Topic: Helmets... Is DOT marking enough??

[evopgt]

Hey guys.. looking into buying a new helmet.. Seems you can buy a good DOT rated helmet for $45+. The Snell rated helmets start at around $140. What's your opinions on the ratings and is DOT enough?? I hate spending big bucs on a helmet, but will if the snell are that much safer.

[jgger]

My question to you would be, how many brains do you have and can they be replaced.

Buy the best helmet you can afford because when needed the extra money doesn't mean jack squat. It could be the difference between life as you know it or life as a veg.

As for me I prefer a full face helmet, I never could understand why someone would wear one of those goofy eggshell half helmets.

[BomberMann650]

You get concussed all the same 

If you wanna save money on a helmet, buy pre-owned.
You want a nice helmet that is comfortable, quiet, and cools well.

[simon#42]

get your money out and buy a good helmet it may be the best money you ever spend

[KeithTurk]

Okay here's the deal... Helmets are like motor oil... everyone has an opinion.   I run several types of races and own the East Coast timing assn.  I also am an MSF instructor,  I write the rules for helmets in our organization and have studied the topic extensively...  I am not an expert.. don't even play one on the the internet.  But I have studied the subject at length.

Dot has Zero actual quality control measures... NONE... ( yes they provide a sample of the data they acquired in their lab to the Dot )
( anyone that approves a half helmet. pudding bowl, isn't a quality organization... )  I own two of them and wear them often... but I know they are JUNK.

Snell is a true standard as is the EU rated helmets.  they have to pass rigorous tests and they won't approve an "Open" face helmet.  nor will the approve a modular "flip face"   they just can't pass the test yet... ( or have recently my info is 2-4 yrs old )  My next flip face is going to be a Fulmer.

The Eu design is actually a softer shell,  better for a single  hit.... I approve it because it's a design philosophy that works or doesn't and if folks want to try it... good for them.... who am I to stop them.

Best helmet on the market... Not arguably in my opinion but there are a couple of European brands that have added safety features I like ....   is the ARAI.  they have 7 different head designs in all sizes and are personally fitted.  they cost 400-10000 and are worth every penny...( think stupid paint job's )   one of my racers landed on his head from 30' in the air at 250 miles an hour and is alive today...  ( his helmet is destroyed... he broke 77 bones and isn't in a wheel chair )

your mileage may vary and I'd be happy to answer any questions... but honestly it's all just an opinion.

K

[KeithTurk]

sorry quick note... there are 2 snell types  A and M  M is the motorcycle obviously and we don't allow anything to race that's older then 2010 

So that would be  a SM2010  sticker inside the helmet on the Styrofoam inner liner.

[333]

I started working at a dealer in '85.  We had a polycarbonate shell as a demo piece.  It had no styrofoam, no padding, it was just a clear plastic shell. We would step out from behind the counter and hold it at waist level and simply drop it on the tile floor.  It bounced right back.  It was like bouncing a basketball.  In a nutshell(no pun intended), that is the difference between a DOT helmet and a Snell rated helmet.  You don't want your head to bounce.  Sure, there may be helmets made from fiberglass and other materials that absorb impact that aren't Snell rated, but why take that chance?

And these helmets do age.  You don't want a previously owned helmet. You have no idea whether it has taken an impact or not. Buy new.

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

Spend the money and buy a quality helmet. Do NOT buy a used helmet - who knows what life it has had. It only takes one fall/bounce/impact onto the ground and a helmet's inner foam layer is compromised. 

[BomberMann650]

My AGV helmet was pre owned.
It lived a boring life before me.  Not a scratch on it.
Not that I haven't seen people trying to sell used helmets which look like they were stored in the back of a truck used for baja racing. 

[J-Rod10]

I'll spend more money on a lid, than I will a project bike. Arai for me.

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

Depends on what you want it for. Elements protection or crash protection. Perhaps you are required to wear a helmet but would rather not?

This and your billfold will decide on what you can/will do.

[HondaMan]

I'll spend more money on a lid, than I will a project bike. Arai for me.

+1 on Arai.
All I wear now.

[madmtnmotors]

I'll spend more money on a lid, than I will a project bike. Arai for me.

+1 on Arai.
All I wear now.

I've always found this to be an interesting read:

https://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/MotorcyclistHelmets.html


Even if you don't find the information presented in the link above compelling, I would argue that any helmet is "head and shoulders" above no helmet at all. I would love to be able to wear a cheaper helmet, but the Arai long oval head form (currently their "Signet" model) is the only helmet I can find that fits me properly. In 2X no less! By "properly" I mean every other helmet I can find puts such pressure across my forehead that I can only ride about two hours before the headache becomes unbearable. I can spend 12 hours in the saddle wearing the Arai with no such issue.

