Helmet Life !!!

I am wondering the actual life of a helmet. I have an Arai RX-7RR4 Harada Replica 01 and it has been well taken care of and never dropped(to badly). The warranty is for five years and they recommend replacing it after five years. Are they saying replace it after five years just to buy another one of their products or will it not preform the same after the five years?

Here is some information from the internet, don’t know if it will help…

Helmet manufacturers and the Snell Foundation suggest replacement after about 5 years.

Impact protection comes from the outer shell, the styrene inner shell, and the comfort lining. The styrene inner liner crushes as it absorbs energy. The comfort liner compresses until it bottoms out against the styrene. Glues, resins and other materials used in helmet production can affect liner materials, and general liner deterioration and helmet degradation can result from hair oils, body fluids, cosmetics, and normal "wear and tear."

From past experience there will probably be a noticeable improvement in the protective characteristic of helmets over a five year period due to advances in materials, design and the standards. Therefore, regardless of wear, you will probably want to replace your helmet every five years.

Information from http://www.eastcoastmarc.org/art_helmetlife.htm

Other people on the internet are saying to replace it maximum of it being 5 years old, do a search in google "helmet lifespan"

Don’t forget, nearly all manufactures are out there to make money…

Until I see a specific study or any amount of research devoted to this, I don't subscibe to the 5 year rule.

Snell makes it money from the helmet manufacturers. Why can't they perform such a series of tests instead of just conservatively recommending 5 the baseless 5 year standard?

Personally, I subscribe to the "replace it whenever you feel like" rule. I tend to replace my helmet a lot more often than every 5 years. I understand that most people feel that the 5-year rule might be an artificial standard in order to keep people buying newer helmets. It might well be. Personally, I really don't care. Ever seen what a helmet looks like after it's been used day-in and day-out for 5 years? When a helmet is in that sort of condition, I think it needs to be replaced regardless of whether or not you have crashed in it. Not to mention, of all the gear that you wear when you go riding, the only thing that protects your brain is the helmet. So if there's any one thing that should get your extra dollar, it's the helmet above all else. Kinda why I just can't understand people who want the cheapest possible helmet they can find.

That's just my opinion.

I have three different helmets ,a daily use for riding to work and back , sunday best and one for track.The daily one is replaced every two years , the sunday best will last another couple of years and the track helmet gets replaced as soon as its crashed in.It's all well and good helmet manufactures saying replace every five years but how often do you use the helmet ,daily or only on the weekend.
A lot of people will tell you buy the best helmet you can afford and I will agree with them on this ,it is asking you how much do you value your life.
The cheapest type of helmet on the market is a second hand one , but don't ever be tempted to get it you have no idea where its been or what has been done to it dispite what the vendor says.

How important is your skull? Maybe a helmet if taken good care of will last a bit longer then 5 years maybe not. Why would you even take the risk? Hell its 5 freaking years old get a new one.

Depending on usage, $100/per year for an Arai seems like a lot of money to me.

[lanbrown]

A few points.

1) So your head is not worth $100 a year?

2) You spent how much on a bike?

3) How much do you spend on fuel?

4) Consider it part of the cost of riding.

Originally Posted by birdmfc

it has been well taken care of and never dropped(to badly).

uh? im not sure if you know how a helmet really works but if you ever drop your helmet it looses a little bit of its integrity. so if you have dropped more than once ( not so badly ) you might as well ride without a helmet and call it even.

Originally Posted by joe_sefa

uh? im not sure if you know how a helmet really works but if you ever drop your helmet it looses a little bit of its integrity. so if you have dropped more than once ( not so badly ) you might as well ride without a helmet and call it even.

The scary part about this is that there are people out there who would ride without a helmet if it were allowed. Seen it myself when I was in Texas.

Originally Posted by lanbrown

A few points.

1) So your head is not worth $100 a year?

2) You spent how much on a bike?

3) How much do you spend on fuel?

4) Consider it part of the cost of riding.

That's what I'm saying!

