arai tour x4 vision motocross helm

Arai's outgoing Tour-X 4 helmet is still a go-to adventure touring option - here's why

The highly acclaimed, top-spec Arai Tour-X motorbike helmet has been around for decades and I’ve been testing the fourth-generation Tour-X4 for the past three years. It’s designed for adventure and off-road riding, but with the peak removed can be used as a road helmet, or with goggles instead of the visor.

I’ve used it in all conditions on adventure bike launches and group tests in Greece, Spain, Portugal, Sicily and the UK.

It’s now been superseded by Arai’s new Tour-X 5 .

• Read MCN’s previous Arai Tour-X 4 reviews

Arai Tour-X 4

Tested by Michael Neeves for 4000 miles, three years

A clear visor and anti-fog Pinlock come as standard, but I mostly use an accessory dark tinted version. The visor has widescreen field of vision (although you can always see the peak, which I’m not keen on), a classy smoothness in the way it moves and is easy to crack open for extra ventilation.

It isn’t a two-minute job to change the visor, though, with fiddly plastic screws and fixing plates that need to line up with the visor and peak. The new Tour-X5 has a quick release system that gets around the problem. The Tour-X4 doesn’t have a drop-down visor.

Does the Arai Tour-X 4 have good ventilation?

For sweaty off-road rides or sun-baked road trips an adventure lid needs good ventilation. The Tour-X4 has seven strategically placed intake and five exhaust vents that do the job superbly. I’ve worn it as much in the cold and rain, too and it’s nice snug with no drafts or leaks.

Is the Arai Tour-X 4 a noisy helmet?

I’ve only used the Tour-X4 while riding adventure bikes, which have notoriously noisy screens. Despite the racket the bikes make the Arai manages to be surprisingly quiet, although the peak can cause some buffeting and catch in the wind. I wear earplugs so it’s never a problem. I’ve never used it without the peak or with goggles.

Does the Arai Tour-X 4 look good?

The Tour-X4 is a beautiful hand-built creation, as much as a safety device. I’m not a huge fan of the off-road style in general and it looks too storm-trooper-ish with the peak removed. I’d always choose to wear a conventional road helmet, regardless of the style of bike and only pick something like this for practical reasons.

Is the Arai Tour-X 4 good quality?

It’s hard to fault the Tour-X4’s first class build quality, from its plush interior fabrics to the deep, durable white paintwork and the way the vents and trims fit perfectly. There’s nothing about this Arai that feels cheap or plasticky.

Does the Arai Tour-X 4 offer good value for money?

Arai’s Tour-X 4 is unashamedly premium, but now it’s been replaced by the Tour-X 5 there are some stonking deals to be had from retailers’ existing stock.

If the Arai isn’t floating your boat, there are plenty of other adventure helmets available on the market.

The Klim Krios Pro combines cutting edge technology and lightweight materials in a comfortable and great-looking package.

Klim Krios Pro

Tested by Ben Clarke for 4000 miles

Once upon a time, riders looking for a comfortable, peaked adventure-touring helmet pretty much had two choices, an Arai Tour-X or a Shoei Hornet ADV. Like the Arai, the The Shoei is still available on the market today.

Shoei Hornet ADV

Tested by Richard Newland for 5000 miles

Portuguese brand Nexx might not be on the tip of every British biker’s tongue, but their X.WED2 is a really great dual-purpose helmet with very little to be found in the way of negatives. We included it in our adventure helmet product showcase back in 2020 and it won the test with a maximum 5 stars.

Nexx X.WED2

Tested by MCN

Arai Tour-X 4 verdict

If you ride off road, a peaked adventure lid is useful to protect yourself from flying rocks, dust and dirt from other bikes and to keep the sun out of your eyes. The Arai Tour-X4 ticks those boxes, while being every inch a premium helmet that’s as beautifully made and comfortable as any of their top-level road offerings.

But do both on and off-road jobs it’s a compromise. It’s heavier, slightly more fatiguing to wear and the peak is ever-present in your vision and sometimes whips in the wind. Changing the visor is tricky, too, but the updated Tour-X5’s quick release system gets around that problem.

Wearing an adventure helmet is part of my road tester’s ‘dressing-up box’ and useful on the dirt, but I wouldn’t choose to wear one purely for the road just for its looks, even on an adventure bike.

Got an Arai Tour-X 4 of your own? Why not get in touch and find out how you can give an owner review for inclusion on this page!

What our other testers said about the Arai Tour-X 4

Tested by Justin Hayzelden for two years, 5,500 miles Quality 5/5, Value 5/5

Just opening the Arai Tour-X 4 box is an experience in itself. Cleverly packaged without the need for tape or staples, it’s a masterclass in simple origami and opens to reveal the helmet cocooned in a neatly tied, fleecy storage bag, along with stickers, instructions (including a small bottle of silicone lubricant for the visor mechanism) and the Pinlock anti-fog insert.

Slipping it out of the bag and seeing the graphics in the flesh for the first time actually drew oohs and aahs, and then there’s the smell when you first put it on – new Arais have a unique aroma that immerses the wearer in a sensation of quality and craftsmanship.

I’ve yet to find a helmet that is as pleasant to wear as an Arai, and with that cavernous opening, the Tour-X 4 may well be the best in the range. The weight distribution is so good, that it barely feels like there’s anything on your head, even after a full day on the trails.

And that’s from a helmet weighing 1670g (on our scales), hardly the lightest in its class. The double D-ring strap ensures an infinitely secure fit and the extendable chin spoiler does a great job of keeping the wind out when you don’t want it. There’s also very little drag from the aerodynamically designed peak.

The Tour-X 4 isn’t the quietest of helmets, especially with the peak in place, but if you wear earplugs when riding (as I do) wind noise shouldn’t be a problem.

I tend to use goggles when riding off-road and like the fact that the strap fits with the visor installed, regardless of whether it’s open or closed. However, if the going gets messy it can also be removed entirely to prevent damage from mud and grit, turning the Tour-X into a traditional off-road style lid.

It may not be the cheapest, but consider that it’s essentially three helmets in one and the value should become clear – for trail riding, touring or even tearing up the track, the Arai Tour-X 4 could well be the only helmet you’ll ever need.

Tested by Michael Guy for five years, 8400 miles Quality 5/5, Value 4/5

The Tour-X 4 has certainly been my go-to helmet for a significant chunk of riding I’ve completed over the last five years. While Arai claim it works as a grand tourer, adventure helmet and for use on naked bikes with the peak removed the vast majority of my riding has been using it for off-road and adventure.

From events in Italy, to riding the Trans Euro Trail in Northern Spain and most recently a trip to Iceland it’s been my helmet of choice for when I need something I can completely trust and rely on. After all your helmet is the most important piece of safety equipment we all wear.

This is actually my second Arai adventure helmet, I ran the previous X3 model for the five years prior to getting the X4. One of the key factors that keeps me coming back for more is the fit. I wear an XS and unlike other helmets Arai have different outer shell sizes meaning that I’m not wearing a helmet with a large outer shell and lots of padding to make it fit correctly. This in turn makes it feel and look better.