If you search hard enough you can often find Arai helmets on closeout for about half the price of original retail. Arai helmets normally run anywhere from $600 to $900. If I didn't buy mine at closeout prices (sometimes they are just liquidating a particular graphic style) I would not be able to afford one.

And yes, I do consider my brain to be worth more than $900 (others may disagree      ) but I would argue that I can protect my noggin just as effectively for less. 

More money does not necessarily translate to better protection.

[madmtnmotors]

The Arai Signet-Q is now on closeout as its being replaced by the Signet-X. Plenty of great buys out there now on it! (I've got the same lid, Wilbur  )

Oo, oo, oo, I may have to go shopping! 

[Don R]

 My daughters drag race helmet was discovered to be expired at an NHRA event midway into the season after several tech inspections. Shame on us. We ordered a new one right then, they allowed us to use it that weekend because of the hans device hooked to it, borrowing or renting one wouldn't allow the hans.
 That got me thinking, my motorcycle helmet is an older Drag race helmet and is much older than hers. I checked, it's SA2000, time to bin it too. In the 60's my brother crashed in japan and his helmet was fiberglass. It delaminated on impact and became a ribbon of broken fiberglass cloth. His buddy said he could hold it at arms length by the chin strap and the other end touched the ground. He survived to ride again but has had health issues from it since then.
 Keith is right. Check our helmet often, time gets away from us.

[Sam Green Racing]

Ok guys, I had a crash 3 years and 2 months ago to this very day and by the fact that I'm posting this, you could be excused for thinking that there's nothing wrong with me but you couldn't be further away from the truth.
I'm brain damaged and can hardly walk without the aid of a stick. and I only crashed at 35mph.
Had I not been wearing the best leathers and helmet that money could buy, it might have been a different story altogether.
The last person I saw from this forum was Simon#42 who posted earlier, ask him did I look my normal self when he saw me and that was only 4 months ago.
Ask the first person who saw me in hospital before I even came round after two weeks of being un-conscious. Calj737 had been calling in on me while I was sleeping for over a week and carried on calling daily until he could take me home to Atlanta a week and a half later. I can tell you, it wasn't a pretty sight.
All my riding gear was to the highest specification including the helmet which was in date and accepted the world over for racing in. It's not the speed that does the damage, It's what you hit or as in my case, what hits you. When a 500lb Honda lands on your head and upper body, you haven't much chance of surviving.
So if you are still going to buy cheap or second hand helmets after reading this, be my guest.

Sam.

[HondaMan]

Sam: that hurts, just LOOKING at it! I'm really sorry it happened to you like that.
I often rode my 750 without a helmet until I got the Vetter on it, and the helmet then kept my [very long] hair off my face when riding. On my other bikes (CB77, CL450, CL350, CB500-4) I rode without, too.

Until the day of The Wreck at The Tracks.

Since then, I don't ride a single block without one.

[jgger]

Ok guys, I had a crash 3 years and 2 months ago to this very day and by the fact that I'm posting this, you could be excused for thinking that there's nothing wrong with me but you couldn't be further away from the truth.
I'm brain damaged and can hardly walk without the aid of a stick. and I only crashed at 35mph.
Had I not been wearing the best leathers and helmet that money could buy, it might have been a different story altogether.
The last person I saw from this forum was Simon#42 who posted earlier, ask him did I look my normal self when he saw me and that was only 4 months ago.
Ask the first person who saw me in hospital before I even came round after two weeks of being un-conscious. Calj737 had been calling in on me while I was sleeping for over a week and carried on calling daily until he could take me home to Atlanta a week and a half later. I can tell you, it wasn't a pretty sight.
All my riding gear was to the highest specification including the helmet which was in date and accepted the world over for racing in. It's not the speed that does the damage, It's what you hit or as in my case, what hits you. When a 500lb Honda lands on your head and upper body, you haven't much chance of surviving.
So if you are still going to buy cheap or second hand helmets after reading this, be my guest.

Sam.

Thank you for posting that Sam. That was my point in the first reply to this thread. At the moment that happened saving $100 or more on cheap/used equipment just isn't worth it!

Good luck on your continued recovery Sam.

