How old is your helmet?

[Whosthedaddy]

I was always under the impression that a lid will potentially fatigue through UV and wear and tear and should be replaced every 2 years or so?

Is this just a marketing ply to get you to buy a new lid?

Is it mainly aimed at FB or plastic lids?

My Shoei XR1000 is 3 years old now and still just as comfy as the day I bought it. Why the fec would I spend another £300+ on a new lid when this one hasn't even a scratch on it?

Anyone actually change their lids routinely or just when crashed (or not even when thay happens)?
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Current : MSX 125 Past : CBR 900RR Monkeybike : c50 LAC : ZXR750 H2 : FZR600 : ZX7R P3 : YW100 : TRX850: Trophy 900 T309 : GSXR 600 L0: Monkeybike : XJ6S Whosthedaddy

[N cee thirty]

had mine a year,crappy aldi one but still got the safety marks

going to try and get my mum to get me a new one,say this ones not gonna save my life or summat
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'00 Aprilia RS50 > '92 Honda CG > '99 Yamaha Fazer > '91 Yamaha RXS > '79 Suzuki X5 > 01' Honda Cg > 07' Honda Cg > 82' Kawasaki Z200 > suzuki gsxr 400 gk73a > honda vfr 400 NC30 Mod 2 Passed 09/06/2011

Jewlio Iglesias wrote: I actually did vote BNP once

[Ol]

had my carbon HJC HQ-1 for 3 / 4 years... still fit's spot on and is as light as any new helmets i've seen so i'll stick with it for now. Would change it if i had loads of money floating about, but i dont, so i wont !

https://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:krQIJhwYU9TUXM:https://www.motorbikecrazy.com/acatalog/hjc-hq1.jpg&t=1
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Previous: Cub50, NRG50, TS50, YB100, CB125, NSR125, ZZR600, CBF1000, SV650s, ZX6R B1H, XT250, Mito Powered Crosser, WRF450, , FZ600, VN800, GSXR600 - Currently CB1000R

[DrDonnyBrago]

I thought it was every 5 years.

Anyway, I have had an AGV GP tech about a year, only worn it about 10 times though as it didn't really fit me in the first place.

Had my HJC FG-15 about 6 months.

[Paxovasa]

I have had my current lid for 3 years and still going strong. My spare lid is 7 years old and I loan it to pillions if it fits them.
I don't believe the two year rule, I think it is a ploy

Current lid... https://t0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS02GOzikL9KHzx3kbATY5_MBV76oDjYnl6VdcNKaCYnWftGeg&t=1&usg=__V-91Gt9Pj1i1Q2nhvg8-Fo5MnB0=
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Suzuki GSF600 K3 (in the fastest colour, black).

[MarJay]

You are supposed to change polycarbonate shell lids after three years, and fibreglass ones after five years.

Not sure about Carbon Fibre.
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British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F; Cheap project: CBR900RR FireBlade
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[Whosthedaddy]

[N cee thirty]

mines lasted quite well to say it was 20 odd quid

only thing i changed was the visor as the other got quite scratched

lulz at helmet v axe
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'00 Aprilia RS50 > '92 Honda CG > '99 Yamaha Fazer > '91 Yamaha RXS > '79 Suzuki X5 > 01' Honda Cg > 07' Honda Cg > 82' Kawasaki Z200 > suzuki gsxr 400 gk73a > honda vfr 400 NC30 Mod 2 Passed 09/06/2011

Jewlio Iglesias wrote: I actually did vote BNP once

[FLV]

[gmanxiii]

Suspect its probably a marketing ploy to get you to buy a new one, although I think the polystyrene in them does get more brittle with age. If you think about it, some helmets might sit on a shelf at a shop for a year or two before getting bought. Which means that if the rule applies these would need replacing by a buyer after a year or so to make up the 3 years. If it was that important the lids would carry a manufactured date or best before...
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I kills hondas

VFR400NC30 > ZZR600 > CBR600FX > CBR1000rr

[kawashima]

[pepperami]

[colin1]

Over the years, I have had different attitudes to helmets. When I first got a bike, I had to get a new helmet. An HJC not the cheapest, not the priciest. Then I did a test ride of a bike at the NEC bike show, and they let me use an Arai Astro R. Great helmet. Then I decided that you could get second hand premium helmets with little use from people who do occasional weekend use put replace once a year. I also couldnt see the point in patterned helmets as solid colours look better.

I got a second hand Astro R, but daily use of a solid colour helmet, meant this premium lid ended up looking a little less good due to little marks.

I was in an accident with a head impact, that scraped the back of the helmet, so got money for a fresh one, and got another astro R with a pattern. I was a bit miffed they no longer did the original solid colour, but soon found the pattern covered up little marks.

