Topic: Correct helmet for this era bike

[calj737]

in my work I find a lot of old lids,im a dumster/skip truck driver,ive never kept any but ive destroyed a lot!ive placed them under the stabiliser legs/feet and have had a good crush at them,mostly they lift the truck up on an angle before they show any sign of letting go either with top or side loading,once they do its only by a margin they don't collapse,this aint no proper technical test but they take a lot to break the shell,i think the inside foam ages?and might be less absorbent to impact?i call bull#$%* on the painting or stickers or even drilling of lids makes them weaker!

It's like an egg, Dave, try to crush it end-to-end in your hand. But, turn it sideways, and well, clean up is a mess.

Helmets are designed to withstand "impacts" not wonky truck drivers running their 6 ton rig over them. Bet if you laid them on their "ear" they'd crush before you crawled over them. And, have a go whacking the ground while holding the chin. You'll see the difference in a new versus 5+ year old bucket shatter.

[dave500]

I aint a wonky truck driver mate!the truck is 20 tons,i didn't drive the truck over any lid I pressed the trucks stabiliser legs down on them side ways and front on full load!i already said it aint no proper test or #$%* like that,i take that wonky truck driver comment to heart,come and place your new lid under my test rig,ill crush it the same as any old lid,ive crushed about 30 lids for fun,how many you crushed?

[70CB750]

To the OP - I wore spaceballs helmet and red baron goggles for more than a year. 

Now I do it on hottest days only, goggles are huge pain in winter with fogging and whatnot.  I found flip up to be the best helmet for me.

Have you ever seen something like this,btw?  My dad used to wear one with regular glasses, it keeps a pillow of air in front of your face.  Not my picture, btw.

[calj737]

I aint a wonky truck driver mate!the truck is 20 tons,i didn't drive the truck over any lid I pressed the trucks stabiliser legs down on them side ways and front on full load!i already said it aint no proper test or #$%* like that,i take that wonky truck driver comment to heart,come and place your new lid under my test rig,ill crush it the same as any old lid,ive crushed about 30 lids for fun,how many you crushed?

Easy, Dave, I wasn't directing the comments at your post as a personal attack. Sorry if you took it as such. I was pointing out the difference in the force of strength of a helmet, and how/where they fail.

But, really, you're not wonky? I'd imagine most of us are by now. And given the stories of the heat plaguing our Oz mates, it's enough to drive anyone a bit wonky. 

[krusty]

i think the inside foam ages?and might be less absorbent to impact?i call bull#$%* on the painting or stickers or even drilling of lids makes them weaker!

It's the inside foam that does the important bit of absorbing impact that would otherwise mash the brain. At the riding school where I worked we had an old open face which had been sawn in half. It showed that the foam, over the years, had compacted to less than half its original thickness, it was therefore useless for absobing impact. Its one of the reasons we told the newbie riders not to hang their lids on mirrors or sit them on the tank over gas caps as the fuel fumes, over time,  can affect the foam. Its only polystyrene and have you seen the effects of petrol, or any solvent, on that stuff. The outer shell ensures a pretty corpse if the forces are too much for the lid to cope.

[joeyvans]

To the OP - I wore spaceballs helmet and red baron goggles for more than a year.

"Spaceballs helmet"  Haha! Where is the *Like* button?

[70CB750]

To the OP - I wore spaceballs helmet and red baron goggles for more than a year.

"Spaceballs helmet"  Haha! Where is the *Like* button?

Yeah, I have smart a$$ children

[strynboen]

i have opend my agv helmet..its 30 years old..the flamingo inside part is as new..the glasfiber/or hard plastic..are stil flexibel and nice..its only the soft  inner skin vho are gone...so no problem seaving a nev stuff inn..al sekura stuff are like new..iys only the komford part vho are gone..but vill still only use it as moped helmet..1970 safty class is not for heigh speed..and the komfort is also from then back..

[LesterPiglet]

How did you ever get that on with a flamingo in there?   

[scrapvalue]

Learn how to ride. Pay attention. Expect the worst.

A helmet won't save you from everything.

[faux fiddy]

I got an alert for two free helmets in Dallas sraigslist. They were shoei and one other was some other reputable brand, both looking in good condition, but neither was full faced.

[faux fiddy]

i call bull#$%* on the painting or stickers or even drilling of lids makes them weaker!

I'm generally of the idea that bumperstickers belong on bumpers, but you really think painting could compromise the safety?

I never painted one but got a fine example of helmet art at Barber for $5, originally intended to make one lap around the perimeter road. Dated '04, It was either buy a helmet or walk back around the whole track to get a helmet. Or of course there was try to out run the helmet enforcement on a dt50 but I'd have been caught in traffic and uphill, so I bought the first I saw that I liked.
  It is just sharpie marker I assume, maybe the acetone in it might attack the plastic, but it's a risk I am informed of. Better than without a helmet or walking back to camp I reckon.

[rsank]

I am tempted to ride in period gear but I have a family to provide for and safety is always first. I wear a bright yellow aerostich roadcrafter and a full face helmet no matter how ridiculous I may look. Back in the day, I used to wear a Bell open face helmet and goggles. For long rides, leathers.

[InAquaVeritas]

So what's the correct helmet for a 70's era bike?  Stupid question, or perhaps a useless one, but I honestly feel a bit overdressed riding down the road on my 550K wearing riding pants, boots, cordua jacket, and full face helmet.

