Sorry if this has already been posted. But after doing some searching and not finding this subject, there reaches a point where I have to ask myself if I've spent enough time searching or not. Plus, if it's true, it might be good for others to read anyway.
While watching Jay Leno's garage, he was talking with the Arai helmet rep and said most people replace their helmet every 5 years or so, assuming it wasn't involved in an accident or big impact (in which case it should be replaced immediately).
I was buying some boots today and asked the guys at the local shop, and they agreed you should replace your helmet every 5 years or so.
Is this for real? Do people really replace a perfectly good helmet every 5 years? Do they really have a life span? Or are they trying to get even MORE money from my now shallow pockets?
I bought my Arai for $550 bucks in about 2000. It hasn't been in a crash or even dropped. It has some dings on it. Mostly from rocks while riding (yes, helmetless riders make me scratch my head), or setting it down on rough pavement, and having it roll over. But it still fits super tight, and wears like a tight glove. To ditch it and buy another one for another $500 plus bucks turns my stomach. But I guess I will budget it if I absolutely must.
What do other riders think?
not sure if it is true, but i would hate to find out the hard way. lots of good quality helmets out there for descent prices, time for another. if you do throw it out, make sure it is unusable.
It's true. No conspiracy theories. Your head is worth it. Isn't it?
I work in a dealership, and it's amazing how many older guys come in with these ANCIENT helmets to test ride a unit. I'm talking:
(http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk233/mitchesc/giuliano_maoggi.jpg)
I've never had a helmet that wasn't ready for retirement after about five years.
I suppose if you have many helmets each wouldn't get enough use to get there, but even ones with removable and washable insides get pretty used up in that time frame if it's an only lid.
Do you ride particularly infrequently? It's really in good shape after seven years?
What's your helmet care secret for the interior?
Hey, that's my helmet!
Just kidding. I am a semi-old guy, but mine isn't that old. But that brings up a point I didn't consider: At what point do I draw the line and get a new helmet? 10 years? 20 years? 30 years? Obviously, technology changes pretty quickly. So even a 10 years old lid might be outdated. Even if in perferct shape.
My Arai is about 7 years old (I actually got it in 2001). I'm thinking 8 years is a nice round number. Damn! There goes the fund for my new rear sets! DAMN!
Quote from: Statler on October 02, 2008, 04:22:26 PM
What's your helmet care secret for the interior?
I don't wear hair spray, moose, eye shadow or makeup when riding. (oh wait, that's my wife)
I also don't spit with the visor closed.
Kidding aside (but why?), I do wash the inside occasionally. It pulls out and I can wash it out and dry it. Although, it's a little rank now. And, I did sell my old Monster in late 2005, and just got the Foggy recently. So, it really only has under 5 years of use. Although, I used it when snowmobiling quite a bit in the winter.
Quote from: Statler on October 02, 2008, 04:22:26 PM
I suppose if you have many helmets each wouldn't get enough use to get there,
that brings up a pretty good question, is it 5 years of use lifespan? or will it be no good if it sat on the shelf for 5 years?
i've got a few helmets i haven't touched in a while :-\
My thought is five(ish) years of use.
Manufacturers are likely being conservative, but that shouldn't be a surprise on a piece of safety gear.
The shell is composite, one ingredient of which is resin.
Resins can become brittle over time, reducing the toughness of the shell.
The crushable foam liner can suffer from aging as well.
The manufacturer can't control how folks store their helmets.
Prolonged exposure to sun won't help em, for sure.
Exposure to solvents, even just vapor, doesn't help either.
Comes down to your comfort level, I suppose.
Last thing you want to think about just as you part company with your bike is "Hmmm... my helmet's a bit old, I hope it holds up..."
Speedog is right and I'll add to that another reason. It's believed that bodily fluids (oil from your hair, sweat, etc.), break down the foam over time.
Hasn't anyone said it yet?
ok then:
"If you have a $5.00 head, wear a $5.00 helmet."
When looking for a helmet, I strongly suggest looking into the new ECE (Eurpoe) and SHARP (UK) rating systems. There is a lot of criticism around the US DOT and Snell approval systems. When I read the testing small print details, I almost [puke]'ed. ECE is WAY more stringent. They actually go to factories and do random testing. Snell and DOT do not from what I've read.
Quote from: fasterblkduc on October 02, 2008, 04:51:02 PM
Speedog is right and I'll add to that another reason. It's believed that bodily fluids (oil from your hair, sweat, etc.), break down the foam over time.
+1 and gas fumes
Any doubts? Take a Styrofoam cup, and pour some gas in it. See what happens.
Fumes must be doing that in slow motion. Where do you store your helmet?
I replaced the interior of my 3 year old Arai RX7 Corsair last night as it goes and the label that is stitched onto the chin strap says 5 year life. It's just common sense I guess as the glass fibre composite must weaken due to exposure to UV, corrosive particles in the air etc.
