoGP racers always use production helmets, not special shells,” emphasized Michio Arai. “The interiors can be customized, of course, just like a customer’s helmet.”
Arai has continued to manufacture auto-racing helmets, the latest-spec models featuring smaller eyeports and four- wheel-specific details. At the pinnacle of the sport—Formula One and its feeder classes, as well as IndyCar—a carbon-fiber shell is mandatory.
Arai began working with carbon fiber in 2005, sourcing raw materials from the commercial airline industry. “Carbon fiber is lighter,” admitted Michio Arai, “but it is more complex, and manufacturing is difficult. Every piece of the shell must be meticulously laid by hand.”
As a result, one Arai shell expert can only build one carbon-fiber shell per day. “For destructive testing, we had to make many shells,” said Michio Arai. “If you make 2,000 helmets, but you destroy two dozen of them, it’s not a very good business model.”
Whether the user is a sponsored racer or a road rider, the experience should be identical. “I never want to see any differences in our helmets or the treatment of our customers,” said Michio Arai. “We never do anything that might reduce protection for the rider.” To that very point, in 1977, Arai instituted a second shell inspection that continues to this day. Each shell is checked for thickness and weight, and discrepancies are noted. “We could do this much more easily and less expensively,” he said, “but at a potential cost in protection.”
If you make 2,000 helmets, but you destroy two dozen of them, it’s not a very good business model.
THE ARAI SHIELD The Arai face shield not only protects the rider’s vision, but also contributes to the helmet’s round, smooth, and compact shape. The curvature of the shield is not constant, and varies along the shell. This contributes to the helmet’s “glancing off” ability, and Arai’s priority for protection.
No helmet can protect every driver or every rider in every scenario. “With the limited space between the shell and wearer’s head,” explained Michio Arai, “we have to prepare for impacts that exceed our imagination.” The search for improvements is never-ending. “A big change, trying to do too much at once, could lead to something negative,” said Michio Arai. “By look- ing at the details, we can accumulate small gains in protection. And we’re still doing it, little by little, year after year.” Arai believes strongly in this direct approach. “No college professor can show me a better solution for protection,” he said. “No computer can do it. “I had to develop it together with the men and women on my team, who worked hands-on with the helmet.”
“The human hand is a gift from somebody up there,” said Michio Arai, pointing to the heavens. “That is what we believe. Our people—with no calculations, just with what they have in their minds, their feel and touch—use this gift to make shapes to give riders better protection.” Nearly a century after Hirotake Arai drew himself up to his full height on the saddle of a big
“What we protect is more valuable than money. Everyone at Arai, if they are dedicated, if they work together in the same direction, they can do something. They can be proud. That’s the value. The value of what we protect is most important. “Our business is small, but the value of what we are seeking—accumulating gains little by little—is more precious than anything else in this world. I’m happy that I’m in this business, but I will never be as great as the helmet. Protection makes the value. That’s Arai.” “What we protect is more valuable than money. Everyone at Arai, if they are dedicated, if they work together in the same direction, they can do something. They can be proud. That’s the value. The value of what we protect is most important. “Our business is small, but the value of what we are seeking—accumulating gains little by little— is more precious than anything else in this world. I’m happy that I’m in this business, but I will never be as great as the helmet. “Protection makes the value. That’s Arai.”
American V-twin, posing proudly for a photogra- pher’s camera, the company bearing his name, that he founded, continues to protect motorcyclists. “I’m glad my father started this business,” reflected Michio Arai. “I never thought of changing ownership or selling the company. I want to keep Arai going the same way. Whoever runs the business after me should carry on the same as I have.
Michio Arai
The consistent pursuit of gains in protection. Michio Arai
experience makes the difference
Important Notice: Arai reserves the right to change models, specifications, colours, designs and sizes without prior notice. No rights may be obtained from this brochure. Please note that printed colours are never completely true to actual colours. Helmet colours shown are as accurate as possible, and are subject to limitations of the printing process. No part of this brochure may be produced without written permission from the publisher. All rights reserved. The photographs and information contained herein are protected by copyright. Not all models might be available in all markets. Some helmets in this brochure are shown with tinted shields. Tinted shields are used instead of the standard clear shields for display purposes only and are available at Arai dealers. For the latest overview visit www.araihelmet.eu. No helmet can protect the wearer against all foreseeable impacts. Nothing is a substitute for safe riding practices. Copyright © 2025 Arai Helmet (Europe) BV
Page 1 Page 2-3 Page 4-5 Page 6-7 Page 8-9 Page 10-11 Page 12-13 Page 14-15 Page 16-17 Page 18-19 Page 20-21 Page 22-23 Page 24Made with FlippingBook. PDF to flipbook with ease