The Helmet Story - Page 3 - Sportbike Addicts

High_Revs_17 · 01-29-2006, 04:31 PM

Now I'm getting curious, it's time for a little myth busting! Think I'll hit my old helmet with different objects starting with a hammer, then maybe drop it from the second floor window, hmmmmm......

**Rev** · 01-29-2006, 05:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by High_Revs_17

Now I'm getting curious, it's time for a little myth busting! Think I'll hit my old helmet with different objects starting with a hammer, then maybe drop it from the second floor window, hmmmmm......

we should contact myth busters about this....

RCM78 · 01-29-2006, 06:48 PM

If you drop your helmet, the section that hits the ground will become compacted. The material used to absorbe energy in a helmet will not reexpand. Once it is crushed thats it. That means the one section of the helmet that has been crushed will no longer protect you in a crash. So if you do crash make sure you dont hit your head in that spot.

Multiple drops just make it worse.

Hanging a helmet on your mirror can cause two problems:
1. It will fall off and drop about 4-5 feet.
2. Everytime you hang the helmet on the mirror you slightly crush the material used to absorb energy in a crash. Slowly rendering the helmet useless.

Like Bob said, The proper place for your helmet is on the ground next to your bike. I put mine right behind the front wheel...

ffejtable · 01-29-2006, 07:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RCM78

If you drop your helmet, the section that hits the ground will become compacted. The material used to absorbe energy in a helmet will not reexpand. Once it is crushed thats it. That means the one section of the helmet that has been crushed will no longer protect you in a crash. So if you do crash make sure you dont hit your head in that spot.

Multiple drops just make it worse.

Hanging a helmet on your mirror can cause two problems:
1. It will fall off and drop about 4-5 feet.
2. Everytime you hang the helmet on the mirror you slightly crush the material used to absorb energy in a crash. Slowly rendering the helmet useless.

Like Bob said, The proper place for your helmet is on the ground next to your bike. I put mine right behind the front wheel...

Because im afaid of those ever fearful ant colonies making my helmet their new home I just use the D-rings to hang it from the left passenger peg... Off the ground and its not likely to slip off, either... The grooves on the peg prevent the D-ring from sliding...

As for dropping it 8 times and not replacing it... Hey its your head, I am not going to preach to you about it, but I think if you are spendning money on bike "upgrades" before replacing what is very likely a useless helmet, you have some seriously distorted priorities... Bike upgrades wont do you much good if you are a vegetable and can't ride it next season.

Kaos · 01-30-2006, 12:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ffejtable

Because im afaid of those ever fearful ant colonies making my helmet their new home I just use the D-rings to hang it from the left passenger peg... Off the ground and its not likely to slip off, either... The grooves on the peg prevent the D-ring from sliding...

As for dropping it 8 times and not replacing it... Hey its your head, I am not going to preach to you about it, but I think if you are spendning money on bike "upgrades" before replacing what is very likely a useless helmet, you have some seriously distorted priorities... Bike upgrades wont do you much good if you are a vegetable and can't ride it next season.

Thats right it is my head and its beautiful at that.

I have been in one bad wreck were I hit a deer and me and the bike went head over heels. I had a KBC on and didn't feel thing when it came to my head. I jumped right to my feet after the wreck so i didn't even get knocked out or anything. There was even a rubber mark on the helmet as if the tire from the bike hit me. So I trust my KBC. I think you are paying more for comfort than actual safety when it comes to KBC, HJC, Arai, etc...

As for putting the helmet down I do the same thing as Jeff. I place it on the back peg. I either flip up the visor and make sure the whole bottom mouth piece is over it or I put it on the D-Ring.

**Rev** · 01-30-2006, 12:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kaos

Thats right it is my head and its beautiful at that.

I have been in one bad wreck were I hit a deer and me and the bike went head over heels. I had a KBC on and didn't feel thing when it came to my head. I jumped right to my feet after the wreck so i didn't even get knocked out or anything. There was even a rubber mark on the helmet as if the tire from the bike hit me. So I trust my KBC. I think you are paying more for comfort than actual safety when it comes to KBC, HJC, Arai, etc...

As for putting the helmet down I do the same thing as Jeff. I place it on the back peg. I either flip up the visor and make sure the whole bottom mouth piece is over it or I put it on the D-Ring.

use and arai kbc...now force impact on the head harder then your fall...see which helmet will do your noggin better...lol...if kbc has good material as arai, why don't they sell thier lids for 400 each...not 100....not mocking you or what your said..i'm just stating a gay dumb opinion because i'm bored...

