How Often Do You Think One Might Need A New Helmet?

[kuhlka]

My old Bell Star is noisy as hell, floppy, and stinks. My new one fits perfectly, is quiet, and so fresh. A good helmet makes a HUGE difference in your day-to-day riding enjoyment.

 

[endurovlog]

i do quite a bit of work with helmet specialists in australia. they said snell's five year replacement recommendation was quite arbitrary as a decent liner is very stable unless exposed to solvents, chemicals or uv light a lot. ( e.g. never wash your entire helmet with detergent!).

however they did say that generally helmets keep improving so they think the five year suggestion is still handy simply because you'll probably have a better helmet... manufacturers are slowly incorporating safety features like dual or variable density liners and little changes to reduce rotational forces, going beyond the requirements of our sadly outdated international helmet standards.

re: impacts, they weren't overly concerned about a helmet just falling off a bike and hitting the ground... the pvc liner usually will only start to crush when it reaches a high level of G forces so personally they felt it was more when you had an accident and you hit the ground hard enough to at least feel briefly stunned.

for legal reasons i'm sure they wouldn't make these statements public but thought i'd just share them.

 

[kuhlka]

i do quite a bit of work with helmet specialists in australia. they said snell's five year replacement recommendation was quite arbitrary as a decent liner is very stable unless exposed to solvents, chemicals or uv light a lot. ( e.g. never wash your entire helmet with detergent!).

however they did say that generally helmets keep improving so they think the five year suggestion is still handy simply because you'll probably have a better helmet... manufacturers are slowly incorporating safety features like dual or variable density liners and little changes to reduce rotational forces, going beyond the requirements of our sadly outdated international helmet standards.

re: impacts, they weren't overly concerned about a helmet just falling off a bike and hitting the ground... the pvc liner usually will only start to crush when it reaches a high level of G forces so personally they felt it was more when you had an accident and you hit the ground hard enough to at least feel briefly stunned.

for legal reasons i'm sure they wouldn't make these statements public but thought i'd just share them.

Did they mention anything about the foam gradually compressing over time? My old Bell Star has clearly gone up a size when compared to my new one. It's about eight years old. Fit is a big part of effective protection.

 

[endurovlog]

Did they mention anything about the foam gradually compressing over time? My old Bell Star has clearly gone up a size when compared to my new one. It's about eight years old. Fit is a big part of effective protection.

totally agree kuhika. these guys said an expensive helmet is next to useless if it's too big and can be pulled half off your head even when strapped firmly. i'll ask them about foam compressing but imagine the foam shouldn't do that... i'd wonder if that would be the cheek pads actually, and possibly the inner comfort liner too? e.g. the bit you can pull out to wash occasionally?

i know mobs like suomy sell different sized cheek pads for when they get compressed or if you want a slightly tighter or looser fit around the cheeks?

 

[kuhlka]

totally agree kuhika. these guys said an expensive helmet is next to useless if it's too big and can be pulled half off your head even when strapped firmly. i'll ask them about foam compressing but imagine the foam shouldn't do that... i'd wonder if that would be the cheek pads actually, and possibly the inner comfort liner too? e.g. the bit you can pull out to wash occasionally?

i know mobs like suomy sell different sized cheek pads for when they get compressed or if you want a slightly tighter or looser fit around the cheeks?

The Bell star has barely any liner around the top of the head and I've replaced mine, which helps the cheek area but not the top of the head. Even if the foam compressed 1/2mm it'd be enough to make it loose. Keep in mind this is from weekly to almost daily use for eight years. Much of that was in hot weather. Still, eight years is well worth the expense. Got my brand new carbon RSD Star for $360.

 

[Rideology]

I've had the same one since I first started riding. Shoei Qwest Passage. It's been holding up pretty well, but I'm thinking about getting another one soon.

 

[Kyle Phan]

Helmet is by far the most important safety gear a motorcyclist should always wear and I cannot put enough stress on its importance.
Talking about safe helmet brands.
Due to globalization, almost all safe helmet brands are available in India, it’s just that one needs to put in effort to do the research.
List of SAFE HELMET INTERNATIONAL BRANDS:-

1. AGV
2. HJC
3. LS2
4. AIROH
5. BELL
6. SCHUBERTH
7. ARAI
8. KBC
9. MARUSHIN
10. SHOEI
11. X-LITE

I know good helmets are a burn to one’s wallet and almost all of us are initially apprehensive about buying a costly helmet, but trust me, it’s worth way more than that. There will be a day when you crash with your cycle, maybe because of your fault or maybe because of someone else, but when you crash, it’ll be your helmet to save the most vital part of your body: HEAD. If you can buy a 20K smartphone, I don’t find a reason for you not to wear a helmet costing 5–6k but which will SAVE YOUR LIFE.