Want retro, but also want safety? Arai’s heard your pleas, and the Concept-X helmet seems to finally be hitting the market … at least, it’s hitting the market in Europe.

The Arai Concept-X first appeared on the 2019 fall motorcycle show circuit, with the idea we’d see it for sale in 2020. We all know how this season went, so it’s no surprise that the Concept-X doesn’t seem to have had widespread release yet. However, it’s on Arai’s European website now (not on the North American website, though), and it looks like customers and journos are finally getting their hands on the hip new skid lid.

The Concept-X mixes vintage aesthetics with modern construction techniques. With growing interest in vintage-styled bikes, helmets with old-school styling and graphics have risen in popularity the past few years. Trouble is, those helmets often retain decades-old safety capability. The Concept-X uses Arai’s R75 shell, with laminate construction and the VAS visor-mounting system. Supposedly, this all works together to help the helmet deflect impacts in a crash, especially with that rounded shell that Arai likes so much.

The Concept-X comes in XS-XXL sizes, and has multiple helmet shell sizes so a smaller head isn’t stuck wearing an oversized helmet. Of course, the inner shell uses multi-density EPS to absorb impact, and there’s an anti-microbial removable inner liner for comfort. The Concept-X also has Arai’s custom-fit “peel-away” interior padding system.

The Pinlock-ready VAS Max face shield uses the same one-handed latch as Arai’s F1 helmet, on the left-hand side of the helmet. Arai says this “completely modified 3D moving new shield latch mechanism secures the shield like never before, but operates smoothly with an intuitive fluid – one finger operation – even with gloves.”

The airflow system on the Concept-X uses a combination of brow vents, and vents on the chinbar. The chinbar vents can be closed internally, and are for basic ventilation and de-fogging. The brow vents pump air into Arai’s trick in-helmet air circulation system, which moves cooling air through the EPS liner and out the rear of the collar via exhaust vents. This is a far more complicated system than what you’ll find on most metalflake-painted retro helmets.

The Concept-X helmet has an emergency release system, and also comes with a breath guard. Like Arai’s other helmets, it comes with double D-ring closure. It’s ECE 22.05-certified in the Euro market;head over to the European websitefor more details, and a look at what colours are available. At this point, we haven’t seen any talk of North American pricing or availability.