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I was riding downtown last night and rolled into a RIDE spot check (checking for boozers). I hadn't been drinking and they told me to move along...but then flagged me over at the last minute.
The cop asked me if I was wearing a real helmet...I said yes and then pointed to the big DOT logo on the back. I was wearing one of these...
HCI retro 50
He kind of snickered and then told me to take it off. He then licked his finger and tried to rub off the DOT logo. He looked at me and said 'you just put this on there right?' I said 'no, the manufacturer did it for me'. He then told me that he'll do me a solid and not ticket me. Also, that if I did indeed buy it like that, then I got riped off because that's not a 'CSA' approved helmet. Thank god I wasn't at a construction site with it.
I have the same helmet different colors (silver with black stripe) and worry about getting hassled too because my DOT logo is covered up by the goggle strap in the back. So far so good, but I know the day is coming.
I agree with the cop that the helmet isn't safe...but it's IS certified by DOT. It's a cheap Chinese helmet that looks pretty good. It's great for quick summer rides around town. If I'm gonna be going considerable speeds, I'll wear the Simpson.
I can never figure why people want to protect argueably, the most important part of their body with some cheap chinese crap. Why not paint some cardbord and put a chinstrap on it? Or is your head and the bits contained inside so worthless that it doesn't matter? Buy a decent helmet and keep that piece of crap for the time you are caught short. Thats about all its good for.
So it has to be CSA approved? Just DOT isn't enough?
Hoofhearted said:
I can never figure why people want to protect argueably, the most important part of their body with some cheap chinese crap. Why not paint some cardbord and put a chinstrap on it? Or is your head and the bits contained inside so worthless that it doesn't matter? Buy a decent helmet and keep that piece of crap for the time you are caught short. Thats about all its good for.
I have several helmets. 2 3/4", this one and a full face. This is the cheapest of the lot and I don't wear it all that often. Sometimes it's nice to not wear much on your head while riding. Sure, it's not going to protect me all that much if I happen to drop the bike...but occasionally I willing to accept that. Have you ever been without a helmet? It feels pretty nice.
When i started riding (47 years ago) I didn't wear a helmet. My Dad never wore a helmet so he didn't see the need for me to wear one. A friend bought one "to be cool", as he put it, A few weeks after he got the helmet he was hit by a car. One side of his helmet was ground through to the foam and the other side had a tire mark on it. He had no head injuries. A broken leg and collarbone but his head was OK. That was in 1963. I haven't been without a helmet since then. Maybe someine can tell me why guys put the best possible rubber on their bikes and for that matter the best possible everything on their bikes and then stick some cheap ass useless helmet on their heads. I'm a firm believer in good helmets and I'm very short on sympathy for stupidity.
The helmets of thousands of accident victims (dead and alive) have been analyzed. The following diagram shows how often the helmet was hit and where. All those numbers add up to 100%. Notice the chin area (under the visor) gets creamed more than any other part of the face. The following diagram shows that 45.3% of impacts are in areas not covered by a 3/4 helmet. What does this mean? Wear a full-face helmet! (diagram courtesy "Proficient Motorcycling" by David Hought).
I always wear a full face as well... Call me paranoid but I don't even trust modular full face helmets to protect me... Especially when the guy at the local KTM dealer told me the chin pieces are "designed to break off in an accident" (smashing into your face and giving you 3/4 protection).
I'll admit I don't really have the money to go out and buy the best protection you can get (though I'd like to) and am yet to buy a helmet that is SNELL, though always DOT. I usually get the Black HJC that's always 'on sale'.
I've been wearing full faces since they came out. My first was a Bell 3/4. On a trip to Ireland I bought this because "racers" wore them. Would I wear it now? Not a chance! Its a converstion piece now. My current helmet is a Snell 2000 HJC. It was on sale and I could afford it. Its the best I could buy. I'd love to be able to afford a $600+ Arai.
CSA has nothing to do with bike lids....Dot or Snell is all it needs...in England it needs gold aclu I believe...The Cops generally are talkin outta their asses when it comes to bike shit, Unless they ride...Then they're ass for pullin You over ;D
Way down here in Texas, there is no helmet law for adults per se, meaning that if you have insurance to cover your injuries and you're 18 or over, you can be stupid and ride lidless.
BUT! There's a loophole. Better make sure your helmet has a DOT sticker, or else you run the risk of getting a ticket for wearing a non-approved helmet. And the cops DO check for that sticker. I've known a couple of folks who have gotten tickets here in Houston for this. Even warned a friend of mine who had just bought a nice German-made helmet (but with no visible DOT sticker) at a BMW Motorcycle dealership where he works. Makes absolutely no sense to me that TX would allow riders to go lidless, and yet have legislation that provides for fines against those riders whose helmets lack DOT stickers. But who says laws have to make sense?
I have a half shell that I use to wear...... until a buddy showed me a photo on the web of an accident victim that almost had his jaw ripped off. I guess I feel like I have enough to worry about while being on a bike. I don't need to worry about hurting my pretty face. My latest fear is being rear ended while at a stop light. Not sure why.
In all reality a DOT certified helmet is tested up to what ???? 10-15mph I believe ? I'm not going to get into statstics . It's like beating a dead horse . As long as the helmet has a sturdy shell ( resin plastic , fiberglass , polycarbon , etc ) and decent impact foam on the inside you're in the realm of DOT approval . Companies have to pay $$$ to put those certs .
I've seen perfectly good DOT approved helmets fall off the back of bikes ( living near PA where there's not helmet law ) and literally crack , break and faceshield fly off into the woods . If the helmet were on somebody's head they would be dead regardless. And folks gotta remember as well not just does the outer shell have to resist impact the inside has to absorb it .
IT's funny I saw that HCI too. I was heading down to the Triumph Come Home Rally in York PA and my buddy's helmet ( that exact helmet ) fell off his bike at 85mph-ish and skated across the pavement . Scuffed it up bad but it by no means shattered , cracked or even chipped . To me for the money the helmet got a good approval in my book. Now with any helmet ( DOT , SNELL, whatever ) if you took a fall at a high rate of speed you're pretty much screwed whatever helmet you where . It would all come down to how hard your head hit .
And just because your helmet costed $600+ doesn't mean you're invincible . My $100 AFX got a higher safety rating than a $400 Shoei . That's the truth. As for the " China " comment y'all might want to look at your tags . 90% of the helmets out there are made in frickin China .
Pudding bowls or beanies are better than going without a helmet, but just barely.
I met a man years ago who crashed while wearing an open-face helmet. After a lot of reconstructive surgery, he was still hideous. The doctors actually took skin from his ass and grafted it onto his face...
for a while i was riding with a Biltwell 3/4 lid. as many of you know its not a legit DOT, but since then i have been wearing my look alike simpson bandit lid made by Bieffe. never really got hassled too much over it, there is not helmet law here in Wisconsin, but i honestly think there should be-
Pudding bowls or beanies are better than going without a helmet, but just barely.
I met a man years ago who crashed while wearing an open-face helmet. After a lot of reconstructive surgery, he was still hideous. The doctors actually took skin from his ass and grafted it onto his face...
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