Crash Helmets

[joderest]

Going to open a whole big can of worms here, I cannot think this one has not been opened before !!!!!!
My Ageing Schuberth C2 had the misfortune for the headlining bit of the trim fall apart, I suppose its just age and head sweat, anyway, as I like the helmet so much, decided to fit another lining I had lying about. Then I thought, whilst at it, why not change the colour, its was red, but quite scratched and chipped. Lots of internet searching later as to whether I can paint it or not did not give me the answer I was looking for, so attended a few car paint shops and asked all the questions, as its made from fibreglass and other bits, not polycarbonate, told OK to paint with a water base paint, so off I went and re painted it Silver (that's the lid of the worms loosened !!!)
It took me about a week to do, so decided in the interim to get another cheap helmet to use, now I am, by my own admission, tight (wife says I squeak when I walk, I say its my plastic knee !!!!) any way, to cut a long story short, I bid on an HJC crash helmet on flebay, won. When it arrived, except for a few chips, looked fine, stripped it out, washed the linings and inspected the shell, no damage I could see. all back together and its fine, label inside states 2013, looks hardly used, all this for the whole sum of     £2.20p.  It has served its purpose and now will be a standby crash helmet (that's the can now open, 2nd hand crash helmets).
The schuberth is just drying nicely before I use it again, like to give new paint a week to harden, it looks like it was made that colour, and by the way, if you have never stripped down something like a C2, be prepared for a lot of parts, could not believe how well put together it is.

I expect to have negative and positive comments regarding painting a lid, and wearing 2nd hand ones, but should produce a good thread.

[Sam]

It's entirely your choice, it's your head.
I'm in Florida at the moment & most bikers I've seen are not wearing helmets (mostly on cruisers though)!!

[kwackboy]

You certainly are not the first , neither will you be  last .
Many moons ago when the earth was considered flat was a time I had little money so I used to recondition my Arai lots .. in the end it got covered in black duct tape  (looked rather good in opinion) which stayed on for years in my courier days . I often went to boot fairs (old fashion ebay) looking good for bargain second hand helmets but for some reason never managed to find another bargain Arai. What you have done is fine and as what's already been said, it's your head .
Now, I'm a bit better off and wouldn't dream of doing that again but needs must .

[Timmo]

You can buy a cheap but gold standard acu hat cheap.Its a bit like plugging a front tyre and being happy with it. I could not do it coz I ain't lucky,and I have told the missus to turn the machine off if I am plugged into one.

[Andy M]

A helmet is a lump of polystyrene with a plastic shell round it. Mostly it keeps your hair dry. If you come off it makes a difference between stupid deaths caused by hitting your head on the kerb at 2 mph and not. It only makes your head easier to find if you go under a bus at 40.

All this stuff about having it X-rayed every 2 days, keeping it in a temperature controlled cabinet and replacing it every fortnight has always struck me as a sales pitch. You can inspect it visually, it isn't some window frame on a 1950's airliner that's hidden until it kills you.

Andy

[TravellingStrom]

How much is your head worth?  That was the answer I was given to a question on cost a long time ago, never bothered me since.

I buy new and wear it out, the plastic shell is only there to hold the foam insert which is your protection.  If the shell fails, then so does the protection, the reason I would never ever buy a secondhand shell, who knows what has happened to it.

There are cheap and good, also cheap and nasty skid lids out there, which one do you want to keep your brains in?

[wurzel]

Some shell composites are OK with certain paints.

Different she'll types also work In different ways, glass fibre is sacrificial, absorbing some of the impact by distorting and breaking down, polycarbonate works by being a hard shell designed not to break, but spread the impact area.

That's my understanding anyway.

[obalanga]

I like andy's sentiments. Helmets are like insurance companies. A hell of a lot of what they can do for you but you will only find out when the meat meets the metal.

[Yoyo]

Hmm such a big can of worms! I'm all for saving money and I'm happy to buy a cheap lid, as long it's approved but an expensive lid might not protect you any more but they are often more comfortable and quieter than a cheap lid. I do believe they wear out, sweat and pressure from just wearing it compresses the inside and if you are one for sticking your gloves inside it you are at real risk of  contaminating it, more so if you have petrol on your gloves. Would  I buy a used premium lid? Probably not but people do buy lids from websites then find after a 20 minute ride they aren't comfortable so maybe I would! 

.

[joderest]

Thread going well.
Just so that you all know, over the last few weeks I have used four crash helmets.
1) a Caberg Trip that I bought new back in 2006, used it whilst working on Schuberth, bloody horrible, it was so worn on the inside it wobbled on my head (can't think my head has shrunk !!!) so it has been consigned to the bin.
2) About 5 years ago, on a whim, I bought a WILDCAT flip helmet, it was cheap brand new, but I never used it, tried this, better than caberg, but so uncomfortable. It is now stored as a spare.
3) HJC (my £2.20 Helmet) OK, it was not new, but seemed fine, bit loose on my head, and that will have to be sorted, not too noisy, I can live with it, so its going to be my helmet to use when other one wet after rain.
4) Schuberth C2, bought of a bloke 6 years ago, it was still in its box and brand new, never been worn ( bloke bought it, then due to illness, had to sell his bike) This is a very good helmet and is my one of choice, back in use after being repainted, it looks new again, sorted out inside as well.

  One of the things I have learned is that my screen is not as good as it could be, as all four helmets have a degree of wind noise, hence next purchase is a GIVI AIRFLOW.

[Tusker]

I bought my second ever helmet at the bike show last year its a Shoei Neotec, It replaced a £70 helmet I bought when doing my compulsory just 5 years ago,, Is it worth the £320 I paid ?? yes in my opinion , it fits better , it has less wind noise, it is just less noisy inside,, and it looks the mutts nuts !!  I have also heard the " if you have a £25 head buy a £25 helmet!!" but to be honest, they all have to meet a standard.. So it a how deep are your pockets question

[Twiggy]

My problem with helmets is I have very little choice, apparently I have a strange shape head which is also quite large (don't think the Elephant Man). I wish I had the option to buy a cheap lid and muck about with it!

[MartinW]

+1 - Me too

[joderest]

update.
Well my cheap HJC full face convinced me that wearing this type of helmet in the winter would be a good idea, hence it has been consigned away, and I have bought a SCORPION EXO 500, as I liked the thought of pump up check bits.
Its very nice, great fit. As end of line helmet, it was a bargain. It will compliment my SCHUBERTH C2.
(oh, yes, its new)