Helmet damage

[Leaf]

G'day all.

I recently had the (mis)fortune to come off my bike while taking a tight lefthander at "optimistic" speed. Lent it over too much and ended up lowsiding . Now, while i was ok and the bike was still ridable, i am unsure if i damaged my helmet during the fall. I dont recall hitting the ground hard with my head, however there is evidence of some (very) minor scratches on the left hand side that may or may not have been there prior to my excursion.

I am curious to know if there is some way that a helmet can be tested to see if it is still up to the impact standards it once was before it was purchased (short of sending it back to the manufacturer - in this case 'shunde fengxing helmets' who make the nitro racing brand) thus indicating if it has been damaged?

While it somewhat of a moot point as i am planning to purchase a new helmet either way, it would be useful to know if such a service does exist.

cheers.

[Grub]

I'm not sure if you can get it done (I just automaticly replaced mine) but you may be able to get it xrayed.

The trouble is, I don't know what to look for ... cracks obviously but what about strain on the strap and strap mountings etc etc

Maybe ask a bike shop?

[YellowDog]

Not aware of any such services and no one would give you a cast iron guarantee. Wouldn't risk it myself.

BTW: Well done on sliding like that. By far the safest way to go down and keep a degree of control. How's the rest of your gear after the slide?

[Mike748]

Yip, tis a bugger when you get a few scratches and you don't know if it's cosmetic or structural, I've got a nice carbon fibre HJC which I tried to do a headstand with after loosing the front, helmet is scratched up but I never felt any real impact. Still going to replace it though and I'll use it as a reminder not to repeat the incident.

[Jantar]

I have posted this before, but it was a while ago.

I have a very good 4 step method of testing old helmets to see if they are still OK:

Step 1. Visually inspect the outer shell for any sign of damage.
Step 2. Visually inspect the straps, fastners, and stitching for any sign of damage.
Step 3. Slice the helmet open (an axe or machete works well) and check the inner for consistancy and conformity.
Step 4. Repeat step 1.

If the helmet fails any step it must be replaced.

I have tested around a dozen helmets over the years, and the strange thing is that every old helmet I have tested has failed. Most fail at step 1. A few at step 3, and the remainder at step 4. Only 1 has failed at step 2.
__________________

[fireliv]

Yeah never worth the risk. I think my insurance company is getting sick of phoenix and I making helmet claims...... they even try and say that it is not covered under content insurance. To bad my sister worked there and knows better..... they just wanna ping me for bike excess cos its 10 times the amount of content excess..... but I have the last :laugh:

[Rachel770]

I had a big crash yesterday at Ardmore and my helmet is wasted, but it did the job!

[FROSTY]

[quote=Jantar;1467625]IStep 3. Slice the helmet open (an axe or machete works well) and check the inner for consistancy and conformity.uote]


Id put a fair bit o money that step was a shit load harder than you thought it would be.

[Leaf]

Yeah a replacement will definantly be in the immediate future, better safe than sorry for sure...plus Jantar's 3rd step in helmet testing is begging to be put into practice :D


BTW: Well done on sliding like that. By far the safest way to go down and keep a degree of control. How's the rest of your gear after the slide?

Cheers, I was rather chuffed (if that is at all possible after coming off) that I had resisted the temptation to slam on the front brake and stand the bike up in the corner, tho im sure i could have handled the situation better, not least by going a touch slower into the corner :D

Put a hole down to the knee pad in my pants (technic - synthetic), a scuff on the shoulder of my jacket (shift - leather), and some minor scuffs on the glove (rev'it - leather). All in all reasonably happy with the gear, tho if the slide had been longer im not sure if the knee pad would have remained in place.

[Mom]

Totally agree with Jantar.

You fell off your bike, noticed a few scratches on your helmet. Any sane person would use the Jantar test and tell you it was fucked mate!

New helmet time, now, not in a months time, just do it!

