Quick helmet question

Nath · World Chat Champion Joined: 28 Jul 2004 Karma :

Is it a legal requirement for a helmet to have a sticker on the back asserting it to have met one of the required standards?

I bought a helmet today, and just now decided to take the stickers off the back. The one with the EU standard info on it was big and white, and looked totally stupid on my all black helmet. However, it just occured to me that i might have made a mistake... Confused

Before the bike test, when the examiner checks over paperwork etc, does he check your helmet? And if so, does it have to have a sticker on it?

david916 · Renault 5 Driver Joined: 22 Jul 2004 Karma :

To comply with UK law your motorcycle helmet needs to have a minimum British Standard (BS Approval) which is denoted if you buy a new helmet by a Green sticker (lower standard - normally open face helmets or less expensive full face helmets ) or Blue sticker (higher standard - good quality helmets) on the back of the helmet, OR equivalent (which is a bit of a grey area as a fighter pilot's helmet might provide the equivalent degree of protection, but how do you prove it does and how do the police prove it doesn't!!). Obviously if you buy a well known helmet overseas (Arai, Shoei, Bell, etc) it won't be BS Approved and won't have a BS sticker (although it will probably have the country of origin's equivalent sticker), but so long as it is equal or superior to the minimum British Standard you are ok. However, it's best to go with something that has BS Approval to avoid falling foul of the law. You can get top of the range £1000+ Arai helmets (and others) that are designed for racing cars on a track, but they are not suitable for motorcycles on public roads as the visor aperture is too small (the helmet might withstand high impacts, but there is limited peripheral vision). Legally there is no need for the sticker to be on the helmet after you have bought it to ride on the road. The other sticker that you normally find on the back of a helmet (usually in conjunction with the Blue BS Approval one) is an ACU (Auto Cycle Union) Gold sticker signifying that the helmet is approved for racing. If you go on a Track Day most track day organisers require that this sticker is on the helmet before you can go on the track! To be on the safe side and for the best protection buy a well known helmet and the the most expensive one that you can afford and look for one with a Blue sticker and an Gold ACU sticker too. Cool

PS. If you bought your helmet off the shelf from a motorcycle shop in the UK it should be fine to use for your test (stickers or no stickers) and the examiner won't look at it too closely. Good luck with the test! Smile

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Ste · Not Work Safe Joined: 01 Sep 2002 Karma :

Have a look at this FAQ by T.C Thumbs Up

Nath · World Chat Champion Joined: 28 Jul 2004 Karma :

Cheers David Smile

I just bought an Arai RV from Hein-Gericke, so i'm pretty happy with the level of protection it'll give me. I just wondered wether i'd made a stupid mistake by taking the stickers off the back. In hindsight, it was stupid to remove the ACU Gold sticker, but i don't intend to do any racing so as long the examiner and the coppers are happy, then i am too Very Happy

JonB · Afraid of Mileage Joined: 03 Jun 2004 Karma :

Why would anybody want to take the gold sticker off? Myself I think it looks pretty cool. Confused

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mchaggis · World Chat Champion Joined: 09 May 2004 Karma :

Something which strikes me as odd is the fact that I notice more wind noise with the agv helmet I've just got, (£130 reduced from £210) than with the Nitro £50 lid I had before. It's possible I don't hear so much engine noise using the agv, hence notice the wind more, but it's very odd.

robbiehall · Renault 5 Driver Joined: 20 Jul 2003 Karma :

It's not odd at all. It is all to do with the shape, design and materials used for each helmet. Unfortunately the only way to find out what a helmet is like is to buy it and wear it. Well, sometimes RIDE will do a group test, but we all have different requirements so different helmets will fit people, ermm differently.
The shell may cover the ears one way or another way, the padding pass more noise, the visor gap be bigger. Dunno if there is a noise level test for helmets ???
Word of mouth is probably the best way.

Cheers
Rob
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