If you knew then what you now know

[Gz Rider]

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[mole2]

Originally Posted by Gz Rider

It sounds like it did its job. What didn't you like about its performance and what did you go looking for in your next helmet?

I bought an inexpensive black modular helmet off eBay to match the bike. I now have a Vega white modular helmet. I bought it before I bought the white bike. It's much more visible which is the change I wanted. It cost four times the first helmet and still under $200. I wish I could afford a top helmet like Shoei but it's not in the cards right now. The first helmet did do it's job. The hit was strong enough to break one of the latches...the second latch held - and I wasn't even moving that fast. I low sided at around 18mph coming out of a curve in the BRC class. lol It had just started to rain (the dangerous point as the oil rises up) and as I rolled the throttle the rear wheel kicked out. Down I went and banged my head on the ground as well as damaging my right shoulder. That was two years ago and the shoulder still bothers me. The bike had to be lifted off of me as my right leg was pinned to the ground. Oh well...lesson learned.

[Water Warrior 2]

[quote=Gz Rider]

Originally Posted by "Water Warrior":1zxt3inp

GZ Rider, sounds like you met an idiot pretending to be a salesperson.

The salesman was very good at sizing and was the helmet specialist for a sizable Honda dealership.

What did he fail to tell me regarding safety?[/quote:1zxt3inp]
Not exactly a fail in safety but what he said about different testing groups. It was quite wrong. Helmets can meet both DOT and Snell requirements and still be relatively moderate in price. Higher priced helmets are usually known for the material used in the shell for a light weight and the materials/padding inside for a more comfy fit. A better overall seal against rain and wind noise. The higher the price tag the better the material and hardware especially the shield seal and modular latches.
A really high dollar helmet such as the F1 drivers wear can be a $15000 touch but saves their head once and is likely tossed out. Their helmets have a newer unique interior padding material that cushions the driver's head very effectively.

[greatmaul]

I got a snell helmet new on ebay for relatively cheap ($69) I like the color (blue/white) but I really wish I had gotten a high-viz neon one. The high-viz neon helmets never seem to be the cheap ones, though.

I wouldn't feel comfortable with a shell if it didn't have the snell certification.

on a side note, wtf is with all the black helmets?? Every single time I find a helmet I like, it comes in either matt black or gloss black. I mean, in this day and age... is it that hard to make a piece of plastic that isn't jet black? Somewhere, Henry Ford is snickering at me right now.

[alantf]

Mine is matt black, but it's paintable (there's a notice on it) If you want something different, why not buy one of those, and a rattle can? You can get rattle cans of high vis nowadays.

[Gz Rider]

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[Gz Rider]

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[Gz Rider]

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[alantf]

Originally Posted by greatmaul

I wouldn't feel comfortable with a shell if it didn't have the snell certification.

?????????? Over here there's no snell or dot. Everything from helmets to tea strainers has to have the CE mark, to show it's been manufactured to European Union standards. That means that every helmet, regardless of price has to be made to minimum standards. Of course, the higher priced ones may be different, but even the cheapest has to meet the required standard. Mine's an Airoh. You can't get them in America, because of the Snell/Dot thing, but they're still a good helmet, sold in all the EU countries, that appears to do its job efficiently.

[greatmaul]

Originally Posted by Gz Rider

They might be trying to sell it to me. I agree that neon is more visible and I understand your choice. To be honest, my choice is to try to look cool, I need all the help I can get! I do understand the higher level of risk that involves.

:rawk:
Ok I totally understand that. I mean, sometimes people get all up into safety and try to pretend that they don't want to look cool on a motorcycle, but the truth is that's a big big factor. You could end up with multiple gear "outfits" with the super-viz/super armor for commuting or the freeway, and the kevlar jeans and leather jacket for cruising around.

As far as Snell vs DOT, from LeatherUp.com:

There are two key differences between a DOT- and Snell-approved helmet. First, is the testing standards the helmets go through, and second, is the verification of the results.

Although their testing process is very similar, SMF requires their certified helmets to withstand a greater impact and absorb more force than the DOT standards.

Both standards drop the head forms on flat and hemispherically shaped anvils in order to simulate different types of impacts. However, Snell also uses an edged anvil that specifically tests the integrity of the helmet's shell.

DOT and Snell test each helmet two times at four different impact zones. DOT drops their helmets from a 6-foot height on the flat anvil and from a 4.5-foot height on the hemispherical anvil. Snell on the other hand, drops the helmets from a 10-foot and 7.5-foot height on both anvils, which simulates a more severe impact.

While there's no guarantee a DOT-approved helmet has actually been tested, the purchase of a Snell-approved lid ensures that the product has been evaluated under scrutiny. A Snell-certified helmet also meets and exceeds the DOT standards.

And from the horse's mouth, here is a very interesting if somewhat technical article from the Snell Memorial Foundation about the differences in testing between themselves and the DOT:
http://smf.org/docs/articles/dot

in part it says:

DOT certification is done on the honor system. The helmet's manufacturer determines whether his helmets satisfy DOT and then claims the qualification for himself. There is not even a reporting requirement. The government does contract for some spot check testing at commercial and private labs but not very much.

Snell Certification means that Snell technicians in Snell labs tested samples of the helmet to Snell Standards before the helmet was certified.