john_p_b
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| posted on 18/9/05 at 02:45 PM |
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are cheap helmets worth buying?
by cheap i'm talking sub £150 nitro or HJC helmets.
majority of the time all it's going to be for is stoping me chewing bugs and stones and keeping my head a bit warmer but there is a chance of a
couple of track days, no real motorsport use though.
things like THIS ONE
HERE i'm thinking about. at prices like that i could afford to get a couple of different sizes for passengers etc where as if i'm
spending 250 quid then i'm gonna have to stick with my scratched up old shoei item before i can even get one for myself never mind passengers!
your input please 
built a car, built a home, had a family. lost the family, lost the home, still got the car.
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motobob
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| posted on 18/9/05 at 02:53 PM |
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hmmm
you get what you pay for in a helmet.....being a bike guy .......buy the best that you can afford... and god make sure it fits right .. there are only
one or two brands that will fit my head the way i like... big nose, big head ect good luck in your search
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john_p_b
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| posted on 18/9/05 at 02:59 PM |
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thats the thing though, it's never going to get used on a bike.
at the moment my head actually comes over my roll bar so in the event of a roll even the very best of helmets isn't going to help me as
i'd likely snap my neck before anything else!
built a car, built a home, had a family. lost the family, lost the home, still got the car.
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JoelP
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| posted on 18/9/05 at 03:04 PM |
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i bought a £40 helmet for karting, still use it now. Ditto my rollbar, its unbraced anyway so id loose everything from shoulder up 
If i ever get a full cage sorted i'll also get a proper helmet, til then i'll just drive carefully!
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derf
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| posted on 18/9/05 at 03:05 PM |
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I'm another bike guy and I can say that for the most part a cheap helmet isnt as good as an expensive one. This is mainly because of comfort. I
have a cheap bell helmet and it is uncomfortable abnd very hot, however my quite expensive shoie is really comfortable, light, and vents really
good.
I did recently buy a cheap hemet from a company called scorpion, for $135us it was a great deal, and as good as my $500 shoie, except that is a bit
heavy. but for the price I dont mind a tired neck once in a while.
I'm not sure that scorpion is available in the UK, but it is here in the US.
If you are looking for a helmet I would suggest going to a store and trying it on for fit and function before you buy online. Also realise that the
helmet will form to your head, so buy it a little bit small, and it will expand to fit you. And whatever you do, buy one that fits correctly, in
motorcycling and even in autosport a majority of the head injuries are from improperly fited helmets, rather than the impact itself.
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john_p_b
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| posted on 18/9/05 at 03:26 PM |
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the shoei helmet i'm using now is XL (62cm) and that's a "snug" fit, pins the ears back a bit but isn't uncomfortable
really.
built a car, built a home, had a family. lost the family, lost the home, still got the car.
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ray.h.
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| posted on 18/9/05 at 03:48 PM |
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In theory all helmets are manufactured to the same standard as far as impact testing goes so how much you spend shouldn,t make any difference.What you
are paying for is fit, finish,features (vents etc) and light weight.Usualy the lighter it is the more you will pay.In my opinion fit is most important
followed by weight then all the other features are down to your choice.
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carnut
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| posted on 18/9/05 at 04:20 PM |
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If youve only got a $10 head buy a $10 helmet!
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steve_gus
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| posted on 18/9/05 at 04:34 PM |
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I started riding a bike a couple months back after a 25 year break and have done a whapping 115 miles so far 
I bought a cheapish 100 quid Vemar.
I had read up on the net how a helmet should fit - close, and slightly squeezing your cheeks - and made sure that it was a good fit for me.
So far, I have no objections.
I dont see why price should affect fit. Surely an expensive Arai and Shoei and whatever are made to fit the same heads as cheaper makes. You may get a
crap fit with an Arai and find that a cheap one fits better. Price need not dictate fit.
On the other hand, if cost has been saved by crap padding and internal fitments, that would be a factor.
I tried on several more expensive helmets, and could see no huge benefits - the Velmar fitted me and I saved 300 quid over the top priced ones. All
had the same level of approval.
One bit of strange info I did see on the net was some survey that reconed a helmet only helped survival by 50 percent. I would expect anything would
be better than nothing if you have come off and your head is about to hit the ground.
