Helmet lifespan

Wow, you (I) learn something every day. I still think the 5 years old and
bin it "rule" is bollocks though and I'd like to know how a carbon lid or
even a glass fibre lid "deteriorates" to the point where it's useless in 5
years too.

 

Minre still fits like a glove. Well like a well fitting lid actually and
it's well beyond 5 years old. It doesn't stink either.

Good thinking, Barge poles can really **** a lid up if used correctly.

 

No idea, but both use a resin binder. Also, the foam inner might
deteriorate, I suppose. My older AGV is definitely a looser fit than
it used to be.

I did once try to put a hammer through an elderly glassfibre helmet
when it became so loose on my head that I could wobble it around.
Nearly took out my front teeth when the hammer rebounded, having left
hardly a mark on the helmet.

 

It's not just the shell that makes up a helmet, the polystyrene inner
has a finite lifespan before it naturally deteriorates to a point where
it no longer has high enough impact absorption qualities.

--
Lozzo
Versys 650 Inter-Continental Hyperbolistic Missile , CBR600F-W racebike
in the making, TS250C, RD400F (somewhere)
BMW E46 318iSE (it's a car, not one of those 2-wheeled pieces of shite
they churn out)

 

I can confirm that the foam definitely deteriorates. During a house move
around 10 years ago I dug a 20 year old helmet out of the attic. The foam
had solidified and turned to dust at the slightest touch.
At a very rough estimate I would guess that the shock absorbing qualities
of the foam must be seriously compromised by around 10 years.

 

One is (metaphorically) touching my head at the moment, and I do like
the internal sun visor. Maybe i'll leave it as a summer lid then.

My oldest lid's my Shoei, which must be getting on for 12 years old.
It's only used as a spare commuting lid, and it stays in my topbox,
but it's been a stonking helmet.

I use 4 lids now, [1] rotating around [2], so none of them get that
much wear.

Paul.

[1] Arai, Shoei, Shark, Caberg.
[2] No, not rotating around my head.

 

Was a good job, though. Only showing wear where it's been stone chipped
and so on.

*Nice*
--
Catman MIB#14 SKoGA#6 TEAR#4 BOTAFOF#38 Apostle#21 COSOC#3
Tyger, Tyger Burning Bright (Remove rust to reply)
116 Giulietta 3.0l Sprint 1.7 GTV TS GT 3.2 V6
Triumph Sprint ST 1050: It's blue, see.
#www.cuore-sportivo.co.uk

 

Assuming there has to be a rule then the only others that would apply are
the number of hours it has been exposed to UV and/or the number of times
it has been crash tested and both of those nowhere near as easy to
ascertain as it's age.

 

I don't think the UV thing applies in the 21st century except for the very
cheapest polycarbonate jobs. The other bits will degrade before the outer
shell as the fibreglass ones are quite resilient and the better
polycarbonate ones have a UV reflecting coating.

 

Oi you, I'm fucking watching, OK?

 

I think I need to give mine a little attention for just that reason. Maybe
orange isn't such a bad idea.

A Vespa or Lambretta?

 

The resin bonder seems to work well on cars made of fibre glass though
(Corvette, Lotus and (****) Reliants and **** knows how man aeroplanes. I
can see the interior becoming a little smaller as years of heads being
pressed into a lid compresses it, but I don't see a lot of difference in
mine from when I bought it 6 or so years ago.

For one minute there, I thought you were fucking wearing the lid when you
attacked it with a nammer, but then I realised you weren't WC

 

I'll take your word for it and not smack my head

 

And most lacquers applied these days have UV reflection/protection too. It's
why red cars don't turn pink like they used to, which is a shame given
people's penchant for pink bikes these days.

 

Apart from the noise aspect of the Caberg in its original form, I love mine
and I've made it *really* quiet with the simple addition of a solid wind
deflector under the chin bar instead of the perforated one that it had. I
discovered the cure by accident when I went to adjust my neck tube and
blocked off the wind with *one* finger. I filed the holes in the original
"curtain" and ... instant noise reduction.

I wanted to like my old RX7, (now THAT was a noisy fucker) but it gave me a
headache and I could never get my glasses comfortable. Walking around with a
big red nose (f'narr) where the helmet shoved the pads of my specs into me
was a bitch too. Specially with a nose as big as wot I've got. the Caberg is
perfect for spec wearers though.

I'm exclusively using the Caberg nowadays and I'll get another when the time
comes.

 

Aaah.

Pity BMW didn't think to use it on their red K100s back i the
eighties. The top of my fuel tank turned orange.

Luckily I dropped it against the teh G/F's bike, so I had to buy a
replacement.

Even more happily, there was one for sale in the right colour (not
faded) at the BMF show autojumble that year.

 

Maybe you're growing your hair longer?

On second thoughts....

 

Well I'm not growing it, but it *is* getting longer and by a huge amount
too.

I still have all mine. What about you or are you heading towards
slapheadedness?

 

I don't think it was readily available back then. Vauxhall cars were
particularly prone to pinking and no amount of retarding the ignition would
cure it.

I've never bought a replacement girlfriend. Dear, or wot?

Obviously hadn't had its moment in the sun.