I’ve used the helmet with both clear and a light smoke visor and both give excellent vision and minimal glare. The light smoke visor gives the same quality and contrast as a decent pair of sun glasses. Compared to a motocross helmet the peak is short but it’s enough to act as a sunshade when the sun is low in the sky or give protection from rocks roosted up by the rider in front by simply dropping your head.

Despite the peak the smooth lines of the outer shell make it more than acceptable for sustained motorway speeds. I always expect the peak to make it feel worse than a regular road helmet but in reality, when riding a big adventure bike, it’s the flawed aerodynamics/screen of the bike that are the issue rather than the helmet. My only real gripe is that changing visors is a slow and laborious task which requires removing four easily lose able screws and the peak.

- Just so you know, whilst we may receive a commission or other compensation from the links on this page, we never allow this to influence product selections - read why you should trust us .

By Michael Neeves

MCN Chief Road Tester, club racer, airmiles millionaire.

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Arai Tour X4 Full-Face Helmet Review and Road Test and Video

Today, we’ll be taking a look at and road testing the Arai Tour X4 adventure helmet, the helmet that does it all.

If you want a helmet for your more adventurous trips, then the Arai Tour X4 , known as the Arai XD-4 in the US, will be right there with you. You can wear this road helmet three different ways with the visor and the combinations include with the peak with or without the visor, with the peak and a pair of goggles, or even without the peak and just with the visor. So, you can already start to get an idea of how this Arai helmet can range from a street touring helmet to one suited to adventure riding as well. This helmet will be coming in at a recommended retail price of about 650 Euros, or around 720 US Dollars. So, you are getting a premium helmet with all the options.  At this price range, the Arai TourX4 will be competing with the Shoei Hornet ADV , AGV AX-9 and the Schuberth E1 .

First, let’s start with the Arai TourX-4 ’s material. The Arai Tour X-4 ’s shell is made of Arai’s Complex Fibre Laminate construction, which is Arai’s own in house shell material that gives the helmet strength and impact flexibility. This also gives you a fairly light weight helmet since when we weighed the Arai Tour Ex-4 , we got a weight of 1620 grams in a size M with all the extras. Though for most helmets, this would be on the heavier end of the spectrum, this helmet was not designed with an explicit focus on weight. The helmet also comes in 5 shell sizes, which is impressive since few helmets come with this many shell sizes. The benefit of more shell sizes is that the helmet’s fit will be better, which will also improve safety since you’re getting a properly proportioned helmet. This will also be a safe helmet since it’s ECE, DOT, and SNELL certified as well. The helmet also has a very round profile, which is what Arai is known for, to focus on the helmet glancing off of any surface during an impact.

Ventilation

Now, looking at the ventilation on this helmet, you’re getting plenty. In the chin, you’re getting a 3 position chin vent with an adjustable set of 12 air intake vents, which should be really good whether you’re out touring or hitting the dirt. You can also close the vent from the inside so you don’t have to breathe in any dust while demisting your visor. In the brow, you’ve got two smaller vents that are also adjustable into open and closed positions to let some air in through the EPS. All this hot air will then come out this neck exhaust vent in the bottom of the helmet and a removable set of exhausts at the top rear of the helmet. So you can also remove them if you need to clean your helmet. Lastly, you’ve also got some side exhausts to help with getting all that warm air out as soon as possible as well.

Onto the visor now and you’re getting a pinlock prepared visor with the anti-fog pinlock insert also in the box. So, this means that even in the worst fogging conditions, your visor should stay as clear as it ever was. This helmet's large visor opening offers plenty of room for a pair of goggles and a good field of view. Looking at the peak, it’s been designed by Arai in such a way as to prevent lifting while you’re riding and instead forcing all that oncoming air into the two brow vents so you get even more cooling. If you want to remove the visor or the peak, it’s pretty straightforward, though you will need a screwdriver. Though from a full-face helmet this does seem a bit high to have to use a screwdriver, given the fact that this helmet is so versatile and a lot of other helmets for motocross are only made for goggles, I’m willing to let it slide.

Now, let’s take a look at the Arai TourX Four ’s liner. To start with, it’s Arai’s Dry-Cool Liner so it’s removable, washable, and moisture wicking. However, you can really see that Arai really went in on the comfort here to try and justify that high price mark. First, this helmet features Arai’s Facial Contour System (FCS) for short, which means the cheek pads have foam spring supports to more effectively have a snug fit without giving too much pressure. To further enhance the helmet’s comfort, it includes 5mm “Peel Away” foam layers on the cheek pads and the temple, so if you need a bit more space in the helmet, you can have it. The helmet should have a more intermediate-oval head fit. Lastly, for safety, the Arai Tour X-IV has an Emergency Release System (ERS) in the cheek pads. To take out the liner is fairly easy and straightforward, first all you need to do is slide out the cheek pads they snap out and slide out from the chin strap. You can see the double d ring chin strap. They’re thick and look comfortable for a good fit. For the res t of the liner, there are 4 snaps on the comfort liner to undo to get them out. What’s nice about the liner is it has multiple levels to help with comfort and ventilation. The only unfortunate thing is we have to EPS grooves in this helmet, but we’ll see how well it ventilates out on the road.

With all the specs over with, let’s see how this helmet did out on the road.

Arai Tour X4 Road Test

Just a reminder for how we measure our road tests. For the temperature, we used a thermometer placed in the top of the helmet to measure helmet’s internal temperature in degrees C. For noise, we used a decibel meter taking measurements from a microphone placed near our rider’s ear. We also used an anemometer to measure the day’s wind speed.

We tested the Tour X4 on a cool day with the sun out so we could also gauge the effectiveness of the Arai’s peak. During our road test, our rider rode on long stretches of highway at about 130 km/h. The day’s wind speed ranged between 110 km/h and 130 km/h. For ventilation, the Tour X-4’s many vents did not let this helmet down since the helmet’s internal temperature was about 8 degrees while it was 7 degrees Celsius outside, so that’s a very good 1-degree difference. For noise, this helmet was also very fairly quiet with about an average of 102 decibels of noise.

Our rider found the helmet to be very comfortable and performed similarly to the Shoei Hornet ADV . Since we rode on a sunny day, he also found that the peak blocked out the sun effectively and didn’t lift too much when looking ahead. He ultimately commented that the Tour X4 was slightly quieter than the Shoei HornetADV , but it was also slightly less comfortable though both still did well in this category with its intermediate oval head fit, double D-ring chin strap, and emergency release cheek pads. Now, let’s see how the Tour X4 ranked.

Arai Tour X4 Champion Helmets Score

For material, since the shell comes in 5 shell sizes and the material is Arai’s super laminate construction, that’s a strong 4 stars. For weight, since this is an adventure helmet it came out about a heavier 1600 grams, giving this helmet 3 stars for weight. For ventilation, this helmet did well, with about a 1 degree difference to the outside temperature, so that’s another 4 stars and a big improvement over the Shoei Hornet ADV. For noise as well, this helmet did well with an average of about 102 decibels giving the Tour X4 3 stars for noise. This helmet was also comfortable, giving the Tour X4 4 stars for comfort. This will bring the Tour X 4 to a total of 3.5 stars with each star costing 30 Euros/star. So, this is ½ a star better than the Shoei Hornet ADV though the Tour X4 is about 4 Euros/star more so it’s a bit more in terms of value for money than the Shoei and the main gripe would be about the visor and peak removal systems.

