SHARP Helmet Test Results

That is really surprising the RX7 Corsair does not appear to have done well at all and onlya chieved 3 stars!

Time for a new lid me thinks.....:eek:
 
i,ve always said i thought arai helmets were overpriced and over rated. it seemed to me that certain publications must have been getting a backhander for the publicity/infomercials they gave them.
but saying that arai were not the only ones to have surprising results. as usual some manufacturers will come out and say that the tests dont reach the right bits as they do with snell and the old bse standard and the new e2250 (i think thats the one). they all find the excuses to suit themselves.

from my own experience. price as a rule does help give you a better helmet, but i think a 250/300 helmet will be as good if not better than a 500 one.Fit is everything a loose helmet is as good as no helmet, and one thats too tight is no use either as its too uncomfortable and doesnt give the foam enough room to reduce shock coming through.
the fit should be neat but comfortable (remember it will bed in) and should grip you all round. stick to this and you'll get a good fit.
 
gordj65 said:
i,ve always said i thought arai helmets were overpriced and over rated. it seemed to me that certain publications must have been getting a backhander for the publicity/infomercials they gave them.
but saying that arai were not the only ones to have surprising results. as usual some manufacturers will come out and say that the tests dont reach the right bits as they do with snell and the old bse standard and the new e2250 (i think thats the one). they all find the excuses to suit themselves.

from my own experience. price as a rule does help give you a better helmet, but i think a 250/300 helmet will be as good if not better than a 500 one.Fit is everything a loose helmet is as good as no helmet, and one thats too tight is no use either as its too uncomfortable and doesnt give the foam enough room to reduce shock coming through.
the fit should be neat but comfortable (remember it will bed in) and should grip you all round. stick to this and you'll get a good fit.
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Yeah, I agree - I don't think the £500 helmets are really much better (in any regard) than those in the £250 price range. There IS more to a helmet than head protection though. When I'm looking at helmets I usually look at things like the finish, noise levels, how comfortable it is, etc. (a lot of these things are subjective). Hopefully the SHARP people will publish the methodology they use to award their stars and if it looks sensible, the helmet makers will work towards producing safer helmets.
 
Looking at the way they test its a combination of BS and CEN but still doesn't cover a second subsequent impact which is where the better constructed helmets can score higher. Watch tghe racers crash and you can see them bang their head a few times as they tumble but AFAIK none of the tests covers this. I'd have liked to have seen more data including helmet weight which for me is an important factor, I can't wear heavy helmets as they strain my neck :( As has been said fit is critical and one of the things I like with top of the range helmets is that they use different shell sizes for different head sizes and its usually possible to buy different size cheek, skull pads to get a more custom fit.

Its difficult to know how good a helmet really is though, I crashed a few years ago, ended up with concussion so did the helmet save me from something worse or did it do its job???
 
I personally have used Arai helmets for the last 15 yrs ...they fit me better than any other ive tried on ...ok pricey ...maybe a bit louder....but if you think about it most GP ...BSB...WSB.. riders use em and if its good enough for world champs then its good enough for me ;) :D
 
Was thinking about replacing the lid in the next year and was thinking along about staying with the Ti-tech or switching to something else, judging by james comment above Xlite seems to be the one to go for since Lorenzo likes to face-plant a lot...
 
I read this in MCN and was doubtful I have to be honest, claiming a £60 helmet was better than a Arai. What I do remember was a picture in Superbike last year of an American that came off at around 150mph and hit a lampost, the Arai had the perfect "shape" of the post, but the guy had no more than concussion. I tend to think, like most things, you get what you pay for. I also remember the Orange Kangol crash helmets, a strong wasp and speeds over 15mph rendered that unusable !!! It's also about COMFORT, I bought a Rossi Rep AGV, can't use it, so uncomfortable - yet the Arai is perfect. You pays your money and takes your chance, but with the old nut, it's worth £300-£400.
 
Without there being a Which? helmet, I have always followed the RIDE best buys as they seem to use proper testing regimes. There is a list on the website.

Bought a Shoei Raid II in January 2008, involved in an altercation last week with car at 30mph and apparently (can't remember this bit) I head-butted the tarmac. My helmet is a mess, I wouldn't even let Gordon Brown use it now, but my head is in one piece save for a bit of concussion (like a bad hangover).

In the SHARP test I see the Raid II helmet (£200) got 4 out of 5 same as X Shoei spirit at £480. RIDE tested these 2 helmets a while ago back to back and said to save your money on buying the more expensive one unless you needed to extra vents and stuff for racing. I can't find the article now.

In a real world 'ouch that hurt' test, I can vouch for the life/injury saving properties of the Shoei Raid II but it has to fit. Some people have Shoei shaped heads others Arai, etc.
 
I thought the AGV was cumfy till I tried the Arai and now the RX7 I bought on the internet is perfect if a bit noisy but as I wear earplugs it makes no difference:)
 
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