Helmet-£5 from a boot sale

[Guest]

I understand your point, and if it was something like a back protector or other safety equipment it'd be a good idea...

I know you cannot guarantee the history, however I was on about checking the outer surface for scrapes/scratches/dents and any signs of being dropped etc., and checking the fitting etc. The £5 helmet may have been brand new in the box on a motorbike stand at the car boot sale. Or purchased in error etc., and the seller could not shift it, and just wanted to sell it. Like I said, it may be a bargain, but like any helmet (even a £200 Arai from eBay) you cannot guarantee it's history. Even shop soiled ones may have been dropped off the shelf, or by some kids larking around etc.

I don't condone buying a £5 helmet - but at the same time the guy should be encouraged to get it checked out, and guided in to riding safely rather than jumping down his throat for buying what he thought was the right thing with what little money he has.

[Guest]

If I saw a lid for a fiver in a carboot I'd take a look at it for sure, doubt I'd buy it but you never know

hmmm a brand new spotless and boxed Arai RX7 for £5.00 !! owner bought the wrong size a year ago and never used it and his mums getting rid of it in a car boot.

Nope better not buy it or else the 'nanny state' TMBF guys will be after me

[Voodoo]

Nope better not buy it or else the 'nanny state' TMBF guys will be after me

 

[rennie]

buying a helmet from a car boot sale is not a good idea!!! That's it! Simple!.

There is, I suppose , about a million to one chance of getting a really safe bargain but it's highly unlikely.

Bill, all you can do is give advice, if he chooses to ignore you then so be it.

Anymore off-topic or derogatory replies to this and I will lock the topic! and censor the poster!

Nanny Rennie

[cleedubber]

If it fits him well, it's not the worst idea in the world. The real issue is that he won't know any history of the lid, but if he has no money beggars can't be choosers. I'm more cross about his refusal to get a job. What does he expect to live on for the rest of his life? There will come a time when mummy and daddy should rightly say, no more.

 

QB has hit the nail on the head for me

Although I know 95% of you would never even entertain buying a helmet second hand, but I personaly think the main issue with this ,is knowing its history, I have personaly seen a helmet dropped from the top of the stairs(by accident of course) all the way down on a carpeted floor and not showing a single mark...yet I heard the crack it made when it first impacted....so there was no way it could ever be worn again, kind of worrying really.

Also, if he cant be bothered to even go out and try and get a job, then I have little sympathy for his lack of funds in buying a new one, I'm a great believer that if you want something bad enough, you will work hard enough to make it happen

[wiffers]

Hit him on the head with a baseball bat and tell him it's a warmup

[bex]

Offer him a tenner for it then get rid. He doubles his money and your peace of mind is settled for less thn a night out

Depending on the make some companies offer a checking system. But honestly, untill you've seen it yourself Bill there is not much you can say about it.

If he aint willing to get a job and do it properly he aint going to listen to anything we say is he.

[cruz]

Whereas I will not condone the use of a boot sale lid, it will offer some protection albeit limited.

I well remember when when buying a bike many sellers would throw in a helmet, it was a selling point.

A new lid can be bought for £30 make him aware of this and that he should save for it, within a few weeks he should be able to buy one (step two of safe riding, he should already be using step one, not falling off, especially with a 2nd hand lid).

Also he needs to get a job, no one rides for long on a tenner a week.

[Bill_on_a_bike]

Hmmm

Some serious sence talking is going to have to go down I think.

I think talking about it loudly near his folks might be my best bet, they don't like the bike idea anyway, this might be a final straw on them letting him atall. I really can't stand the thought of him riding in this thing, I know it's not my responsibility, but i've helped him in all this, I went and got the bike with him and got it going for him and stuff, I'd never ever forgive myself if he crashed and something horrible happened because he was wearing £5 worth of headlight mount (Nice idea Frankie).

[Guest]

BEST IDEA SO FAR....

[Voodoo]

I'm not saying its a great idea having a £5 helmet, but if he's skint then its a start. I'm sure as time moves on he'd love to buy a brand new helmet that nobody else has worn.

Imagine if you were young, just bought a motorbike, managed to insure it and bought yourself a helmet from a carboot, I know if it was me I would be iching to get out riding and no amount of wise words from anybody would stop me.

Its just if you read this thread and some others just like it, some of you make it sound as though if you haven't got a Gundam Motorbike Helmet (http://www.bornrich.org/entry/2500-gundam-motorcycle-helmet/) then your going to have a catastrophic accident.

