View Full Version : Question for Ed, or anyone else that want to put in their £00.02 worth :0)
I was on the phone to my father (old SV650 rider called Lol sold his bike to Skip some years back..) he was telling me that one of his old motorcycle friends that he is certain that there is a LEGAL life span for safety helmets, He has been told by his insurers that it is 5 years.
Now we all know that if a helmet gets a bang / dropped then it should be changed but no-one I or my father has spoken to (except the lad in question) thinks there is a hard and fast LEGAL time limit.
Can anyone shed any light on this...?
I do know that Hard hats on building sites / safety helmets have a 5 year life but not Motorcycle Helmets :0)
Specialone
15-08-10, 09:36 PM
The sceptic in me says this is bolox, just an excuse to sell more lids.
What about differences with in helmet materials and design? they cant all be knackered after 5 years can they?
dizzyblonde
15-08-10, 09:42 PM
I've always known it is recommended to change your helmet every five years, but I've never known that to be a law.
I could ask an old friend who used to trade in motorcycle gear if its legal requirement if you want?
rictus01
15-08-10, 09:45 PM
the "five year" thing was first banded about in conection to the early policarb lids, as they reacted to sunlight over a prolonged period of time, this also gave rise to the glue on stickers thing as well, todays helmet shells are completely different and totally stable, I've had Arai Helmets sent back and inspected, coming back approved for road use older than 5 years old.
Cheers Mark.
yes please do :0)
I'm waiting for Lozzo to have a say also as I remember he used to be in that meerkat :0)
This is all as I suspected so far... :0)
the more input the better..
I had the Arai rep in this week for training. There is no law in the UK to replace a helmet, surprisely enough I found out today from a customer from Brasil that it is LAW to replace a helmet every YEAR!!!! Imagine that....
The recommendation is that you replace a helmet around the 4 year mark. The main reason for this is the break down of the inner shell. For example an Arai helmet has a triple density inner shell. Hard at the forehead going to softer on the crown. Sweat from your head penitrates this innershell making it hard all over. A firmer inner shell doesn't absorb an impact and spread the load as well as a multi-density shell.
Lesson over
christopher
15-08-10, 09:56 PM
Is that 5 years from date of purchase or date of manufacture? As in, are they saying you can't go and buy a helment which is 5+ years old even if it's unused and has been correctly stored?
Sounds like a load of rubbish, though I guess it comes down to the individual insurer, is there anything stating this in the policy wording? A bit like with the 33bhp restriction certificate rubbish, it's not required by law yet certain insurers require there to be one.
I had the Arai rep in this week for training. There is no law in the UK to replace a helmet, surprisely enough I found out today from a customer from Brasil that it is LAW to replace a helmet every YEAR!!!! Imagine that....
The recommendation is that you replace a helmet around the 4 year mark. The main reason for this is the break down of the inner shell. For example an Arai helmet has a triple density inner shell. Hard at the forehead going to softer on the crown. Sweat from your head penitrates this innershell making it hard all over. A firmer inner shell doesn't absorb an impact and spread the load as well as a multi-density shell.
Lesson over
Wot the burd said.
I have absolutely no idea but I'd be v v surprised if it were mandatory to replace a lid after 5 years
Cheers Ed that's all I need to know :0)
He says one line and gets a thanks .... I do 5 and get nothing......
**walks off, sulking**
I had the Arai rep in this week for training. There is no law in the UK to replace a helmet, surprisely enough I found out today from a customer from Brasil that it is LAW to replace a helmet every YEAR!!!! Imagine that....
The recommendation is that you replace a helmet around the 4 year mark. The main reason for this is the break down of the inner shell. For example an Arai helmet has a triple density inner shell. Hard at the forehead going to softer on the crown. Sweat from your head penitrates this innershell making it hard all over. A firmer inner shell doesn't absorb an impact and spread the load as well as a multi-density shell.
Lesson over
He says one line and gets a thanks .... I do 5 and get nothing......
**walks off, sulking**
you must learn to count.. you said 6...
and I must say sorry, and a big Thank you ... xxx :0)
also..
My own helmet is a Aria, I saw the demo/Aria night with the stars in Northallerton back in 2006 with Cloggsy and thought "Well after that the next helmet I'm getting is an Aria..."
:0)
petevtwin650
15-08-10, 11:05 PM
Maybe if you had an accident and suffered head trauma, the insurance company might used the age of the helmet to try and reduce the payout.
This is what I was thinking in the back of my mind whilst on the phone to my father...
or maybe he was trying to claim for a new Helmet from his insurers (new for old...?) ?
my understanding and from what i have been told in the past is, if the helmet has not been dropped the shell is fine its the polystyrene inner that starts to deteriorate after the 5 years.
arenalife
16-08-10, 08:57 AM
What the law is and what insurers want are two different things though. If your terms say it must be so then you run a risk of a claim being affected don't you? If the terms of your insurance said you must ride with a rubber chicken as pillion for cover to be valid you'd have to wouldn't you?
Bluepete
16-08-10, 09:03 AM
There's no law I know of, but I'll check today if you like.
I'd replace any helmet with damage, especially if you buy a new one then strap it to your bike, then drop it from your bike and let it go skidding down the road.
Eh Richie?
Pete ;) ;)
Bluepete
16-08-10, 09:10 AM
And on the subject of helmets (http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1313974_police_told_not_to_chase_motorbike_thieves __because_villains_werent_wearing_helmets)
Frustrating?
Yep.
Pete ;)
davepreston
16-08-10, 11:25 AM
And on the subject of helmets (http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereveningnews/news/s/1313974_police_told_not_to_chase_motorbike_thieves __because_villains_werent_wearing_helmets)
Frustrating?
Yep.
Pete ;)
mate thats ridiculas ,how the hell are the plod sopossed to do there job with their hands tied like that
ok people here we go ,no plates doing 100 odd mph, thru a 20 zone, dont worry you'll get away with it cos plod cant chase ya , as long as you dont wear a lid ,
result,
i think not :rolleyes::smt120:confused:
gruntygiggles
16-08-10, 11:33 AM
I personally don't think it should have anything to do with the age of the helmet.
It should be judged on how many miles you have done whilst wearing that helmet. When I went through my training in March/April, I was shown cross sections of impact damaged helmets, including one that had just been dropped from a shelf and three undamaged helmets. One that had done 40,000 miles and the lining was less than half the original thickness, therefore meaking it nowhere near as safe as a new helmet, yet it was just 1 year old. It's just the mileage. The helmet that had the thickest lining left was actually 4 years old, but the rider had only done 3000-4000 miles a year over that time and it had still lost a good few mm of thickness.
So, I would not think it sensible to set a law on the age. If a law was going to be set, it should be set on the mileage covered whilst wearing that helmet!
That's just my 2p
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