How often does everyone replace their helmet?

[adg44]

How often do you all replace your helmets? At 3 years, my inner padding is getting a bit worn and the visor is pitted. I was going to replace these, then I figured if I'm doing that I may as well just replace the whole helmet.

I know the MSF says helmets should be replaced every 2-4 years, and since I'm at 3 years right now, perhaps next spring it's time for a new helmet.

- Anthony

[Silly_me]

Mine only last about 2-3 years, so that's when I replace them.

It also makes me wonder why people spend so much coin on a disposable device (unless it's a replica they are buying for display), I buy all mine on clearance

[adg44]

Mine only last about 2-3 years, so that's when I replace them.

What doesn't last about your helmets after 2-3 years? Mine has stood up amazingly well.

[Silly_me]

What doesn't last about your helmets after 2-3 years? Mine has stood up amazingly well.

The suckers get sandblasted and chipped to hell.

[blackflygti]

Same here, every ~3 years. Visor gets sandblasted, padding wears down, liner starts getting thin, finish starts to peel/ship/wear on cheaper models.

[rambag3]

Where do you guys get your helmets from I'm in the market?

[blackflygti]

I go to the local bike shop and try a bunch on. I normally wait for end-of-season sales.

[torxim]

The suckers get sandblasted and chipped to hell.

how many miles are you riding a year? I've got two helmets I switch between, both 3 years old now and they aren't even close to sandblasted or chipped up

[adg44]

how many miles are you riding a year? I've got two helmets I switch between, both 3 years old now and they aren't even close to sandblasted or chipped up

Same here - mine looks almost brand new (aside from some pitting, etc). I'd rate it a 9/10 though.

[adg44]

Where do you guys get your helmets from I'm in the market?

www.newenough.com. They often have a lot on closeout.

[Silly_me]

how many miles are you riding a year? I've got two helmets I switch between, both 3 years old now and they aren't even close to sandblasted or chipped up

I commute on my bike (I've only put 6k miles on my car since I bought it over a year ago ), and 2/3 of my ride is on the superslab (a very heavily utilized truck route). I also ride a naked so not a lot of protection to the helmet. I honestly can't see how those keep your laws off my body!!!!! guys do it, but I see them out there sans helmet... usually doing below the speed limit, in the far right lane, drafting a truck or car

[bob12312357]

I replace em after lending em out and friends busting em. My oldest helmet is like 2 years old. Never gotten around 2 replacing one for age. Also newenough.com FTW. I've gotten sick deals on there as i just can't justify spending 600 bucks on something that is gonna get smashed or tossed anyway when all the protection is pretty much the same.

[adg44]

Well I spoke with HJC on the phone and they said 3-5 years for their helmets. For someone who wears it every day three years is their replacement schedule, but if you only wear it sometimes they claim five years.

The AC-12 Carbon that I have is discontinued, so there are no more replacement parts available (except for face shields). I was able to find a large replacement liner for $20, and new cheek pads and a new anti-fog shield for $44, so I went ahead and ordered both.

The helmet only has been worn for ~12,000 miles and it's in great condition, so I feel that it's still just fine. I figure at the end of next riding season I'll likely replace it, but it seems fine for the time being.

- Anthony

[torxim]

I commute on my bike (I've only put 6k miles on my car since I bought it over a year ago ), and 2/3 of my ride is on the superslab (a very heavily utilized truck route). I also ride a naked so not a lot of protection to the helmet. I honestly can't see how those keep your laws off my body!!!!! guys do it, but I see them out there sans helmet... usually doing below the speed limit, in the far right lane, drafting a truck or car

that's about my riding habit too, which is why I was surprised! I've put around 2k miles on my car in the last year and about 14k on my bike, lot of it superslab. Naked bike definitely going to get a lot more stuff on your helmet than mine though!

