Helmet testing article must read.

[Uncle Bob]

Well I started this thread three years ago and it's still garnering responses. This is good in my opinion. People should think twice about the most important piece (IMO) a rider should wear.

Motorcyclist magazine, the mag that published the article that started this thread in the first place, recently related new SNELL standards for 2010. Guess what?, the new SNELL standards now meet the many of the guidelines set out by that article three years ago!!!!!!!!!!!!

For one SNELL has finally accepted the fact that bigger heads weigh more (DUH) and will introduce standards based on helmet size. They will also reduce the number of G's allowable to the head. Etc....

Pick up the latest copy of motorcyclist for all the details.

[A2rider]

Thanks for the info. I was just looking on the Snell website to see if they were going to make any changes.

[kx all the way]

I was wearing a helment but wasnt quite the right size. Always wear the right size helment.

[CTRider]

Originally Posted by MSGAmling

Great thread, with some great thoughts by all. A question came to mind while reading through this thread. There were a couple mentions of expiration dates for helmets. Have I been missing something all of these years? I've never seen an expiration date on a helmet. Or, is this just alluding to a helmet having an expiration date when its warranty expires, much like ballistic vests do? The common belief with a ballistic vest is that when a warranty expires after 5 years, get a new vest, even though the old one may still be able to take a licking and keep on ticking. Heat, humidity, and UV rays eventually destroy the molecular structure of many protective materials, is this true with helmets too?

Helmets do "expire", but not due to shelf life or outside forces like sunlight.

The problem with helmets is the energy absorbing material slowly compresses when you've worn it for a while. After a while, it will no longer perform the way it originally did when new. In addition, the usually bumps and thumps a helmet receives under normal use (not drops) slowly change the way the helmet can perform.

So, you can't buy a new helmet that has expired. It isn't produce. However, you shouldn't continue to use a helmet for more than a few seasons, especially if you ride often.

[CTRider]

Originally Posted by kx all the way

I was wearing a helment but wasnt quite the right size. Always wear the right size helment.

Absolutely.

Too tight and a helmet is uncomfortable and distracting. Even worse, you may not want to wear it.

Too loose and the helmet may twist on your head and actually injure you in a collision. It can also bop around on your head or slip around while riding, potentially affecting your field of vision.

A proper fitting helmet should not slip sideways when you grab the chin bar and yank on it a bit. There should be slight pressure on your cheeks from the pads (which will decrease after a few wearings), but it shouldn't be painful. There shouldn't be any uncomfortable presssure points on your forehead or sides of your skull.

Snug, but not too tight, is the way to go.

[CycleDude]

There's an old saying that best safety gear is not the helmet itself - It's what you put in the helmet that counts.

I have the Z1R helmet written in that report. That report is exeactly why I bought it and not some other wicked expensive brand. I'm glad to see that the bar is being raised in terms of helmet R&D and testing. Riding is too much fun to give up due to an injury that could have been prevented with a better lid.

[jakevn900]

Originally Posted by kx all the way

I was wearing a helment but wasnt quite the right size. Always wear the right size helment.

This is true. My helmet fits like a cap.

[KZBob]

I wear an ECE approved helmet.

I ride everyday, rain or shine, and I replace my helmet every 1.5-2 years.

Take good care of your helmet, I used to keep an old Shoei X-8 around, with the liner,foam,everything torn out so it was just the shell.
It had very minor scrapes on the outside, a tiny chip here and there, but when you held it up to the light, it had cracks running through it that made most people gasp.

On a side note, I remember when that article first came out, one thing stuck me as suspiscious...

The motorcycle distributor Parts Unlimited was not only one of the magazines largest advertisers, but also OWNS Z1R and Icon Helmets and is the largest distributor of AGV.

Struck me odd that those particular helmets scored almost the best or at the top in the different catagories.

Maybe I'm tainted, I remember back in the late 70's early 80's when snowmobile and motorcycle magazines got busted for having their largest advertisers (Polaris and Honda) magically win all the shootouts in their mags.

[Rick Hall]

The argument between Motorcyclist and Snell has been going on for a few years. A few months ago Motorcyclist had an article that indicated that Snell had agreed to adopt the DOT testing procedures for future Snell cert. Which indicates to me that Snell agreed with Motorcyclist's critique of the Snell testing criteria.

Essentially, the criticism is that Snell uses the same weight of testing head for every size of helmet resulting in smaller sized helmets that are too hard as a smaller human head does not weigh the same as a larger human head.

I was convinced and bought my wife a Z1R DOT approved helmet, extra small size, to replace her HJC, which had the Snell approval. I also got the same Z1R model for my 14 y/o son. Since I have a bigger head, I still wear my Snell approved HJC AC-15.

I will read the new article and see what Snell says but I tend to agree with MOtorcyclist that Snell is now all about making the money off their endorsement of a helmet.

Harley riders should continue to wear the "novelty" helmets. See Darwin for the reason.

[armen]

is it just me or is anyone else more confused over the helmet issue after reading than before I read it? when it all comes down to it if your wearing a helmet it's good but not wearing a helmet bad? I mean nothing in the article seemed conclusive either way. This might or that might grr, oh well I'll just stick with what i've got and hope I never need it

[Hot Cruiser]

I read both the article and Snell's response and like Nate, I think that at this point it's difficult to say who is right. One interesting bit, if I recall right, is that the DOT certification is determined by the manufacturer's own testing rather than by an outside agency, while Snell itself tests the helmets it certifies.

The article and response got me to do some further research, and one outcome for me has been to buy a full-face helmet, as much as I don't like being that enclosed, because full face helmets help to prevent or lessen facial injuries in a crash. Here in Oregon helmets are required by law, and as I used to be a hospital chaplain's aide I saw a number of motorcycle accident victims who had not worn helmets in the ER with horrific head injuries. The old bit about wearing helmets being a matter of personal freedom doesn't take into consideration that ERs are required to treat everyone whether or not they have insurance or can pay. The ERs then pass the cost of treating "indigents" onto the bills of those who can pay and any insurance companies they can stick it to, raising costs for everyone else who is treated in the ER and/or hospital. And ER treatment is very expensive! Of course, people who wear helmets also can be injured and sometimes fatally, but in general helmets have been shown to reduce or even prevent head injuries.