If you are looking for discount motorcycle helmet choices, it would be good to look for them at helmet specialty shops and stores. But be very sure that every discount motorcycle helmet that you chance upon should be up to safety standards. Do not buy motorcycle helmets just by the price offered but also by the level of protection that it can provide. There are discount motorcycle helmets that are up to the job, it is just a matter of finding them.
You must bear in mind that a motorcycle helmet is a very important element of the motorcycle riding experience. They are not used merely for aesthetic reasons but for safety reasons as well. A motorcycle helmet enhances your riding experience to a fun and secure level. A badly chosen helmet may not fit you or work for you properly, thereby lessening your riding experience.
Choosing a motorcycle helmet can be difficult for most people. Even the most experienced riders can have a difficult time finding one that they would find suitable for their needs. One of the key issues faced by most riders is the fit of the motorcycle helmet. Riders have different helmet shapes and forms to check out. Not all of them may be able to fit suitably for everyone.
There are full face helmets that offer full head and face protection for riders but may not be able to fit properly for some riders. Then there are also open faced helmets as well as half helmets that offer a more comfortable fit for most people but offer less protection if used in the absence of goggles and sunglasses which can help protect the eyes.
Another key reason for choosing a motorcycle helmet is the style and appeal. Aesthetic value is what makes some helmets more popular than others. The technology being used in designing them can even become the reason why such helmets are preferred by most. Attractive colors and striking graphic designs can also provide helmets with good saleability. Price also is important to some people when choosing a helmet.
If you cannot find a good helmet that would best fit or appeal to your tastes, you can always have one custom made. This way, not only will you be getting the helmet looks that you want, you can also have them custom made to be more comfortable to give you a more enhanced riding experience. No matter what helmet you choose, just make sure that you always put safety and protection on top of your list when you do your choices.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Looking For Discount Motorcycle Helmets
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
DOT Motorcycle Helmets – What Are They?
The Department of Transportation in the world of motorcycling is referred to as the DOT. This organization has made it a rule that all motorcycle helmets must be checked and tasted on grounds of safety before use. The DOT performs a check on all helmets and labels only those which meet its security requirements. If you have a motorcycle and are thinking about buying a helmet, look for the DOT tag on it. If that is missing, think again. You don’t want to get into trouble with the law on grounds of using an illegal helmet. Helmets that have not passed the DOT test are simply not safe enough. They won’t go very far in protecting you from injury, in case of an emergency or an accident.
How to Identify a DOT Helmet?
We have for a near-exhaustive list of points, you need to check in order to understand which a DOT approved helmet is and which is not. After you have gone through this, you can find DOT helmets very easily:
o First, check for the DOT sticker. You should find it at the back of the helmet, towards the bottom, at about the middle of the helmet.
o In addition to the sticker, there should be a DOT label sewn to the inside of the helmet.
o The label’s location is important. It should be in a place from where it cannot be torn off easily.
o The DOT sticker should carry some basic information. This includes the name or logo of the helmet manufacturer, manufacturing date, and size of the helmet, model number or name and a list of components that have gone into the making of the motorcycle helmet.
o If you don’t find these details on the sticker, or if one or more of these features are missing, your best bet would be not to buy the helmet.
DOT Benefits
With the DOT ranking, a consumer can test the safety standards of the helmet they are purchasing. You don’t have to take the dealer’s word for the safety of the helmet. You can judge it for yourself. We have just listed all the criteria for you.
DOT Helmet Testing Procedure:
Let’s talk a bit about the process of ranking helmets and how DOT goes about it.
o An impact test is an obvious part of the procedure. A headpiece is inserted inside the helmet.
o Next, the helmet is dropped from a height of about ten feet. A human head can survive if it receives a G-force of 400 units on impact. It cannot take any more than that. A G-force is the gravitational force exerted on objects in free fall. Helmets that can protect the headpiece in this condition are labeled.
o Manufacturers don’t need to test their products all over again after it has received a DOT sticker.
o A manufacturer is free to sell any of his helmets that are DOT rated.
A DOT rating ensures that the helmet you are buying is of great quality and durability. The DOT rating will make sure that what you are buying will protect you to a great extent.
Looking For Discount Motorcycle Helmets
If you are looking for discount motorcycle helmet choices, it would be good to look for them at helmet specialty shops and stores. But be very sure that every discount motorcycle helmet that you chance upon should be up to safety standards. Do not buy motorcycle helmets just by the price offered but also by the level of protection that it can provide. There are discount motorcycle helmets that are up to the job, it is just a matter of finding them.