If you’d like to purchase the Arai Tour X4 , then make sure to check out our website at ChampionHelmets.com where we have a lowest price guarantee and bundle deals with Bluetooth communication systems.

So, that’s all for the Arai Tour X4, it’s a solid premium adventure helmet that will give you all the options you’d like with the performance and safety to match. It was comfortable, the peak was effective, and the ventilation was strong, leaving the biggest failing of the helmet with the visor and peak removal systems requiring a screwdriver. Nonetheless, it does perform better for ventilation than the Shoei Hornet ADV. So, if you grab you Gore-Tex jacket and this helmet, you should be ready for pretty much anything the weather can throw at you. If you’re still curious about the Arai Tour X4, make sure to check out our Arai Tour X4 Review and Road Test Video , and don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel .

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Arai Tour X4 adventure motorcycle crash helmet review

Page Contents

Arai Tour X4 Dual Sport Motorcycle Helmet review – Arai’s most verstaile helmet ever?

Arai has designed the Arai Tour X4 to be probably the most versatile helmet in their range.

Out of the box, it looks like a regular adventure helmet , with sun/roost peak and large visor giving it the look of a helmet that should work nicely off road. But, like many adventure helmets, you can remove the peak entirely to make what looks like a more-or-less regular full face helmet . Or you can remove the visor, bung on some goggles and hey-presto, you’re in a motocross helmet . Which makes the Arai Tour-X 4 one of the most versatile helmets on the market.

And as usual with Arai helmets, their design goal – alongside making a helmet that’s as safe as possible – has been to produce a nice round helmet with any vents or spoilers being as low and close to the helmet as possible to increase ‘roll-off’ during an accident and reduce noise created when air flows over the helmet.

Worthy aims indeed. But have they pulled it off?

• Adventure helmet
• Fibreglass  shell
• D-ring fastener
• Snell m2015 certified (US)
• Not SHARP tested
• Great ventilation and comfort
• Sizes XS-XXL
• MCN Rating: Quality 5/5, Value 5/5
• 5 year warranty

The Arai Tour-X 4 is, like most new Arai models, very much an evolution of what’s gone before. Check it out alongside the Tour-X 3 and you’ll be hard-pressed to spot much difference. But that can very much be a good thing as it means Arai have taken their well-regarded adventure helmet and improved its performance where they (and their customers) think it needs it.

Best places to buy an Arai Tour X4?

Please click below to visit the Arai Tour X4 helmets pages at our recommended stores . And if you buy from one, we get a small sum from the sale at no extra cost to you – a massive THANKS! (it’s how we finance the site).

Helmet Configs

As we mentioned, the Tour-X 4 is a properly versatile adventure helmet. As you can see below, that means you can wear it in regular dual-sports mode with visor and peak (which is how it comes in the box), or you can pull off the visor and re-fit the roost guard/peak and you’ve now got a full-on motocross helmet which will even fit goggles inside that nice wide visor opening.

Of course, if you’re intending doing some serious miles on tarmac, you might want to use it in conventional mode. That means, pulling off the peak, transforming it into a more regular full-face helmet.

All you need to do to make the transformation, is unscrew the peak by taking out a couple of nylon screws on either side. If you’re happy with that, you can bung up the holes using the replacement side-pieces that come in the box, so you don’t have unsightly holes in the side of the helmet. Or you can remove the visor and screw the peak back on to make the motocross version.

All of which makes the Tour-X 4 one incredibly versatile helmet!

Arai goes to massive lengths to make helmets that are as safe as possible. The Arai Tour X4 is ECE 22-05 tested/approved, and the version sold in the States is both DOT certified and has been tested/certified by the Snell Foundation . All of which is very good and exactly what you want to hear when you’re buying a helmet.

Arai has also designed the Tour-X 4 to share its R75 helmet form which is supposed to improve ‘glancing off’ performance so the helmet skids rather than grips during an impact (though as we’ve previously found on this site, there doesn’t appear to be much actual science to back this up) and they use one-piece multi-density polystyrene linings inside the helmet to give improved shock absorption at different speeds. This last point is something you find in the best performing helmets.

Unfortunately, all this careful safety design isn’t always reflected in great SHARP safety ratings. You can read all about SHARP here , but in a nutshell, even though Arai obviously works its little socks off to make amazing, premium helmets, that doesn’t always translate into the safest helmets – at least as far as SHARP safety test results are concerned.

Over the years, 12 Arai helmets have been tested and their average score is 3.4/5. Not poor by any standards, but not the best either – which is kinda what you’d expect from expensive helmets like Arais!

The Arai Tour-X 4 hasn’t been tested by SHARP yet so it’s impossible to say how well it’ll perform in an accident (so we’ve given it our default safety score of 3 stars until we know for sure). However, if you want to make sure any helmet is going to give you maximum protection, when you buy your next helmet, first-off, make sure it fits right. According to experts – including the SHARP testing labs – a  great fit is the number 1 factor in getting a helmet that’ll give you the best protection.

Where there’s a decent SHARP score, you know it’s a helmet that’s going to offer as much protection to your head as possible. But since it hasn’t been tested by them yet, there’s a few other things we can look at.

That Shell is made of what Arai call their CLC complex laminate construction – including materials Arai calls ‘superfibres’, which are essentially high-grade  fibreglass layers designed to offer more strength and bending resistance. All of which points to a more rigid shell – something that’s not necessarily a great feature in a crash helmet that needs to absorb and dissipate energy rather than simply repel it, and may point to why Arai doesn’t score top marks in SHARP helmet tests (but scores well in Snell tests which have a penetration test)?

On the flip side, Arai produces five different helmet shell sizes for the Tour-X 4, which we reckon will contribute to improved safety compared to helmets made with fewer shells. It’ll also make for a helmet that looks better and more in proportion to body size for the wearer. So that’s good.

A few final points on safety is that, like all other Arai helmets, the Tour-X 4 uses a traditional double-d ring fastener (absolutely fine though can be a bit fiddly compared to micrometric fasteners ) and comes with EQRS built in – for quick helmet removal in an emergency.

Helmet Noise

The new Arai Tour-X 4 has more ventilation holes than the outgoing Tour-X 3. More vents can mean more ways for sound to penetrate the helmet; but it also has a redesigned interior which was designed to keep more noise out. So has it worked?

Well, there’s a wide variety of opinions out there. A couple of owners reckoned it’s easily the quietest adventure/dual-sports helmet they’ve ever used and another said it’s on-par with Arai’s road helmets.

On the flip-side, a couple of people said it’s really noisy. Also, a few have said they’ve suffered from a whistle or hum that seems to be coming from the peak – possibly from vibrations somewhere on the peak. It’s not an insurmountable problem – one guy cured it by adding lots of duct tape and weights to the bottom of the peak and another used lolly sticks – but it can be really irritating while it’s there.

Other than that, the bottom line – as is usual with nearly all helmets – is that how noisy you find the Tour-X 4 depends on lots of factors like how fast you ride, your riding style, what bike you ride, whether you ride a naked or fairing bike – and how quiet your last helmet was (i.e. if it was a real old bucket, then the X-4 will probably feel really quiet).