Don't hate on me because I sell helmets at my work, but I honestly think people should spend their money on the best helmet they can buy. Not necessarily the most expensive, just the best. If they happen to coincide, fine then, but if not, even better! I bought a Shark RSR2 because I thought it was better than the Arai RX-7 Corsair or the Shoei X-11 (known as the X-Spirit overseas). Coincidentally it ended up being cheaper than the Shoei, but if it had been more, I'd still have bought it!

[lanbrown]

Originally Posted by -Z-

The scary part about this is that there are people out there who would ride without a helmet if it were allowed. Seen it myself when I was in Texas.

What is wrong riding without a helmet? I won't do it, but I do think it should be your decision. You should have the required insurance to cover the costs of life support, if not then you should be required to have a helmet. Even if you do have the right insurance, when the money runs out, the plug gets pulled before the public has to foot the bill. I think it should be your decision if you want to wear a helmet or not, but the public should not pay a single dime to cover any costs though.

Originally Posted by lanbrown

What is wrong riding without a helmet? I won't do it, but I do think it should be your decision. You should have the required insurance to cover the costs of life support, if not then you should be required to have a helmet. Even if you do have the right insurance, when the money runs out, the plug gets pulled before the public has to foot the bill. I think it should be your decision if you want to wear a helmet or not, but the public should not pay a single dime to cover any costs though.

Now you are getting into a whole new debate/can of worms. I think it should be your choice to wear a helmet, seat belt, do drugs, shoot yourself in the head whatever but the problem is that does not just effect you. The only way I can see that freedom of choice working out for all involved without driving insurance costs so high no one could leave the house is this. If you choose to ride with no helmet your insurance will not cover your injurys. That way you get to make your own decision but it does not end up costing others. It is not fair or reasonable to expect insurance to cover hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of bills because you did not want to wear a helmet. Honestly I think you are an idiot if you dont wear one but people should have the right to be stupid if they want, just not at my expense.

[lanbrown]

Originally Posted by Doomwitha929

Now you are getting into a whole new debate/can of worms. I think it should be your choice to wear a helmet, seat belt, do drugs, shoot yourself in the head whatever but the problem is that does not just effect you. The only way I can see that freedom of choice working out for all involved without driving insurance costs so high no one could leave the house is this. If you choose to ride with no helmet your insurance will not cover your injurys. That way you get to make your own decision but it does not end up costing others. It is not fair or reasonable to expect insurance to cover hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of bills because you did not want to wear a helmet. Honestly I think you are an idiot if you dont wear one but people should have the right to be stupid if they want, just not at my expense.

Not at all. I said you would need the right insurance; the insurance company would know what they are getting into. If the magic number is 2 million dollars for medical, then when people are getting a policy for 2 million dollars, it is quite easy to know why they are seeking that amount and the insurance company could ask. If they write the policy, then they pay. if the rider decides not to pay, then they are obligated to wear a helmet. It is your decision and you vote with your wallet.

Originally Posted by Doomwitha929

...people should have the right to be stupid if they want, just not at my expense.

The problem isn't just the insurance for the medical care. What happens if you survive but have permanent brain damage? I don't feel like paying more in taxes so every rider who chose not to wear a helmet and has brain damage can collect disability from the state for the rest of his life. If people want to be stupid, they should be allowed to be stupid, just so long as everyone else doesn't have to pay for their stupidity. Cold-hearted? Maybe. Fair? Definitely.

I didn't start wearing a helmet until the mandatory helmet law was passed here in California. What was that about 15 years ago? (probably could remember if I *had* been wearing a helmet...Doh!)

Well i can see where you are comming from, helmets are becoming better and better whilst becoming cheaper.

I would replace it every 2-3 years or so..

Originally Posted by Twincam

Well i can see where you are comming from, helmets are becoming better and better whilst becoming cheaper.

I would replace it every 2-3 years or so..

That's about how often I replace mine.

Originally Posted by -Z-

That's about how often I replace mine.

I do them same, better to be safe then sorry.