You must bear in mind that a motorcycle helmet is a very important element of the motorcycle riding experience. They are not used merely for aesthetic reasons but for safety reasons as well. A motorcycle helmet enhances your riding experience to a fun and secure level. A badly chosen helmet may not fit you or work for you properly, thereby lessening your riding experience.
Choosing a motorcycle helmet can be difficult for most people. Even the most experienced riders can have a difficult time finding one that they would find suitable for their needs. One of the key issues faced by most riders is the fit of the motorcycle helmet. Riders have different helmet shapes and forms to check out. Not all of them may be able to fit suitably for everyone.
There are full face helmets that offer full head and face protection for riders but may not be able to fit properly for some riders. Then there are also open faced helmets as well as half helmets that offer a more comfortable fit for most people but offer less protection if used in the absence of goggles and sunglasses which can help protect the eyes.
Another key reason for choosing a motorcycle helmet is the style and appeal. Aesthetic value is what makes some helmets more popular than others. The technology being used in designing them can even become the reason why such helmets are preferred by most. Attractive colors and striking graphic designs can also provide helmets with good saleability. Price also is important to some people when choosing a helmet.
If you cannot find a good helmet that would best fit or appeal to your tastes, you can always have one custom made. This way, not only will you be getting the helmet looks that you want, you can also have them custom made to be more comfortable to give you a more enhanced riding experience. No matter what helmet you choose, just make sure that you always put safety and protection on top of your list when you do your choices.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Motorcycle Helmets: The Statistics
When you go for a ride on your motorcycle, you’re out to have fun. And hey, you’ve never had a crash before, so why would it happen now? Here are the government statistics about motorcycle helmets.
A brief history of the Law
In 1967, the US federal government said that it would take away funding from any state that didn’t have a helmet law. By 1975, 47 states had complied with the federal government. However, in 1976, they repealed the law, ruling it unconstitutional. Most states softened their helmet laws.
Kentucky and Louisiana
In the late 1990s, Kentucky and Louisiana repealed their helmet laws. While the helmet laws were in effect, nearly 100% of the people wore their helmets. When the laws came off the books, it fell to only half of people wearing helmets. The rate of fatalities per number of registered motorcycles rose 37% in Kentucky, and it rose a staggering 74% in Louisiana.
Don’t mess with Texas
Similarly to Kentucky and Louisiana, Texas took its helmet law off the books in 1997 for riders 21 or older who have insurance or training. Helmet use dropped from 96% to 66%, and motorcycle related deaths went up 1/3rd. This means that the death rates corresponds almost directly to the proportion of people who do not wear helmets.
Florida’s Example
Florida repealed its helmet law in 2000. From 1997-1999 (three years while the law was in place) 515 motorcycle riders were killed in crashes; 48 of those deaths were people not wearing helmets. From 2001-2003 (three years after the law was created) there were 933 motorcycle riders killed in crashes; 566 of these were not wearing their helmet.
What we can learn from this is that more people die when helmet use becomes optional. There were roughly 400 deaths in each three year period of people who wear helmets. However, the rate of people who died not wearing helmets went up more than 10 times. This is not coincidental.
Helmet Law Defense League
The Helmet Law Defense League is a group of people who lobby against laws requiring the use of helmets. They claim that it anti-constitutional to force people to wear helmets. They also argue that the word “helmet” is too vague.
Bells and Whistles
Even if you don’t choose to wear a motorcycle helmet for safety reasons, there are other reasons. The face guard allows you to see more clearly and prevents damage to your eyes when you go at high speeds. It also offers ear protection. Some helmets can be equipped with intercoms so you can communicate with your friends while you’re on your bike.
The Source
The mortality rate statistics are taken directly from The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The figures can be accessed through their annual reports, and some are available on their websites.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Safety Motorcycle Helmets
Motorcycle helmet is used as a protective gear for the head to avoid severe injuries brought about by accidents. In some countries, wearing helmet is comparable to wearing seatbelts, regulated as part of the street ordinances as general safety measure. But of course, any promulgation imposed is debatable and others would drop the matter in every philosophical manner they can give reason against its use.
Looking at the physical make-up of motorcycles will not guarantee pure salvation in every imaginable trauma. When used, it can only lessen the severity. To have an understanding on its function it is important to know how fatal head injuries can disable a person in one incident. When it comes to serious matters like heavy impact, a helmet is nothing. The most important thing about skull fractures is to avoid the fragments from embedding the sensitive tissues of the brain, until then, most head injuries are not as fatal as expected. Basically, a full-blown impact on head can lead to permanent malfunctioning of the body system.
