Motorcycle helmet

[Norsk]

The manufacturers like to say that helmets should be replaced after five years...ok, but in the real world what's the oldest helmet that people are still regularly using? For the record I'd never buy a second hand helmet - you never know how it's been treated and given the price of a new lid I've seen some people treating them like they cost a fiver. My current Shoei cost enough that I treat it with kid gloves - if the worst happens, I want it to do the best possible job of protecting my possibly empty skull!

I see your point. A mate visited last year who is in the MC industry,the subject of second hand helmets came up. He showed me videos of how little integrity the helmet shells loose even when they have been punctured or sustained damage that you and I would think catastrophic.

You are right in not really knowing how someone has handled or abused a second hand helmet,I suppose its a matter of degree's.In this day and age of people buying things online that might have a "no return policy" a second hand helmet worn once uncomfortably might not be such a huge risk?

 

[jmp49]

The scruitineers check the sticker on your helmet here as part of the process in the pits and if its older than 5 years in my class which requires a race license you fail scrutineering. Same for leathers that dont zip together if theyre not one piece, gloves that arent deemed safe (so I leave my palm studded non approved gloves at home that weekend). I may in the past have obtained a proper new in date sticker and put it on a non approved but new and safe helmet just to race though...

But... a often ignored thing about second hand helmets is they're difficult to properly sanitize a lining too if your squeamish about such things.
I remember going a event with some others in a group, and too much alcohol was imbibed. One person threw up into the most convienient bowl shape in his tent, his full face helmet.
He rode a cafe for a fry up post recovery, and I asked him how he'd got it clean, and he said "I havent" and prodded the lining and it oozed damp liquid. It still didnt smelt pleasant weeks later when I smelt it out of curiosity either.
I spot secondhand helmets and always think of that. Secondhand boots I'm ok with, I went through a spate of wearing german army officer pull on boots on bikes because they were cheap and tough and didnt have laces to cause accidents when you got tied to the footrests (I actually had one of these wearing combat boots...) & you wear socks inside them to isolate you from anything but a helmet...

 

[GRW]

Shoei for me was awful, Arai fit very well (seems eggheads fit Shoei & rounder noggins Arai).
The last several years I rode (including 3-week long jaunts around Europe) wearing a Caberg Flip-Front.
Comfy all day, a flip-down sun visor, easy to take on/off with specs, and (despite not strictly legal) was comfy to ride with the front flipped on warm days (sun visor up or down, normally down).
Flip-front s bit heavier - but IMO it's many advantages made it by far my favourite helmet.

 

[RichardM]

Shoei for me was awful, Arai fit very well (seems eggheads fit Shoei & rounder noggins Arai).

I think you are right, I tried an Arai on last time and it didn't fit.

 

[ajlelectronics]

Shoei for me was awful,

Yet perfect for me, as was the old BMW system 3? Or was it 7? Fixed front anyway.

 

[GRW]

Yet perfect for me, as was the old BMW system 3? Or was it 7? Fixed front anyway.

Chances are the Arai you'd hate then.
The shells of each were always very different.
I've never met anyone who could wear either with proper fit and comfort.
Iirc a Shoei would be tight on temples but loose fore/after, where an Arai was snug all round.
I suspect an Arai would be too tight fore/aft for you.

 

[lazybones51]

Big Shoei fan, owned several over the years. Currently riding in a Shoei NXR2, comes with a pin lock and also run a tinted visor in the summer (and carry a clear if I might need it). My only complaint is the visor seals so well, at low speeds I don't get enough airflow to stop my glasses from steaming up, even with all of the vents open. Only really an issue on a colder day/early morning.

 

[Seadog]

My Arai was the best fit for me at tgevtime. Still is.
But looking around for a replacement I found that Shoei and Schuberth fit very nicely.

 

[bump]

Big Shoei fan, owned several over the years. Currently riding in a Shoei NXR2, comes with a pin lock and also run a tinted visor in the summer (and carry a clear if I might need it). My only complaint is the visor seals so well, at low speeds I don't get enough airflow to stop my glasses from steaming up, even with all of the vents open. Only really an issue on a colder day/early morning.

Yeah that is a thing, when my eyesign dropped into the needing correction for riding / driving I switched over to contacts. I was daily London commuting, and it was the stopping at traffic lights that was the pain in my case, fogged up in seconds.

