How long should an Arai last?
 

Not sure if this is the right section - sorry

How long should an arai last, mine is three years old and has been used most days. IT probaly done about 25k which included lots of short trips into town etc.

At the mo my face has begun to touch the front i'm guessing the cheek pads have got thin and the breath guard has ripped. Some of the vent have stopped working and the visors are looking a bit sorry for themselfs.

Do you guys replace the cheekpads visors etc of just get a new helmet. How much are new cheekpads?

Cheers in advance

Re: How long should an Arai last?
 

New lid, innit. I'm surprised it's lasted you this long.

And get one pronto - I went over the bars and landed on my chin at less than 20mph in a 2 month-old full-face lid. Fractured my jaw and dislocated my TMJ. If it wasn't for the properly padded chin bar it would have been much worse - I'd be dead. Nuff said.

Same as above. Lids deterorate with age. Some faster than others, even when it's the same manufacturer & model.

Remember the thing about a cannonball, a feather & gravity? Cannonball lands first, every time. Your head apparently weighs a fifth of your entire body weight (maybe that should go in 'Fact of the Day'...).

If I were you, I'd be shopping for new lids, even if the current budget is a little tight, afterall, how much is a head worth these days?

I think the general ground rule is 4 years, but that depends on use and wear time.... As a four years on a shelf is not the same as four years on the road... All the chemicals on the road and even in your hair weakens the helmet over time, so while it may look fine you'll never know.
That's why it always shocks me when you see some old biker out in his 70's lid, might as well just wear a saucepan...

Now you just know I'm going to have to try that one, just for the looks you'd get :smt046 Probably have to remove the handle first though, otherwise that could be nasty... Also, private roads only officer!

:stupid: See, I can hold my own hands too! :D

Has this lore that lids deteriorate in four years ever been tested independantly?It's clearly in the interests of the trade to get us to replace lids every four years so they can sell more,so being a cynical type I reach for the pinch of salt.On quality kit you can replace linings and cheek pads to maintain a proper fit,and as long as the strap is not worn I reckon an older lid is perfectly OK.Having said that I bought a new XSpirit last year,but still keep my old Shoei for a spare.

WTF? The only reason that a cannonball drops faster than a feather is air resistance. In a vacuum they would drop at exactly the same speed. Not that this has any bearing on lids and crashing - which is more about force = mass * acceleration (Newtons second Law)

Jesus I aint replacing my X-Spirit after 3 years! Not at that price!

I've fallen off my share of bikes (thankfully mainly in fields, and stupidly, mainly without a lid on!) I can honestly say, I've never fallen off any bike in a vacuum though.

Granted though, air resistance wouldn't make diddly squat of a difference. Forgive my moment of boredom in the office, but I feel it goes someway to illustrate my point.

Interesting. Lets just hope you don't have an accident then.