Been looking at helmets!

[DottyDuck]

Well i have been looking at helmets and have been looking at the safety ratings and noticed this one

https://sharp.direct.gov.uk/testsratings/rst-fusion

now.. i may sound "old fashioned" but! how can someone sell this piece of rubbish that would be more or less useless and yet expect to charge that much?!!

surely these people have a conscience?!

[darthbuttchin]

Pervert, looking at helmets on the internet .

On topic - remember that Sharp ratings aren't the ratings used here (IIRC).

If it's in the shops, it's obviously passed the correct tests (I forget what it's called) to be able to be sold here.

It does seem wrong though, I agree, that a test can suggest it so poor, yet you pay over £100 for it.
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CG125-K1 (1978) - 35 years old and (mostly) going strong! (Restored and rebuilt by my own fair hands).
Call me Tomsk - I am the Flying Womble after all.

[Howling TerrorOutOfOffice]

Arai, possibly a helmet used the most in professional racing get poor Sharp ratings. Dainese and Schuberth (as used by Schumacher when he rode in the German superbike series) also get poor Sharp ratings.

Sometimes you can spot crappy helmets just by looking at them and trying them on. My old FM helmet had a visible line where the 2 halves were joined.
The Caberg helmet had a thinner(almost flimsy) visor. The paintwork chipped easily and the cheekpads lost firmness and their shape after 9 or so months. Still a decent helmet tho. (replacement cheekpads were quite expensive)
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[G]

[DottyDuck]

[G]

The problem is there's very little 'good' way to work out what makes a helmet a life saver or not.
And, indeed, one that works very well in one situation may be terrible in another.

Data is always going to be a massive guestimate until all helmets have 'black box' sensors in them which send back data from serious accidents, along with detailed CCTV to work out what happened.

A flip up helmet already will make it less safe for various reasons - heavier and more bits that could move.
Especially with a limited budget.

Me; I'd go second hand. But a lot of people don't like that.

What I can be sure of is that fit is very important - way more than Sharp tests.
So go and try on as many helmets as possible and get the one that fits best. An amazing rated helmet won't do the job if your head is bouncing around in it.

[Teflon-Mike]

[TheSmiler]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Nitro-F347-VN-Satin-Helmet-LARGE/dp/B006AQ4VWG

IF you can get it at any local shop I would try it on, great flip helmet not that heavy, built in sun visor and the vents actually work. Also includes the possibility to add pin lock visors. Although it apparently isn't safe to ride with it up.

I've got one (visor catch at the side broke) other than that its a great helmet and will be using it in the summer without the visor.
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CB125>CG125>GN125>ER5>K100RS>R1100RS>K100RS
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[Jim Mc]

[Paulington]

Hey Dottyduck.

I've always ignored SHARP ratings, if it's got the correct BSI/ECE-22.05 markings then it's going to "do it's job" so to speak, more important (if buying from a reputable shop) is the fit of the helmet and how it fits your head.

For example, I like AGV helmets but they just do not fit my head, same with Shoei, however, Arai helmets fit me fantastically so I get those. If it's being sold in a reputable shop and has the BSI/ECE-22.05 markings etc, you're good.

Personally I check helmets to see if they are rated to Snell standards, ones to look out for are Snell M2005/M2010 (For Motorcycle Helmets) and SA2005/SA2010. If they pass any of those standard then they will protect your head more than adequately.

As often quoted: "If you have a fifty quid head, buy a fifty quid helmet". Get the best helmet you can afford, however I mean best as in reaches the ECE/BSI/Snell standard (You don't need the FIA-8860 standard for the road) and fits you the best. If a £150 helmet fits you best, bloody get it! However if the helmet that fits you best is £300, don't cheap out for one that doesn't fit you properly, get the one that meets the standards above and fits you best, regardless of name or price. .

Cheers! .
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"Four wheels move the body, two wheels move the soul."
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CBT: 27/08/08. Theory: 04/09/09. Module 1: 16/09/09. Module 2: 01/10/09.

[j.silvs]

[daverave999]

The SHARP website actually tells you that they go and buy the helmet themselves from a shop so it's not the manufacturers themselves testing at all.
The animation here shows you how they test (multiple positions with multiple levels of force) so it seems to be a reasonable test of their protective capabilities.

[Rogerborg]

I believe that Josh is saying that because the SHARP methodology is published and consistent, that manufacturers can tweak their helmets to achieve good SHARP ratings.

Since that's the point of SHARP (ouch), I'm not seeing a problem with it.

[P.addy]

I am one cheap son of a bitch.

I buy cheap helmets if they fit well, my cheapest helmet was £10

[j.silvs]

Cool I stand corrected, thanks Roger

[Mark 37]

In your price bracket I would recommend this helmet.

https://www.motostorm.it/en/details.asp?articolo=4043&ref=Google¤cy=GBP

It comes with a pinlock insert. Fits (me) really well. Sharp rating of 5*.

It's downfall is the internal sun visor, it could do with being able to drop another centimetre. When the pinlock is fitted and you've been riding for an hour or so I find I sometimes get a drip of water run down the centre of the visor internally (caused by condensation). I've also found that its periferal vision is not as large as my old helmet (£200 LS2 helmet). You just need to turn your head a little more to compensate.


I would rate this helmet 4.5 out of 5. I've only really listed bad points, but the good far out ways them.

Cheers,

Mark
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No matter how fast light travels, darkness was always their first.

[Polarbear]

Go to a shop, try on helmets. Get one that fits you and you are comfortable with.

I have had helmets from just about every manufacturer going, some good, some not so good. Noisy & quiet etc. etc.

In the end I always gravitate back to top end HJC helmets because I find them the most comfortable helmets for me.

Others will find different and recommend a different brand but the final choice is yours. Remember, if it is sold in the UK it has passed the relevant tests/legislation. It doesn't mean a £500 quid Arai is not a better helmet than a £100 Nitro, It means it isn't necessarily a safer one.

Another thing, it takes time to get used to a helmet. What is comfortable in a shop can give you blinding headaches after an hour on a bike.
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Triumph Trophy Launch Edition

[Rogerborg]

[G]

I also had similar issues with the Caberg sun visor.

Incidentally, while I found the Caberg to be overly heavy which caused me other problems when not crashing...
I was initially sceptical of the flimsy feel of the shell. However, it did well when I crashed in it; and research suggests this flexible shell may well help, despite it's flimsy feel.

[Mark 37]

[Polarbear]

[Teflon-Mike]

[redfro]

Maybe I'm just expensive but to be honest, I wouldn't wanna buy a lid for under £100. You get what you pay for and personally, I go for the relatively expensive gear, especially for my head. Not ridiculous prices, but I wouldn't pay less than £150 for a new lid. Also hate the idea of the flip up, just cause it's a weak point in hitting the ground, but again. Personal preference.

[Dave-the-rave]

We like the old sayings eh? We're like robots...
''No smoke without fire''
''What goes around comes around''
''You get what you pay for''
etc.

The SHARP tests suggest we don't
always get what we pay for.

Like Heinz's baked beans.

Or helmets.

[Derivative]

I honestly find all of this worrying about helmet price rather moronic.

You're juggling axes and worrying about whether the blade is dirty.