Plus, if you’re taking your Tour-X 4 off-road, you might want a bit of noise coming through to hear the revs and chat with other riders. It all depends.

And if you’ll be using your Tour-X 4 mostly on the road mostly, then stick in some decent ear plugs and you’ll find it a nice quite helmet anyway!

Ventilation

Ventilation on the Tour-X 4 has been increased from the old X3. You’ll find vents aplenty – 3 in the chin, two brow vents in the visor itself and a couple of large scoops up top. All these aren’t going to be much use unless the air can escape the helmet too – so there’s four large exhaust vents in the shell to the rear, plus there’s a large collar exhaust in the padding at the back.

All input vents on the front can be closed off (the bottom chin vents with the gauze over them can be opened/closed/directed from inside the helmet) and the two large top exhausts can be opened/closed too.

So far, so many numbers. But do they work?

As it turns out, yep they do!

Lots of folks say they’re outstanding or very good, offering lots of air to keep visors (relatively) fog free and your head cool. They can be a bit tricky to locate and operate, but then that goes for most helmets (so stick it on and practice before you go out) but they’re decent to use in gloves and some of the vents give a nice positive ‘click’ so you know you’ve just used them.

One person said the vents can be a bit fragile, but that’s more a design feature for Arais – all the external bits and pieces are designed to break off easily so they don’t dig in and rotate the helmet during an accident. Usefully, most of these external vent covers are available to buy should you drop your helmet or if they snap off.

Visor & Goggles

The visor is large and contoured to the shape of the helmet and has integral venting in the form of brow vents directly in the visor. It also has Arai’s usual visor lock to keep the visor locked and closed (though there’s no cracked-open position on the lock like you find in some Arais). It isn’t a quick-change visor either which is a shame, but it is Pinlock-ready so you can add a Pinlock anti-fog  insert to stop steaming on cold/rainy/humid days.

And because the visor aperture is so large, if you do take the visor off there’s room in there for a pair of goggles. By the sound of it, not many people actually bother, but one guy who did said they took his Scott OTG goggles, though it was pretty tight.

Peak/Roost Guard

That Peak works as both a sun visor and, if you take the helmet off-road, as a roost-guard to stop dirt and stones thrown up from other bikes from hitting your goggles/visor.

Like most external bits on an Arai helmet, the peak is designed to break off in an accident and so it’s only secured by a couple of nylon screws on either side. And according to one or two owners, that can mean it’s a bit wobbly.

If you’re not used to dual-sports helmets, you’d be forgiven for thinking that peak will act as a sail when you’re riding – particularly in a cross-wind or looking back over your shoulder. And truth be told, you will notice it’s there and it can take some getting used to. However, reports are that the peak on the Arai Tour-X 4 is very aerodynamic, with a couple of owners saying it’s OK for up to about 90 MPH before the drag gets really noticeable.

It also gives great shade, especially if your visor’s a bit mucky or scratched where one owner said it’s great for stopping sunlight whiting-out the visor by casting shade over it.

And apart from the possible whistling noise mentioned in the noise section above, both visor and peak are reported to work very well.

Comfort & Sizing

Like many Arai helmets, the overall internal shape of the Tour-X 4 is medium oval – which should suit all but the roundest head shapes.

That’s helped by an innovative fitting system that Arai uses to help owners tailor the fit.

First off, there’s Arai’s FCS or facial contouring system – which is essentially a pair of carefully sculpted cheek pads with additional springing to gently push the cheek pads towards your face to give a nice firm fit.

Inside the helmet, the comfort lining has several removable panels – one in each cheek pad and another couple for either side of the head. These 5mm foam panels can be removed to give more room if required. And, like all Arais, you’ve always got the option of buying replacement internals and larger/smaller cheek pad sizes to more fundamentally adjust the fit still further.

The foam pads are covered by Dry Cool material which is essentially a nice and comfortable moisture-wicking fabric. And of course everything is removable and washable.

You’ll also find Arai’s usual pull-down chin curtain on the inside of the chin guard. There’s mixed reviews on how effective it is – for some it’s useful, for others it gets in the way when you put your helmet on.

But all in all, the internals of Arais are usually very plush and very comfortable – and the Tour X-4 is no different. As long as the fit’s right for your head in the first place, most owners find their Tour-x 4s are extremely comfortable helmets .

Looks & Graphics

Like most helmets, the plain solid colour designs are the cheapest – so if you’re after a plain gloss white or black (Diamond white/black in Arai-speak) or matt (Frost) black, you’ll find these versions cheaper than the rest.

If you’re after a choice of graphics, then there’s heaps of options for the Arai Tour-X 4. There’s the Vision, Move, Mesh, Desert, Detour and Route designs available – all coming in a range of different colours. That’s a lot of helmet designs to choose from – plus there’s new ones coming out all the time (and some being withdrawn) – so to see the latest range of designs and the latest Tour-X 4 deals, please click through to the Arai helmets pages of our recommended shops  below.

Best places to buy an Arai Tour X4 helmet?

Arai Tour-X 4 Video

Other stuff – audio, weight, glasses, aero & buffeting, build quality, warranty

Word is that the Arai Tour-X 4 should be great for most bluetooth communicators. There are large ear pockets inside the helmet and one owner said his Scala Rider Q3 fitted well, as did another owner with a Sena SMH-10.

The Tour-X 4 isn’t the lightest helmet in the world, but then it wasn’t designed to be. It weighs around 1.65 Kg (3.6lbs) so is pretty hefty compared to your average full face helmet at 1.47Kg (though about average for a dual sport helmet). But no owners commented on it feeling too heavy – just that it’s very comfortable – so I guess it’s not an issue. Either that or most owners don’t expect an adventure helmet to be featherweight.

A couple of owners said that the Tour-X 4 is comfortable if you’re a glasses wearer and it’s easy to slide glasses on while wearing the helmet. As for aero, Arai has carefully designed the Tour X4 to keep the shape as slippery and quiet as possible. And on the ‘slippery’ front at least, they seem to have done well because, while you will notice that peak in the air if you’re not used to a dual-sport helmet, it’s good for stability and lack of buffeting.

All round build quality on the Tour-X 4 is universally praised. Much of an Arai helmet is hand made and, together with their five-stage QC inspection process, one of the main reasons we buy Arais is because we expect that amazing Arai build quality. With the Tour X 4, a few things can feel a bit wobbly or plasticy, but that’s probably because some parts are designed to break off during an accident. All the rest feels well put together with quality materials.

One slight quibble with the X-4 is that the double-d ring fastener , while it works well, it could be longer (and so could the padding on the strap). It’s a very little quibble for most folks and just makes it a bit more fiddly to tie up the helmet.

And finally, all Arais come with a 5 year warranty as standard. That’s as long as motorcycle helmet warranties come so far and should last the suggested lifetime of the helmet.

Overall/Summary

The Arai Tour-X 4 has a legion of faithful followers – and it’s not hard to see why.

It’s got Arai’s legendary build quality, coupled with tremendous versatility that delivers a full face, motocross and dual-sports helmet all in one package.

