Crash Helmets

[Kev_205]

The time has come to fork out on a nice new lid

I have been eying up a Simpson Super Bandit and was wondering where the best place to get one from.
Anywhere where you can get a discount or do good web only deals? Where do you guys shop! - Demontweeks seems cheaper that GPR at the moment

Also - I tried one on at the Autosport show. How much difference does a balaclava make on the fit as I tried without - in hindsite i should have thought about that at the show!

[greenamex2]

If you are half way between sizes (like me) a lot. I have had to go up a size as a result of wearing a balaclava.

[BertMk2]

Balaclava definitely makes a difference - my lid feels plain wrong if I haven't got the balaclava on.

I got my helmet from GPR but any of the big name suppliers will be able to get it to you so just shop around for prices (there can be some big differences).

[Chris Griffin]

My perfectly good Bell Sport2 helmet is now beyond it's SA date and I'm forced to spend more money on a new lid! I'm confused by the certification system. Am I right in thinking that the SA2005 is good for 10 years and can be used in Europe, whereas BS is good until the lining falls out of the helmet but can only be used in the UK?

[RickP:Clio51]

I used to race with a Super Shark... then I discovered that my helmet was twice as heavy as my team mates which not only was fatiguing me during testing and racing but also really worried me about what it would do to my neck during an accident.
The Shark has a style of it's own, but you are paying for the looks, not the technology... and that strikes me (now!) as a stupid idea for an item of safety gear. You wear it to stop u dying, not to look good... there is a reason why the majority of the drivers in the BTCC wear Stand 21 helmets... and before u ask, it's not because they are given them! (The last free gear Stand 21 gave away was 1 pair of gloves per year to a certain A Senna I think... ). Check out their website and I assure you especially if you race a tin-top their double duty or airforce helmets come highly recommended. Also they adjust all the removable padding inside the helmet to get you a perfect fit rather than you having to fit into a particular size (plus u can remove the padding and put it in the washing maching... given how bad my old Shark smelt this is a BIG step forward)
Chris... British Standards would let you race with a pudding basin on your head, they are a disgrace and will eventually get prosecuted for their lax attitude by a grieving widow. I've seen a BS standard helmet split in half after being tapped by a hammer!Helmets do deteriorate internally and actually have a shelf life... you wear out a set of tyres on a regular basis and don't whinge about replacing them do you?
As Keke Rosberg said, "if you've got a $10 head, get a $10 helmet"

Rant over!

[Eddy V]

Originally Posted by Chris Griffin

Am I right in thinking that the SA2005 is good for 10 years and can be used in Europe, whereas BS is good until the lining falls out of the helmet but can only be used in the UK?

The SA2005 should be okay 'till the end of 2013, if the next SA standard pops up in 2010.
Your "old" lid is valid: new SA standard + 3 years (unless FIA should change this somehow)

[davyboy]

Originally Posted by RickP:Clio51

Helmets do deteriorate internally and actually have a shelf life...

About 15 years ago I had my lid pulled to pieces by a scrutineer looking for the date of manufacture. It was an FM or something I think. He told me that lids had a finite life and would let me use it if it was over a certain number of years [I can't remember what that figure was - possibly 3 years or somethin]. I'm coming back at racing now after a long lay off and on asking people about this shelf-life issue, nobody seemed to know. I'm glad you mentioned it here Rick... I had thought I was going mad !

[Kev_205]

Originally Posted by RickP:Clio51

I used to race with a Super Shark... then I discovered that my helmet was twice as heavy as my team mates which not only was fatiguing me during testing and racing but also really worried me about what it would do to my neck during an accident.
The Shark has a style of it's own, but you are paying for the looks, not the technology... and that strikes me (now!) as a stupid idea for an item of safety gear. You wear it to stop u dying, not to look good... there is a reason why the majority of the drivers in the BTCC wear Stand 21 helmets... and before u ask, it's not because they are given them! (The last free gear Stand 21 gave away was 1 pair of gloves per year to a certain A Senna I think... ). Check out their website and I assure you especially if you race a tin-top their double duty or airforce helmets come highly recommended. Also they adjust all the removable padding inside the helmet to get you a perfect fit rather than you having to fit into a particular size (plus u can remove the padding and put it in the washing maching... given how bad my old Shark smelt this is a BIG step forward)
Chris... British Standards would let you race with a pudding basin on your head, they are a disgrace and will eventually get prosecuted for their lax attitude by a grieving widow. I've seen a BS standard helmet split in half after being tapped by a hammer!Helmets do deteriorate internally and actually have a shelf life... you wear out a set of tyres on a regular basis and don't whinge about replacing them do you?
As Keke Rosberg said, "if you've got a $10 head, get a $10 helmet"

