SHARP - Helmet ratings published

[Guest]

My £70 HJC CS-12N isn't rated yet, and the CS-12 only got two stars.

Though IMO it doesn't matter that much. A one star helmet is still a million times better than not wearing one.

[Ratser]

My Nitro only rates at 2 stars as well, but then my intention was to buy a decent yet affordable helmet until I pass my test a get a bigger bike, then I will get a better and ultimately more expensive helmet.

Think this report was published in one of the bike mags a month or two ago.

[bigup]

well i did the inevitable and went for the 5 Star Lazer LZ6

been wearing it for a while now and seems like a solid helmet, no problems with it so far, nice and comfortable.

[Guest]

well i did the inevitable and went for the 5 Star Lazer LZ6

been wearing it for a while now and seems like a solid helmet, no problems with it so far, nice and comfortable.

 

Howd'ya get your head in then

[bigup]

well i did the inevitable and went for the 5 Star Lazer LZ6

been wearing it for a while now and seems like a solid helmet, no problems with it so far, nice and comfortable.

 

Howd'ya get your head in then

 

hehe with great difficulty dude

i got nothing to compare it with, but i think its a nice lid.

[Bill_on_a_bike]

My Nitro only rates at 2 stars as well, but then my intention was to buy a decent yet affordable helmet until I pass my test a get a bigger bike, then I will get a better and ultimately more expensive helmet.

Think this report was published in one of the bike mags a month or two ago.

 

this is kinda chop logic to me. Why would coming off a 125 at 50 is going to be worse than coming off a 600 or something at 50? In terms of your head, there's absolutely no difference atall, it's gonna hit the deck from what? 5ft in the air and be bounced down the road.

[Guest]

my further thoughts on it are how many racers use arai??

lots

10 years ago there were a few racers who were sponsored by other manufacturers(none of the big boys btw) who had Arai's painted to their sponsors designs.

the old test were just as flawed, they only tested one point on the helmet and the differnce between gold and silver was that the gold would take the impact twice...errr is that likely in a crash?

Maunfacturers put reinforced material, often kevlar, where the test was applied which meant they got a higher rating and could put 'KELVAR' on the lid that maybe had 2 inches of the stuff in it.

Arai test their helmets and supply a lot of top racers as do SHoei and AGV (Mr Rossi) They may have custom interiors but the shells are what we would buy. So i think i will stick with my Arai....when i have a 50 quid head then ill buy a 50 quid helmet

[bigup]

i think this will be a lifetime argument

personally i think the racers are GIVEN the helmets through sponsorship.

and they know the consumers (us!) will buy them cos out favorite racers also where them!, its one big business to them.

[Bill_on_a_bike]

mm i'm sure there's an element of sponsership, but when you're doing whatever huge speed round a track, you need some pretty serious head protection.

[Guest]

i think this will be a lifetime argument

personally i think the racers are GIVEN the helmets through sponsorship.

and they know the consumers (us!) will buy them cos out favorite racers also where them!, its one big business to them.

 

LOL, PMSL, LMAO, sorry im crying here.........

Of course they get their bloody helmets free, they get their leathers, and everything else as part of the sponsorship.

Top racers even get motorhomes and huge salaries.

did you think Valentino went to J and S for his lid??

[jabcrosshook]

i think this will be a lifetime argument

personally i think the racers are GIVEN the helmets through sponsorship.

and they know the consumers (us!) will buy them cos out favorite racers also where them!, its one big business to them.

 

LOL, PMSL, LMAO, sorry im crying here.........

Of course they get their bloody helmets free, they get their leathers, and everything else as part of the sponsorship.

Top racers even get motorhomes and huge salaries.

did you think Valentino went to J and S for his lid??

 

Yeh, I saw him in Doncaster the other day, I gave him a few tips too.

[Guest]

My problem with the test is they use 1 size lid rather than fitting it. Arai when bought in the UK will custom fit the lid perfectly to your head and its well known that their lids are designed for different head shapes, a Viper GT fits different from a Corsair etc

Its a crap test that needs fixing before people take the results seriously and go out buying substandard crash helmets based purely on the results of this test!

[rollazuki]

Arse to the naysayers.

Im gonna stick to my arai or simpson, wether it wins stars or not. Ill look at the racers, Ill look at the build quality, and Ill ignore the daft tests the government have devised. They rarely get owt right do they.

Buy the best you can afford. If you think a 60quid lid is the best, then buy it. I recon itll help loads in a spill. Ill stick to my arai, cos I recon itll do a lot better. Hopefully we will never find out, but I recon we all know which lid we would plump for................

[Guest]

LOL, PMSL, LMAO, sorry im crying here.........