OK it’s not the lightest helmet around and possibly won’t give the best impact protection (though we’ll have to wait for a SHARP test to find that out) but if you’re after a ‘go anywhere, do anything’ type of helmet that’ll be comfortable for all day riding and with superb ventilation, then the Arai Tour-X 4 has to be toward the top of your list. Owners love it and we think it’s great.

Crash Helmet Buying Guides & Top 10s

For (hopefully!) other useful information to help you when buying your next helmet, check our various Motorcycle Helmet Buying Guides - or have a look at our Top 10 best helmet lists where we've got the top 10 best rated helmets overall along with Top 10 Best Budget / Top 10 Safest / Top 10 Best Full Face / Top 10 Best Modular/Flip-up / Top 10 Best Sportsbike/Track helmets.

Alternatives to the Arai Tour-X 4?

It might be a great adventure bike helmet, but the Arai Tour-X 4 has lots of worthy competitors.

Of the big-hitting brands, there’s the Shoei Hornet ADV ; that’s another versatile fibreglass helmet with big visor and EQRS that’s around the same price as the X-4.

Or for a smidge less money, you could buy an AGV AX-8 Dual Evo , which is a cool-looking dual sports helmet that’s lighter than the Tour-X 4; though if you’re planning on using goggles you should check it’ll work with yours before you buy (read the review for more info).

If you’re on a much tighter budget, the Bell MX-9 dual sport is a cheaper polycarbonate helmet, but still offers great ventilation and lots of comfort, plus it comes with Bell’s 5 year guarantee – so it’s well worth a look.

And finally, how about something a bit more unusual?  X-Lite’s X-551 is about the same weight as the Arai Tour-X 4 but it’s cheaper and comes with a Pinlock anti-fog and has an integral drop down sun visor. X-Lite are made by the Nolan Group too who are known for great helmet safety (though the 551 hasn’t been SHARP tested).

Definitely want an Arai?

Here you'll find all our Arai crash helmet reviews and previews  including full face, flip-up and open face helmets.

Other Adventure/Dual-Sports helmets?

Star ratings, related articles more from author.

Airoh Aviator 3 review: top of the range dirt helmet with magnetic liner and accessory pack.

HJC RPHA 91 review: touring modular helmet with integrated bluetooth and adjustable sun visor.

Schuberth S3 Sports Touring Motorcycle Helmet.

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Arai Tour X4 helmet review

Customer rating:

Arai’s Tour X4 is the latest version of the incredibly popular adventure helmet, with a redesigned shell shape and added ventilation over the previous Tour X3.

The most immediately obvious changes on the Arai Tour X4 are a whole array of front and rear vents, which provide enough air flow to keep you ice cold when required.

The chin vent is fantastic even when used on its own but there are also metal mesh panels to each side, which are opened from the inside to allow more air to flow into the front of the helmet.

Arai have also added the brow vents that can be seen on most of their range of helmets. On the Tour X4 these work amazingly well, allowing the air to be channelled directly around your head.

There are also top vents to make sure every part of your head is getting blasted with air, and exhaust vents to draw out any warm air rather than letting it get stuck inside.

There is a downside to all of the vents and extra bits stuck on to the shell – the noise. In my experience Arais are noisy and the Tour X4 is no different.

I dislike wearing earplugs and prefer to ride without them, but I’ve had no choice when wearing the Tour X4 because of the noise levels.

The peak creates a lot of the wind noise, which seems to get in and around the peak and causes it to whistle like a camping kettle.

I also found that even with the chin curtain pulled out there was still a lot of wind noise coming through the bottom of the helmet. This was nice in the summer but left me reaching for a neck scarf during the winter months.

The peak can be removed, which does reduce the noise considerably and makes the helmet look incredibly aggressive. Combine that with a dark visor and you’ll look like you’ve escaped from Call of Duty.

The difficulty in removing the peak has to be one of my biggest annoyances and one of the reasons I feel this Arai looks a little antiquated. Arai don’t do quick-release and you need a screwdriver to remove the four plastic bolts holding the peak on.

You need to remove the peak to change the visor, slowing it down even more. I also detest the idea of taking a metal screwdriver to an expensive helmet and I’m not sure everyone has access to a plastic screwdriver.

On the plus side, the wide and deep visor and aperture offer amazing optical clarity and field of vision, which means I can perform a blindspot check with the smallest of head movements. Compared to the Tour X4 the view from a standard road helmet is like looking through a letterbox.

But perhaps the biggest advantage of the large aperture is that it has room to fit goggles. You don’t even have to remove the visor as raising it leaves enough room for the goggles, which is great.

Fitting a dark lens to my goggles and leaving the clear visor on the helmet meant I didn’t need to go through the slow visor change so frequently. As soon as the sun went away I took the goggles off and flicked the clear visor down.

The goggles sit really well and seal perfectly to my face. Although it creates loads of extra wind noise, my eyes are protected.

The visor comes with a Pinlock insert, but the shape of the visor means fitting the insert can be tricky.

It’s a challenge to get it to sit tight to the visor without being too tight, which causes a strange streak to appear, or having it too loose and being useless at stopping visor misting.

Once fitted and adjusted correctly I had no problems at all and it did exactly what you’d expect and kept my visor fog-free.

I found the biggest drawback to the helmet was weight. I’ve used the Tour X4 as a dual-sport helmet and after a few hours on the road or some green laning, its weight does become noticeable.

Having said that, it feels lighter on your head than when carrying it around and it’s nicely balanced so it doesn’t pull your head down while riding.

The weight is because Arai’s philosophy is to make a very robust shell and their argument would be that a lighter shell would be thinner and not as strong or safe – though other brands seem able to make a lighter adventure helmet.

An important feature of the helmet to me, is emergency-release cheekpads. Having had a previous helmet removed by paramedics, I feel this is an overlooked and underrated feature on a helmet.

The orange tabs allow the cheekpads to be removed whilst the helmet is still on. Once the cheekpads are out the helmet just rolls off the rider’s head without putting strain on the neck.

The cheekpads don’t have a pocket or removable foam to fit intercoms speakers, but underneath the cover of the cheekpad there is a recess that’s the perfect shape to accommodate speakers.

The skullpad has a 5mm section that can be removed if the helmet fits too closely – but once it has been torn out it doesn’t go back in, so give it time before ripping this out as you may find the helmet beds in quite nicely without removing it.

The fit on mine loosened to the point where I needed new, thicker padding to restore a close fit, so it’s definitely worth waiting before taking out that section of skullpad.

Overall, the Arai Tour X4 is a seriously good helmet that takes the best bits from its predecessor and builds on it.

It’s not perfect but it’s very well made and it’s easy to see why it’s so popular. If you are looking for an adventure helmet you have to consider the Tour X4.

The visor is huge and the field of vision fantastic. Sometimes you can see the edge of the Pinlock insert and at night, the Pinlock causes distortion to appear around the headlights of oncoming cars.

Ventilation

This is one of the best-ventilated helmets I’ve used. There are many little vents and they’re in awkward places, but they are easy to operate once you know where they are.

Fit & Comfort

I’ve gone for my usual size and it fits me bang-on. The helmet is comfortable, but the weight and noise impede a little.

