Your helmet is the first piece of gear you’ll probably buy before getting on a motorcycle and the most important piece of protection. Weather you’re riding your own or riding on the back it’s very important you have the right helmet.
How do Helmets Work?
“ Helmets designed to handle major crash energy generally contain a layer of crushable foam. When you crash and hit a hard surface, the foam part of a helmet crushes, controlling the crash energy and extending your head's stopping time by about six thousandths of a second (6 ms) to reduce the peak impact to the brain. Rotational forces and internal strains are likely to be reduced by the crushing
Thicker foam is better, giving your head more room and milliseconds to stop. If the foam is 15mm thick it obviously has to stop you in half the distance of a 30mm thick foam. Basic laws of physics result in more force to the brain if the stopping distance is shorter, whatever the "miracle" foam may be. Less dense foam can be better as well, since it can crush in a lesser impact, but it has to be thicker in order to avoid crushing down and "bottoming out" in a harder impact. The ideal "rate sensitive" foam would tune itself for the impact, stiffening up for a hard one and yielding more in a more moderate hit.
If the helmet is very thick, the outer circumference of the head is in effect extended. If the helmet then does not skid on the crash surface, that will wrench the head more, contributing to strain on the neck and possibly to rotational forces on the brain. In short, there are always tradeoffs, and a super-thick helmet will probably not be optimal. It will also fail on consumer acceptance.
If there are squishy fitting pads inside the helmet they are there for comfort, not impact. The impact is so hard and sharp that squishy foam just bottoms out immediately. In most helmets a smooth plastic skin holds the helmet's foam together as it crushes and helps it skid easily on the crash surface, rather than jerking your head to a stop. In activities that involve forward speed on rough pavement, rounder helmets are safer, since they skid more easily. The straps keep the helmet on your head during the crash sequence. A helmet must fit well and be level on your head for the whole head to remain covered after that first impact.
The foams in helmets are crushable but do not ever recover. If you crash a bike helmet made with the usual expanded polystyrene foam, the foam is trashed and you can't use it again. “
Source Helmets.org
Helmet Safety Ratings.
In Canada, helmet laws are stipulated by the province or territory. Usually, they only require that a helmet meet one of the DOT, Snell or ECE ratings. And in many cases, archaic certifications like the Snell M2005, BSI and CSA are legally acceptable as well.
A Snell-certified helmet ensures the most impact absorption and often has the thickest foam layers to back it up. In contrast, ECE operates under the assumption that impact absorption must be balanced with weight. The idea is that a lighter helmet gives your head less inertia in a crash, which can reduce neck and back injury.
If you do some international travelling on your motorcycle, a DOT-rated helmet will open doors in America. However, ECE is the most commonly used certification overseas.
DOT Safety Rating
The U.S. uses the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 218 (FMVSS218) to measure helmets. Any lid that passes is affixed with a Department of Transportation approval sticker: DOT.
The DOT rating favors a shock-absorbent helmet and, indeed, current scientific research indicates that shock absorption is the best strategy for motorcycle safety. The DOT standard does not require chin bar testing. Thus, you will find that open face and half helmets are often DOT approved.
DOT is the standard for any state that requires motorcyclists to wear a helmet. So, if you do a lot of riding south of the border, picking up a DOT approved helmet is a must.
Snell Safety Rating
The Snell Memorial foundation is a non-profit organization, founded in the name of William Snell – a car racer who died of a preventable head injury.
As a private organization, manufacturers have to apply for a Snell rating. If they do, Snell runs a series of in-house tests on the helmet which, in theory, are perfectly unbiased. Snell updates their criteria every five years based on the advancements in scientific research. The Snell M2005 rating is widely regarded as being too hard and impact resistant. However, the current Snell M2010 rating is more shock-absorbent. This is in accordance with today’s research, and the M2010 rating is generally well-respected. As a testament to this, the current M2015 ratings are nearly identical to M2010.