Of course they get their bloody helmets free, they get their leathers, and everything else as part of the sponsorship.

Top racers even get motorhomes and huge salaries.

did you think Valentino went to J and S for his lid??

 

I think his point was that the racers don't go out and say "I want x helmet because they're the best" they're told what to wear by their sponsors.

[Foz]

tbh...does it matter how they get the helmtets, what it is and why they wear it??? if people like a helmet because theyve seen it stand up to accidents on motoGP then whats the problem?

[flipper]

I have had 2 nasty bad horrible serious crashes in which an Arai saved my life. I also like the fit, feel and comfort of an Arai, so I shall continue to use Arai helmets.

This is not to suggest that a.n.other make of helmet would not have done the same, but the low points scoring Arai has worked for me and I am confident it would do the same again.

Assuming that a helmet meets the testing standard, fit is the most important factor.

[flipper]

tbh...does it matter how they get the helmtets, what it is and why they wear it??? if people like a helmet because theyve seen it stand up to accidents on motoGP then whats the problem?

 

The thing here is that professional racers are given a helmet to wear by the helmet manufacturer, so they wear it, whatever it is, and get paid for doing so. It is not an indication that it is the best helmet they could be wearing.

The same is true of all their kit, as said before.

[Guest]

tbh...does it matter how they get the helmtets, what it is and why they wear it??? if people like a helmet because theyve seen it stand up to accidents on motoGP then whats the problem?

 

The thing here is that professional racers are given a helmet to wear by the helmet manufacturer, so they wear it, whatever it is, and get paid for doing so. It is not an indication that it is the best helmet they could be wearing.

The same is true of all their kit, as said before.

You are right, them getting sponsorship is not an indication of what is the best lid to wear. But I'd rather trust what a racer wears to save his head in an off than what a scientist says in a mock up experiment.

A real crash and the (racers have had many) shows how good the lids are.

Its very easy to get sucked into this discussion as it seems to be very emotive.

I think if you are happy to wear your choice of lid then fine but no argument will take away my brand loyalty to Arai, earnt through 2 of my own crashes (1 at over 110mph) and 100's of crashes by top racers sponsored by Arai along with many club racers who arn't sponsored by Arai but pay for the lids themselves.

[flipper]

Pete did you read my previous post?

[Guest]

yes I did, but coz I'm daft I didn't notice that that one and the one I quoted were both from you!

(see what I mean about how easy it is to get sucked into these types of threads? LOL it sucked me in hook, line and sinker! LOL)

[flipper]

indeed mate

[Guest]

tbh...does it matter how they get the helmtets, what it is and why they wear it??? if people like a helmet because theyve seen it stand up to accidents on motoGP then whats the problem?

 

The thing here is that professional racers are given a helmet to wear by the helmet manufacturer, so they wear it, whatever it is, and get paid for doing so. It is not an indication that it is the best helmet they could be wearing.

The same is true of all their kit, as said before.

 

yes that is true , but i think youll find that Rossi, Stoner, etc have a choice in who they sign sponsorship deals with.

That was my point, if they wanted to be sponsored by DY-jung helmets they could easily arrange sponsorship deals , as these guys would snatch their hands off...assuming they could afford it.

but strangely none of them choose to do deals with these manufacturers

[martynmcg]

I think some people are missing the point of the tests. I don't believe that they are there to say "A £400 Arai, Shoei, AGV helmet is a % better than a £50 HJC, tinpot lid to save your skull in a crash". It's there as another way to test safety equipment, which is always good. It makes manufacturers aware that their product maybe has a flaw or could do with extra protection here or there. If the test is flawed so be it. If you like the helmet, buy it anyway. Have they ever said "Don't buy a helmet that has less than 2/3 stars"? Not to my knowledge.

At the end of the day, it can only aid to make helmets safer in the long run. So let the manufacturers moan and groan that their goods aren't getting 5 stars or whatever method of scoring is applicable. In the end, a helmet on is better than a helmet off. Doesn't matter what people say as there is only one person ultimately responsible for your skull..... YOU. If you feel more comfortable or can afford to spend £££'s on a lid, do it. If you can only spend £50 or feel better in another helmet, then do that. To hell with anybody else.

It's your head, decide on your own

[rennie]

well said martyn

[Guest]

well said but Martyn i think youve missed the point. Its the fact that under these test cheaper , lower quality, helmets are scoring higher than ones known to be the best. Period.

What that does is potentially guide people towards buying a helmet which they previously might not have considered.

any helmet is better than none...errr yeh I would think so.

Its not a guide to make them safer in the long run as far as im aware, its an ill thought out testign procedure which gives false findings. So how does that help anyone?