Dropped helmet, should I replace??

[cc123]

Ok, not once but twice now....

It's my own stupid fault but I've managed to drop my helmet on 2 occasions. Yesterday when out riding, I stopped to warm my hands up. I sat my helmet on the pillion seat and it stayed put for about 5 mins till the vibrations of a passing truck knock it off. It's got to aero-type-fins running over the top of it, it landed on these and bounced up which is when I caught it.

This is the second time this has happened. Do you think 2 impacts from this height has damaged my lid!? It's a nice matte blue finish but being less than a year old, it's starting to look tatty with some marks and the fins have cracked a little. It's an FM helmet and quite easily the best fit I tried on.

Time for another one??
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[Akiraprise]

to be honest I don't really think it needs to be replaced if fallen off the bike twice, it might've made a tiny bit of damage to the helmet, but for that tiny bit to make a difference you probably wouldn't be walking again.

Quite a few of my friends have had their helmets fall off their bikes, and not replaced, but if you want to be really cautious then go for it, it seems like it's been well looked after anyway.

Try putting the helmet on the tank in between the screen, it's well protected there

[MarJay]

[cc123]

Maybe time to get a new one then. Don't plan falling off but want my head to be protected.
Think I'll avoid the matte finish ones, nightmare to keep new looking.
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[binge]

To be really honnest, I wouldnt bother replacing.
The only reason I replaced my red HJC lid was because when I fliped my scooter I riped all the air vents off the front of my lid and totally screwed the visor up!
It was cheaper to buy a new lid than to p1ss around sending off for vents and visors!

I drop my lid a few times a day

Unless it really went down with a thud, I really wouldnt bother because when a helmet is in a crash, The impact is much higher and the chances of hiting that part of your head again then theres no point really.

Just my :penny. But hey what do I know, I ride a scooter...

<|Ben|>

[cc123]

I thought just one decent thud is enough to damage the inside of the helmet though?

Just pissed me right off with the little cracks on the fins
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[jay12329]

Think back to you CBT, one drop from waste height on to solid ground and it should be replaced after 2 i would def replace it. I did the same with my first lid and replaced ti as soon as i could.
If it protected your nuts would you want to take any chances?
J

[mchaggis]

How much of this is scaremongering by the manufacturers to boost their sales? The fact that there is nothing inside the helmet to compress the lining would lead me to believe that it'd have to be a pretty hard impact to weaken/ crack the shell. Of course, I don't know about this kind of thing, but I imagine most experts are hired by the manufacturers, and wouldn't give you a proper unbiased point of view.
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[ginguar]

The teach you in your CBT what you should do not what people actually do including the instructors themselves. I asked my dad, who is an instructor, whether I should replace my helmet after falling of my bike and head butting the floor (bloody ice) he said that if it has not scratches or cracks etc don't bother. At the end of the day it is up to you but personally I would wait until the recommended 2-3 years of use.

[Kickstart]

Hi

Personally there are 2 main items of safety on a helmet. The outer shell which provides basic protection and keeps the inner protection in place. The inner lining protects the brain and provides a small amount of deceleration space for the head by compressing.

The lining compressing is pretty much the end of the helmet, and you cannot really check it yourself. However my personal feeling is that without a severe drop the lining is only going to compress if there is something heavy inside the helmet when it is dropped.

The outer shell is really strong. For example, take an old helmet and beat hell out of it with a hammer. You will be unlikely to break the outer shell.

At the end of the day it is your choice, but it is probably worth thinking about a new one now.

All the best

Keith
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[Scotsman37]

You only replace it if it's really badly chipped or has a definite crack in the shell of the helmet and also if the fitting of the helmet no longer gives a tight fitting when worn to stop side ways movement.

Helmets are very strong indeed but you do get cheap crappy ones made of plastic and in that case I would definitely change to a fibreglass version as a minimum choice as they resist being so easily damaged due to the meshing & bonding material used to create shell off the helmet.

[cc123]

It is fibre glass I'm sure. The only part off the helmet to crack is the fins that run over the top of the helmet and they are only glued into place. There is no added wind noise or vibration but the helmet looks tatty now because it's a matte blue finish. Seemed like a good idea at the time but it's been a bugger to keep un-marked since I got it. Will be looking out for a new one me thinks but it's all money. £90 recently on R&G bungs.....
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[Scotsman37]

[cc123]

J&S is my usual place to buy bike gear but I might just take a trip in for a look.
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[Finglonga]

The only reason manafacturers say replace a helmet after its been dropped, is that every drop is different and they don't want to have lawsuits against them. Any drop can cause the shell to be weakened even if there is no outside sign of damage.
Poly carb helmets are not too bad but fibreglass can have hairline fractures in the laminates and may split quicker on impact after they have been dropped.

Bear in mind if you are doing 30mph and have a head on with a car doing 30mph thats an impact speed of 60mph.
So if theres any chance of the helmet bieng damaged I would replace it for a new one.
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[kev98]

I belive i read somewhere that just dropping your helmet Shouldn't mean it wont work in an accident but the helmet companies just say it to cover their backs.

[cc123]

Ok, new lid time! I've also been recently told my FM lid is really a budget helmet but was easily the best fitting out of all the helmets I tried...

Any recommendations? I've been looking at some AGV lids that look that part...
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[slowarse]

i've read a few reports on the subject, and they say a few drops from a low height like that shouldn't damage the helmet !

it depends on how much are you spending on a new lid ! agv's are good just make sure you get one that's a good fit for your headshape !!

[jay12329]

I've had 2 AGV's both extreamly loud and quite heavy compared to my new Shoie.
HTH
J

[cc123]

Yes, but how much did you pay for you Shoei?
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[jay12329]

£300. You can get the non race reps for £200 now.
J

[cc123]

Well, have seen nice a Shoei helmet for £220, not tried it on yet. The only thing is the wide variety out there. As I said, the FM was by far the best fit out of any helmet I tried at the time. Not in any great rush I suppose but probably best to shop around before getting a replacement...
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[Scotsman37]

I'd rather get a helmet that allows the visor to be removed by pushing in a clip because the visors on AGV helmets have to be pulled off. I remember that AGV was going create a support page later on dedicated to show people how to safely remove the visor as no one could could figure out how to remove it back then when they came out!

Here's a consumer review of helmets bought;

https://www.spods.demon.co.uk/ipt/helmet.html

[mchaggis]

Yep, the visor on my AGV is a bit of a bugger till you get used to it, and even then it's a nervewracking process, having two tiny little plastic tabs holding it in. AGVs are also pretty noisy, at least V-Flyers seem to be.
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[jon88]

you are alright to drop a lid with a PLASTIC SHELL aslong as there is no impact inside the helmet etc running into a wall with it on but if it is a decent helmet most are advanced fibre composite or fibreglass this will crack or damage so you need 2 replace it
tho still not 2 sure if u droped it on the plastic air-vent things
i would replace just 2 be on the safe side