Build quality

The shell of the helmet and interior are some of the best available. The peak is also very robust, however the vents are glued on and feel a little flimsy.

The features that Arai have added to this helmet are amazingly well made. There are a few things missing that you would expect at this price point.  

Arai Tour X4

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Tour-x 4 vision, quick overview.

The Tour-X4 has a complete new outer shell. Redesigned to be tougher, stronger and stiffer than ever. As the Tour-X4 may be used under extreme conditions, the ventilation system has been redeveloped for maximum efficiency. The new Facial Contour System (FCS) offers more support and comfort to the lower jaw and creates a tighter fit. For an even better personal fit, there is a removable 5 mm surface foam layer on the cheek pads and temple pad from the headliner. Wear the Tour-X4 with or without peak, with or without visor and combinations of these two. The large visor opening offers plenty of room for motocross-style goggles when riding without visor.

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• Super Fibre Construction (SFC)
• Triple density inner shell
• Two TDF3 front ducts
• TX4 diffuser
• Side exhaust vents
• New controlled chin ventilation
• Aeroflap – reduces wind noise and turbulence
• Flatter neck roll to minimise turbulence
• Visor/peak holder pressure plate enlarged for extra stability
• Patented visor brow vents
• Wear with or without peak/with or without visor or combination of the two
• Enhanced visor with aerodynamically designed visor levers and brow vents
• Facial Contour System (FCS) with removable 5mm foam layer on cheek pads
• Removable 5mm temple pads on the head liner
• Fully washable and removable Dry Cool® interior
• Emergency release tab cheekpads
• Optional holder set to use peak or visor only
• Double ‘D’ ring fastening system ensures correct strap tension at all times
• Visor Pinlock® ready and Pinlock® insert included
• Supplied with clear visor

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ARAI TOUR-X 4 VISION ADVENTURE HELMET

Adventure, grand touring or off road, no matter the riding conditions, the Tour-X4 is ready for anything. The Tour-X4 has a complete new outer shell. Redesigned to be tougher, stronger and stiffer than ever. As the Tour-X4 may be used under extreme conditions, the ventilation system has been redeveloped for maximum efficiency. The new Facial Contour System (FCS) offers more support and comfort to the lower jaw and creates a tighter fit. For an even better personal fit, there is a removable 5 mm surface foam layer on the cheek pads and temple pad from the headliner. Wear the Tour-X4 with or without peak, with or without visor and combinations of these two. The large visor opening offers plenty of room for motocross-style goggles when riding without visor.

SPECIFICATION:

• Super Fibre Construction (SFC)
• Triple density inner shell
• Two TDF3 front ducts
• TX4 diffuser
• Side exhaust vents
• New controlled chin ventilation
• Aeroflap - reduces wind noise and turbulence
• Flatter neck roll to minimise turbulence
• Visor/peak holder pressure plate enlarged for extra stability
• Patented visor brow vents
• Wear with or without peak/with or without visor or combination of the two
• Enhanced visor with aerodynamically designed visor levers and brow vents
• Facial Contour System (FCS) with removable 5mm foam layer on cheek pads
• Removable 5mm temple pads on the head liner
• Comes with clear visor as standard dark visor can be purchased separately
• Visors ( Click Here )                    Helmet Spares ( Click Here )
• Pinlock Insert ( Click Here )         Helmet Bag ( Click Here )

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Arai TOUR-X4 Vision Dual Sport Helmet M Red White Blue

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This product is now discontinued and is unlikely to come back into stock. Please browse our selection for an alternative.

Arai has consistently provided the ultimate in helmet design, comfort and quality thanks to over 50 years of hard work and effort -There is a difference... Champions and winners in numerous race series around the globe choose Arai. There is one, simple reason for this; Trust in Arai helmets.

The Arai TOUR-X4 Vision Dual Sport Helmet is part of the latest Arai collection.

The Tour-X 4 must be one of the most versatile helmets ever: adventure, grand touring or off road, and without the peak looks pretty good on a naked bike too! No matter the riding conditions, the Tour-X 4 is ready for it. Can be used without visor with goggles, without peak but with visor, any way that suits you.

The Arai TOUR-X4 Vision Dual Sport Helmet is packed with features...

Specifications Include:

• Special Fibre Laminate (SFL) shell construction
• Double D-ring fastening
• Innovative peak
• Emergency Release System (ERS)
• 5mm "Peel Away" Cheek Pads
• Facial Contour System (FCS)
• Replaceable interior
• Dry-Cool liner
• Pinlock insert lens included
• Pull down chin spoiler
• Multi-point ventilation system
• ECE Approved

Your package will include the following:

• Arai TOUR-X4 Vision Dual Sport Helmet

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| World Cup 2018 Moscow

With a population of as many as 15 million, making it among the largest cities on Earth, and a place where bars, restaurants, supermarkets, and traffic jams run 24 hours a day, Moscow is a pretty full-on experience for first-time visitors. The Russian capital is a riotous metropolis where Orthodox churches vie for attention alongside neon-drenched skyscrapers straight out of Blade Runner . Embrace the madness, load up on caffeine, and maybe pack a pair of earplugs.

The One Must-See Thing

Every Tom, Dick, and Harry is going to pitch up at Red Square this summer, to gawp at Lenin’s embalmed corpse in his mausoleum and then bag a selfie in front of the onion domes of St Basil’s Cathedral. For something a little more off the beaten path, check out the Fallen Monument Park , the final resting place for hundreds of statues of stern-looking Soviet apparatchiks that were removed from public spaces following the collapse of the USSR.

The Stadium

The 81,000-seat Luzhniki national stadium, built originally for the 1980 Olympics, has been completely renovated in the lead-up to the World Cup, removing the old running track, which is great for sight lines, but does mean any flares and firecrackers thrown by fans may actually end up on the field.

Spartak Stadium, Moscow’s second venue, opened in 2014, and though around half the size of Luzhniki, it’s regarded as one of the best-equipped and most atmospheric arenas in Russia.

Where to Watch

John Donne on Nikitsky Bulvar is about as close to an English pub as you can get in Russia. Go for the faint smell of stale Newcastle Brown ale, the tattooed barmen, and the soccer-loving crowd that regularly gathers there for live matches.

• June 14 Russia vs. Saudi Arabia Group A
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• June 19 Poland vs. Senegal Group H
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• June 26 Denmark vs. France Group C
• June 27 Serbia vs. Brazil Group E
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• July 15 Final

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Moscow city 360-degree virtual reality tour.

Take the virtual tour of the kremlin, moscow river, saint basil’s cathedral and red square.

The Moscow Kremlin  usually referred to as the Kremlin, is a fortified complex at the heart of Moscow, overlooking the Moskva River to the south, Saint Basil’s Cathedral and Red Square to the east, and the Alexander Garden to the west.

It is the best known of the Kremlins (Russian citadels) and includes five palaces, four cathedrals, and the enclosing Kremlin Wall with Kremlin towers. Also within this complex is the Grand Kremlin Palace. The complex serves as the official residence of the President of the Russian Federation.

