Arai Helmets UK has issued a warning about fake product that was for sale on eBay. The advert claimed the Arai RX-7RR5 helmets were “New LE Helmet Motorcycle EU/CORSAIR-X Isle of Man TT, Capace xi”.
The helmets were on at a buy-it-now price of £106.99, with free postage and a 30-day refund facility, presumably triggered after the delivery date of 24 September to 23 October!
In a 14 August post featuring a screen grab of the counterfeit goods, Arai UK wrote: “IMPORTANT NOTICE! Do not purchase these helmets as they are FAKE! Arai Helmets are passed to very strict EU standards and are designed to save your life! Fake ones are not only counterfeit designed but can be counterfeit safety standards as well. Please use our dealer locater on the whyArai website to find officially registered Arai DNA centres before committing to an online purchase for the authenticity of our products.”
The distributor for Arai in the UK, Moto-Direct, reported the adverts to eBay, who removed them, and contacted the sellers, who are based in Asia.
MD Terry Birtles pointed out that suspicions should have been raised by the price which was “way too cheap” for a helmet handmade in Japan.
Another giveaway was that the visors on the fake helmets were wrap-round and did not feature the side pods favoured on safety grounds by Arai.
There were no ECE markings and the box and trims were also cheap and inconsistent.
Moto-Direct advice is always to buy an Arai from an official dealer.