 

[lazybones51]

Yeah that is a thing, when my eyesign dropped into the needing correction for riding / driving I switched over to contacts. I was daily London commuting, and it was the stopping at traffic lights that was the pain in my case, fogged up in seconds.

I don't mind wearing glasses, but I have been tempted to try out contacts for this reason.

 

[jimbo84]

I’ve been looking for my first helmet and online the AGV K6-s seemed like a good buy. Went to the store to try it on and it was nowhere near a good fit. The store manager was excellent at advising, I must have tried about 6 different helmets before finding a very good fit in shoei and settled for an NXR2. Tried it on in the store for 15mins and then at home for an hour and 15 mins and there is a bit of pressure on the forehead and it leaves a seem/padding mark on the forehead area. I’m a baldy which doesn’t help on that front. He said to bring it back if there was even a slight issue and they’d look at it again to assess the fitment, so I’m off back there tomorrow.

Well worth going to a store in person.

 

[Bornfree]

I’ve been looking for my first helmet and online the AGV K6-s seemed like a good buy. Went to the store to try it on and it was nowhere near a good fit. The store manager was excellent at advising, I must have tried about 6 different helmets before finding a very good fit in shoei and settled for an NXR2. Tried it on in the store for 15mins and then at home for an hour and 15 mins and there is a bit of pressure on the forehead and it leaves a seem/padding mark on the forehead area. I’m a baldy which doesn’t help on that front. He said to bring it back if there was even a slight issue and they’d look at it again to assess the fitment, so I’m off back there tomorrow.

Well worth going to a store in person.

Best to have it a little tight to start off as it will loosen in time.

 

[Munkul]

I like my Nolan N87, its getting a bit old now but still very comfortable and well built. Prefer it to a few different premium brand helmets I've tried.

 

[jmp49]

I don't mind wearing glasses, but I have been tempted to try out contacts for this reason.

See my comment earlier about having disposable contacts sucked out when looking back with the visor not fully closed. It happened to me on more than one occasion, hence helping the laser surgery decision, the air rushing around your helmet as you twist to look behind you creates a low pressure zone on the long (front) side that does this and tends to flip my visor up more open to make it more pronounced.
If you always ride with your visor down fully or it has a ratchet that keeps it in position it'll be fine probably.

 

[jmp49]

I’ve been looking for my first helmet and online the AGV K6-s seemed like a good buy. Went to the store to try it on and it was nowhere near a good fit. The store manager was excellent at advising, I must have tried about 6 different helmets before finding a very good fit in shoei and settled for an NXR2. Tried it on in the store for 15mins and then at home for an hour and 15 mins and there is a bit of pressure on the forehead and it leaves a seem/padding mark on the forehead area. I’m a baldy which doesn’t help on that front. He said to bring it back if there was even a slight issue and they’d look at it again to assess the fitment, so I’m off back there tomorrow.

Well worth going to a store in person.

This, I bought a lid from Bikes of Brighton and went back with it to say about it pressing but I really liked it, and Steve the counter guy in clothing took it off me, and prodded it hard in a few places for a bit and handed it back and it was much improved.

Another reason to go somewhere with a salesperson who knows what they are selling well.

 

[bump]

I don't mind wearing glasses, but I have been tempted to try out contacts for this reason.

Depending on where you are in the county then happy to recommend my opticians. If you're south side, it's probably going to be a bit of a faff.

It also helps significantly with other things such as gym, cycling and other active things.

As an aside https://www.instagram.com/damgooddough/ does a nice bike meets on the first Sunday of the month

 

[xmetal]

I have a Schuberth C5: well made, comfortable for me, I like the flip up chin guard too. They are a bit pricey, though watch for sales or ebay offers.

Same here. A lovely helmet.

 

[jimbo84]

Best to have it a little tight to start off as it will loosen in time.

This, I bought a lid from Bikes of Brighton and went back with it to say about it pressing but I really liked it, and Steve the counter guy in clothing took it off me, and prodded it hard in a few places for a bit and handed it back and it was much improved.

Another reason to go somewhere with a salesperson who knows what they are selling well.

Went back today to double check with him, he reassured me it would be fine and said it’s far better for it to be tight now so it’ll be a really good fit once it’s be worn a few times.

Later this month they’re being trained to do the Shoei PFS fit thing so he’s invited me back to have that done to customise the fit even more.