I'm on the same page as you about the ''keep your laws off me'' guys... no clue how they can really ride. I rode without the arms attached to my jacket for a few days and when I got on the slab it started to sting pretty good, can't imagine that on my face

[mad8vskillz]

never had one for last me for more than a year.
1st lid - realized it was too small, gave away to smaller-headed buddy
2nd - bought a blue bike, didn't want a red helmet anymore
3rd - stolen from me
4th and 5th - killed by gf's dumbass brother when he crashed my sv
6th - dropped on concrete
so currently i'm on my 7th (my fullface), 8th(gf's fullface), and 9th(my mx helmet for hot days and looking like a tool on the dorso) helmet and into my 4th season.

[mad8vskillz]

Where do you guys get your helmets from I'm in the market?

go to all the big moto websites and look in clearance. i bought a scorpion exo700 once for $50

[Mk1Racer]

In car road racing, the SCCA will let you use a helmet that's up to 10 years old. Granted, most guys aren't wearing those helmets every day.

I'm curious though, why would they (MSF) suggest you replace a helmet after 2 years, if the helmet hasn't been damaged? I can see replacing sand-blasted visors, but why the whole helmet?

[mad8vskillz]

In car road racing, the SCCA will let you use a helmet that's up to 10 years old. Granted, most guys aren't wearing those helmets every day.

I'm curious though, why would they (MSF) suggest you replace a helmet after 2 years, if the helmet hasn't been damaged? I can see replacing sand-blasted visors, but why the whole helmet?

justification i've heard is that sun/heat/acidity in sweat break down the liner. probably BS though

[Mk1Racer]

justification i've heard is that sun/heat/acidity in sweat break down the liner. probably BS though

How does the sun break down the liner? Yeah, I'd say BS. They just want to sell more helmets.

[blackflygti]

I commute on my bike (I've only put 6k miles on my car since I bought it over a year ago ), and 2/3 of my ride is on the superslab (a very heavily utilized truck route). I also ride a naked so not a lot of protection to the helmet.

Mine sees similar abuse. Daily commuting, highway, naked bike.

[mad8vskillz]

How does the sun break down the liner? Yeah, I'd say BS. They just want to sell more helmets.

snell says so...

Why should you replace your helmet every five years?
The five year replacement recommendation is based on a consensus by both the helmet manufacturers and the Snell Foundation. Glues, resins and other materials used in helmet production over time can affect liner materials. Hair oils, body fluids and cosmetics, as well as normal "wear and tear" all contribute to helmet degradation. Petroleum based products present in cleaners, paints, fuels and other commonly encountered materials may also degrade materials used in many helmets possibly degrading performance. Additionally, experience indicates there will be a noticeable improvement in the protective characteristic of helmets over a five year period due to advances in materials, designs, production methods and the standards. Thus, the recommendation for five year helmet replacement is a judgment call stemming from a prudent safety philosophy.

http://www.smf.org/faqs.html#10

p.s. snells site is hideous

[adg44]

How does the sun break down the liner? Yeah, I'd say BS. They just want to sell more helmets.

Maybe, but do you really want to risk it for only a couple hundred bucks?

[Spinnaker]

Maybe, but do you really want to risk it for only a couple hundred bucks?

This is where they get you. You think that helmet is ok? Do you REALLY want to find out?

[mad8vskillz]

This is where they get you. You think that helmet is ok? Do you REALLY want to find out?

i'm going to go with "still 99% effective and snell had no way of testing to prove this"

[bob12312357]

This is where they get you. You think that helmet is ok? Do you REALLY want to find out?

He may be thinking along the lines of a helmet as a head ornament, in which case it does not need 2 be replaced as he has nothing between the ears 2 lose...

[blue70beetle]

First, Bob, because your posts are driving me nuts, 2 =/= two =/= too =/= to. You saved all the time of typing a single character twice in that post. Retarded. Please do us all a favor; use numbers to describe a quantity. That's what they're for. Words are ALWAYS spelled with letters, and substituting a numeral for a word makes you look stupid and makes your posts difficult to read. If you want to be taken seriously, you have to stop this.

On topic, I bought my helmet in March of '08 and have no intention of replacing it anytime soon. Granted, I don't put the miles on my bike that some of you do (my commute recently got almost 30% longer, so now I have a six-mile ride, in town, to work). When I did put more miles on my old bike, though, I was using a helmet I got with the bike when I bought it from a friend. He had bought the helmet new, he had the bike for about a year (lived in town, about two miles from work), and then I had it for about three years. By the end of that time, the helmet had nothing more than a few nicks in the finish from my kids messing with it.

