Best Western's Travel Blog - You Must Be Trippin' - How to Buy a Motorcycle Helmet

How to Buy a Motorcycle Helmet

April 1 2011 by Jason Fogelson

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a motorcycle helmet is "by far the most critical piece of safety gear a motorcyclist can use."

Twenty states and Washington, DC require that all motorcycle riders wear a helmet. Twenty-seven states have some helmet laws, usually requiring riders under a certain age to don helmets. Three states (Illinois, Iowa and New Hampshire) have no laws requiring helmet use.

I strongly recommend that you and your passenger wear a DOT-approved full-face helmet every single time you ride, regardless of where you live or ride.

There are three basic styles of helmet: Full face; three-quarters and half. A full-face helmet provides the most impact protection in the event of a crash. It also provides wind and weather protection, some hearing protection and eye protection when equipped with a face shield.

A helmet is built with a rigid outer shell, an impact-absorbing liner, comfort padding and a retention system or strap.

The outer shell is usually made out of fiber-reinforced composite or thermoplastic. Some high tech helmets are even skinned with carbon fiber. The outer shell is designed to compress on impact and disperse energy before it gets to your head.

The liner is probably the most critical component in helmet construction. The liner is probably made out of extruded polystyrene, which is a lot like Styrofoam. It is designed to mitigate the effect of an impact to the head, and to bring your head to a gentle stop inside your helmet by compressing and absorbing energy.

The comfort padding has little safety value, but it designed to make the helmet easier to wear. Some helmets have removable comfort padding, with is great for those of us who sweat a lot, because then you can wash the padding and avoid the dreaded "helmet funk."

The retention system is usually a chin strap made out of nylon webbing with a pair of stainless steel D-rings. Some manufacturers equip their helmets with plastic or metal quick-release buckles, but I prefer the simplicity and elegance of the D-ring solution. It's infinitely adjustable, foolproof, strong and comfortable.

The first things to look for in a helmet are the labels. In order to be street legal, a helmet must be approved by the Department of Transportation (DOT) and must bear a DOT-approved sticker on the rear. A DOT-approved helmet must also have a label inside that names the manufacturer, model, size, month and year of manufacture, materials of construction and owners information. Without these two labels intact, a helmet is not street legal.

I would also recommend considering a helmet with Snell M2010 certification. The Snell Foundation is a non-profit organization that tests and certifies helmets for motorsports, kart racing and motorcycle use. The Snell M2010 is the latest certification for motorcycle helmets. While there is some controversy in the motorcycle safety world about which certification is necessary and which is the best among competing standards, a manufacturer who goes to the trouble and expense of getting Snell M2010 certification for its helmets is probably building a pretty good helmet out of quality materials. I consider that a high recommendation.

Fit is very important when you are buying a helmet. Your helmet should fit snugly, but not so snugly that it is painful to wear. It should sit squarely on your head, and should never tilt back on your head. The cheek pads should touch both of your cheeks, and there should be no gaps between your temples and the helmet's brow pads. Put the helmet on and strap on the chinstrap snugly. The helmet shouldn't roll forward off of your head, and the chin guard should not contact your nose or your chin. NHTSA has an excellent (if pedantic) short video about helmets for a visual on how to check your fit.

According to NHTSA, you should never buy a used or damaged helmet. The very best way to buy a helmet is hands-on, at your local motorcycle dealer. Try on a bunch of helmets until you find one that fits correctly and feels right. If your local dealer doesn't have a great selection, or if you have a hard-to-fit head, you may have luck with one of the online helmet brokers like Helmet House or Helmet City. They're usually very knowledgeable, and have great return and exchange policies to help you find the right helmet.

Now, be safe out there, and you'll never have to test how much protection your helmet can provide.

Email This Comments (0)