Expensive helmet necessary for slow riding?

[edwardandtubs]

I'll be using a scooter to travel around Koh Phangan. I'll be riding maximum 40 km an hour, slower in dangerous situations. I'm thinking of buying a full face Index or maybe the next step up and by a Real helmet for about 3000 baht. Would there be any benefit in wearing a more expensive helmet at such low speeds?

[ajahnlau]

Don't skimp when protecting your head.

[rhythmworx]

It's not just the speed you are doing that is the main concern, its the speed other people are doing when they smash into you.

On that note it's also not worth wearing/buying one if your not going to strap it to your head.

I witnessed a van plough straight through some lights at a junction just as the crossing traffic lights turned to go, a young guy on a high powered bike shot off to the get ahead of the pack and was hit side on and flung a good distance.

Had he not been wearing a full face helmet I don't think he would have had the chance to limp off.

[seedy]

Go to the market. Buy a watermelon.

Jump on your bike. Ride 40 kmh. Drop watermelon onto road.

You decide.

[RubberSideDown]

Once a helmet meets a certain safety standard, you're basically paying for extra features (venting, internal sun-visors, etc), comfort, longevity (removable/replaceable pads), quality of components (the optical quality of a Shoei or Arai shield will be better than most other, cheaper helmets, for example), lighter weight, Bluetooth headset compatibility, and graphics.

A downside would be the fact you'll have to take extra precautions go keep it secure when you're off the bike- helmet theft is fairly prevalent in LOS (and elsewhere)- you sure can't leave it just hanging off your handlebar when you're in Tesco...

I feel that paying extra for the above features is worth it- your helmet basically dictates your riding environment- if it's uncomfortable or shoddy, it will negatively affect the experience.

That said, you should be fine with a certified Real helmet as far as safety is concerned.

Edited March 16, 2014 by RubberSideDown

[DILLIGAD]

How much is its contents worth to you?

[AllanB]

Most of the mid range helmets offer pretty good protection and buying anything more will attract thieves, then you will be riding home without a helmet. 40kph is bicycle speed and you don't see cyclists wearing racing helmets, even in the Tour de France.

You can be hit by a truck crossing the road, so don't get paranoid and consider visibility too, including your all important peripheral vision. You will be on busy streets, not a racetrack, so don't deaden any of your senses in the process, you will need them.

I always use a white coloured helmet, it is cooler and therefore more comfortable, which aids concentration and you will be visible to other road users too, so wear light coloured (hi-vis) clothing as well, don't be invisible like many Thai bike riders.

Think more about dressing to avoid an accident, rather than surviving one.

You don't want to be spending 100baht on the old style "token" helmet, but there are plenty of good ones at 500baht, spend the rest on a jacket and gloves.

[richard_smith237]

Its not your riding or your speed that a helmet protects you from...

You can't decide when another vehicle will plow into the back of you, especially if you are being over cautious when those around you are faster.

The question really should be asked: Expensive (decent) helmet necessary for preventing brain damage and staying alive ?

[BSJ]

A lot of quadriplegics that once rode motorcycles wore top range helmets.

[moe666]

Speed doesn't matter when on a motorbike. About 6 months ago a Thai Lady reported for her first day of work at the Japanese Bakery here in Chiang Mai. While trying to park her wave the kickstand caught a tree this caused her to be thrown off the bike to the street, needless to say she suffered a very bad head injury. Witnesses reported her skull was concave where she hit the street, blood was on the road for 2 weeks before washing away. She could have not been going at more than a walking pace. Most deaths from falls happen between 2 to 4 feet sitting on a bike your head is about 5 feet in the air, long way to fall.

[RubberSideDown]

The hospitals and morgues in places like Koh Samui and Phuket are filled with people who thought 40kph wasn't fast enough to require a helmet (or only necessitated a 500 baht worthless one).

A helmet is the single most important piece of gear you can wear- buy one that has at least some sort of safety certification.

[andreandre]

A lot of quadriplegics that once rode motorcycles wore top range helmets.

Exactly and a lot of people who feel the need to be wearing a 'mini minor' on their heads for best protection never seem to acknowledge this fact.

Me? Rather dead than vegetated ..

Up to the individuals choice of course.

[soihok]

Always, always wear a good full face helmet.

The below link shows why. Although no speed is mentioned in these clips one can assume that it will be about 40km.

Make you're own mind up about helmets.

Why people wear open face helmets I will never understand. I wear an Arai RX7 when out on my wife's Fino.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMBnmb-Aoyk

[mania]

40kph is bicycle speed and you don't see cyclists wearing racing helmets, even in the Tour de France.

TDF riders can do over 40mph on the flats...much higher on descents

It has been a rule since 2003 they wear helmets. Same in any of the pro races/classics

tour of Italy/Switzerland etc.