About this time, I decided that the biggest reason for replacing a helmet, is the polystyrene which does all the energy absoprtion, gets squished every time you take the helmet on and off. Thats why after a year or so of regular use, it becomes a looser fit. Looser fit means less protection.

So now I use an old lid or a cheaper commuter lid for around town low speed stuff, and save the good lid for fast speed stuff, where the the comfier vents etc make more of a difference on a long run.

I've also realised the merits of helmet bags. If you only take it out of the bag, before you are about to put it on, and put it back in immediately afterwards, you cant really mark the lid. Its so easy to mark a lid otherwise.

So my views in a nutshell- the outer shell of a helmet is tough and isnt the reason for frequent helmet replacing. The important bit of a helmet, is the cheapest bit, the polystyrene, and it becomes looser with use, in particular the taking off and putting on.

So on that basis, frequently replacing a cheap lid that gets a lot of use, and having a good lid for higher speed stuff and longer journey times, is the best solution for me.

When I say frequent, I mean once every year or two, whereas the good lid, I'd be happy to replace only once every 5-10 years.
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colin1 is officially faster than god

[MarJay]

[ThoughtContro...]

The main thing you'd worry about aging is the Polycarbonate shell. With time it becomes brittle,

https://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb3367/is_9_49/ai_n45099881/

I don't know how well the resin used in Fibre Glass ages. I'd guess in both cases they err on the side of safety by a large margin for the 2/5 year replacement guideline. A carbon lid is likely to be the same as glass fibre unless they use a resin like epoxy with different aging properties.

With Carbon and other hi-tech laminates being used in aviation I'd be curious if the same age related replacement guidelines exist, a la "OMFG the carbon spar of your glider wing is x years old, replace it or you'll fall out of the sky!!111" type of thing.
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Prize cunt
--
"In a world of universal deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act" - George Orwell

[Kickstart]

Hi

Think years ago it was recommended to replace any lid every 2 years. Seems to be a bit stretched now (although I think ACU rules for racing might specify 2 years old at most), but probably depends a lot on how it is treated.

Polycarbonate lids are VERY strong. For impact resistance to the outer shell I suspect far stronger than grp. People can smash grp lids with a hammer quite easily while polycarbonate ones will take hours of bashing (seen it done) without a crack. However that resistance to damage might not be the best thing to absorb an impact without passing on much to the wearer. Also polycarbonate lids can be easily damaged by solvents (such as petrol).

My current lid probably is 5 years old and I probably should replace it.

All the best

Keith
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Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[colin1]

[Kris]

Ladies, calm it.

Seeing as I have an accident roughly every 3 years I don't think I'll ever suffer the problem of age-related issues.
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NSR125RR - ZXR750H1 - ZX9R E1 - GSF600S - GSF600SK3 - VFR400-NC30 - SV1000N - ST1100-R - CBR900RR-R - GSF1200SK5 - GSF600SK1 - VFR1200FA - GSXR1000K2 - ZZR1400 D8F
www.prisonplanet.com

[27cows]

12 years old. I have two new lids, one that I bought myself, one of which was a gift. But I like my old Shoei. It's comfortable. All this cobblers about replacing a lid every X number of years is nonsense. Even a lid that's been dropped a dozen times will very likely save your life. If you're unlucky, a brand new top of the range one won't stop you being killed or suffering brain damage. I all comes down to how you impact with whatever you hit.

BTW, most good quality lids do carry a manufacture date.
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The RXS100: vehicle of choice for Chuck Norris

[ollieholt]

[colin1]

Yeah people worry if they drop their helmet its weakened, but unless they were using it at the time to carry a few tins of beans, the energy absorbing polystrene, which does the work, would be fine(in my opinion not necessarily Marjays). The outershell just spreads the force over a wider area, the real work to protect your head, is the polystyrene that cushions the blow(in my opinion not necessarily Marjays). Thats the weak link in the chain(in my opinion not necessarily Marjays). The bit that can be degraded in use(in my opinion not necessarily Marjays).

I think that helmets are designed to be able to absorb one big impact, and after that, the resilience of the polystyrene is compromised(in my opinion not necessarily Marjays). Its been squished too much and doesnt fully return to its original shape(in my opinion not necessarily Marjays).
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colin1 is officially faster than god

[Kickstart]

[rac3r]

Where does it say when you need to replace? I've had my Marushin 2/3 years
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Bikes : 2006 CBR125R - 2004 Monster 620ie - 2004 ZX-6R B1H - 2005 Monster S2R 800 - 2011 Street Triple - 2009 Streetfighter 1098 - 2014 ZX-6R 636

[colin1]

[Ariel Badger]