Facts about Motorcycle helmetsMotorcycle helmet is a type of protective headgear used by motorcycle riders. The primary goal of a motorcycle helmet is safety; to protect the riders head during impact, thus preventing or reducing head injury. Some helmets provide additional conveniences, such as ventilation, face shields, ear protection, intercom, etc. Lawrence of Arabia on a Brought Superior ss100t. Had a fatal crash on a narrow road near his cottage near Wareham. The accident occurred because a dip in the road obstructed his view of two boys on bicycles, swerving to avoid them, Lawrence lost control and thrown over the handlebars. He was not wearing a helmet, and suffered serious head injuries which left him in a coma; he died after six days in hospital. One of the doctors attending him was the neurosurgeon Hugh Cairns. He consequently began a long study of what he saw as the unnecessary loss of life by motorcycle dispatch riders through head injuries and his research led to the use of crash helmets by both military and civilian motorcyclists.
As a consequence of treating Lawrence, Sir Hugh Cairns ultimately saved the lives of many motorcyclists.
LAWS AND STANDARDSIn some countries, most notably the United States, there is some opposition to compulsory helmet use; not all USA states have a compulsory helmet law. Worldwide, many countries have defined their own sets of standards that are used judge the effectiveness of a motorcycle helmet in an accident, and define the minimal acceptable standard there of. Among them are: Snell, DOT, ANSI and many others. The most popular standard in the USA is the Snell standard.
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Click on the helmet page and you will be able to select different colors and sizes. Click the next page for more selections. You will be opening a page to WSP so you can see more selections of helmets.
WHAT IS SNELL?
William “Pete” Snell was a amateur auto racer. He died needlessly in a racing event in 1956 when his then state-of-the-art helmet utterly failed to protect him. In memory of Pete a number of friends, colleagues and fellow racers including Dr. George Snively, formed the Snell Memorial Foundation to try to improve helmet design and capabilities, and to encourage the development and use of truly protective helmets.
WHY WEAR A HELMET?
Auto racing, motorcycling, bicycling, skiing and any activity that incorporates speed, agility and a head all impose risks of head injury leading to death or permanent disability. Helmets are the single most effective means of preventing these injuries.
Why Should I Replace My Helmet Every 5 Years?The five year replacement recommendation is based on a consensus by both the helmet manufactures and the Snell Foundation. Glues, resins and other materials used in helmet production over time can affect liner materials.
Hair oils, body fluids and cosmetics, as well as normal “wear and tear” all contribute to helmet degradation. Thus the recommendation for five year helmet replacement is a judgment call stemming from a prudent safety philosophy.
HOW DO YOU TEST A HELMET? HIT PEOPLE ON THE HEAD?
Not anymore. Actually the testing of helmets is a rather straightforward process. It has been decided that testing needs to replicate possible stresses the helmet might see in a wide variety of incidents rather than to try to duplicate a real life incident. A helmet is tested for a variety of criteria: retention strength, stability (how well the helmet will stay on), the penetration resistance, chin guard strength, face shield integrity, and most importantly impact energy management. Helmet testing is a destructive process meaning that all tested helmets are destroyed during the testing process.
BASIC TYPES OF HELMETSThere a five basic types of helmets intended for motorcycling. All of these types of helmets are secured by a chin strap, and their protective benefits are greatly reduced, if not eliminated, if the chin strap is not securely fastened so as to maintain a snug fit.
A full face helmet covers the entire head, with a rear that covers the base of the skull, and a protective section over the front of the chin. Such helmets have a open cutout in a band across the eyes and nose, with a plastic face shield (which may be clear or tinted) that generally swivels up and down to allow access to the face. Many full face helmets include vents to increase the airflow to the rider. The attraction of these helmets is their protectiveness. Some critics dislike the increased heat, sense of isolation, lack of wind, and alleged lack of hearing of such helmets. Studies have shown that full face helmets offer the most protection to motorcycle riders because 35% of all crashes showed major inpact on the chin-bar area.
Membership PricingClick on the helmet page and you will be able to select different colors and sizes. Click the next page for more selections. You will be opening a page to WSP so you can see more selections of helmets.
OFF ROAD/MOTOCROSS
A motocross helmet showing the elongated sun visor and chin bar has clearly elongated chin and visor portions, a chin bar, and partially open face to give the rider extra protection while wearing goggles. The visor is to keep the sun out of the eyes of the rider when he or she goes off jumps. Originally, off -road helmets did not include a chin bar, with riders using a face mask to fend off dirt and debris from the nose and mouth. Modern off-road helmets include a chin bar to provide some facial impact protection in addition to protection from flying dirt and debris. When properly combined with goggles, the result provides most of the same protection features of a full face street helmet.
