Erik J Posted June 18, 2005 Report Share Posted June 18, 2005 The June issue of Motorcyclist magazine has an interesting article on helmet ratings and testing. A good read for anyone on a bike. Baically, the article challenges the SNELL ratings and some of the helmet manufacturers materials and constructions. Upon testing, they found some cheaper DOT rated plastic helmets outperformed (saftey wise) other well known brand-name helmets that were almost 8-10 times the cost. That old saying "how much is your head worth" (when tring to talk me into an Arai) that I've heard at the dealers seems to not hold as strong. The online version didn't have the same article. The printed version was where I found the info. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Dahl Posted June 20, 2005 Report Share Posted June 20, 2005 However, that statement you made is not an across the board statement. It does seem that for lighter riders, read small women and children, that the softer shell helmets do a very good job protecting the brain from damage, because they take more of the initial shock. I think they did state that in the article. I do tend to be more conservative when 2 up, but at higher speeds and with my size large head that the Snell ratings mean a lot more. Just my $.02 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack M Posted June 20, 2005 Report Share Posted June 20, 2005 http://www.smf.org/response.html Their response, which is at times snide, knee-jerk, and defensive, takes a bit of the wind out of the article's sails, but nevertheless, I am no longer afraid to buy a non-Snell helmet. In fact I bought a Z1R and am quite happy with it. The quality to dollar ratio is surprisingly high. However it has very little venting, but that doesn't matter much to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik J Posted June 20, 2005 Author Report Share Posted June 20, 2005 Good rebuttal by SNELL. The most acurate part of the the Motorcyclist article seems to be how much disagreement there is on helmet ratings. But whatever, when I'm riding my turbo-charged hayabusa with NO2, I where shorts, sandals and no helmet anyway. Although when I do change out the slicks on the 'busa for knobbies to go woods riding, I'll stuff newspaper under my backwards baseball hat "just in case". Erik J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWriverstone Posted June 20, 2005 Report Share Posted June 20, 2005 Found this good page with the basic lowdown on Snell vs. DOT... http://www.bmworlando.com/pages/services/tech/faq/helmet.htm Good summary. Scott PS - I wonder what standards our Giro snowboarding helmets measure up to? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack M Posted June 21, 2005 Report Share Posted June 21, 2005 Originally posted by SWriverstone Found this good page with the basic lowdown on Snell vs. DOT... http://www.bmworlando.com/pages/services/tech/faq/helmet.htm That is a poorly written article full of conjecture and subjective conclusions. It is written by a no-name at a motorcycle dealership. PS - I wonder what standards our Giro snowboarding helmets measure up to? Snell also certifies bicycle helmets, and I believe snow helmets now too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWriverstone Posted June 21, 2005 Report Share Posted June 21, 2005 Originally posted by Jack Michaud That is a poorly written article full of conjecture and subjective conclusions. It is written by a no-name at a motorcycle dealership. Ouch! :) Yeah, you probably have a point. I do understand the importance of the source...but at the same time, concise summaries written for the lay person on issues like these are extremely difficult to find. (And truly objective information is near-impossible to find, regardless of authors' claims of objectivity.) This just struck me as a straightforward take---but admittedly from a questionable source. Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SWriverstone Posted June 21, 2005 Report Share Posted June 21, 2005 Sometimes (and sadly) the best information on a helmet's effectiveness only comes to light after an accident. When she impacted the ground from 75 feet at 40-50mph, Holly was wearing a full-face helmet, the Charly "Insider," specifically designed for hang gliding and aviation. This German-made helmet is very popular among pilots---tested and certified to CEN Standard EN966, a European standard specifically designed for helmets used in sport aviation. (I fly with the same helmet.) http://www.finsterwalder-charly.de/html_eng/helme/insider.php I have no idea how the CEN standard compares to DOT or Snell...but I'm convinced the helmet was a significant factor in saving Holly's life (not to mention far worse damage to her head and face). Seeing her helmet after the crash was sobering: the kevlar/glass layup was completely broken clean through at the chin guard and at her left temple area. I'm sure those breaks absorbed a considerable amount of energy from the impact (along with the control frame of the glider, which also crumpled on impact). Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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