The name “Kremlin” means “fortress inside a city”, and is often also used metonymically to refer to the government of the Russian Federation in a similar sense to how “White House” is used to refer to the Executive Office of the President of the United States. It had previously been used to refer to the government of the Soviet Union (1922–1991) and its highest members (such as general secretaries, premiers, presidents, ministers, and commissars). The term “Kremlinology” refers to the study of Soviet and Russian politics.

All of Moscow’s main streets start at  Red Square , so it’s easy to see why this is considered the heart of the city. A massive space of 330 meters by 70 meters, the square is flanked by the Kremlin, Lenin’s Mausoleum, two cathedrals, and the State Historical Museum. In 1945, a massive Victory Parade was held here to celebrate the defeat of Nazi Germany by the Soviet Armed Forces.

St. Basil’s Cathedral , one of the most recognizable buildings on the square, was built in 1555. The unique cathedral has architectural details inspired by Byzantine and Asian designs, as well as details that resemble those found in famous mosques. There are nine individual chapels inside the church, all decorated with colourful mural art.

Yuri Gagarin Is the First Man in Space. Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin was a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut. He was the first human to journey into outer space, when his Vostok spacecraft completed an orbit of the Earth on 12 April 1961

Created by    Leen Thobias   P4Panorama   

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In Transit: Notes from the Underground

Jun 06 2018.

Spend some time in one of Moscow’s finest museums.

Subterranean commuting might not be anyone’s idea of a good time, but even in a city packing the war-games treasures and priceless bejeweled eggs of the Kremlin Armoury and the colossal Soviet pavilions of the VDNKh , the Metro holds up as one of Moscow’s finest museums. Just avoid rush hour.

The Metro is stunning and provides an unrivaled insight into the city’s psyche, past and present, but it also happens to be the best way to get around. Moscow has Uber, and the Russian version called Yandex Taxi , but also some nasty traffic. Metro trains come around every 90 seconds or so, at a more than 99 percent on-time rate. It’s also reasonably priced, with a single ride at 55 cents (and cheaper in bulk). From history to tickets to rules — official and not — here’s what you need to know to get started.

A Brief Introduction Buying Tickets Know Before You Go (Down) Rules An Easy Tour

A Brief Introduction

Moscow’s Metro was a long time coming. Plans for rapid transit to relieve the city’s beleaguered tram system date back to the Imperial era, but a couple of wars and a revolution held up its development. Stalin revived it as part of his grand plan to modernize the Soviet Union in the 1920s and 30s. The first lines and tunnels were constructed with help from engineers from the London Underground, although Stalin’s secret police decided that they had learned too much about Moscow’s layout and had them arrested on espionage charges and deported.

The beauty of its stations (if not its trains) is well-documented, and certainly no accident. In its illustrious first phases and particularly after the Second World War, the greatest architects of Soviet era were recruited to create gleaming temples celebrating the Revolution, the USSR, and the war triumph. No two stations are exactly alike, and each of the classic showpieces has a theme. There are world-famous shrines to Futurist architecture, a celebration of electricity, tributes to individuals and regions of the former Soviet Union. Each marble slab, mosaic tile, or light fixture was placed with intent, all in service to a station’s aesthetic; each element, f rom the smallest brass ear of corn to a large blood-spattered sword on a World War II mural, is an essential part of the whole.

The Metro is a monument to the Soviet propaganda project it was intended to be when it opened in 1935 with the slogan “Building a Palace for the People”. It brought the grand interiors of Imperial Russia to ordinary Muscovites, celebrated the Soviet Union’s past achievements while promising its citizens a bright Soviet future, and of course, it was a show-piece for the world to witness the might and sophistication of life in the Soviet Union.

It may be a museum, but it’s no relic. U p to nine million people use it daily, more than the London Underground and New York Subway combined. (Along with, at one time, about 20 stray dogs that learned to commute on the Metro.)

In its 80+ year history, the Metro has expanded in phases and fits and starts, in step with the fortunes of Moscow and Russia. Now, partly in preparation for the World Cup 2018, it’s also modernizing. New trains allow passengers to walk the entire length of the train without having to change carriages. The system is becoming more visitor-friendly. (There are helpful stickers on the floor marking out the best selfie spots .) But there’s a price to modernity: it’s phasing out one of its beloved institutions, the escalator attendants. Often they are middle-aged or elderly women—“ escalator grandmas ” in news accounts—who have held the post for decades, sitting in their tiny kiosks, scolding commuters for bad escalator etiquette or even bad posture, or telling jokes . They are slated to be replaced, when at all, by members of the escalator maintenance staff.

For all its achievements, the Metro lags behind Moscow’s above-ground growth, as Russia’s capital sprawls ever outwards, generating some of the world’s worst traffic jams . But since 2011, the Metro has been in the middle of an ambitious and long-overdue enlargement; 60 new stations are opening by 2020. If all goes to plan, the 2011-2020 period will have brought 125 miles of new tracks and over 100 new stations — a 40 percent increase — the fastest and largest expansion phase in any period in the Metro’s history.

Facts: 14 lines Opening hours: 5 a.m-1 a.m. Rush hour(s): 8-10 a.m, 4-8 p.m. Single ride: 55₽ (about 85 cents) Wi-Fi network-wide

Buying Tickets

• Ticket machines have a button to switch to English.
• You can buy specific numbers of rides: 1, 2, 5, 11, 20, or 60. Hold up fingers to show how many rides you want to buy.
• There is also a 90-minute ticket , which gets you 1 trip on the metro plus an unlimited number of transfers on other transport (bus, tram, etc) within 90 minutes.
• Or, you can buy day tickets with unlimited rides: one day (218₽/ US$4), three days (415₽/US$7) or seven days (830₽/US$15). Check the rates here to stay up-to-date.
• If you’re going to be using the Metro regularly over a few days, it’s worth getting a Troika card , a contactless, refillable card you can use on all public transport. Using the Metro is cheaper with one of these: a single ride is 36₽, not 55₽. Buy them and refill them in the Metro stations, and they’re valid for 5 years, so you can keep it for next time. Or, if you have a lot of cash left on it when you leave, you can get it refunded at the Metro Service Centers at Ulitsa 1905 Goda, 25 or at Staraya Basmannaya 20, Building 1.
• You can also buy silicone bracelets and keychains with built-in transport chips that you can use as a Troika card. (A Moscow Metro Fitbit!) So far, you can only get these at the Pushkinskaya metro station Live Helpdesk and souvenir shops in the Mayakovskaya and Trubnaya metro stations. The fare is the same as for the Troika card.
• You can also use Apple Pay and Samsung Pay.

Rules, spoken and unspoken

No smoking, no drinking, no filming, no littering. Photography is allowed, although it used to be banned.

Stand to the right on the escalator. Break this rule and you risk the wrath of the legendary escalator attendants. (No shenanigans on the escalators in general.)

Get out of the way. Find an empty corner to hide in when you get off a train and need to stare at your phone. Watch out getting out of the train in general; when your train doors open, people tend to appear from nowhere or from behind ornate marble columns, walking full-speed.

Always offer your seat to elderly ladies (what are you, a monster?).

An Easy Tour

This is no Metro Marathon ( 199 stations in 20 hours ). It’s an easy tour, taking in most—though not all—of the notable stations, the bulk of it going clockwise along the Circle line, with a couple of short detours. These stations are within minutes of one another, and the whole tour should take about 1-2 hours.

