Helmet classification

Just been looking at lids for the SO, picked up a nice(1) shark one and
found that it didn't have any class A/B or a gold star on it. When I asked
the bod behind the till a few questions the first being why aren't you in
school? I was told that the EU sticker inside the lid has replaced the old
style class A/B and is better than a class A. Any one else heard this? Or
would any one buy one with out a classA/B rating.

(1) meaning it was all glittery

Ken
B12

 

A friend of mine has taken up karting and had to replace his expensive
lid in order to race as there wasn't a blue BS sticker on it.

--
Lesley
CBR600FW
SBS#11 (with oak-leaf cluster)
BOTAFOT#101A UKRMHRC#12
BONY#54P BOB#18
Real burds don't take hormones, they rage naturally

 

Keelworm says...

Exactly wot he said.

 

In theory only in the UK. The idea of the little ACU sticker was to
enable
the importers to charge huge amount of profit, to get a helmet with the
sticker on. But the helmet is not legal out side of the UK. This point
is subject to a waiver by most countries in the EU for visitors from the
UK.
To be legal in the EU the helmet must have a certificate of
compliance, without this, in theory, you cannot ride as a resident or
compete, with a UK helmet, out side the UK but a EUer can ride as a
resident and compete in the UK.
The original reason for these two standards was because more than one UK
manufacturer did not reach the EU standard for helmets (I think one was
Everoak I maybe wrong) So helmets in the UK were not certificated just
stamped with a little gold labels.

Ride with a ACU stamped helmet in France as a resident of France and
your bike insurance is invalid as is your medical insurance. (So I am
told)

He should have had a certificate of compliance with the helmet which the
authorities should accept. If they are particularly thick as many are a
BS race approved sticker can be applies at 'cost' only during the
transition period. They are not allowed to rip you off over this.

 

That's interesting, but he's already bought a helmet with the required
sticker on. I'll mention it to him anyway and see if he's aware of it.

--
Lesley
CBR600FW
SBS#11 (with oak-leaf cluster)
BOTAFOT#101A UKRMHRC#12
BONY#54P BOB#18
Real burds don't take hormones, they rage naturally

 

It is all down to the standards proposed in 1985 and passed into law
with amendment in 1988 (I think, er? that be within the 1988 RTA) the
one which your reference, references.

The bit that the official line came across with "The EEC standards
aren't as high as ours" was misleading. The top standards in the EEC
were and still are as good as a gold UK helmet but there are were more
classes in the EEC standards right down to safety helmets worn while
driving industrial vehicles. If we had adopted the EEC standards two of
the helmets manufactured in the UK could only be used to drive dumper
trucks with.

There were so many complaints about profiteering by importers of
motorcycle helmets that they had to change the law to allow helmets that
met the UK standards but were supplied without the gold or silver
stickers for the transition period until we adopted the EU regs, which
is where your ref comes in.

The helmet importers tried to shop grey importers to the C&E for not
paying VAT on them when they entered this country as they officially
only became motorcycle helmets when the BSI sticker went on and were
then 'exempt'. (which was effectively supporting unfair trading.)

Grey importers went to EEC court and C&E had to reclassify the rating to
'zero' for helmets regardless of source.

 

Mick Whittingham says...