Helmet age

[Motorad64]

I still love my 15 yr old Arai Signet...new ones fit a bit looser and are 25% larger...makes you look like a martian.  But...had to replace when I couldn't get face shield parts.

After watching my buddy get hit with a collapsing tree--surviving and having the ER Dr hand me the shattered Arai...I'm sticking with them.  Said he couldn't believe he had zero head or neck trauma. 

I agree on watching for sales on last year's new models.  I got a new Signet for $599 via a last yr model sale at Revzilla.   They are def pricey, though.  Todays helmets are way easier to clean all the Vitalis n sweat out of with snap in and out liners. 

[Antietam Classic Cycle]

I bought my last couple of HJCs for $120 or so, no sticker shock.  End of issue for me - I buy them every few years, it’s hardly worth replacing the visor versus buying a new one.

 

[Motormike]

I love the way Arai's fit me.  They are by far the most comfortable helmet I have.  But their stubborn refusal to make a helmet with an internal sun visor has forced me to abandon the brand.  Shoei doesn't fit me quite as well, the medium I wear in an Arai is painfully tight on my Shoei.  I recently purchased a Scorpion EXO At950 modular.  I love the fit and it has become my go-to helmet for most rides.  About half the price of an Arai or Shoei.

[MarkMk]

This AGV protector was introduced to my head in 1971, it's been part of destroying several bikes over the years, but it has protected me well for 50 years, is it time to say farewell ? 

[Bert Remington]

Okay ratguzzi -- I'll take the bait.

1.  What is that bug catcher on the front of your motorcycle?  Would you please publish more pictures of it.  We don't need to see your helmet.

2.  As wide as those side cases are, it looks like your mirrors and knees are wider.  Do you even bother with a side stand?  And how often do you repair the outside corners (you can see the sparks)?

3.  Wonder Lake looks to be casual about lighting, etc.  You can't park on the street overnight -- I'm surprised they let you park that motorcycle on the street in daytime.  Did the HOA grandfather you in?

4.  At $0.000005 per mile, I'd say you got your helmet investment (same $2 as your Yard Waste Sticker) back.  Probably a record ROI.

I laughed when I first saw your picture and laughed even harder when I looked at the details.  Thanks for that!

[stubbie]

Well their going to say that because they need to sell helmets. Not much businessis going to happen if people keep their helmets for 20+ years. If you drop your helmet onto the road or concrete or the interior is falling apart then yes you would need to buy a new one.

[wirespokes]

I've worn Arais for probably 30 years. But I've always gotten them used. Fifteen years ago I had my first real accident (injured an elk) and had to retire the helmet. Big bash on top and badly scraped visor, but no head or neck damage. Well, I do wear a foam neck collar that probably had a lot to do with saving my neck.

Twenty or so years ago the Arai rep and I were at the store at the same time. He told me a story that stuck with me, about an F1 driver who rear ended the wall at something like 150 mph. His helmet hit the lifting bar (not really a roll bar) behind the cockpit and popped a big round section of paint off the back of it. Arai put it through the tests and it passed.

I've worked in a fiberglass shop 30 years ago and can believe what the rep said. Properly constructed fiberglass is very strong and not brittle.

[Seventy One]

I gave my five year old Shoei Neotec to the local first responders.

They were thrilled to have it and will use it for training people on how to remove a helmet from an injured/incapacitated rider. Odds are good that that rider will be me since I live in a town of 1,500 people and I'm the only one here who actually wears a helmet. 

I thought $700 was too much for the new Neotec so I bought a $550 HJC. I made the mistake of wearing it. Got two hours use out of it and decided it wasn't gonna work (too tight on the brow) so it can't be returned. It's been on Craigslist and FB market place for two years. Can't get $200 for it. ZERO interest. Not a single person has expressed interest in it. If it's not gone by next spring I'll donate that one to the fire department.

IMO more people need to donate old lids.

According to HJC an old helmet is more dangerous than no helmet. The air trapped inside the expanded polystyrene (EPS) out-gasses and removes the cushioning effect it's supposed to have.

[frozengoose]

According to HJC an old helmet is more dangerous than no helmet. The air trapped inside the expanded polystyrene (EPS) out-gasses and removes the cushioning effect it's supposed to have.

Well I'd certainly like to see any data that supports that quote. My guess is that an old tin pot is better that no helmet!

[Ncdan]

I guess it’s time for me to show my hand and take my spanking😂
Here’s my favorite summer time helmet, a 1967 police motor officer helmet which was used by my forefathers.
However controversial helmets are I do acknowledge the safety factor and the survival rate is greater when wearing a good quality headgear. That being acknowledged, Ive Investigated two fatalities where high dollar racing helmets were removed  from the deceased before being loaded in the ambulance.
In my defense, I am very claustrophobic and the distraction for me would far outweigh the safety issue.
However, each to his own.

[Seventy One]

Well I'd certainly like to see any data that supports that quote. My guess is that an old tin pot is better that no helmet!

I'll look for it. My guess is that an old tin pot would transmit shock directly to your head. The larger diameter of the helmet would allow torsional/twisting forces on it as well. In that regard, not having a lid would be better than having a bad one.