Start at Mayakovskaya Metro station , at the corner of Tverskaya and Garden Ring,  Triumfalnaya Square, Moskva, Russia, 125047.

1. Mayakovskaya.  Named for Russian Futurist Movement poet Vladimir Mayakovsky and an attempt to bring to life the future he imagined in his poems. (The Futurist Movement, natch, was all about a rejecting the past and celebrating all things speed, industry, modern machines, youth, modernity.) The result: an Art Deco masterpiece that won the National Grand Prix for architecture at the New York World’s Fair in 1939. It’s all smooth, rounded shine and light, and gentle arches supported by columns of dark pink marble and stainless aircraft steel. Each of its 34 ceiling niches has a mosaic. During World War II, the station was used as an air-raid shelter and, at one point, a bunker for Stalin. He gave a subdued but rousing speech here in Nov. 6, 1941 as the Nazis bombed the city above.

Take the 3/Green line one station to:

2. Belorusskaya. Opened in 1952, named after the connected Belarussky Rail Terminal, which runs trains between Moscow and Belarus. This is a light marble affair with a white, cake-like ceiling, lined with Belorussian patterns and 12 Florentine ceiling mosaics depicting life in Belarussia when it was built.

Transfer onto the 1/Brown line. Then, one stop (clockwise) t o:

3. Novoslobodskaya.  This station was designed around the stained-glass panels, which were made in Latvia, because Alexey Dushkin, the Soviet starchitect who dreamed it up (and also designed Mayakovskaya station) couldn’t find the glass and craft locally. The stained glass is the same used for Riga’s Cathedral, and the panels feature plants, flowers, members of the Soviet intelligentsia (musician, artist, architect) and geometric shapes.

Go two stops east on the 1/Circle line to:

4. Komsomolskaya. Named after the Komsomol, or the Young Communist League, this might just be peak Stalin Metro style. Underneath the hub for three regional railways, it was intended to be a grand gateway to Moscow and is today its busiest station. It has chandeliers; a yellow ceiling with Baroque embellishments; and in the main hall, a colossal red star overlaid on golden, shimmering tiles. Designer Alexey Shchusev designed it as an homage to the speech Stalin gave at Red Square on Nov. 7, 1941, in which he invoked Russia’s illustrious military leaders as a pep talk to Soviet soldiers through the first catastrophic year of the war.   The station’s eight large mosaics are of the leaders referenced in the speech, such as Alexander Nevsky, a 13th-century prince and military commander who bested German and Swedish invading armies.

One more stop clockwise to Kurskaya station,  and change onto the 3/Blue  line, and go one stop to:

5. Baumanskaya.   Opened in 1944. Named for the Bolshevik Revolutionary Nikolai Bauman , whose monument and namesake district are aboveground here. Though he seemed like a nasty piece of work (he apparently once publicly mocked a woman he had impregnated, who later hung herself), he became a Revolutionary martyr when he was killed in 1905 in a skirmish with a monarchist, who hit him on the head with part of a steel pipe. The station is in Art Deco style with atmospherically dim lighting, and a series of bronze sculptures of soldiers and homefront heroes during the War. At one end, there is a large mosaic portrait of Lenin.

Stay on that train direction one more east to:

6. Elektrozavodskaya. As you may have guessed from the name, this station is the Metro’s tribute to all thing electrical, built in 1944 and named after a nearby lightbulb factory. It has marble bas-relief sculptures of important figures in electrical engineering, and others illustrating the Soviet Union’s war-time struggles at home. The ceiling’s recurring rows of circular lamps give the station’s main tunnel a comforting glow, and a pleasing visual effect.

Double back two stops to Kurskaya station , and change back to the 1/Circle line. Sit tight for six stations to:

7. Kiyevskaya. This was the last station on the Circle line to be built, in 1954, completed under Nikita Khrushchev’ s guidance, as a tribute to his homeland, Ukraine. Its three large station halls feature images celebrating Ukraine’s contributions to the Soviet Union and Russo-Ukrainian unity, depicting musicians, textile-working, soldiers, farmers. (One hall has frescoes, one mosaics, and the third murals.) Shortly after it was completed, Khrushchev condemned the architectural excesses and unnecessary luxury of the Stalin era, which ushered in an epoch of more austere Metro stations. According to the legend at least, he timed the policy in part to ensure no Metro station built after could outshine Kiyevskaya.

Change to the 3/Blue line and go one stop west.

8. Park Pobedy. This is the deepest station on the Metro, with one of the world’s longest escalators, at 413 feet. If you stand still, the escalator ride to the surface takes about three minutes .) Opened in 2003 at Victory Park, the station celebrates two of Russia’s great military victories. Each end has a mural by Georgian artist Zurab Tsereteli, who also designed the “ Good Defeats Evil ” statue at the UN headquarters in New York. One mural depicts the Russian generals’ victory over the French in 1812 and the other, the German surrender of 1945. The latter is particularly striking; equal parts dramatic, triumphant, and gruesome. To the side, Red Army soldiers trample Nazi flags, and if you look closely there’s some blood spatter among the detail. Still, the biggest impressions here are the marble shine of the chessboard floor pattern and the pleasingly geometric effect if you view from one end to the other.

Keep going one more stop west to:

9. Slavyansky Bulvar.  One of the Metro’s youngest stations, it opened in 2008. With far higher ceilings than many other stations—which tend to have covered central tunnels on the platforms—it has an “open-air” feel (or as close to it as you can get, one hundred feet under). It’s an homage to French architect Hector Guimard, he of the Art Nouveau entrances for the Paris M é tro, and that’s precisely what this looks like: A Moscow homage to the Paris M é tro, with an additional forest theme. A Cyrillic twist on Guimard’s Metro-style lettering over the benches, furnished with t rees and branch motifs, including creeping vines as towering lamp-posts.

Stay on the 3/Blue line and double back four stations to:

10. Arbatskaya. Its first iteration, Arbatskaya-Smolenskaya station, was damaged by German bombs in 1941. It was rebuilt in 1953, and designed to double as a bomb shelter in the event of nuclear war, although unusually for stations built in the post-war phase, this one doesn’t have a war theme. It may also be one of the system’s most elegant: Baroque, but toned down a little, with red marble floors and white ceilings with gilded bronze c handeliers.

Jump back on the 3/Blue line  in the same direction and take it one more stop:

11. Ploshchad Revolyutsii (Revolution Square). Opened in 1938, and serving Red Square and the Kremlin . Its renowned central hall has marble columns flanked by 76 bronze statues of Soviet heroes: soldiers, students, farmers, athletes, writers, parents. Some of these statues’ appendages have a yellow sheen from decades of Moscow’s commuters rubbing them for good luck. Among the most popular for a superstitious walk-by rub: the snout of a frontier guard’s dog, a soldier’s gun (where the touch of millions of human hands have tapered the gun barrel into a fine, pointy blade), a baby’s foot, and a woman’s knee. (A brass rooster also sports the telltale gold sheen, though I am told that rubbing the rooster is thought to bring bad luck. )

Now take the escalator up, and get some fresh air.

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