Motorbike Helmets

[SwaziBird]

CAN you clean them inside ? If so what's the best way of doing so ?

All replies appreciated, including the funny and weird ones !

Thanks & Cheers.

Edited September 30, 2010 by SwaziBird

[mpetersen]

if the liner is removable, wash in cold water with soap.

if not, spray with rubbing alcohol to disinfect.

wear a skullcap or balaclava head cover which you can wash frequenty and keeps the sweat from breaking down the foam inside your helmet.

every few seasons replace your helmet (if you ride daily, you should have a new helmet every year)

[elektrified]

Just cleaned one today. Removed the inner shell and cleaned the fabric with laundry detergent and warm water, rinsed with hose and sat out in the warm sun to dry. Good as new!

[Dellboy218]

Thank you for bringing up that topic but if I may can I ask something else. As someone said, the fabric does break down, sometimes very quickly leaving a perfectly good and somewhat expensive helmet unuseable. So.....anyone know a shop that rebuilds the internals? I have a Caberg whose fabric disintegrated sometime ago but the shell is still good.

[SwaziBird]

Thanks fellows.

Appreciate your advice.

My helmet interior has had a lot of perspiration over the past few months and needed some cleaning.

Cheers

[FolkGuitar]

Thank you for bringing up that topic but if I may can I ask something else. As someone said, the fabric does break down, sometimes very quickly leaving a perfectly good and somewhat expensive helmet unuseable. So.....anyone know a shop that rebuilds the internals? I have a Caberg whose fabric disintegrated sometime ago but the shell is still good.

That shell might 'look' good but be actually be quite bad! While the interior may break down noticeably, the exterior shell as well as the Styrofoam lining also break down, but not noticeably. But those are the parts that do the protecting, not the pretty interior liner. It is important to clean the interior regularly, especially in the heat and humidity in Thailand, but because of S.E. Asia's intensely strong sun it important to buy a new helmet every couple of years! Otherwise, it may crack like an egg shell in an accident even though it still looks so nice! If your helmet's fabric liner is so old that it is breaking down, it's a good bet that the shell is no longer capable of doing what it's supposed to do! Contrary to popular belief, helmets do NOT last forever...

[Dellboy218]

Thank you for bringing up that topic but if I may can I ask something else. As someone said, the fabric does break down, sometimes very quickly leaving a perfectly good and somewhat expensive helmet unuseable. So.....anyone know a shop that rebuilds the internals? I have a Caberg whose fabric disintegrated sometime ago but the shell is still good.

That shell might 'look' good but be actually be quite bad! While the interior may break down noticeably, the exterior shell as well as the Styrofoam lining also break down, but not noticeably. But those are the parts that do the protecting, not the pretty interior liner. It is important to clean the interior regularly, especially in the heat and humidity in Thailand, but because of S.E. Asia's intensely strong sun it important to buy a new helmet every couple of years! Otherwise, it may crack like an egg shell in an accident even though it still looks so nice! If your helmet's fabric liner is so old that it is breaking down, it's a good bet that the shell is no longer capable of doing what it's supposed to do! Contrary to popular belief, helmets do NOT last forever...

You are absolutely right of course especially if it had been left out in the sun. This one was used infrequently for about 18 months after which I was very disappointed about the condition of the interior fabric. I would have expected better. It has been sitting in a cupboard for quite a while now and it was just a thought. It probably is time to ditch it altogether. I have another Caberg which has lasted much better.

[Xonax]

I remember that there is a cleaning-foam spray on the market. Available at www.pandarider.com in BKK.

[mcgriffith]

Helmets sold in the US, whether DOT, Snell or other ratings are stamped by law with a manufacture date. All manufacturers recommend replacement after 5 years.

This is not a form of "planned obsolescence" to get you to buy new helmets.

Ozone, VOC's and UV all break down the interior rigid foam (to a lesser degree the shell as mentioned above) which is what cushions your brain in a sudden deceleration (accident).

In this climate, I would say 3 or 4 years max before a helmet should be tossed.