MODULAR OR FLIP-UP
When fully assembled and closed, they resemble full face helmets by bearing a chin bar for absorbing face impacts. Its chin bar may be pivoted upwards (or, in some cases, may be removed) by a lever to allow access to most of the face, as in an open face helmet. The rider may thus eat, drink, or have a conversation without unfastening the chinstrap and removing the helmet, make them popular among motor officers. Modular helmets are designed to be worn in the closed position for riding, as the movable chin bar is designed as a convenience feature, useful while not actively riding. The curved shape of an open chin bar and face shield section can cause increased wind drag during riding, as air will not flow around an open modular helmet in the same way as a three-quarters helmet. Since the chin-bar section also protrudes further from the forehead than a three-quarters visor, riding with the helmet in the open position may pose increased risk of neck injury in a crash.
OPEN FACE OR ¾
Open face helmets or ¾ helmets have a rear which also covers the back of the skull, but lacks the lower chin bar of the full face helmet, and does not necessarily include a face shield. Many offer visors of selectable length which may be used by the rider to reduce sunlight glare. An open face helmet provides the same rear protection as a full face helmet, but little protection to the face, even from non crash events. Bugs, dust or even wind to the face and eyes can cause rider discomfort or injury. As a result, it is not uncommon ( and in some states, it is required by law) for riders to wear wrap-around sunglasses or goggles to supplement eye protection with these helmets. Many open face helmets include, or can be fitted with, a face shield extending over the upper portion of the face to protect the eyes.
HALF HELMET
Half helmets, also referred to as “shorty” have essentially the same front design as an open face helmet but with a raised rear. The half helmet provides the minimum coverage generally allowed by law in the U.S. As with the open face, it is not uncommon to augment this helmets eye protection through other means. Unlike open face and full face helmets, half helmets are also prone to shifting and sometimes coming off the riders head during an accident. Because of their inferiority compared to other helmet styles, some motorcycle safety foundations courses prohibit the use of half helmets during riding exercises.
CONSTRUCTION
Modern helmets are constructed from plastics. Premium helmets are sometimes reinforced with Kevlar or carbon fiber. They generally have fabric and foam interiors for both comfort and protection. Motorcycle helmets are generally designed to break in a crash (thus expending the energy otherwise destined for the wearers skull), so they provide little or no protection after their first impact. Note, that impacts may, of course, come from things other than crashing, such as dropping a helmet, and may not cause any externally visible damage. For the best protection, helmets should be replaced after any impact, and every 3 or so years even if no impact is known to have occurred.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A $100 DOLLAR AND $400 DOLLAR SNELL HELMET?
While helmets are primarily a protective device, the true protective capabilities of a helmet, if needed will only come into play for about 2 to 4 milliseconds during the lifetime of the helmet. This leaves a lot of time for that helmet to be doing nothing more than sitting around on a users head. Producing a helmet that meets the standards is not really very difficult. Producing a helmet that people will buy and wear, and will consistently meet the standards is significantly more difficult. Snell standards do not measure factors like comfort, ventilation, brand recognition or style, and only indirectly look at fit, weight, materials and workmanship. These are the factors that drive cost. People Feel Helmets Are Restrictive And UnnecessaryTo most riders, motorcycle helmets do not fit into their dream accessory. They feel helmets are restrictive and unnecessary and do not add to their aesthetic appeal. But it is important to know why you need to wear a helmet while riding a bike and what it does for you.Motorcycle helmets act as a protection device for your head. Nearly all motor crashes in which riders do not wear helmets, result in major head injuries. To drive this point further, according to a survey done in the state of California, in 900 crashes, there were 980 head and neck injuries. The major factor was that most riders were not wearing proper headgear. Canada has made it a mandatory rule for motorbike riders to wear helmets after seeing the way people die in these accidents. But in the USA, in some states, it still remains a choice for the rider - so it is for you to decide what is more precious to you. Hopefully, now that you are convinced about purchasing a helmet, let us see some of the things that you should keep in mind while buying a motorcycle helmet. All helmets have an outer shell and an inner shell. The outer shell is meant to protect the head from initial impact and undertake all the abrasions onto it. The inner shell is basically a lining of foam that aims at minimizing the impact of the shock by absorbing it as much as possible. It is also supposed to provide comfort to the rider as well. In order to ascertain whether your helmet is safe enough for you or not, you must check whether it has the Department of Transportation sticker or not. A globally accepted safety standard for helmets is a sticker by the Snell Memorial Foundation. Besides these safety stickers, the other important thing is to ensure that the motorcycle helmet of your choice gives you a proper fit. It should not be loose or too tight. You must be comfortable with it, as remember that you will be wearing it for quite some time. There should not be any red marks on your head or face - otherwise the helmet is too tight for you. At the same time, it should not come off your head or it just might fall off in an accident- providing you with no protection. Also, you must choose between the various types of materials of which motorcycle helmets are made. Heavy helmets are made of fiberglass but it can crack if dropped. Another type of material used is injection-molded plastic. This is cheap and light but requires a lot of care. So think before you decide. Enjoy the ride! Daniel Levy |