Another kind of fatal head injury caused by motorcycle accident is when the brain is stirred while there is no open wound in the head. In this case the brain bumps the side of the skull leading to small yet deadly movements and rotation enough to cause internal bleeding inside. The use of properly designed motorcycle helmet can help absorb the shock in the head after it sinks to its protective cushions. It must not be too soft to let the head crush through its hard interior walls at once. After that, the hard plastic will yield without control. Helmet design considerations are all about the tolerable impact the head can handle, which the soft linings provide as protection, and the exterior protection from punctures.
Types of motorcycle helmets for effective use come in different appearance:
FULL FACE - Covers the full area of the back of the head, chin but has a shield made of plastic in the eye area for visibility. It is usually ventilated though some still consider it warmer and lacking flow of air inside. It tends to isolate a rider and restrain hearing because of full head coverage.
OPEN FACE - Almost the same as the full face design except it has no chin cover, which means it has low protection for the face. It has a plastic shield open to particles during a ride. It can cause injuries out of trapped small debris caught on speed. Thus, it is advisable to wear riding goggles as additional protection for the eyes.
Motorcycle helmet may not give ultimate protection but it saved a lot of lives during minor injuries.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
What You Should Know About Motorcycle Helmet Visor
Having a helmet on when riding a motorcycle is just one of the things that the person needs to protect the head when one is cruising along the road. The individual will soon discover that having a visor is important because this can protect the eyes from wind, dust, dirt, rain, insects and debris that may be thrown from the vehicle ahead.
There are two types of visors that can be purchased for the helmet. The first is the detachable kind while the other is already built in. The one needed will really depend on the road conditions one faces everyday and the type of bike one is using.
For instance, motorbikes that have a windshield will only need the type that will protect the eyes. Those who don’t should probably get the face shield type since this will provide cover for the entire face.
Most of the visors out in the market are made of plastic. The individual should probably choose the kind that is transparent and not tinted since this could pose a problem when riding the motorcycle at night.
It is also a good idea to choose the kind that allows air to pass through inside so that it will not fog.
People who prefer the transparent one should find a helmet that is big enough to accommodate the sunglasses one will be using especially when it is sunny outside. The pair worn should be shatterproof and free of scratches since could also pose problems when keeping an eye on the road.
The person does not have to buy the same brand of visor as the helmet. There are some available that have made this compatible with any. All the customer will have to do is choose which model and the color of the shield. These are usually available in black, white or smoke.
The average price of a visor in the market today is less than $20 a piece. The individual can check out the local sporting goods store or order this item online.
Riding a motorcycle is considered to be much more dangerous than driving a car. Studies have shown the number of those injured has gone up by 12% in the past year.
Should the person still want to feel the thrill of having the wind pass from the front of the motorcycle to the back, it is advisable to invest in a visor. This small accessory could be the only thing protecting the individual against dirt or debris coming towards the biker.
How To Buy A Motorcycle Helmet
A helmet is not an accessory, it a life saving gear. You must therefore spend considerable time in finding out how to buy a motorcycle helmet. Some of the points that you need to check are:
1. DOT Certification: The helmet that you buy must have a Department of Transportation certification. This is a guarantee that the helmet meets the basic safety requirements.
2. Retention: Do a roll off test before you buy a helmet. This test is simple. All that you need to do is to secure the straps, grab the rear lip of the helmet and try to roll it forward off your head. Don't stop if it hurts. A helmet should stay on your head at the moment of impact. If the helmet comes off, then don’t buy it. There is no point having a fractured head and an intact helmet lying a few feet away.
3. Fit: The fit decides the retention factor of a helmet. The fit should be snug and the helmet should stay stable. A full-face helmet should grip your cheeks and jaw as well as the top and sides of your head. When you move the helmet your skin must move as well.
4. Comfort: Comfort is a sum total of many things: the fit, the feel, the weight, the soundproofing. When trying on a helmet keep it on for at least 20 minutes. Then check to see what are the areas of discomfort.
5. Coverage: A full helmet is better than a half helmet and a full-face helmet (with a chin bar) gives more protection than an open-face style.
6. Face shield: If you are buying a helmet with a face shield go for Snell-certified helmets. The shield should be easy to operate and stay in position when raised. Also check for optical distortions. They can be dangerous.
7. Convenience features: Along with an extra shield and a quick-change face shield mechanism, a storage bag is a useful feature to look for. You can use it to carry helmets.
8. Comfort features: Vents, padded straps and, interchangeable padding shapes to fit your head shape are comfort features. But remember vents can cause wind noise and can also get damaged easily.
9. Appearance: Appearance is largely a personal choice. The only advantage that a florescent helmet has is that it will stand out more during the day.
10. Cost: Go for the helmet that meets all the criteria outlined above, even if it is cheaper than other helmets. Price is not always an absolute indicator of quality.