They did have one exception being the final climb of the day if it finished at the top of the mountain

They could then pass their helmet to their director sportiff in the team car once on the final climb

But that was Hors category climbs & speeds very low due to grade.

Even that was only on the extremely steep mountain finishes. Their racing helmets may not be full face but they are very high tech

& highly rated

The ones they wear for time trials are very large tear drop shaped for aerodynamics

Edited March 16, 2014 by mania

[RubberSideDown]

I've walked away from crashes where my helmet hit the ground pretty hard- if I hadn't been wearing one, I would have been carried away.

A telling statistic:

Helmets are considered to be 37% effective in preventing fatal injuries to motorcyclists. This means for every 100 motorcyclists killed in crashes while not wearing a helmet, 37 of them could have been saved had all 100 worn helmets.

http://www.examiner.com/article/deadly-motorcycle-accident-statistics

And as far as full-face helmets hindering vision or hearing goes (they don't), this link is worth a look:

http://www.nhtsa.gov/DOT/NHTSA/Communication%20&%20Consumer%20Information/Studies%20&%20Reports/Associated%20Files/tt127.pdf

Edited March 16, 2014 by RubberSideDown

[SDM0712]

" I'll be riding maximum 40 km an hour, slower in dangerous situations.."

Buy as expensive as you can afford. A 40 kph impact is enough to kill you. Assuming most of the other traffic might also be doing 40 kph having a head on collision is easily enough to kill you with a combined speed of 80 kph.

SDM

PS When you try the helmet on before buying you should have to force it down on your head, and try to twist your head in the helmet. It should pull your face around with it. The foam will give after a week or so and mould to the shape of your head. A lose helmet really is no good, better than nothing but if you are going to buy a helmet you may as well get one that "fits". Also get full face, assuming a frontal collision or with the tarmac you will want more than your brain to survive undamaged.

[SDM0712]

Me? Rather dead than vegetated ..

Up to the individuals choice of course.

It's an interesting view, one I have hard mentioned several times by the wives of bikers. I think, not 100% sure, that I agree with you. But shouldn't we make the best efforts to be neither killed or "vegetated".

I know people who have survived 140/160 kph crashes without even a scratch because they were wearing full protection.

SDM

[ryanwiley]

This LS2 is a great product for 4200.

http://www.crsaddlebags.com/helmets.html

It's top quality without the huge Shoei style prices. It also has a flip up chin bar in case you need easy access to your face. It's also great because the insides are easy to take out and wash.

I didn't order mine from that link above, but I have ordered stuff from them before, and they are really nice people with cheap delivery and a generous exchange policy.

The only problem is theft.....I've had two helmets stolen, one right off my bike about 2 feet from my front door! The other was hooked to the little under-seat latch on a scooter....you just kick the helmet and the little piece of plastic breaks. Now I have just gotten used to carrying it around with me.....pain in the neck but what can you do?

[ll2]

is this a question OP?

you can even get injured while walking. seen people died just for falling on the pavement!

real is good enough. also check bilmola and ls2.

[AllanB]

40kph is bicycle speed and you don't see cyclists wearing racing helmets, even in the Tour de France.

TDF riders can do over 40mph on the flats...much higher on descents

It has been a rule since 2003 they wear helmets. Same in any of the pro races/classics

tour of Italy/Switzerland etc.

They did have one exception being the final climb of the day if it finished at the top of the mountain

They could then pass their helmet to their director sportiff in the team car once on the final climb

But that was Hors category climbs & speeds very low due to grade.

Even that was only on the extremely steep mountain finishes. Their racing helmets may not be full face but they are very high tech

& highly rated

The ones they wear for time trials are very large tear drop shaped for aerodynamics

I didn't say don't wear helmets, or that the guys in the TDF don't wear them, their helmets offer much less protection that a 500baht m/c helmet. And as you say they ride much faster than 40kph, indeed more than twice that speed. I clocked up over 50mph (80kph) on the road back from Buxton aged 15.

I don't go along with all this freak accident nonsense, otherwise you should stay at home in case you get hit by a bolt of lightening, or a low flying pink elephant.

You wear a helmet that is appropriate for what you are doing. if you buy a big bike and regularly ride it flat out, buy an expensive helmet, because when you have a crash (and you will) you will have a slim chance of not dying, or a better chance of being in a PVS. If you ride in the towns at between 20-40kph wear something that is comfortable, so you always wear it and it doesn't inhibit any of your senses.

The biggest killer, is not wearing one at all and loosing concentration the biggest cause of accidents, everything else is splitting hairs. My helmet is cool and comfortable and so I chuck it on even for trips down to 711, my kids too. I would not do that with a tight fitting, full face, grape press on my head and my kids certainly wouldn't.

When I finally get my NV400 touring, I will buy another helmet appropriate for that environment.

My friend who used to race for Suzuki now wears the same helmet as me here in Thailand, for the same reasons.

