Arai, Icon Top Helmet Survey By J.D. Power

By Bud Wilkinson of RIDE-CT.com

For the 13th consecutive year, Arai helmets rank highest in customer satisfaction, according to a J.D. Power and Associates survey of 4,820 purchasers of new motorcycles who provided info about their most recent helmet buy. Sharing the top spot with Arai was Icon with a score of 852 on a 1,000-point scale. Shoei came in third with an 831 score, followed by Harley-Davidson and Scorpion at 800.

The industry average was 788, the highest level since J.D. Power began the helmet survey in 1999. Ranking below that figure were Bell (781), Nolan (774), HJC (761) and Fullmer (759). The current average purchase price of a helmet is $209, compared with $206 in 2010. The median age of helmet buyers is 48.

J.D. Power also determined that more riders are buying helmets online, with 23 percent of helmet owners saying they shopped on the Internet. That’s up from 20 percent in 2010 and four percent in 2002.