[Louis]

I'm shopping for a new helmet. I'm mainly looking at HJC, KBC and possibly Suomy. Shoei I believe is just too expensive.

My question comes after checking the Suomy helmets. They are NOT Snell but are BSI-some-number. They claim that it is better.

How does this compare with Snell.s .post public release. testing?

a. With the Snell post public release testing program you find a random testing of helmets purchased off dealers shelves. If a helmet fails the random tests, the manufacturer is notified of the discrepancy and more random tests are performed. Should a manufacturer show repetitive failures, discussions are had between Snell and the manufacturer on ways to come back into compliance. Potentially, the manufacturer could loose their certification status. However, this sampling can be as low as four thousandth of one percent (.004%) of annual helmets sold for the higher volume manufacturers. In one example, only 16 helmets were tested of an approximate 400,000 helmets sold of one particular manufacturer in 2001 (Source . Ed Becker, Executive Director Snell Memorial Foundation: http://www.smf.org/). While this is within the .up to 2%. Snell states in their literature, it is quite obvious that in actuality, the BSI pre public release compliance testing is magnitudes more likely to catch defective helmets before they ever leave the factory floor, while the Snell system is simply much less likely to catch defective helmets or fraudulent manufacturers. The result can be helmets available to the riding public manufactured to comply with the Snell 2000 and DOT standards may not always do so. (Reference . National Highway Traffic Safety Administration . DOT Performance Compliance Test results: http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/testing/comply/fmvss218/index.html) This is a critical safety issue.

What's your opinion?

 

[themeatmanlandry]

I use a Vega. $120 and SNELL certified!

I don't know what BSI-something is. Never heard of it. Do they reference a DOT of SNELL rating against their standard? (forgive me, i didn't read)

 

[inspiron]

A third helmet standard from the Economic Community of Europe (ECE) is actually the most commonly used internationally, the ECE 22.05, required by over 50 countries worldwide. While helmet standards all have the goal of regulating helmet performance for protection of riders’ heads, some performance requirements conflict between standards.

A major benefit for U.S. riders is that the ECE 22.05 standard does not directly conflict with the DOT standard. Limited testing shows that ECE qualified helmets will also meet the demands of FMVSS 218. Of course, not all DOT helmets will meet ECE 22.05 because the European standard does require testing at higher velocities than DOT.

Another advantage of the ECE 22.05 standard is the requirement for mandatory batch testing of helmets before they are released to the riding public. What this means to the consumer is the quality of the helmet in meeting the ECE 22.05 standard is assured by a mandatory sample testing of every production of helmets before they leave the factory, not with random testing performed after thousands of helmets with unknown quality are delivered to the dealers.

Here is the full text of the ECE 22.05 Standard: http://www.unece.org/trans/main/wp29/wp29regs/22rv4e.pdf

 

[inspiron]

BSI - British Standards Institute. A pseudo-government organisation that does product testing and certification in the UK.

 

[87gsxrnut]

Damn Euros . . .

- Nut

 

[inspiron]

HEY! The ECE standard comes from the UN - which is (as you know) based in New York!

 

[87gsxrnut]

Damn Euros . . .

- Nut

 

[Scourge]

Well it was Wilson's idea, sort of. Funny though that we never joined the League.

 

[stevie c]

Try a KBC on, they bought Arai's old patterns off them and you can't tell the difference once its on your head!

 

[Nexus242]

DOT means chit. Snell M2000 or M2005 or even a SA2000 or SA2005 helmet is what you should be getting. M - motorcycle, SA - special applicantion (road racing).

Not sure about Euro standards for safety

 

[inspiron]

Helmets sold in Europe are CE approved, as per the ECE R22/05 standard. No one over here knows what Snell is

 

[stevie c]

Snell? Whats that?







See? I don't know!
We have the CE stamp but also an ACU rating,
if your helmet hasn't got ACU gold then most trackday organisers won't let you run.

 

[axel_2078]

KBC are pretty good and inexpensive. Also check out the scorpion helmets. www.scorpionusa.com. That's what I have. They're similar to Shoei in design, but cost much less.

 

[LayinLo]

Louis give this site a try when comparing ratings on helmets:

www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/testing/comply/fmvss218/


PS....My vote is for the Scorpion......$139 shipped directly to my door!

 

[theoldguy]

Louis give this site a try when comparing ratings on helmets:

www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/testing/comply/fmvss218/


PS....My vote is for the Scorpion......$139 shipped directly to my door!

Interesting site. Louis, fwiw, I have an HJC that I picked up from my dealership for 120 OTD. It's SNELL and DOT approved and looks/fits VERY well. A good idea would be to go to a local dealer, try a few of them on, then look at the price tag. I can speak from experience, helmets do not all fit the same. I've got a pretty good sized noggin, and the hjc fits it like a glove(or in this case, a helmet). The Shoei helmets did too, but I haven't given in to the $500 helmet bug just yet.

 

[Uncle Bob]

Louis the article you quoted is somewhat misleading, all helmets before being SNELL certified must be tested, the article mentions after certification testing. So once a particuclar helmet model has been certified they do occasional random tests to make sure the original model has not been modified.

Dot does not require testing, they just take manufacturers word that the helmets meet the criteria and then do the occasional random test.

The only way to be sure a helmet meets any criteria would be to test it but testing every helmet is illogical since the testing destroys the helmet. So we have to trust the manufacturers one way or another.

So don't worry about, just buy a helmet from a well known company and go ride, at least if it ever stops raining.

 

[TL chris]

So don't worry about, just buy a helmet from a well known company and go ride, at least if it ever stops raining.

Now that's a good short answer.

 

[Nexus242]

Now that's a good short answer.

No we need to debate how much safer your head is gonna be in a $500 helmet then it would be in a $200 helmet. Cause anytime you spend more your gonna be safer.

 

[Louis]

Well, I figured that a helmet that is Snell certified, a company would do its own test to make sure it does maintain the certification. The main question was more... what was the main question?

Anyway, Friday is supposed to be ..not raining... not very hot but decent and I,ll go shopping for helmets. Price comes first with fit, then weight, then looks. Fogging can be improved by Fog City inserts, noise by ear plugs.

 

[Uncle Bob]

No we need to debate how much safer your head is gonna be in a $500 helmet then it would be in a $200 helmet. Cause anytime you spend more your gonna be safer.

Yeah right !

There is no proof that supports your statement.

You may get more bells and whistles, maybe it'll be lighter or have better ventilation and may be more comfortable but I'm betting my life that it won't protect better when it counts. And an additional couple of hundred for graphics ain't going to do squat to protect you.

That's like saying that an Armani suit covers you more than a suit from Sears. The first will look good and probably fit better than the second but you get the same coverage with both.