[madmtnmotors]

I would never recommend a used helmet. The date code on a helmet is important too. My only argument is that a higher price does not necessarily equal better protection, but you will likely pay more for a better helmet. Regardless of the type of construction, or the materials used, there is a point where all helmets will fail, such as throwing a 500lb motorcycle on it at 35mph. A helmet thread can often invoke responses that that are even more passionate than those responses in an oil thread. Bottom line, wear the best helmet you can afford. I guarantee that it will protect you a whole lot better than no helmet at all.

[Sam Green Racing]

Sam: that hurts, just LOOKING at it! I'm really sorry it happened to you like that.
I often rode my 750 without a helmet until I got the Vetter on it, and the helmet then kept my [very long] hair off my face when riding. On my other bikes (CB77, CL450, CL350, CB500-4) I rode without, too.

Until the day of The Wreck at The Tracks.

Since then, I don't ride a single block without one.

Mark, sorry it hurt you but it hurt me more, hahaha.
That wasn't a result of the crash, that was the Surgeon trying to get at my brain to fix it. I had a massive blood clot on it and pressure was building up on it. The front one was where they had to drill through my scull to insert something and the little one behind, they drilled through it to insert a drain tube.
I only vaguely remember it, maybe Cal does but they put mittens on my hands to stop me from pulling it out. It must have looked real funny as long as you weren't me, hahaha.
The sum total of my injuries were, a small cut on my left first finger, a broken collar bone, shoulder blade, and several right ribs which punctured my right lung in several places, and a broken bone in my back, other than that I was fine, haha. Oh and you can add to that, flat lining twice in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, OUCH.
All the bones have healed, in fact they only took about 2 months before the pain went away, I was quite surprised at that but the Brain Trauma Surgeon that I still have to see can only tell me I MIGHT get better.
Every thing was going well until I had a seizure on the 5th Jan 2015 for which I am on medication for the rest of my life to stop me from having another. Fingers crossed guys.

Sam.

[Sam Green Racing]

Ok guys, I had a crash 3 years and 2 months ago to this very day and by the fact that I'm posting this, you could be excused for thinking that there's nothing wrong with me but you couldn't be further away from the truth.
I'm brain damaged and can hardly walk without the aid of a stick. and I only crashed at 35mph.
Had I not been wearing the best leathers and helmet that money could buy, it might have been a different story altogether.
The last person I saw from this forum was Simon#42 who posted earlier, ask him did I look my normal self when he saw me and that was only 4 months ago.
Ask the first person who saw me in hospital before I even came round after two weeks of being un-conscious. Calj737 had been calling in on me while I was sleeping for over a week and carried on calling daily until he could take me home to Atlanta a week and a half later. I can tell you, it wasn't a pretty sight.
All my riding gear was to the highest specification including the helmet which was in date and accepted the world over for racing in. It's not the speed that does the damage, It's what you hit or as in my case, what hits you. When a 500lb Honda lands on your head and upper body, you haven't much chance of surviving.
So if you are still going to buy cheap or second hand helmets after reading this, be my guest.

Sam.

Thank you for posting that Sam. That was my point in the first reply to this thread. At the moment that happened saving $100 or more on cheap/used equipment just isn't worth it!

Good luck on your continued recovery Sam.

Thanks jigger, and if you think saving $100 is a saving guys, make sure you are well insured and that you read the conditions or you could be faced with a bill to pay for $33,000 like I was and that was only for the airlift to the hospital, not much of a saving, was it.

Sam.

[Sam Green Racing]

Thanks for reading and replying guys, as messed up as my head is, I've still got it thanks to a good helmet, it's your head and it's your choice and the same goes for leathers, they won't stop you from breaking bones but they will stop you from ripping your soft body tissue apart. Why risk riding in denim when you can buy a fully approved race suit for around $300.

Off to bed now guys, be safe out there were ever you are.

Sam.

[KeithTurk]

nice to See you again Sam....  i've missed our occasional conversations

[evopgt]

Thanks for all the replies... This is why I ask these ?s.  I personally have never ridden except for ATV's. This is all a new adventure as I go get my permit on my next day off.  I see bonehead after bonehead riding without helmets at 70 mph here in PA because it's stupidly legal. Funny you will see signs everywhere advertising seatbelt laws.  I suppose I will spend 100+ on a helmet after reading your posts. 

[scottly]

I've always found this to be an interesting read:

https://motorcycleinfo.calsci.com/MotorcyclistHelmets.html


More money does not necessarily translate to better protection.

I agree. Some of the cheaper helmets in those tests were better than the Arai, but cost less than half the dollars. Of course, if the only helmet that is comfortable has a big price, it's better to bite the bullet than to suffer. I had a helmet that pinched my ears against my head; after 2 hours it felt like my head was being clamped in a vice.