Expiration Date on Motorcycle Helmets

[cotten]

With my 6-month old Polaris Slingshot, I'm still new at wearing a helmet. When someone told me that they should be replaced every 3-5 years regardless of any accident, I was dubious. I looked it up, and they're right! Here's one of many good articles on the subject. http://www.eagleleather.com/Helmet-F...eplace%3F-643/ I learn something new practically every decade or two!

cotten

[Johnny K]

Originally Posted by cotten

With my 6-month old Polaris Slingshot, I'm still new at wearing a helmet. When someone told me that they should be replaced every 3-5 years regardless of any accident, I was dubious. I looked it up, and they're right! Here's one of many good articles on the subject. http://www.eagleleather.com/Helmet-F...eplace%3F-643/ I learn something new practically every decade or two!

cotten

Mine are all pretty much decorations at this point. I've been without a bike for 5 years now.

[fazool]

I wore helmets a lot when younger. Like you I never thought of such a thing.

As an engineer it totally makes sense to me now. I imagine the styrofoam material inside gets crumbly and brittle as it ages, the plastic gets brittle, etc.

Never would have thought of that.

[Joseph Hanna]

I think most active riders (myself included) wouldn’t go 5 years without buying a new lid just because we like to buy new lids, never mind the possible structural degradation I do have a Shoei RF-1200 that’s probably over 4 years now and it does still see some action but that’s an extraordinarily comfortable helmet and deserves regular rotation. I’m not likely to go much more than 2 years until something catches my eye, that and I put a little cash aside each year for the Long Beach Motorcycle Show. Usually end up with a new helmet from the show.

If you talk to the guys at Shoei, and particularly Arai they’ll infer that a well maintained helmet will last far more than 5 years and still retain its safety margins. They’ll also infer that many (maybe even most) don’t make the long term effort to really take care of their helmets and therefore there may well be a case for replacement. I leave my leathers and gloves and boots in the garage. I bring my helmets inside.

In the end the front line helmets from Shoei, Arai, Bell and HJC are very sophisticated energy deferral systems and its makes sense to a) take extra measures to maintain and b) replace as often as the budget will allow.

[RedJoker]

I used to be up to date on automotive helmets. At first, I didn't realize there was a difference between the two. Fire retardant may also play a role in helmet aging.

[JCave]

The same applies to bicycle helmets, too. My first didn't last long. It found a nice old fir just before it shattered around my ears...

[FLRon]

Most people don’t know that safety hard hats also come with an expiration date.

[patrickgm60]

I have a few of each (bicycle and motorcycle); the one factor I recall about bicycle helmets that I've haven't heard about moto helmets is plastic degradation from sunlight exposure.

Like Joseph Hanna, I find something I like (moto) every so often, which keeps the inventory fresh.

[1neeto]

Yep I remember being told to replace my lid every five years. I still have my old Scorpion helmet in my closet. Haven’t ridden in 12 years.

Everything safety has an expiration date. Even at work we have these fall protection harnesses that must be replaced every other year regardless if they haven’t been used at all in those two years.

Old helmet or not, you’re always better off riding with one than without.

[unimogbert]

..........

[flaggerphil]

Before I quit riding last December I'd always changed my helmets every five years. Considering a helmet literally saved my life in 1980 I decided to be safe rather than sorry.

[lowrider]

I don't keep a bicycle helmet more than 3 years. Regular road helmets are cheap if you buy a new on in fall or winter. Now my race helmet is a fast helmet and fast helmets are getting expensive. I'm hanging on to this one for a while;

[KevWind]

Ya I need to think about both my bicycle and MC helmets both pushing 5 or 6 years

[cotten]

I wear a helmet every time in my Slingshot, though the only thing motorcycle-ish about it is the open cockpit and its designation as an "autocycle." It is far more stable than the two-wheelers and even trikes I've tried. Still, there's no airbag, and if an 18-wheeler tosses road debris at me, I'm going to be glad I have that helmet. Right now, with the highs in the mid-90s here in Middle Georgia, a half helmet is more comfortable than the recommended full face version. This is good because a first class full face helmet can approach a thousand dollars, especially if I add communications. I just had no idea that this would be a periodic expense. Oh, well. Ya do what ya gotta do!

This is not my video, but I've referred to it a few times when people ask me what a Slingshot looks like. Mine's like this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U00dm2GAi98&t=120s

[Wengr]

The manufacturer of my current helmet (Schuberth), recommends replacement in no more than five years. I'll be the judge of that as time passes. But what I dread is the possibility of government mandates to this effect in the future.