New Arai DT-X Motorcycle Helmet and XXS Helmets

Side Profile of the DT-X Helmet from Arai

If you have a very small head, or know a woman (in my experience, 99.9% of XS fit women or small children) who may even need a XXS helmet, Arai Helmets has just released a new street helmet called the DT-X. 

This helmet will feature an intermediate oval shape (most common shape in the US) similar to the Corsair-X and Vector-2.

Supposedly it will offer a XXS size, per the website. However, they have the same information for the Vector-2 which was never offered in a 2XS that you could actually order. The only 2XS helmet available to order from them at this minute is the Defiant (although it's currently OOS). 

I miss my trusty Arai, but it didn't fit me small enough like my Shoei does. I'm hoping if they do offer a 2XS that it'll fit my head! I've always respected Arai and their design / protection philosophies. They defy mainstream expectations and always strive to deliver the most protective helmet even if it means not having the best selling helmet, or the one that everyone thinks is "coolest".

But if you are looking for a Full Face or Modular 2XS Helmet, these are the ones that I'm aware of: 

Full Face:

1. Arai Defiant and Defiant Pro Cruise (certain colors) 
2. Icon Airmada (certain colors)
3. Nexx XT1 Carbon Zero
4. GMax GM38
5. Nexx XR2 Carbon Pure (currently OOS)
6. Shoei Qwest (black only)
7. Shoei RF-1200 (if you purchase the 17mm Centerpad, then it's a 2XS)
8. AGV AX-8 DS Evo

I have to mention the Bell Star (Street Star, Race Star and Pro Star) Helmets, because they fit so narrow. I can barely fit my head into an XS (that I can fit into pretty much every XS helmet) and the S fits like a Shoei XS. I'll bet that an XS fits like a 2XS. 

Modular:

1. Schuberth C3Pro Women
2. Nolan N104 Absolute 

Article from Racked.com about Women's Gear Options

I recently talked to the author of this article from Racked.com about the increase in options for women's gear over the past decade. 

https://www.racked.com/2017/7/26/16003312/biker-women-style

There are many things we're not seeing in the growth of women's gear but it's nice to see more options surface, even if it doesn't necessarily work for 100% of the women riders out there. 

Two Weeks Later, And My Boots Aren't Killing Me!

Thrilled to report that 2 weeks after I bought these beautiful boots, they fit great. A teeny bit long in the toes but I can live with that. What I couldn't live with was the pain over my instep. I've logged a little over 400 miles in them so far and they're working out really well. I'm hoping to do a video overview of them this week so stay tuned. 

Breaking in New Motorcycle Boots. Ugh.

Last year I wrote about the newest women's motorcycle boots from Dainese, the Torque D1's, the first true women's motorcycle boot that offers real ankle support. What this means they make it incredibly difficult for you to twist your ankle. Of course, the impact protection is also incredibly supportive as well. 

I didn't think I could wear these. I still am not 100% sure. My problem was that as a woman with a very small, wide foot boots like these from Dainese are incredibly difficult to wear. 

Typically I size into a US 6.5-7 (7 if it's a narrower shoe) which translates to about a Euro 36-37. These are a Euro 38. My feet are also incredibly high at the instep. My other weird issue is that I have a small cyst on the top of my left foot, so that makes wearing any tight shoes (like if I lace my shoes too tight) especially painful. 

Since these are fairly difficult to get my foot into so I had to size up. 

I've been wearing them around the house for about a total of 1.5 hours and luckily I haven't felt any pinching or piercing pain anywhere. Just tightness from a new pair of boots, especially race boots. They're just not easy. 

I did find that crossing my legs while sitting on a kitchen stool did make my toes go numb... so I recommend not doing that ;D

I've also added my super insoles to still give me the extra heel height that I like having.

They seem to fit okay, of course I removed the insoles that came with the boots but it certainly makes the heel and ankle space a bit tighter. I'm hoping as I keep breaking them in they only get better!

Just a little test ride.. in the kitchen! Always take your gear for a test ride at home so you can see what it might feel like to wear things for more than 2-3 minutes. 

Breaking in new boots isn't fun. It can be a pain in the ass really. But I really wanted the extra ankle support that these boots offer that my old Sidis don't even though they took great care of my feet when I crashed two years ago.. I'm also doing a track day next month so I want to be ready for that too. 

Also, I'm trying to sell my new-used Sidis (not the ones I actually crashed in) if you know anyone who might be interested.