Kaos · 01-30-2006, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rev

use and arai kbc...now force impact on the head harder then your fall...see which helmet will do your noggin better...lol...if kbc has good material as arai, why don't they sell thier lids for 400 each...not 100....not mocking you or what your said..i'm just stating a gay dumb opinion because i'm bored...

well that makes 2 of us that are bored so here goes me supporting my gay dumb opinion. I said you pay the extra money for name and comfort. You will get less wind noise and it will be more comfortable (lighter) with an Arai vs a KBC but that doesn't mean one is safer than the other. Now if you want to test this theory then I am game. I will wear a KBC, you can wear an Arai and we will both jump off a ladder head first of course. But you go first.

ffejtable · 01-30-2006, 01:37 PM

Price does not mean anything, and you should all know that. A $250,000 Ferrari is no safer than a $12,000 Honda Civic. You are paying for speed and prestige, not safety. How about a pair of Jeans... You think those $200 Designer jeans are better than $40 Levis?

There was a rather extensive article written before about some of the reasons for the price difference, one being the number of different shell sizes each manufacturer uses... For example, a single universal shell size cuts production costs considerably. The bottom line of the article was that with the major brands, you are paying for comfort and not safety...

The quote below is from http://www.smf.org

What's the difference between this $100 Snell certified helmet and this $400 Snell certified Helmet.
While helmets are primarily a protective device, the true protective capabilities of a helmet will only come into play for about 2 to 4 milliseconds during the ownership of the helmet. This leaves a lot of time for that helmet to be doing nothing more than sitting around on a users head. The Snell standards do not measure factors like comfort, ventilation, brand recognition or style, and only indirectly look at fit, weight, materials and workmanship. These are factors that frequently drive helmet cost.

I am more than willing to trade a little comfort for $300 of my hard earned cash...

PitsVtec · 01-30-2006, 01:48 PM

I started something good here...huh?...now when my helmet fell off my bike...it landed on my shield... then bounced over and there is a tiny scratch on the back....would that call for replacement?

ffejtable · 01-30-2006, 03:27 PM

The bottom line is any impact on the helmet has the potential to damage it. There are too many factors to consider to give any reasonable answer on a forum like this. The height of the drop, the weight of the helmet, the location of the impact, etc, etc, etc.. The only way to know for sure is to have it inspected properly by the manufacturer who probably uses xray or mri technology to examine the integrity of the protective material.

Kinda has me wondering if I shouldnt use the helmet I had a mishap with at the track last year.. I did smack my good pretty hard... By the looks of it, you would never know, though.... But the most important protective part of the helmet the part you cant see...

Sigh...

RonJ83 · 01-30-2006, 04:02 PM

i got a letter from Arai but i had deleted it by accident, but overall the rep that replied said that if i got it at a "authorized" arai dealer i can send it back to them and have them take a look. it was pretty much bullshit cause he didnt say whether or not i can continue using the helmet, but im guessing if they allow you to send it back to be inspected they can still be used in a minor drop?

***Cakes206*** · 01-30-2006, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RonJ83

it was pretty much bullshit cause he didnt say whether or not i can continue using the helmet

No way hes gonna give you that answer...its a liability issue on their part...if you ask him its ok to use, and he says yes, then you get into a wreck and end up having to eat pizza thru a straw the rest of yer life...it's their ass. Basically hes covering his by saying you can have it checked out...

PitsVtec · 01-30-2006, 04:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cakes

No way hes gonna give you that answer...its a liability issue on their part...if you ask him its ok to use, and he says yes, then you get into a wreck and end up having to eat pizza thru a straw the rest of yer life...it's their ass. Basically hes covering his by saying you can have it checked out...

True

ffejtable · 01-30-2006, 05:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RonJ83

i got a letter from Arai but i had deleted it by accident, but overall the rep that replied said that if i got it at a "authorized" arai dealer i can send it back to them and have them take a look. it was pretty much bullshit cause he didnt say whether or not i can continue using the helmet, but im guessing if they allow you to send it back to be inspected they can still be used in a minor drop?

you wanted to know if the helmet was still safe.

the only way to know is to have it inspected, which the arai rep recommended you do.

what might be considered a MINOR impact by you may still have had major damage done to the protective foam inside.

no two falls are the same, and the only way to be sure if to get it inspected.

im confused why this concept is difficult for some to grasp..

you can not visually inspect a helmet and determine if its good.

you can not determine the amount of damage done be guessing how hard/serious the fall was. under some conditions im sure even the most innocent of impacts can cause serious damage...

RCM78 · 01-30-2006, 05:10 PM

Aria will check the helmet. And if it's good they will tell you it's good and send a letter back to you stating that the helmet is good.

I failed a rider at tech last season cause his helmet was all scraped up. He produced a letter from Arai stating the helmet was tested and OK.

The only problem I had with it was the guy could crash with that helmet several times and keep using the same letter. Ultimately it wasnt my decision to pass the helmet...