I have a hard time with the idea of replacing a lightly used helmet at five years because someone at HJC said so, but if it sees daily use, I suppose it would be wise to consider the effects of UV radiation on the composite structure. Since these are highly variable, the manufacturers have to err on the side of caution and tell you to replace it earlier rather than later. Imagine the liability they would assume if they told you it was fine for ten years and it had lost 40% of its impact strength by year seven...nobody could ever prove it was a contributing factor to an injury or death, but whether it's for generating sales or to CYA, it's smart to throw out a number that's reasonable, but maybe a little on the low side.

[Triumph]

how many miles are you riding a year? I've got two helmets I switch between, both 3 years old now and they aren't even close to sandblasted or chipped up

Me too, I don't ride as much as I used to but I wish I had a legitimate reason to buy some new helmets! I just can't justify it though because there is nothing wrong with mine.

[adg44]

I'm going to bump this back up to the top.

I replaced all of my inner pads back in August 2010, and while those are fine, my helmet has a production date of December 2006, so it is now five and a half years old.

Seems like it is time to replace the helmet. While I liked this helmet a lot because it looks pretty cool (fully carbon fiber), I think it could do a lot better with ventilation and noise. Perhaps it's time to upgrade to an Arai or Shoei?

[Silly_me]

Perhaps it's time to upgrade to an Arai or Shoei?

My shark is the best helmet I've ever owned, give them a look (but admittedly it is very quiet so that means very warm so that means it is primarily my winter/fall lid). I've got a bell star that is new to me and it seems to be very comfy with a nice mix of noise reduction and ventilation, but I've not yet ridden it through a KY summer yet, so time will tell. In all honesty I sweat so much I use my cheaper (and usually much cooler) HJC helmets during the summer.

[U n i o n 0015]

I've got a 2008 manufactured Arai that should probably be retired, if I went by the manufacturer's recommendation. The thing is I bought it NIB two years ago so it really hasn't seen much use that would "degrade" it through the exposure to oils and chemicals.

Been eyeing the HJC carbon helmet.

[rpmk4]

i really need to update mine. i hadn't owned my own bike until a month ago so a hand me down was fine. i'll just pretend it says 10 and not 00 for a couple more weeks.

[SpclAgentD]

I just replaced mine after 5 years. I didn't replace it because it because it's old, but because I wasn't satisfied with the airflow.

Anyhow, I found good deals on last year's models and saved a good $200! Woo hoo!

[Triumph]

I'm going to bump this back up to the top.

I replaced all of my inner pads back in August 2010, and while those are fine, my helmet has a production date of December 2006, so it is now five and a half years old.

Seems like it is time to replace the helmet. While I liked this helmet a lot because it looks pretty cool (fully carbon fiber), I think it could do a lot better with ventilation and noise. Perhaps it's time to upgrade to an Arai or Shoei?

I just bought a Bell RS-1 helmet, it's their midrange ~350 helmet and it gets very good reviews. But I was sorely disappointed to find that it is really noisy on my VFR. When sitting in my normal position, it is not only noisy as hell, the frequency seems to be higher than my cheap Icon helmet. This is with earplugs, btw. If I raise my head to horizontal (which is pretty uncomfortable on a sporty bike), the noise is greatly reduced.

I actually rode home, switched helmets without even turning off the bike, and rode the same route at the same speeds with my old Icon helmet, and it was much quiter, and what wind noise there was, was at a lower frequency.

I find it really odd that a helmet would not work as well in the sport bike riding position as in a standard position, considering the testing and the development that's done and the target audience for this type of product. So, I don't recommend a Bell RS-1 for you.

Now I have to find another helmet, which is a huge PITA since no one around here carries anything but Shoei (doesn't fit), Arai (doesn't fit), or HJC.

[vanaman]

Im at 3.5 on my current helmet. its getting kinda worn and old smelling.

so it will prolly get replaced during or end of this season.

[hrama803]

I wear Youth helmets. They are cheap enough to buy annually.