On topic- I wash my helmets all the time. Any detergent, liquid or powder. Nothing with bleach or harsh chemicals. Bathtub/shower because difficult to do well in a small sink. Lather the interior up good, then rinse thoroughly under lots of running water. Set out to drain on a balcony/patio. After a day, squeeze out excess water from the open cell foam in the ear area to help it along, then a couple of days in direct sun with the interior exposed to thoroughly dry.

Own at least 2 helmets so you don't go unprotected, as mentioned above.

Keep the shiny side up, and be safe out there....

[heybruce]

I'm glad I read this thread, I'm clearly past due for a new helmet. If you don't mind my piggy-backing, where is a good place to buy a helmet, and is any particular brand recommended? My current helmet I bought over three years ago from one of those street stalls; it looks good but may let me down in and accident.

[mcgriffith]

More food for thought.

Read this groundbreaking article published in Motorcyclist Magazine in 2005.

They temporarily lost a lot of advertising from Arai, Shoei, Nolan, etc. when this article first appeared.

But they all came back

As this topic is not Chiang Mai-related, I am moving it to the motorcyle forum, with a live link remaining.

:jap:

[elektrified]

I'm glad I read this thread, I'm clearly past due for a new helmet. If you don't mind my piggy-backing, where is a good place to buy a helmet, and is any particular brand recommended? My current helmet I bought over three years ago from one of those street stalls; it looks good but may let me down in and accident.

There is a place on Thannon Chang Moi on the right hand side as you are approaching the gate to Taalat Warorot. All they sell are helmets and they have a large selection as well as all the replacement parts for them. It's hard to miss, there is usually about 10-15 people out front buying helmets and parts for them at any given time.

[Fishenough]

More food for thought.

Read this groundbreaking article published in Motorcyclist Magazine in 2005.

They temporarily lost a lot of advertising from Arai, Shoei, Nolan, etc. when this article first appeared.

But they all came back

As this topic is not Chiang Mai-related, I am moving it to the motorcyle forum, with a live link remaining.

:jap:

Do they sell Febreze, fabric freshening type products here? For the last dozen years we would remove our helmet liners and spray lightly with Febreze, including spraying chin cushions in helmet. This kept the helmets smelling nice, because too vigorous a washing on a liner can quickly cause it to fall apart. My wife couldn't stand the funk from my favorite motocross helmet and my hockey gear when we first met, teaching me the little I know about smell control.

That is a great article and a must read, the web discussions that followed where quite interesting too. As I have a huge head this paragraph stuck out; mainly it's good I have a Arai, with my wife and son having Index and Real helmets.

What does this mean to you? If you have a relatively heavy head, the difference in stiffness between a Snell helmet and a DOT or ECE helmet will be relatively small. If you are a man, woman or child with a lighter head, on the other hand, the difference in stiffness between a Snell helmet and a DOT or ECE helmet will be relatively huge.

Cheers

[smedly]

More food for thought.

Read this groundbreaking article published in Motorcyclist Magazine in 2005.

They temporarily lost a lot of advertising from Arai, Shoei, Nolan, etc. when this article first appeared.

But they all came back

As this topic is not Chiang Mai-related, I am moving it to the motorcyle forum, with a live link remaining.

:jap:

Do they sell Febreze, fabric freshening type products here? For the last dozen years we would remove our helmet liners and spray lightly with Febreze, including spraying chin cushions in helmet. This kept the helmets smelling nice, because too vigorous a washing on a liner can quickly cause it to fall apart. My wife couldn't stand the funk from my favorite motocross helmet and my hockey gear when we first met, teaching me the little I know about smell control.

That is a great article and a must read, the web discussions that followed where quite interesting too. As I have a huge head this paragraph stuck out; mainly it's good I have a Arai, with my wife and son having Index and Real helmets.

What does this mean to you? If you have a relatively heavy head, the difference in stiffness between a Snell helmet and a DOT or ECE helmet will be relatively small. If you are a man, woman or child with a lighter head, on the other hand, the difference in stiffness between a Snell helmet and a DOT or ECE helmet will be relatively huge.

