how to selet a helmet

[pathfinderjoe]

Before you buy your next helmet you may want to consider some of the info in this review.


http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/gearbox/motorcycle_helmet_review/index.html

 

[fastfraser]

Great article. :thumbup: Thanks for the post .

 

[BajaRon]

Exactly! The boiled down conclusion of this article and many others is; Snell rating on a MC helmet is NOT a good thing!

It all comes down to marketing. I deal in a lot of helmets and the ignorance factor between customer and reality is HUGE!

Why!? In a nutshell, marketing. The dynamics of head/helmet is something that most people are just not well versed in. Add to this the negative aspect of really researching such a subject and you end up with a large vacuum.

A Snell rated helmet is more expensive to build so they cost more. And you get what you pay for.... Right? Well, you do get a more expensive lid, but is that the criteria? Or is the criteria maximum protection? Can a less expensive helmet actually give you better protection? The answer is a definite maybe.

The cold hard facts in the real world of head injury do not support the Snell rating. Now if you are going to take a hit in the Snell laboratory using their testing methods then yes, by all means I'd certainly recommend you wear a Snell rated helmet.

But if you fall off your motorcycle in the real world, then the answer is definitely NO! You're better off with a well made DOT only rated helmet. And really, the facts are irrefutable. Makes you wonder how Shell is able to hold such sway with the public which drives the helmet manufacturers to build a more expensive, less safe, Snell rated helmet and proclaim that it is more safe.

It is a shame. I've been attempting to educate customers for over 12 years and it has been a losing battle. And you can't blame them. Why listen to some smuck salesperson and not a huge R&D company like Snell?

But the independent research out there has become abundant over the years and that has begun to take hold.

Articles like this one proclaim that the truth is, Snell standards (while exellent in some applications like auto racing) are not the way to go with a MC helmet.

 

[irish2themax]

This has nothing to do with protection but it does have to do with pain and suffering.

One of the things a lot of people don't consider is the weight of the helmet. Not a big deal on short trips but on my cross-country trip in May I wore a full face helmet. Felt safe but ended up with two misaligned vertebrae and a pinched nerve in my neck. A heavy helmet over long periods will take its toll.

 

[BajaRon]

Some people are more susceptible to helmet weight than others. I don't do well with weight on my head but I like a full face helmet. So I'm always looking at the weight.

Others can wear a cinder block on their head all day long and not seem to notice (Lamont comes to mind).

Wish I could do that but I can't.

 

[irish2themax]

Others can wear a cinder block on their head all day long and not seem to notice (Lamont comes to mind).

I thought the cinder block WAS his head!! :roflblack:

Sorry Lamont pps: