For a new rider, buying a helmet may be more disquieting than choosing a bike. You may simply buy a helmet that looks like you want it to or one that the dealer suggests. Doing so can make your riding experience substantially less enjoyable than if you get a helmet that works properly on your head.
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The rider in actual should study the subject, ask a lot of people for information, do some window shopping before getting a new helmet. Friends may offer advice about fit or comfort that isn’t true in you case because your head is different. There is a maze of certifications and features that you aren’t sure about. You might have specific graphic requirements in mind. And you don’t know which ones offer the best protection.
Helmets work?
Most sport-type activities have their own suitable protective gear and equipment. Motorcycling is no exception. Every rider and passenger should wear over-the-ankle footwear, long pants, a long-sleeved jacket, full-fingered motorcycle gloves, and a helmet manufactured to comply with DOT (U.S. Department of Transportation)/ ISI ( Indian Standards Institute) standards.
Helmets work. Helmet effectiveness has been confirmed by responsible studies, while helmet myths – “helmets break necks, block vision and impair hearing” – have been consistently disproved. Safety conscious riders wear helmets by deliberate choice every time they ride; we know that you will, too.
What a helmet does for you?
First, it is the best protective gear you can wear while riding a motorcycle. Think of it at the same time you think of your ignition key: Pick up the key; pick up the helmet. They go together.
Helmet use is not a “cure-all” for motorcycle safety, but in a crash, a helmet can help protect your brain, your face, and your life. Combined with other protective gear, rider-education courses, proper licensing and public awareness, the use of helmets and protective gear is one way to reduce injury.
We can’t predict when or what kind they will be. You should not say to yourself, “I’m just running down to the store,” and not wear your helmet.
Secondly, a good helmet makes riding a motorcycle more fun, due to the comfort factor: another truth. It cuts down on wind noise roaring by your ears; on windblast on your face and eyes, and deflects bugs and other objects flying through the air. It even contributes to comfort from changing weather conditions and reduces rider fatigue.
Third, wearing a helmet shows that motorcyclists are responsible people; we take ourselves and motorcycling seriously. Wearing a helmet, no matter what the law says, is a projection of your attitude toward riding. And that attitude is plain to see by other riders and non-riders alike.
How and why a Helmet Works?
Four basic components work together to provide protection in the motorcycle helmet:
- an outer shell
- an impact-absorbing liner
- the comfort padding
- and a good retention system.
What we see first is the outer shell, usually made from some family of fiber-reinforced composites or thermoplastics like polycarbonate. This is tough stuff, yet it’s designed and intended to compress when it hits anything hard. That action disperses energy from the impact to lessen the force before it reaches your head, but it doesn’t act alone to protect you.
Inside the shell is the equally important impact-absorbing liner, usually made of expanded polystyrene (commonly thought of as Styrofoam). This dense layer cushions and absorbs shock as the helmet stops and your head wants to keep on moving. Both the shell and the liner compress if hit hard, spreading the forces of impact throughout the helmet material. The more impact-energy deflected or absorbed, the less there is of it to reach your head and brain and do damage.
Some helmet shells delaminate on impact. Others may crack and break if forced to take a severe hit; this is one way a helmet acts to absorb shock. It is doing its intended job. Impact damage from a crash to the non-resilient liner may be invisible to the eye; it may look normal, but it may have little protective value left and should be replaced.
The comfort padding is the soft foam-and-cloth layer that sits next to your head. It helps keep you comfortable and the helmet fitting snugly. In some helmets, this padding can even be taken out for cleaning.
The retention system, or chin strap, is very important. It is the one piece that keeps the helmet on your head in a crash. A strap is connected to each side of the shell. Every time you put the helmet on, fasten the strap securely. It only takes of couple of seconds. To ride without your helmet secured would be as questionable as driving without your seatbelt fastened.
Click here for Part 2: Honest advice that will make you buy a motorcycle helmet
Click here for Part 3: Honest advice that will make you buy a motorcycle helmet
Click here for Part 4: Honest advice that will make you buy a motorcycle helmet
source: helmetcheck.org