Cheers

I have a Real helmet bought in thailand, the liner comes out so it can be hand washed or put in the washing machine, the important part of this process is drying and exposing to direct sunlight and even when not washed exposing the inside to sunlight at every opportunity helps keep your helmet disinfected, the sun really does do a great job.

I would also tend to keep chemicals to a minimum, def not bleach and when using detergent make sure it is well rinsed

[heybruce]

I'm glad I read this thread, I'm clearly past due for a new helmet. If you don't mind my piggy-backing, where is a good place to buy a helmet, and is any particular brand recommended? My current helmet I bought over three years ago from one of those street stalls; it looks good but may let me down in and accident.

There is a place on Thannon Chang Moi on the right hand side as you are approaching the gate to Taalat Warorot. All they sell are helmets and they have a large selection as well as all the replacement parts for them. It's hard to miss, there is usually about 10-15 people out front buying helmets and parts for them at any given time.

Thanks. Any suggestions on how to ensure I get a quality helmet, not some cheap imitation of a quality helmet?

[drift]

Thanks. Any suggestions on how to ensure I get a quality helmet, not some cheap imitation of a quality helmet?

"Real" helmets are pretty hard to beat for the money, IMO. Pick one up at a large Kawasaki dealer. I think that's as about risk free as you're going to get.

[mbox]

Thanks. Any suggestions on how to ensure I get a quality helmet, not some cheap imitation of a quality helmet?

"Real" helmets are pretty hard to beat for the money, IMO. Pick one up at a large Kawasaki dealer. I think that's as about risk free as you're going to get.

+1

Have my Real Helmet for over 2 years now - it fits me nice and the lining is removable to clean- visor is easy to get and decent . I would say very good value for money.

mbox

[MrEarl]

Lemon scented dishwashing liquid soap works great.

In fact while traveling that's what I use to wash all my clothes.

I've been washing the liner of my helmet like that for several years now with excellent results.

My head sweats a lot and the liner does get stinky.

[nikster]

More food for thought.

Read this groundbreaking article published in Motorcyclist Magazine in 2005.

Interesting read. The conclusion seems to be common sense: If you hit a tree at 150, you're probably going to be dead no matter what helmet.

Now there's air bag suits. Not sure on the merits of those, I guess only time can tell.

I was wondering about motorbikes themselves too though - a (long) while ago BMW introduced the C1 scooter. You didn't need a helmet for it because it had a safety cage. So I am surprised that there aren't motorbikes with safety cages - they didn't need to look stupid either ?! I am sure that if you took F1 technology and materials you could design a pretty good safety cage protecting from impact as much as that's possible. See F1 cars, and the F1-derived Ferrari Enzo which you can slam into a power pole at 200 kph and emerge with only a bloody nose (famous story).

[nikster]

Thanks. Any suggestions on how to ensure I get a quality helmet, not some cheap imitation of a quality helmet?

"Real" helmets are pretty hard to beat for the money, IMO. Pick one up at a large Kawasaki dealer. I think that's as about risk free as you're going to get.

Real is the only DOT-approved cheap brand. So it's street legal in the USA. The others are mickey mouse helmets which protect you from police but may or may not protect your head in an impact. Surely better than nothing, but you wouldn't want to bet your life on those.

Then there's many other higher quality brands, HJC, Shark, Nolan, Arai and Shoei on the top end.... start at 2-3x the price of a Real, up to 20k baht and more.

Edited October 6, 2010 by nikster

[Valdezugar]

I'd say buy the best helmet you can afford. I don't think you can put a price on your head; no pun intended. You want to able to say "wow, the helmet saved me" after your crash; not have others saying "if only he wore a better quality helmet."

As for cleaning them; most of the above will work. Just stay away from the harsh abrasive detergents and be sure to rinse properly.

Edited October 7, 2010 by Valdezugar

[BSJ]

Sorry, no suggestions. The laundry is Mums domain.

[Kwasaki]

Leave it out in the rain with some soap power in it.