Protective Gear Question

[Knightslugger]

Who cares about the helmet, your form is horrible!  You really need to work on keeping your toes pointed on the dismount.

I wasn't so much concerned about the form of my fall, rather the intense throbbing in my right shoulder.

Alexa, i appreciate the concern. I do have a few mentors that i look to for racing help, and they do race CCS. Unfortunately i don't get to see them very often. i don't have a problem with experience (quite the opposite), i have a problem with people sometimes confusing it with expertise. replacing it on principal is not my idea of a end all solution, especially at the price point of these things. what would make me more than happy is to have it inspected and certified (never to be questioned). HJC doesn't do that, and i don't know who does (I'm looking for guidance on that, it's somewhere on the first or second pages of responses i think). again as i've explained before i'm not about to run out and buy a $500 helmet because everyone, who would do it on principal alone, tells me to. I would do it because it needs to be replaced, because it's broken. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." is a motto i keep, but so is "Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it". The helmet isn't broke, in my judgment, so i'm not going to "fix it" with a new one, especially given the damage presented to me. AGAIN unfortunately, even in my good judgment, the decision is not up to me weather or not the helmet is in good service. My opinion is not going to mesh up with 10+ years of concern, hype, word of mouth (this whole thread is a blinding example) lack of re-certification by the industry for whatever reason, and liability insurance lawyers (they just add to the outside influence). 10,000 racers can't be wrong... right? but what if they are (and they could be!)? There was talk about common sense. i believe this is being confused with common PRACTICE. They are not always the same thing! Someone mentioned irreverence. I fit the bill. I am irreverent to not adopting other people's principals thoughtlessly! By no means do i take safety lightly, but i'm also pretty down to earth when it comes to reality. I tend to see things like they are. To my dismay, it doesn't appear that this is going to change in just a few days. It's so ingrained into a rider's mind that it boarders on subconscious reflex, like a hand to a hot burner.

And I don't like that.

I don't want to really get into weather or not your helmet could survive another crash or not. i don't know the specifics as well as you do. in the end it's your decision (as it should be). The molar thing... crazy shit happens in crashes. i realize that. It just goes to show that even a new helmet isn't going to prevent all injury. These CF clear coated helmets are pretty sensitive to display to any amount of trauma. the more damage, the more apparent. more so than any PVC Plastic or fiberglass would. a scratch on a PVC helmet to the degree this one has would make it appear it fell off a table onto a gravel filled road. PVCs enjoy the ability to have a gloss shine without the use of polyurethane, so no lifting. If that's what's freaking ya'll out... well, take that inforamtion, that fact, into consideration. if it were PVC, it would not look like it does. It's encouraging to me to see that some companies are fessing up to the fact that such a drop isn't a good enough reason to replace a helmet though. took long enough...

What's better? Experience based on expertise or expertise based on experience? Common sense, or common practice? Opinion or evidence?

The things i think about from time to time...  

i've typed for too long. I hope this clarifies how i'm looking at this situation, and not the people involved. i got no beef with any of you. You have your principals, i have mine. let the facts speak for themselves!



Scuba - do they only inspect their own helmets? Otherwise i'll send them an email later... thanks!

[spinblue]

The guy is a tool and a troll. Doesn't get it and is going to hurt someone, either himself or someone else.

It is much more than a helmet issue at this point.

[spyderchick]

Dude, we need to put you in a room with Super Dave, you guys could talk for days. 

[Knightslugger]

I know Dave! Though, he may not remember me so much. left quite an impression on me.

Spinblue, your comments are not appreciated one bit.

[eboos]

It's encouraging to me to see that some companies are fessing up to the fact that such a drop isn't a good enough reason to replace a helmet though.

Think about how it happened though. If the helmet simply fell off your bike and chipped the clear coat, then you would probably be right. But that's not how it happened. Your damage happened during a highside, and your head was in the helmet. The EPS liner did compress to decelerate your head. It will need to be replaced.

[DEVINC]

i'm not about to run out and buy a $500 helmet

If it's an HJC i sure as hell hope not. Shame on them if they do sell one of their helmets for $500.

I used to be able to get a solid Arai helmet (quantam 2) for like $275 total after tax about a year or two ago. I can still buy them rather cheap, but not that cheap. 

+1 Steve for recommending Arai. Even if they wouldn't test them, I still would buy them. They rock!

[mikendzel]

What do you think? Will this pass tech or do i have to go get a new friggin helmet?

You asked, people told you (from experience mind you, because no one feels like throwing around $500-$700 for a helmet on a whim, no one) that their opinion was you should replace the helmet if you can not get it inspected.  If you can, more power to you.  You then blew this up into 10 pages of arguing against people who have all been in your very shoes, asked the same questions and resisted spending the money just like you.  In the end we all learned the science and most chose to protect their heads and bought new helmets.

You are now informed that this helmet will most likely NOT pass tech inspection as it sits, as well as not protect your head as well as a new one would.  You can either buy a new one, find some one to inspect and recertify it, or take your chances at tech.  Continuing to argue with people who have already been through this scenario is the action of a person nobody here would trust.  And in that respect, we all put a great deal of trust in one another not to be idiots.

[Eric Kelcher]

The gray area you are referring to wanting to know about is theexpeirence level that tech inspectors have acquired over the years both thru training and real world crashes.  Different helmets and different areas of the helemt will have more scrutity then others.

I would recomend finding a helmet company that does post crash inspection so you can haveconfidence that you can or cannot reuse a helmet.

All of the people here want you to have an enjoyable time at the track, being sure you can bench raceat the endof the day makes the racing that much better.  

[Knightslugger]

You asked, people told you (from experience mind you, because no one feels like throwing around $500-$700 for a helmet on a whim, no one) that their opinion was you should replace the helmet if you can not get it inspected.  If you can, more power to you.  You then blew this up into 10 pages of arguing against people who have all been in your very shoes, asked the same questions and resisted spending the money just like you.  In the end we all learned the science and most chose to protect their heads and bought new helmets.

You are now informed that this helmet will most likely NOT pass tech inspection as it sits, as well as not protect your head as well as a new one would.  You can either buy a new one, find some one to inspect and recertify it, or take your chances at tech.  Continuing to argue with people who have already been through this scenario is the action of a person nobody here would trust.  And in that respect, we all put a great deal of trust in one another not to be idiots.

I didn't blow anything out of proportion, this thread was derailed and redirected at reply #2. Furthermore, i haven't read one reply that says they've been in this very scenario, rather, that they've just skipped it altogether by replacing the helmet outright. i would suspect this is the beginning of forming principal. If I am mistaken on this, please by all means correct me.

Eric, I've been told that it really boils down to the inspector and his opinion at that moment, so there are no firm guidelines or criteria that CCS uses to inspect helmets for soundness and safety for pass/fail. Since that's the case, i'll bring the new replacement, and in leu of getting it checked locally i'll just bring the helmet in question to the track and see where it goes from there. I'll contact Arai to see if they offer any services for other manufactures. so far, it has been the only lead i've been given on recertification.

[eboos]

I would highly doubt that they would be willing to recertify another manufacturer's helmet. That would be a liability can of worms that I really don't think any company would open.

[Knightslugger]

hey, it's worth a shot... What else do i have to go on? It's this or bring it to the track... Rick's helping though.

i can't find a 'contact us' for Arai!

[ScubaSteve]

there's no contact info. you have to fill this out i believe. i doubt they will look at it.

http://www.araiamericas.com/default.aspx?pageid=59#/helmets