I must say though, the Arai lids are the best out there. You can TOTALLY replace every single part of the helmet, disassemble it for cleaning, customize the fit... etc. I love it.
I currently have around 7 lids including an excellent BMW Sport Integral II lid that I use for trackdays (as it matches my bike 'n leathers ;D) and is a very good helmet but, I still prefer the Arai over my Shoei, Shark, BMW etc. lids. And yes, I have an "Arai head".
If your lid is 8 years old, don't risk it. You don't want to be the guinnea pig to see if it's true or not.
Your head is worth more than $550 and that is still 40%-50% cheaper than an Arai lid in the rest of the world.
Straight from the man:
http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/video/video_player.shtml?vid=283819 (http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/video/video_player.shtml?vid=283819)
Quote from: Dana on October 03, 2008, 05:11:08 AM
Straight from the man:
http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/video/video_player.shtml?vid=283819 (http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/video/video_player.shtml?vid=283819)
[thumbsup] Great video
Frankly, I think that 5 years stuff is bull. Painted fiberglass lasts way longer than 5 years, and lots of commercial items sit around packed in much the same foam as helmet linings use for years and years without anyone worrying about spontaneous decomposition. But hey, do what your own consience tells you, it's your head.
My new AGV GP Tech
finally just came in. [thumbsup] It says right in the manual,
replace after 5 years.
I might agree with you on this one. It depnds on a lot of things. It would seem logical that they would error on the side of safety and profit when giving advise like that.
Quote from: AndrewNS on October 03, 2008, 05:31:36 PM
Frankly, I think that 5 years stuff is bull. Painted fiberglass lasts way longer than 5 years, and lots of commercial items sit around packed in much the same foam as helmet linings use for years and years without anyone worrying about spontaneous decomposition. But hey, do what your own consience tells you, it's your head.
And in all honesty, how often do we hear of someone not suriving a crash because the helmet was one year past due?
I see it more as an excuse buy new lids!
Hell, I occasionally wear a 10 year old Arai Quantum that still fits like a glove!
Dana
i think manufacturers have to either build in expiration dates artificially (bogus expiration dates) or for real (as in why does that crap always break after the warranty period) to make sure they get another sale.
A reccommended life span is going to be under less than ideal conditions. If your helmet never gets sweated in, exposed to various fumes and worn for two hours every other sunday I am sure it will last notably more than 5 years. If you use it daily with exposure to extreme conditions 5 years is probably a good guide line.
Quote from: Dana on October 06, 2008, 05:14:44 AM
And in all honesty, how often do we hear of someone not surviving a crash because the helmet was one year past due?
Good point about not hearing of an 'old helmet' as the cause of increased injuries during a crash.
There may be some truth in the case for a helmet 'wearing out' over the span of 5 or so years. But I think:
1) It is a conservative life span created by lawyers to eliminate that as a possibility in a law suit.
2) It is an attempt to get more money from my pockets from the helmet manufacturers.
Some on this thread have said, 'isn't your brain worth $500 bucks?'. Well, that's just a silly statement in my opinion. I make safety decisions every time I ride my motorcycle. Also, every time I take a walk, drive my car, ride my bike, etc. I moved from Colorado where there is no helmet law. So, in that state, I could even ride without a helmet if I chose to do so (although I never did, except when giving the kids a ride around the block and making them wear my helmet).
There is a slight chance that a car will veer off the road, and crash into me as I am taking a walk with my wife in the evening. Not a great chance, but it can happen, and has happened. So, since there is some risk, am I to wear my helmet and full riding gear to help my chances in such an accident? Of course not, and that is an extreme example. But my point is, everything we do has implied risk, so it is up to us individually to determine how far we want to go to handle such risks.
So, for me, instead of asking myself the simpleton question:
Isn't my brain worth $500 bucks...
I ask myself the more rational question:
Based on my riding history, past experience, the condition of my helmet, the statistics of motorcycle crashes, and everything else I know about riding, and how I ride, is it worth spending an extra $500 to $600 bucks every 5 years or so for a new helmet, and ditching my perfectly good lid?
I say no ,for me.
But I guess we all have the 'recommended' information. So it is up to each of us to make our own decision.
For what it's worth, the Snell Foundation also recommends replacing 5 year old helmets.
I just bought a new helmet, not because I thought the old one was no longer effective, but because I wanted more features, lighter weight, and just something different.
I also discovered that my first helmet was too big after it broke in and didn't fit as well.
My point is, I would probably buy a new helmet anyway just to take advantage of technology and design features. I'll keep the old ones though as spares.
To all of you saying "it's their way of getting you to spend more money for no reason"... if that were the case he would have said that you should replace the helmet after a drop... but in fact he didn't (though that's a common belief) saying that in most cases, a drop isn't going to hurt the helmet (unless your head is in it when it drops).
Every try picking up a loaded ten year old Styrofoam cooler? Can you say "brittle"?