I'm thinking maybe it's time to ditch the riding pants, stick with the Diamond Gusset Defender jeans, and go with a 3/4 helmet and goggles.  Never wore goggles, always wanted to try them.

Yeah alright I'll go do something useful now.

I'm not sure why everyone is hating so much on this question. A lot of purists here that restore bikes to original form with spectaculair results and then hate on riding gear having style. Why put so much money and effort in a bike and not spend a little extra on the gear you are riding in to complete the picture. Safety is my main concern as well, so everything I ride in is either leather with protection or kevlar type stuff.

Riding has become extremely populair over the last few years, google cafe racer and you get millions of results, so the gear companies have made their stuff look good finally.

My bike will look a little more modern, so my gear looks a little more modern as well. I have an Icon 1000 jacket for summer, with two sets of Icon gloves and the Icon Airframe helmet.


The helmet fits a super bike more and is the only item I don't mind looking like that. I have a 3/4 but after riding with it a few times, I had to switch to full face.
My winter jacket is an Alpinestars Team Win jacket, a varsity style jacket with full protection.


These won't look correct on a 70's original, but you get the picture. If you search the web you can find tons of cool stuff that is safe, high quality and looks nice. You can even have any pair of jeans you like lined with Kevlar and make it safer.

Have a look on www.silodrome.com, a blog by one of the writers for BikeEXIF and some other stuff, they feature all kinds of cool gear. Lot of Biltwell's and Bell's, but good inspiration.

Maybe this is an option?


I would never in my life ride with a refurbished helmet, like a few suggestions here. There is a company called Old School Helmets that refurbish old helmets, thus re-using the outer shell. I still have my doubts about it, as everything made from resin keeps curing because of the catalyst and will become more brittle over time. You may not see any damage and it may feel stiff, like the 20 ton truck story, but throw one at a wall and you see the damage. It's load bearing strength versus impact strength. Very curious to hear from an expert on this if there is one around on the forum.

Also paint and other chemicals will damage the resin and catalyst, unless it is a special paint. Drilling holes is not a good idea, because the structural integrity goes out the window.
The helmet is made up of layers of fibers that create strength by interlocking and not allowing a crack to spread. Unless you have an epoxy boat as a helmet, the new hole will become a weak point in case of an impact, since the edge of the hole isn't reinforced and will allow a crack to form.
This is from what I know working with fiber glass surfboards that do exactly this. Every possible combination of resins has been used but all deteriorate unless its boat thickness. Any experts with fiber glass around that can confirm or tell me I'm wrong?

Sorry for the lengthy reply, I've been waiting on my parts to be finished for the last 2 months now and I'm losing my mind!

[Retro Rocket]

You want a good reason to not wear a half face helmet..?  I stopped wearing half face helmets after seeing an accident in front of my old pub, the guy on the bike ran up the back of a pickup {ute}, went over the top of the car and slid down the road on his chin unconscious, after his chin and part of his face was completely removed,  the helmet broke his neck and killed him, had he been wearing a full face he would still be here, all he did was slide, he didn't hit anything including the car with his body. I've since been told of an almost identical accident and for that very reason I choose not to take that risk.....

[Killer Canary]

Image is far more important Retro. Smarten up already.

[Retro Rocket]

Image is far more important Retro. Smarten up already.

So the ice cream container I have sitting on my head will do...? 

[calj737]

So the ice cream container I have sitting on my head will do...? 

Pictures or it didn't happen! You know the rules by now-

[faux fiddy]

So the ice cream container I have sitting on my head will do...? 

Pictures or it didn't happen! You know the rules by now-

Actually it's the beer can cardboard 12 pk  box is what we used back in the day.  The handle doubles for eye holes if you only open one end.  You don't have your own pics of that?

[InAquaVeritas]

You want a good reason to not wear a half face helmet..?  I stopped wearing half face helmets after seeing an accident in front of my old pub, the guy on the bike ran up the back of a pickup {ute}, went over the top of the car and slid down the road on his chin unconscious, after his chin and part of his face was completely removed,  the helmet broke his neck and killed him, had he been wearing a full face he would still be here, all he did was slide, he didn't hit anything including the car with his body. I've since been told of an almost identical accident and for that very reason I choose not to take that risk.....

This is exactly the image that popped into my head when I first rode with a 3/4 helmet. Bought a full face one the same day and wear it every time I ride.

[Don R]

 My brother wrecked in the early 60's with a helmet he bought in Japan. He sustained a bad head injury and is lucky to have survived, his friend that was around then told me the fiberglass helmet delaminated, you could hold it at arms length by the chin strap and the other end would touch the ground. New ones are better.
 Or, as they say at the drag strip, what's your head worth?

[Stev-o]

Have you ever seen something like this,btw?  My dad used to wear one with regular glasses, it keeps a pillow of air in front of your face.  Not my picture, btw.

Never have seen anything like that. Now that is what I call wonky!

[BobbyR]

Food for thought:

[Djfob]

Picked up the new gringo s for my wife. Nice vintage looking helmet with a face shield to boot

[LesterPiglet]

Picked up the new gringo s for my wife. Nice vintage looking helmet with a face shield to boot

What weight are they? How quiet are they? Are they comfy? #$%* fashion if they aint. They do look nice though.