looking at that site i have no idea whether it is accurate or not and it would be good to have a clear explanation of how they are tested and why.
in the real world my head impacted the head stock of my bike at 130-140mph and i then flew around 50 feet at over 100mph only to land on my head again this time the back and came to a hault after a very long slide. This fractured my skull in many places, my face pretty much peeled off and i had internal bleeding in my brain. I still have the xr1000 that i was wearing and i will post pics of it later on. The helmet maintained its structure and the padding took as much of the force of the impact as it could before causing damage to me.
I will never buy any other make of helmet. As to live through that crash is a miracle and i believe the Shoei helmet helped to save my life. That is the only proof i need that it works. Maybe another one will help by 0.00001% or maybe the test is rubbish. I know when i pull on my helmet that it will save my life…
There is an explanation of how the tests are carried out, and a short video.
I’ve been following this since it was first announced, and the main thing here is:
There are no passes or fails.They test helmets which have passed the ECE test, and these further tests are designed to show how well they exceed the current helmet testing legislation.
All the stuff from Arai and Shoei is particularly amusing - they were fully behind this, and never mentioned any concerns about the way the testing was carried out until the results were announced.
The star rating doesn’t mean that a £50 Lazer lid is better than a £400 Arai - just means that the margins by which it exceeds the legislative tests are greater.We all know that if you put a Takachi lid and a Shoei side by side you can see the difference in quality of fittings, paint etc. BUT the takachi may be just as safe if not safer.
As always, you pays yer money and takes yer choice.I’m not a label snob, so can’t justify spending £400 on something that actually does it’s job no better than the £70 I have (a suomy).
Of course, if money was no object I’d have a Haga rep Arai - best looking lid in the world, worn by one of the finest and most exciting racers.
Arai GP5X gets 5* but has it ever been sold? It seems to be a motorsport helmet? It’s not even on the Arai web site - Perhaps Arai submitted it for the test in a panic so that they can claim a 5* rating…:hehe:
The way I see it is… any helemt sold in the UK with the official stamps on had to pass the same test as each other.
Price has nothing to do with what tests it completed.
But… I have a RX7 as my main lid… its noisey as hell… but fits like a glove, best fitting I’ve ever had. Light weight and I’ve had a big smash in one and it held together nicely… so no need to change something I trust.
I also have a couple of Nitro’s that are light weight, not so noisey but are soo uncomfortable. It fits, but the shell shape inside is terrible.
So they would both probably stand up to a big smash but I think my head would come out the Arai alot less batter due to its shape.
I thik the idea of independant testing, above and beyond the ‘basic’ CE approval is a great idea - In time, when the number of helmets tested has grown, it will give people a genuine reference guide as to buying a helmet…
Whilst it wont help you choose the best fitting helmet - only trial and error in the shops can do that, it does give you a good starting point to see, which of the helmets, you like are safest.
Some people will always spend more on a ‘brand name’ than a lesser know product, just look at suits - How many people would buy an Armani suit over a similar M&S suit?
It’d be interesting to see how the SNELL rated helmets do in this test actually - The HJC HQ-1 is a 5* CE helmet, but its EXACTLY the same lid as the AC-12, sold in the US as a snell lid - I know, as I asked HJC!!
There have been some interesting debates over the last year or two about the CE test Vs SNELL…
This is what I have a problem with… All helemts sold in the UK have to meet the same standards. Doesn’t matter about brand or cost.
A £80 Bell has to perform to the same standard as my £400 RX7… no exceptions… the only safety issue I have to worry about is how it fits.
I’ve found that the ONLY helmet that fits my head comfortably is the RX7… But as for someone with a normal size noggin there really is no difference SAFETY wise in any legally sold UK helmet… its all down to features and extras.
SHARP is an interesting and overdue idea…but what makes me doubtful about the reliability of these tests’ is the fact that, WITHIN THE SAME BRAND, low of the range lids performed better than top of the range helmets… that is completely ununderstandable in my view, I cannot see why the calotte of a pricey Arai should be worse than the one of a cheap Arai…
Price has never been an indicator of quality in any business and helmet a manufacturers, no more than any other maker or seller of goods, have to make “premium” goods as good or better than their cheaper alternatives. The whole point of this exercise is to provide users with an independent assessment of what they are buying in terms of safety. There are of course other reasons to pay more, for example noise, comfort, ventilation, certain features such as special visors, artwork, replicas etc which will not affect an impact test, although I suspect ventilation etc may lower ratings in certain circumstances.
This is what I want to know too. I am well pi**sed off that my £200 Arai Condor rates only two stars. I bought entry level Arai becuase I felt it guaranteed highest level of safety. More expensive Arais should give better featrures but same level of protection. Certainly makes me think I should change it pronto.
Whatever test a helmet is subjected to the maker will crow about the rating, if it’s good, or attack the testing process if the outcome is bad. This is particularly true when you are the maker of a premium priced product.
I’m a fan of the added tests, even if the testing process may be flawed. If nothing else, it’s more independent information.
My big gripe is they didn’t test for noise. A test so simple that even MCN could mange that a few years back.
- best looking lid in the world, worn by one of the finest and most exciting racers.