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Motorcycle Helmets:
Helmets have two major parts: The inner lining is made of EPS or expanded polystyrene, the same stuff used in foam coffee cups, beer coolers and packing material. The outer shell and the energy-absorbing inner liner come in two basic materials: a resin/fiber composite, such as fiberglass, carbon fiber and Kevlar, or a molded thermoplastic such as ABS or polycarbonate, the same basic stuff used in face shields and F-16 canopies. The shell protects against abrasion and against pointy things trying to penetrate the EPS. The inner liner is the part of the helmet that absorbs most of the energy in a crash.
Standardized Standards
There are at four standards a street motorcycle helmet can meet. Every street helmet sold in the U.S. is legally required to pass the DOT standard, called FMVSS. The Snell M2000/M2005 standard, a voluntary, private standard used primarily in the U.S. The European standard, called ECE 22-05 is accepted in more than 50 countries. From Britain there's the BSI 6658 Type A standard
Dot Approved Helmets
There are two key differences between DOT- and Snell-approved helmets. First, is the testing standards the helmets go through, and second, is the verification of the results.
It's easy to get lost in the scientific jargon when trying to sift through the testing process of both standards. Simplified, DOT and Snell assess each helmet by placing it on a head form that is equipped with sensors. The helmeted head form is then dropped from a specific height onto a steel anvil, and the severity of the impact is recorded.
DOT and Snell test each helmet two times at four different impact zones. DOT drops their helmets from a 6-foot height on the flat anvil and from a 4.5-foot height on the hemispherical anvil. Snell on the other hand, drops the helmets from a 10-foot and 7.5-foot height on both anvils, which simulates a more severe impact.
DOT certification, however, is less regulated. The manufacturer performs their own tests and determines whether their helmets are DOT approved. Even though the manufacturer doesn't have to report their findings, the government does occasionally conduct limited tests or spot checks. Nevertheless, allowing each company to test their own equipment and not make them report their results means that the DOT certification is done by the honor system.
The DOT standards are important because they outline the minimum requirements all motorcycle helmets must meet, which has already saved countless lives. But if you want to make sure your helmet has been tested impartially, then buying a helmet with the Snell sticker on it is a dependable alternative. In real street conditions, the DOT or equivalent helmets worked just as well as the Snell-certified helmets.
Snell Helmets
The Snell Memorial Foundation is a not-for-profit organization, private, dedicated to "research, education, testing and development of helmet safety standards." The SMF has helped create standards that have raised the bar in head protection.
Snell M2000/M2005 standards which dictate each helmet be able to withstand some tough, very high-energy impacts. Arai, HJC, Icon, KBC, Scorpion Exo, Shoei, and most Fulmer models—are Snell M2000 or M2005 certified. Suomy private-labels such as Ducati are built and certified to Snell. If you ask the representatives of many of the top Snell-approved helmet companies, they'll say the Snell standard is a wonderful thing, and they'll imply helmets certified to lower-energy standards. What the Snell advocates won't tell you is that when these same makers sell their helmets in Europe, Japan and the U.K., they are not the same helmets they sell here, and they're not Snell rated. They are built softer, tailored to conform to exactly the same ECE or BSI standards as the European makers.
European Helmets
Most helmets from European companies—Vemar, Shark, Schuberth, etc.—conform to the ECE 22-05 standard. The COST 327 study investigated 253 motorcycle accidents in Finland, Germany and the United Kingdom, from '95-'98. Of these, the investigators selected 20 well-documented crashes and replicated the impact from those crashes by doing drop tests on identical helmets in the lab until they got the same helmet damage. This allowed them to find out how hard the helmet in the accident had been hit, and to correlate the impact with the injuries actually suffered by the rider or passenger. The COST 327 results showed that some very serious and potentially fatal head injuries can occur at impact levels that stiffer current helmet standards—such as Snell M2000 and M2005—allow helmets to exceed.
And remember, these guys are investigating crashes in Europe, where Snell-rated helmets are a rarity because they can't generally pass the softer ECE standard required there. If you ask most head-impact scientists or the representatives of the European helmet manufacturers how they like the Snell M2000/M2005 standard, they will generally tell you it's unrealistic, based more on supposition than on science, and forces manufacturers to make helmets that are stiffer than they should be.
Britain Helmets
Suomy helmets sold under its own name conform to either the ECE or the BSI standard, but Some AGV models sold in the U.S. are made to Snell standards, some to BSI.
Size Does Matter
Per Snell and BSI standards every helmet must be impact-tested with the same-weight head form inside, no matter the size of the helmet. A XS helmet is required to withstand exactly the same total impact energy as an XXL.
The DOT and ECE standards vary the energy of the impacts by varying the weight of the head form, under the reasonable rationale that a very small head weighs less than a very big one.
If you are a man, woman or child with a lighter head the difference in stiffness between a DOT, ECE or Snell helmet will be comparatively large. Versus if you have a moderately heavy head, the difference in stiffness between a DOT ECE, or Snell helmet will be relatively small.
Shop www.slapnleather.com or visit us at 28410 Old Town Front St. Suite 104 Temecula, CA 92590 where you find Outlaw Helmets, THH Helmets, Caliber Helmets, Rodia Helmets, Snell M2500 Helmets.
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