[Zoolander]

Just replace it. If it got scuffed on the outside the inner layer of hard foam has most probably compressed to some degree. Which means it wont absorb as much force next time. Not worth taking a risk when it comes to your brain really!

[Pogo2]

Do you consider helmets to have a "shelf life" I have a Nolan N100 flip face that is about 10 years old. Never been dropped but the padding around the forehead is starting to feel a bit flat after years of perspiration and general wear etc. Does any KBer replace their helmet after a certain period (despite no damage etc).

Interested to hear your thoughts

Cheers

[Mikkel]

If you can not recall with clarity that you did not touch your helmet down while sliding - replace it!
If you push it off your kitchen table - replace it.
If you drop it off your bike seat while parked - replace it.

:)

[Jantar]

IStep 3. Slice the helmet open (an axe or machete works well) and check the inner for consistancy and conformity.


Id put a fair bit o money that step was a shit load harder than you thought it would be.

Yes, it was a lot easier with the older style fibre shells, the newer polycarbonate ones do tend to deflect the blade if you're not careful. But then a large hacksaw will achieve the same purpose. :D

[FROSTY]

Do you consider helmets to have a "shelf life" I have a Nolan N100 flip face that is about 10 years old. Never been dropped but the padding around the forehead is starting to feel a bit flat after years of perspiration and general wear etc. Does any KBer replace their helmet after a certain period (despite no damage etc).

Interested to hear your thoughts

Cheers
mnz have an age limit on lids--must be for a reason

[heyjoe]

Replace it. Sometimes damage is not visible to the naked eye and the internal structure is not visible either. If it is 10 year old then just replace it automatically. Foam and padding compresses and loses it impacting protections properties over a ten year period. Your head is precious. You only get issued with one at birth.

[FROSTY]

If In doubt talk to Me,Shaun,skelstar or Mac dknife--we have all had experience what happens when head hits deck hard--and we all had quality lids

[Henk]

mnz have an age limit on lids--must be for a reason

The MNZ age limit is ten years. The Go Cart guys have a limit of five years. I beleive it has something to do with the polystyrene liner ageing and not being as good at soaking up the impact when you head butt the ground leading to a higher likelyhood of Brain shakes. I usually replace mine when it starts to feel sloppy. They all end up fitting like a bucket eventually.

[nevets]

mnz have an age limit on lids--must be for a reason

IIRC the blurb that came with my Shoei XR1000 suggested replacement after 5yrs

[FruitLooPs]

My shoei XR1000 went down at the hairpin at Ruapuna ~20k/hr lowside with me. I didn't impact with my head so much as lay it down.

I can see the inside of the padding in the particular spot by pulling the lining out, have done so and its identical to the uncrashed other side foam hasn't compressed or cracked/broken. I hadn't thought twice about wearing it, but you guys have me wondering.

I'm just *really* skeptical that its shot in my particular case. Drats :spanking:

[Jantar]

... I didn't impact with my head so much as lay it down....

I'm just *really* skeptical that its shot in my particular case. Drats :spanking:


If it didn't impact, then the inner liner should still be fine. If it slid, then the integrety of the shell may be in doubt, but if the helmet didn't contact the ground with any force, then its probably still OK.

I took my Nolan N102 into the insurance today, and they are paying up without any problems. A new one is already ordered.

[2 wheel madness]

I carried out some tests on a helmet supplied to company i work for by an insurance co. a few years ago to establish if we could detect defects / damage using x-ray.
The helmet supplied had minor cracking evident visually. X-ray didnt show much as expected, i wont go into the many reasons. We also tested it using an ultrasonic technique and while we did detect the cracks that were there we concluded that they were that hard to locate and identify that even if we were confident we could inspect helmets for cracking (which we were not) our bill would be more than a new helmet anyway.
So the posibility of inspecting helmets has been looked into by the insurance companies (suprise suprise) who will happily pay out.