Rant over!

great information there but those helmets are in a different league in price to what I can afford £1200 odd quid instead of £450 is a fair old difference! carbon fibre and bells and whistles cost double. My head is important but personally id rather fork out the extra on hans restraint - that would do more to protect me than doubling the price of the helmet

Dennis - yup i am like you - i'm right on the borderline in size!

[fangio]

Always get a good helmet, if you think your head's worth it....
The Stand 21 Fullface costs Eu 945 (or GBP 630) and the CH17 open face is Eu 625 (GBP 460 or so). The anchors for a Hans device are Eu 63 per helmet.
These prices are from their 2006 catalogue.

I have used their helmets for years and they ar very comfortable, light, and fit well.

[johnw]

doh!

[johnw]

Originally Posted by RickP:Clio51

As Keke Rosberg said, "if you've got a $10 head, get a $10 helmet"

Thought that this was said by Mario Andretti, or maybe Frank Gardner?
Wouldn't Keke have said 10 Krona

[greenamex2]

There seems to be an assumption that an expensive helmet protects you better than a cheaper one.

Every proper motorcycle crash helmet test that has included destructive testing has dispelled this myth many times over.

The last one I read had a couple of the most expensive lids failing even the standard EC tests (particularly the penetration one).

I know it would never happen but some form of 'NCAP rating' would prove very interesting!

[RickP:Clio51]

I think I paid £500 for my shark and £550 for my Stand21 both albeit some time ago... pretty similar price brackets but one is a mass produced fashion item and the other a hand made high quality product...

[midgetman]

>>>>>>>>>whereas BS is good until the lining falls out of the helmet but can only be used in the UK?

You can use BS with the red label (flame retardant lining) in Europe.

To be fair, Rick, if a helmet has passed a standard - I choose Snell altho' I don't know whether it's "higher" or what than BS - then it's giving me a pretty good standard of protection. Fit and comfort are what cost the money. Weight (or lack of it) pushes the price up further. It's the old personal cost/benefit analysis again. Current Stand 21 price starts around £575 IIRC, my personal cost point was around £350.

This argument has been rehearsed many times on these pages.

[carsten.meurer]

Originally Posted by RickP:Clio51

... there is a reason why the majority of the drivers in the BTCC wear Stand 21 helmets... and before u ask, it's not because they are given them! (The last free gear Stand 21 gave away was 1 pair of gloves per year to a certain A Senna I think... ).

i wouldn't bet on that ! ;-)
may rather be a case of a competitive package price of suits, teamgear, and ( nearly ) free helmets !
personally i love the look of the stand21 visor peak, but the helmet itself is
not in the same league as an arai or shoei !

but then nothing out there is... not schuberth not chinese bells !

looking forward to the stand 21 replacement !
its long overdue !

[carsten.meurer]

Originally Posted by Eddy V

The SA2005 should be okay 'till the end of 2013, if the next SA standard pops up in 2010.
Your "old" lid is valid: new SA standard + 3 years (unless FIA should change this somehow)

the rule i remember from the 80s was snell date, plus 7 years !

then it was changed around, and delayed ( as there were no new rules for testing... lol ) and expanded, and in o6 you can use a snell 95 certified helmet
for nacional racing !
that means a 10 year old lid !
ridicolous !

i know the still look good from the outside, maybe even inside if not used too much !
still when i take even old but new helmets apart, its a MEGA difference in
how the material behave !
a 3 year lifespan on a helmet sounds sensible to me !

sadly in germany we have to use a hans mandatory before we start to use
helmets that are not beyond theire date...