Let’s talk retro style helmets

gortnipper said:

This is a good read. It points more towards normal (not CF) shell materials being the culprit with modern helmets. That and impact damage.

Do Motorcycle Helmets Expire? - Heads Don't Bounce

Learn about the expiry date of your old motorcycle helmet. Ensure your motorcycle helmet safety and head protection by knowing when to replace your safety gear.

www.headsdontbounce.com

That being said, I used to buy/export used bikes. Hundreds. I would get tons of used helmets. A LOT of old helmets with non-replaceable liners/straps were literally falling apart.

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This article is dubious at best in my opinion. The guy relies on pretty spurious interpretations of standards and articles (one relating to pushbike helmets) to claim that EPS liners do not degrade with age/contaminants etc. Nowhere near enough information researched to make claims like that.

EPS foam does degrade over time and use via ageing, physical use, sweat and various contaminants. I have seen it. But it is the degradation that may not be visible that is more concerning - an older helmet may save your skull from impact but maybe not your brain on that same impact, if the EPS foam has hardened or degraded in any way.

Other dubious claims like replacing chin straps rather than a helmet when the strap fails, seem to indicate that he hasn’t spent much time around motorcycles. Wouldn’t be making a decision about the life of a helmet based on this article.





12 month old Arai XD4 EPS liner:



7 year old Arai XD4 EPS liner

Both shells are immaculate.

I don't necessarily disagree with you. But it does point out that assuming that the shell does not degrade may not be entirely correct.

Thomasa said:

So when a shell is coated with gelcoat during manufacture would that not protect it from UV damage?

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Though it sounds strange, the manufacturers say that adhesives and paint can damage helmets. Why? Because they can!

I have read that most fiberglas helmets are safe. Water-based paints should be safe on fiberglas helmets, as should most stickers.

Thermoplastic helmets, however, are susceptible to chemical damage.

I read of a fireman received a shipment of new helmets at their fire department. These are helmets designed for life safety in all sorts of hazardous environments, tested and approved by a whole raft of official agencies mind you. He used a little orange oil...that stuff that's safe for the finest furniture finishes...to remove some residual goo from the helmets. Upon first contact with the moistened cloth, the thermoplastic helmet shell literally cracked into two pieces. Thinking it was a fluke, they repeated the experiment with exactly the same result.

He also noted that he tried to remove a sticker from an old Bell Star and found the epoxy gelcoat lifting with the sticker.