Would you buy or use a used helmet, or get a new one?

[mrlmd1]

I'm interested in how many on here would buy or use someone else's used helmet vs. going out and buying a new one.
If you decide to vote, add any comments you feel appropriate. Thanks.

[mr. softie]

I have used someone else's helmet on a few occasions as the need arose but generally try to avoid that. For one thing I wear a size XXXL and there are not a lot of OPH (other peoples helmets) that will even fit on my noggin. I would not buy an old helmet or a used helmet. A new helmet of recent manufacture is going to be most effective at it's given task of protecting your head, as the components age and become less effective over time and exposure. My $0.02

[mrlmd1]

From another thread on here, just in case you haven't been following the action, from another bike source confirming what I had said----echos my comment, my opinion--------

HELMETS

* Used helmets are worthless. Regardless of whether it fits you or not, do not count the price of a used helmet as part of the value of the bike. The owner may want to sell the helmet, either because it matches the bike or because (s)he is quitting motorcycling, but since you'll be throwing the helmet out (or, at absolute worst, keeping it as a pillion helmet), don't count its value towards the sale price of the bike.
* Used helmets are worthless because you cannot tell if they are damaged or not, and in many cases you don't know when they were made. (Snell-certified helmets should have a date-of-manufacture stamp -- look for one. It might be under the padded lining.) Even if they look good, used helmets might well be junk. Motorcycle helmets work by allowing a layer of expanded polystyrene (EPS) to crush, absorbing much of the force of an impact. Unless the hard outer shell is damaged, you cannot tell if the EPS inside is compressed or not. And even then, sometimes you can't -- covering damage with stickers is just as common with helmets as it is with plastic fairings.
* Furthermore, EPS becomes more brittle as it ages, and old/brittle EPS has only a small fraction of the original impact absorption abilities. And since you may not know when the helmet was made (who cares when the previous owner bought the thing), you don't know how "fresh" the EPS is. The EPS layer in helmets is also highly vulnerable to ultraviolet and chemical damage -- if, for example, the helmet's owner was in the habit of resting the helmet on the bike's gas tank, gas vapors from the fill cap have attacked and compromised the EPS lining. Or if the helmet was left out in the sun a lot, it could also be damaged from the ultraviolet component of sunlight. Arai (a leading helmet manufacturer) cites acidic sweat as a leading cause of premature EPS degradation. The EPS can also be compressed if the helmet is habitually rested on pointy objects like mirror-stalks or handlebars. The bottom line is, despite what the owner says, you do not know what condition the EPS liner is in, and the EPS liner is the vast majority of the helmet's crash protection.
* It's not worth the risk. Yes, in some cases, you can send the helmet back to the manufacturer to have it X-rayed. But that will only tell you if the EPS liner has been compressed, not if it has been chemically damaged. Since you'll never know for sure, buy yourself a good quality new helmet from a good quality manufacturer, and stay away from used helmets.
* And if you're still thinking of using a used helmet, realize that helmet fit is one of the most important criteria in selecting a helmet, and it's highly unlikely that a used helmet will fit you as well as one you get from a shop, where you actually get to try different sizes and brands. (Shapes vary subtly by manufacturer; some manufacturers' helmets will fit you better than others.) And if that isn't enough, helmets tend to break in as the padded liner conforms to the unique shape of the wearer's head. You have a different-shaped head than the seller. Get your head its very own new helmet.

[alanmcorcoran]

New.

3 reasons:

1) Helmet might have already got it's one bite.
2) The ick factor
3) I have more money than God.


(Note to literalists [especially those that reamed me out over "my" boat.] I don't actually know how much money God has. I'm just guessing.)

[mrlmd1]

Hijack warning, Hijack warning.

Watch out for ER reaming you out for #2- the ICK factor, saying you are being insulting and demeaning to the previous owner for insinuating that the helmet might be TAINTED. Refer to other thread.

Hijack warning over.

[music man]

Originally Posted by alanmcorcoran

3) I have more money than God.


(Note to literalists [especially those that reamed me out over "my" boat.] I don't actually know how much money God has. I'm just guessing.)

That is probably because you scammed God out of his money already :popcorn: :lol: :poke2: .

[alanmcorcoran]

Originally Posted by mrlmd1

Watch out for ER reaming you out for #2- the ICK factor, saying you are being insulting and demeaning to the previous owner for insinuating that the helmet might be TAINTED. Refer to other thread.

Yeah, I seen it. Someone else said, perhaps more constructively, that they can be washed, which I should look into for mine. They say the same thing about bowling shoes, but I'm still not wearing them.

I was thinking "If I really watched out for possible reaming, I'd probably never post anything on this site." Maybe that's why I'm the most prolific poster. Or I just crave attention. Joined Facebook recently to promote a concert series - it's been taking up a lot of my Internet time wasting time. But things seem to have come to a boil over here. Hardly about bikes anymore.

[alanmcorcoran]

Back on the the topic of helmets:

I have bought three so far, two for me and one for my wife. (I have a "full" and a 3/4.) I think I paid about $170-180 for the full, and maybe $20 or $50 less than that for the 3/4. Full is an HJC, the 3/4 a Scorpion.

Ennyhoo, when I bought the first one, which was at the dealership I grossly overpaid for my GZ, I was surprised (almost shocked) to see helmets (SHOEI?) for, like $900, and higher.

Do any of you guys have a $900 helmet? Are they worth it? Tell me why I'd want to get one.

I know some of them have radios or bluetooth, but I don't think these one's did.

[adrianinflorida]

Originally Posted by alanmcorcoran

Back on the the topic of helmets:

I have bought three so far, two for me and one for my wife. (I have a "full" and a 3/4.) I think I paid about $170-180 for the full, and maybe $20 or $50 less than that for the 3/4. Full is an HJC, the 3/4 a Scorpion.

Ennyhoo, when I bought the first one, which was at the dealership I grossly overpaid for my GZ, I was surprised (almost shocked) to see helmets (SHOEI?) for, like $900, and higher.

Do any of you guys have a $900 helmet? Are they worth it? Tell me why I'd want to get one.

I know some of them have radios or bluetooth, but I don't think these one's did.

Thise were probably 300-500 Shoei's with the standard dealer (i.e. we can add it to your finanacing package) markup. The local dealer that got out of everything except Honda (Since Honda has it's own finance company) was unloading Suzuki Shoei helmets for $125 (No XXL left, didn't buy) and Suzuki AGV leather jackets for $49 (I bought 2)

In the world of motorcycle dealers accesories departments, markup is huuuuuuuuuuge.

[music man]

Originally Posted by alanmcorcoran

Back on the the topic of helmets:

I have bought three so far, two for me and one for my wife. (I have a "full" and a 3/4.) I think I paid about $170-180 for the full, and maybe $20 or $50 less than that for the 3/4. Full is an HJC, the 3/4 a Scorpion.

Ennyhoo, when I bought the first one, which was at the dealership I grossly overpaid for my GZ, I was surprised (almost shocked) to see helmets (SHOEI?) for, like $900, and higher.

Do any of you guys have a $900 helmet? Are they worth it? Tell me why I'd want to get one.

I know some of them have radios or bluetooth, but I don't think these one's did.

I just can't imagine any helmet being worth that, I could see 3 hundred or so for a custom painted one (if you are into that kind of thing, which i am not) but 900 (or more for that matter) is ridiculous.