I would expect the greatest benefir to bikers would not be the quality of the helmet - rather the quality of their thinking. I see so many morons that
think overtaking thro the centre of two lines of traffic is the thing to do on a bike to save a couple seconds, or feel the buzz of the power. A
helmet will help none when you become a bonnet ordnament on a ford focus.
atb
steve
[Edited on 18/9/05 by steve_gus]
http://www.locostbuilder.co.uk
Just knock off the 's'!
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benji106
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| posted on 18/9/05 at 04:34 PM |
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My bike helmet cost about a hundred quid but meets the same standards as the more expensive ones, I think the blue sticker on the back is what your
looking for. some of the cheaper ones, sub 50 quid have a green sticker which i believe means they are not manufactured to as high a standard. the
more expensive helmets have such luxurys as removable washable linings, better vents etc.
-Everything in excess-
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Peteff
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| posted on 18/9/05 at 05:20 PM |
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I've just bought a new Premier helmet for £100. Carbon Kevlar composite it weighs half as much as my old Lazer helmet and is well vented with
better peripheral vision. It also has removable lining and quick release visor. Green sticker helmets are usually polycarbonate and should be changed
every couple of years.
yours, Pete
I went into the RSPCA office the other day. It was so small you could hardly swing a cat in there.
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john_p_b
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| posted on 18/9/05 at 05:49 PM |
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is a carbon/kevlar hemlet ok? there's a few premier helmets on ebay for around 60 quid.
built a car, built a home, had a family. lost the family, lost the home, still got the car.
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benji106
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| posted on 18/9/05 at 07:53 PM |
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careful buying online you want to make sure it fits properly and as previously stated sizes differ dependiing on make.
-Everything in excess-
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Triton
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| posted on 18/9/05 at 08:22 PM |
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Arai make the best helmets not the cheapest but then how much do you value your noggin
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steve_gus
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| posted on 18/9/05 at 09:26 PM |
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this comes back to my orignal question.
Assume they both fit.
Put a Arai and a lower cost unit, both with the same certifcation, on a 'test rider'. In the same given accident, how can it be quantified
that a smash to the head would have been so much more survivable if you spent 400 quid rather than 100.
Is there any hard evidence that a given rider in real life wouldnt have survived if he went cheapo?
Or is there an assumption that spending more is safer?
atb
steve
http://www.locostbuilder.co.uk
Just knock off the 's'!
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Gav
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| posted on 18/9/05 at 09:35 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Peteff
Green sticker helmets are usually polycarbonate and should be changed every couple of years.
Actually you should replace any helmet between 3-5 years, this is because the actual inner linning, or the soft bit that will absorb impact,
deteriates over time and its ability to absorb the impact between your skull and the outer hard lining is reduced.
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benji106
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| posted on 18/9/05 at 09:47 PM |
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also your supposed to replace your helmet if it recieves a knock, even just dropping it, unlikely as it is that you will hit the same spot if you fall
off/crash, if you do the damaged interior foam stuff wont protect your head even if the exterior of the helmet has returned to its original shape.
also its worth noting that some helmets only have one shell size, so the smaller sizes basically have more padding which means your field of vision is
reduced.
-Everything in excess-
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Peteff
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| posted on 18/9/05 at 10:29 PM |
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Actually you should replace any helmet between 3-5 years,
Which is why I've just changed mine as I ride a bike. If you are using it in a car I would think you are more interested in keeping crap off
your face as mentioned in the first post. If you have any kind of screen you will get away with a bit of a slack fit as the wind will not be trying
to rip it off your head like on a bike. Polycarbonate is affected by UV shortening its effective lifespan.
yours, Pete
I went into the RSPCA office the other day. It was so small you could hardly swing a cat in there.
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Simon
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| posted on 18/9/05 at 11:08 PM |
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Agree with the comments about crash test standard, and for that matter, note should also be made of various standard of protection offered by visors -
there are a few IIRC.
My Arai cost about £400 5 years ago and the reason I went with them is that they go way beyond stadard test procedures. EG take the sides (below ears
at the edge) of non Arai helmet and see if you can move them to toward each other. You will not move (much) those of an Arai. Also, if you drop your
Arai, they offer a free Xray check, the insides all come out for cleaning etc etc.
Gets what you pay for.
ATB
Simon
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zilspeed
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| posted on 19/9/05 at 09:39 AM |
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Get a type A - even if you think you'll never do any sort of motorsport. Because you will - eventually. It would be a crime to have a locost
and never at least sprint it.
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