Did you know? - SHARP helmet testing.

Originally Posted by Bibio

i don't look at ratings or badges when buying lids. i buy one that fits.

Funny thing those Sharp ratings, my old £50 Arashi steel 2, 3 stars.
Schuberth S1 Pro... 2 stars, I don't believe for a moment that the cheapo is a better helmet, for a start it looks like a toy and the internal shape changed within months forceing me to replace it because it was getting painful.

My head is Shoei shaped and I'm very happy with my XR1100, I sometimes forget its on because it's that comfy.

[Winder]

What about Soumy lids? I've only been riding a few years and my Arai Condor is now a bit smashed after my "sorry mate I didn't see you" incident. Not sure what to get next

Google "Sharp Test" and you will find it, but do not buy a new lid unless you have tried it on, fit/comfort is the main thing... BTW Arai Condor... 2 stars, but you have tested yours and are still here to tell folk about it so you decide what that star rating is worth in the real world.

Originally Posted by Chris Bird

Another point they made is massively reduced in price helmets you can buy form the big shows.

They say don't bother. These helmets are rejects for some reason, and somewhere in some horrible small print it will say not for road use!

Whilst I agree with the majority of what you are saying in your post I have to take issue with this point.

I wholesaled helmets to a number of traders who sell helmets at bike shows around the country - one of my biggest customers would spend upwards of £120,000 a year on Nitro helmets and every single one of them was sold at the BMF, Stafford Classic show and other smaller events. He wasn't the only guy doing this, there is a whole industry out there of guys who own a truck and a large lock-up who load up on a Friday and set up stall for the weekend selling helmets cheaply. They can afford to do so because they don't have huge overheads - it's just them and maybe a couple of family members, a truck and a lock-up.

Nitro aren't the only cheap helmets you'll find at shows either, there are loads if you care to look. The guys selling them buy from the same reps who sell to your local George White, Suzuki dealer, Kawasaki dealer or independent bike shop. The helmets are exactly the same as you'll find anywhere else in the country. Only difference is George Whites and the rest of the bike shops don't buy in such bulk and as such don't get the discounts... that's another reason Mr Show-Stand can sell cheaper, he buys £25,000 worth at a time, not £500 or even £1000.

As a sales rep we relied on the guys doing the shows to make us money. When you're on 7% of all turnover you go looking for the guy who'll buy £120,000 of stock a year and you'll look after him and make sure he gets what he orders on time, and you'll be back next month to write another order because that one customer is worth £8400 in commission alone each year. If anything you go looking for another three or four of them to really bring the pennies rolling in. I had three of them on my books, and they earned me alot of money every year.

All of them were buying the same helmets from the same factories that arrived on the same containers as the helmets you could see in local shops. The helmets you see for sale at shows aren't rejects, they aren't seconds, and they aren't faulty in any way.

Originally Posted by dizzyblonde

Thats a bit of a bold statement there, on what experience have they got this knowledge? Theres an awful lot of big companies whose reputations are at stake, selling helmets at shows. I somehow doubt this statement has true clout IMO.

Now if you were to say, don't buy off the net, because by the time Parcel Farce has got it to you, it won't be suitable for road use.....I could understand!

Petes bought two Shoei's from the NEC, and have been brand spanking new, never out of the box. I somehow doubt that the company whose stand he purchased from would dare to sell an inadequate helmet IMO.

Road safety partnership or not, slanderous comments like that, can get folk into trouble.....and at the same time, no matter how safe they want you to be, can also talk a lot of bullcarp inbetween the good points.

See my reply above.

[Bibio]

a helmet is only as good as its fit.

i may be totally wrong (if i am can i please be set straight) but i have always been told of 4 thing to look for when buying a lid.

when buying a helmet there are a few things that the sales person should check once you have the helmet on and fasted up properly the first and most important thing is the rear to front pull test. grip the back of the lid at the bottom and pull forwards, if you can pull the lid off its useless no matter how much it costs. second is the nose test, if you can't pull the lid of using the test earlier but the lid slides down and hits your nose that its useless. third is the twist test, if you can twist the lid and it slides about it useless. fourth is the upper test (full face), pull the lid up and backwards using the chin guard, if the lid moves backwards then its useless.

ohhh and when testing the lid for fit don't pussy about with pulling/pushing as in the event of an accident objects wont.