Edited March 16, 2014 by AllanB

[KRS1]

ive read somewhere that at low speeds ABS disperses impact energy a bit better than polycarbonate. Research it though, dont want to be responsible for drain bamage.

[transam]

I like Shark helmets. Quality without the price tag. Yeh Chinese but they have passed all the tests.

[mania]

40kph is bicycle speed and you don't see cyclists wearing racing helmets, even in the Tour de France.

I didn't say don't wear helmets, or that the guys in the TDF don't wear them, their helmets offer much less protection that a 500baht m/c helmet.

The point underlined above mainly being addressed.

They do wear racing helmets that are not cheap not cheaply constructed.

Your comparing apples to oranges based only on a speed fraction

There is much more to it.

Racing bicycle helmets are designed after research into what works for their

application.

A bicycle yes can travel at a good speed in pro racing but their energy & mass is of course much less

I only ever remember 1 death at the TDF & it was before helmets were ruled. Fabio Casartelli in the mid 90's during a mountain descent

with no helmet.

But that aside I do not think you can compare the same with motorcycles nor motorcycle helmets

Different tool, different jobs, different physics

Yes you might say a bicycle helmet used on a motorcycle offers less protection than a 500 baht motorcycle helmet.

But it would be a pointless statement in regards to this topic

[thepool]

The best helmet that can be afforded should be worn. Broken limbs can be repaired , broken heads/brains cannot.

[soihok]

Too right mate.

As I posted earlier, even when out on my wife's Fino I wear an Arai RX7.

Its an Mick Doohan Replica, like this one

[soihok]

Trip to the shops on girlfriends Wave, only 2 minutes away at 40 km/hr = 5 Baht.

Mad bloke / preoccupied lady putting on make up / dog / kid on bike / sink hole / any bugger on a mobile telephone = free and complimentary anywhere in the world.

Full Face Helmet = Save your life

Priceless

Edited March 16, 2014 by soihok

[desmondspencer]

Just make sure you're getting your

money's worth.

Knock-offs are commonly passed

off as the-real stuff!

Helmet wearing is a lifestyle choice

here, many are not educated on

the advantages of wearing helmets.

most have one in the front basket or

under the seat for the occasional

road blocks.

Helmets and tyres (tires) are 2 things

that a motorcyclist should never

compromise on.

Most accidents are never your fault.

Blame it on the bugger that

side-swiped you or t-boned you!

Frd had a jaw-alignment surgery after

a truck t-boned him (was wear an

opened face helmet)

Surgery cost aside, imagine the

recovery process? Beer from a straw

anyone? After that, he swore off

anything but a reputable full-face

helmet!

Don't contribute/troll the problem unless you've got a solution!!

[soihok]

No compromise. Its hand down for me , how much do value your life.

I saw the tarmac rush before my eyes about 30mm at 30 mph 30 years ago when I was side swiped by a dog.

I was wearing a shit Stadium full face helmet (15 pounds) , but that shit full face a Stadium full face helmet saved my jaw becoming one with a road in South Yorkshire

[edwardandtubs]

No compromise. Its hand down for me , how much do value your life.

I saw the tarmac rush before my eyes about 30mm at 30 mph 30 years ago when I was side swiped by a dog.

I was wearing a shit Stadium full face helmet (15 pounds) , but that shit full face a Stadium full face helmet saved my jaw becoming one with a road in South Yorkshire

I don't really agree with the claim that the money you spend on a helmet is equivalent to how much you value your life. I don't see any evidence that a cheaper helmet (but safety certified) will do any better in a crash at 40 km per hour than a more expensive one. It sounds like your shit Stadium helmet did its job. Would a Shoei have done any better?

Every time you increase your speed you're increasing your chances of serious injury or death, even with a helmet. Getting home a few minutes quicker - is that how much you value your life?

[soihok]

No compromise. Its hand down for me , how much do value your life.

I saw the tarmac rush before my eyes about 30mm at 30 mph 30 years ago when I was side swiped by a dog.

I was wearing a shit Stadium full face helmet (15 pounds) , but that shit full face a Stadium full face helmet saved my jaw becoming one with a road in South Yorkshire

I don't really agree with the claim that the money you spend on a helmet is equivalent to how much you value your life. I don't see any evidence that a cheaper helmet (but safety certified) will do any better in a crash at 40 km per hour than a more expensive one. It sounds like your shit Stadium helmet did its job. Would a Shoei have done any better?

Every time you increase your speed you're increasing your chances of serious injury or death, even with a helmet. Getting home a few minutes quicker - is that how much you value your life?

So you endorse shit and cheap piss pot helmets as OK?

Don't forget that when you are on the road you are not in control of your own destiny - others that really don't give a shit about are.

WHY would you want skimp on a lid???

Some people have some really odd views