Dropped helmet

[Rikard]

ok, so when I was out Sunday on the Vermont trip, I managed to drop my helmet from about three feet or so (basically the height of bike). There is no visible damage to the helmet whatsoever.

I talked to Motormarket and they said the helmet is fine, and that you basically need to have a head inside the helmet at the time of impact to cause any damage to helmet.

Question is: Do I have it checked out? Is the only option to have it checked out to send it in to Arai? Any other options?

[Nikon]

it should be fine. people drop helemts all the time.

[legalspeed]

The threory is the styrofoam lining would get crushed. This will not happen unless there is something in the helmet to impact the styrofoam layer.

this layer is typically protected by the composite outside layer of the helmet.

Your helmet is fine.

[taylor]

i could have sworn that MSF recommended getting the helmet checked out after dropping it, but can't seem to locate any material that says that.

this pdf has some general helmet info:
http://www.msf-usa.org/downloads/helmet_CSI.pdf

[sahd03]

Good to be concerned, but if a helmet can't handle a drop from 3-ft high, how would it handl a high-speed impact with your noggin inside!?

Helmet is fine...

[R7]

Originally posted by sahd03
Good to be concerned, but if a helmet can't handle a drop from 3-ft high, how would it handl a high-speed impact with your noggin inside!?

Helmet is fine...

A helmet is designed to take 1 hit. While it may have handled the drop from 3' with no problems, that is in fact it's one hit. There is an article somewhere about this explaining why, i forgot if it was in a rag or online somewhere. I remember it saying something about the shell absorbing the impact and in doing so caused microscopic spider cracks. The next hit will take less of a force to damage the helmet and your noodle

[Ecooke21]

I watched your helmet fall in slow motion on sunday..that sucked... I think you can send it back to the manuf. to have it checked out..

[legalspeed]

You know what? I think Mark is right!!


What size Arai is it?

[babo]

I'm pretty certain that the issue with dropping damage to an Arai is related to delamination of the fiberglass after a fall.

A fall from seat hight really shouldnt cause much concern (who hasnt dropped a lid at least once?)

Actually, Snell helmet are designed to take two hits, not one. Dot and the Euro specs test for one hit. There was an excellent article in Motorcyclist last month. Everyone that rides should read this!!!!

I tried sending an old helmet to Arai for inspection. The promptly sent it back to me with a letter telling me to pound sand. They wouldnt even look at it.

I had a buddy that sent his helmet back to Scorpion recently, and they sent him back a shiny new lid @ no charge.

[Rikard]

Well, if I mail it back to the manufacturer, I'll be w/out a helmet until I get it back, unless I drop $$$ on a second helmet. And I wouldn't wanna get any other helmet than the one I have (sooo comfy!), so I guess I'd end up with two of them if I got a second one. What a dilemma!

[Rikard]

Originally posted by babo
I tried sending an old helmet to Arai for inspection. The promptly sent it back to me with a letter telling me to pound sand.

Define "promptly" please.

[babo]

Originally posted by Rikard
Define "promptly" please.

Promptly = 3 weeks? I did it in the off season, so I don't really remember. It certainly wasnt quick.


Pound Sand = I'm pretty certain that they just opened the box that I had sent to them, shoved a form letter in the box, and shipped it back to me.

The letter basically said to take the helmet to one of their highly skilled and knowledgable Arai dealers for a determination

[Manny]

Originally posted by babo

Pound Sand = I'm pretty certain that they just opened the box that I had sent to them, shoved a form letter in the box, and shipped it back to me.

The letter basically said to take the helmet to one of their highly skilled and knowledgable Arai dealers for a determination

I had a silmilar situation and Arai has a system in place to check the helmets. If you go online to their site and fill in a form they will send a return goods number and for 10 bucks they examine the helmet.

The bottom line is that if you are worried at all you should just send it in and that way there's no question about its safety.

[stoinkythepig]

The shell would have obvious and visible damage if it were compromised. It's the EPS inner liner that has a "one impact lifespan" and since your head was not in it, it's fine. Fiberglass, especially when reinforced with fancy stuff like carbon fiber and/or kevlar (like a typical expensive helmet) is amazingly tough and flexible. Watch an offshore boat race sometime if you want to see the punishment fiberglass can take.