[Platty5791]

Smash it with a sledgehammer before he gets his mits on it! you'll probably save his life!

EVERYONE comes off there bike at some point, only a matter of time, and he wont have time if he wears that lid!

[Paul]

Bill just take it off him and don't give him it back. Give him a £5er and get rid of the lid. Again, talk to his parents, they would go and buy him a new one if they knew the risks.

This whole thread reminds me of the lid I used to borrow off my mates brother. It was a full face dark blue one. No visor on it, nothing inside it at all. Nothing. No padding, no foam just the outer shell. Mates bro had newspaper 'glued' (yes glued) to the inside, not for protection but to stop it wobbling around on your head at speed!!!! Only good thing it was handy for smoking a ciggi as there was quite a bit of room at the front to do that. Simply lift the front bit up (or down) out the way of your mouth and have a smoke! The things we used to get up to, the old bikes we used to ride, I could go on but the fear of the TMBF police as mentioned earlier scares me! Another thread maybe.........

[Stephen]

how can he afford a bike, insurance and petrol but not afford a new helmet? i got my helmet months before i even got a bike so i'd feel safer and more comfortable on lessons

[chiz]

Tell his instructor, so he'll get earache off them about it too.

[Guest]

i understand people wanting cheapness when they have their first bike.

He needs to be shown what the outcome of using such an helmet can be...

http://www.helium.com/items/1163473-hel ... ort-damage

End of the day its simple.

YOU WEAR A HELMET TO PROTECT YOUR HEAD so DONT SKIMP ON IT.

has he got some lovely nice leathers as well?

[Guest]

that shit can't be comfy, without even going on to the topic of safety! I had a £50 helmet thrown in free by the dealer when I bought my bike... it lasted a week, before I shelled out a little bit more for a slightly nicer one. Only £115, but dear god does the extra make a difference! Much more padded and comfy, anti-fog visor, more ventilated and so on. A real life-safer for long and short rides alike.

I can't imagine a used £5 helmet will be comfortable one bit, especially when (if?) it hits the tarmac!

[Grumpy Old Git]

OK - It's a £5 lid, but none of us (except maybe Bill) have actually seen it, and seen it on the guy who's bought it.

I'm not condoning buying a smashed up lid from a boot sale and kidding yourself it's safe - but the seller could be genuine, the helmet may have never been dropped, and the fit could be good. The poor guy could have found himself a bargain and we're labeling it a death sentence.

I would advise him to pop in to a bike shop and ask them to check the fitment and condition, just to be sure. That way if there are any concerns someone who is used to fitting helmets will point them out and he can make his own decision from there.

Horness

 

It could even have been sold by a mother who had lost her son in a train crash - Son had bought said helt for £450 the week before and never used it - Mother has not got a clue on value only knows that no-one really is interested in buying a 2nd-hand helmet.

1. Get it checked.

2. No-good - throw it (you only lost £5).

3. Fit for purpose - enjoy your bargain!

[Guest]

I think we've all made our points heard, but the biggest thing is we know very little about this, apart from what Bill has told us..

was Bill there at the time of purchase, if so why didn't he make his comments then.

has Bill seen the helmet, non of us have, we are condemning a guy for buying something cheap, but have no information on whether it is a useless ornament or a cheap steal..

we've all bought stuff in Bike sales, from dealers, and how many could honestly say it definately hadn't been dropped on the floor, especialy when the stuff going cheap is ex display..

Bill, i hope your mate got the buy of the century, and i'm sure we all wish him the best in his biking foray...

just next time go with him, eh..

[Guest]

i think fair play to him !!! just because its £5 doesent mean it isnt any good !, what if the title says he bought a helmet for £40 at a car boot sale ,would the response be the same .

when i started out spraying lots of mates gave me thier old helmets that had been dropped to spray and make up my portfolio . To paint them i had to take them apart and with all of them they had marks on the outside but the inside was completely fine , the only crap ones were the ones with a seam going down the middle .

weve all borrowed someone elses helmet when we were younger not knowing of its condition and weve all waited untill our tyres were on the wear mark before we replaced them .

telling his parents or taking the lid off him is either going to stop someone from biking or at worst alienating a friend .

if hes a good mate and he's skint then why not buy him a £30 lid from m&p or busters , a loyal riding buddy is worth its weight in gold

My current lid is a caberg V2r and its the worst helmet ever and after seeing what protection my father in laws highly expensive open face lid had then i'd rather wear a nappy on me head