Until recently, Snell refused to certify any modular helmets. So, if you’re looking for something of the flip-up variety, a Snell rating will be hard to find. Snell is considered to be quite picky, and they like it that way. For this reason, they are thought to have some of the highest standards in motorcycle safety. Many race tracks and organizations require a Snell rating from their riders.
ECE Safety Rating
An ECE sticker indicates acceptance by the UN Economic Commission for Europe. As DOT is the universal requirement for America, ECE is the universal requirement for Europe. It’s also the most commonly used standard worldwide – over 50 countries have it as their benchmark. So if you’re planning on circumnavigating the globe on an epic two-wheeled adventure, an ECE helmet is probably the best bet.
One unique thing about ECE is that they require batch testing before the helmets are released for sale. For any ECE helmet you buy, then, the organization must have tested and approved a helmet from the same production run. This protects riders from manufacturing defects, which might otherwise go undetected.
Source: Fortnine
Don’t Buy Used.
If you’re starting out on a budget you might be tempted to look for a used helmet and while this might save you some money, it isn’t the safe option.
Helmets have a lifespan of about 5 years and that’s if they’ve never had an impact due to dropping the helmet or having any sort of accident. So if you buy used you have no idea if the helmet was ever dropped and that the helmets integrity is still safe for use.
Check the Manufacturer’s Date
Helmet shells made of polycarbonate or fiberglass breakdown over time and the DOT will have an expiration date.
Locate the manufacturer’s date. You can find it on a sticker underneath a section of the comfort liner.
Fitment
When you buy a new helmet, you want to try it on and see how it fits, how comfortable is it, how heavy it is and check to see if you notice any pressure points or large gaps.
It’s always a great idea to buy a helmet with removable padding. Everybody’s head is a bit lumpy, and this customizing feature will allow riders to get that perfectly snug fit. It’s also handy in case you gain or lose weight.
Helmets should be snug all around. They should not flop down over your eyes, nor fail to settle completely on your head. Padding will break in over time, so it’s okay if the helmet feels quite snug at first. For this reason, anyone in between sizes should probably opt for the smaller choice. This is especially true for racers, who need a close fit all around the head.
Head Shape
Your head shape is best discovered by looking downwards at the top of your head. Obviously, this isn't a view that any of us are accustomed to. Using a handheld mirror and a hanging mirror, you can get a good look all by yourself. Otherwise, have a loved one take a look for you.
Oval heads are long and skinny from front to back. Then there’s a middle shape, which is sometimes called “intermediate,” “average” or “normal” (not that other heads are weird, of course). Average heads are still oval shaped, but to a lesser degree. Finally, there are round heads, which are roughly as wide as they are long. Hence, the profile of the top of your head will look round-ish.
Different helmets are made to fit different head shapes. Most major companies have charts, which show where their helmet models lie on the oval to round spectrum. If you already have a model in mind, googling it will quickly tell you the head shape it was built for.
Head Size
You’ll need a flexible measuring tape, because trying to wrap a metal tape measure around your forehead isn’t going to cut it. If that fails, wrap a string around your head, mark the point where it wraps all the way around, and then lay the string flat to measure it.
You want to measure your head circumference at the largest point . This is normally around eyebrow level. Once you have a number, simply consult the sizing chart and see where you line up.
Source: Fortnine
Styles of Helmets
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Full face.
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Modular (AKA Flip-up)
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Open face (AKA ¾ helmet)
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Half helmet (AKA brain bucket)
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Off-road (AKA motocross helmet)
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Dual-sport (AKA crossover, ADV, hybrid, enduro)
I highly recommend getting full face coverage, protect that beautiful face! The chin bar of the full-face helmet has the highest probability of impact so imagine what that would do to your face if left unprotected.
Read more on each style over on Fortnine
Cost
On the low end you can find a full face helmet for around $200 CAD and they range in price all the way up to $2500 CAD or more (yikes!)
My personal favorite brands for helmets are Bell, Biltwell and Simpson.
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