If you`ve got a ten dollar head ............

I almost wore through the chin of a polycarbonate full face going down the road face first.

Had it been fibreglass, I doubt it would have faired much better.

Regarding the impact strength, if your helmeted head is going to hit an object so hard that the difference between plastic or fibreglass matters, it may well be the last thing that crosses your mind. Pardon pun.
 
chrisk said:
I almost wore through the chin of a polycarbonate full face going down the road face first.

Had it been fibreglass, I doubt it would have faired much better.

Regarding the impact strength, if your helmeted head is going to hit an object so hard that the difference between plastic or fibreglass matters, it may well be the last thing that crosses your mind. Pardon pun.
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Too boot, surely as we grow older the price reflects the life expectancy of the wearer.

Less years ahead (pardon pun again) to protect, reduces the dollar value required.
 
What wears out is the snug fit of the helmet's interior padding. Shoie makes a few different size thicknesses of foam padding that fit a particular helmet shell. They have these sizes on the main website. About $100, so cheap compared to a new $1000 helmet.
 
Vince said:
What wears out is the snug fit of the helmet's interior padding. Shoie makes a few different size thicknesses of foam padding that fit a particular helmet shell. They have these sizes on the main website. About $100, so cheap compared to a new $1000 helmet.
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Dead right, Vince. And I've had to chuck two perfectly good older Shoeis (mine and my other half's) because the innards started to fall out. Being able to simply replace it is brilliant.
 
Material aging is a factor that shouldn't be underestimated. Fiberglass is more durable than polycarbonate. The inner padding can also be replaced. What's often overlooked, however, is the fact that the styrofoam shell, which performs the primary shock-absorbing function in the event of a fall, ages. Therefore, I replace my helmets after 5 to 6 years.
 
I classed that as the interior Jo.
Some modern materials deteriorate unexpectedly. My missus is a hoarder of new clothes kept in their packaging etc. She took some very expensive Italian leather boots with some kind of special finish out of a box recently and the material was disintegrating. She was well annoyed.
You can see them on tv examining hugely expensive handbags in posh pawn shops for signs of this.
 
Shoei also have 3 thicknesses of cheek pads - having had Arais for 40 odd years I bought a Neotec 3 - flip up - it’s pretty dam good for touring with its flip down tinted screen , seat belt type catch and easy to use screen - it’s quieter than the Arais - has a great view aperture- only down side is slight visibility loss through three layers ( pin lock visor , clear visor and tinted flip down - it’s heavier than the Arais but I don’t really notice it
 
What's the vents like, my Neotec 2 only issue is the lower vent blows hard directly into my eyes, a half opening with less venting would make it perfect. It's by far the most comfy helmet I've ever had.
 
pf1 said:
Some modern materials deteriorate unexpectedly. My missus is a hoarder of new clothes kept in their packaging etc. She took some very expensive Italian leather boots with some kind of special finish out of a box recently and the material was disintegrating. She was well annoyed.
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Have a pair of very expensive Italian Goretex trekking boots - manufactured in 2012 but never worn until last year. Very first two-day trek and the soles fell of within 1km of the start. Now they're throwaway, as I had to walk up a 1000m climb on the spongy mid-sole. Something weird about the adhesive.
 
A mate got an expensive pair of Gaerne Dirtbike boots, just checked they are now $800 with lots of plastic armour built in. He was wearing out his old boots for a few years, and when he finally got to the new boots, the plastic armour just crumbled. We put it down to UV rays as the cause, as they got some Sun where they were stored. Just after I got the Atlas, I dragged out my Alpine Star Tech 7s, which were stored for a few years in a metal box with a lid, and they also had crumbling plastic armour. Those $600 boots just went in the bin. When the hell type Cheese are they using in this top-end gear?
 
Jo said:
My 2nd was an AGV "Ago" made of fiberglass, and I still like the shape today. I bought two of them, one for myself and one for my girlfriend at the time (who's just learning to ride h
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Also had a AGV X3000 " Ago " ........ this orange one , then a yellow one a couple of years later ........

About to set off ( for somewhere ) on a Export T160V , which I fitted with lower handlebars .......

Abysmally slow , reluctant to better 100 mph when sitting " normally " , as they used to say in the road tests .......

I believe Export triples bound for the USA had an " L " stamped on the front engine mounting lug , to signify low compression , in order to cope with new fangled American unleaded fuel ........

Didn`t know that at the time , and can`t say I noticed this on my example ..... but judging by the 350 cc performance it offered , then it almost certainly was an " L " ............

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I have only ever seen one helmet break on impact - it was Bieffe open face , polycarbonate lid that cracked in half down the central seam.
Impact tests are generally done holding helmet still whilst dropping weight/ spike from a known height for repeatabilty, not massively realistic.
Polycarbonate is used almost exclusively in the hard hat industry to prevent being hit by falling objects, not necessarily banging your head.
No two accidents are the same, whether a helmet “ giving “ a little is better is of little consequence if the helmet is so lose it comes off.
I have come off and not realised my head has hit something until I saw the scuff on the helmet, you then realise it’s done its job.
Vince said:
A mate got an expensive pair of Gaerne Dirtbike boots, just checked they are now $800 with lots of plastic armour built in. He was wearing out his old boots for a few years, and when he finally got to the new boots, the plastic armour just crumbled. We put it down to UV rays as the cause, as they got some Sun where they were stored. Just after I got the Atlas, I dragged out my Alpine Star Tech 7s, which were stored for a few years in a metal box with a lid, and they also had crumbling plastic armour. Those $600 boots just went in the bin. When the hell type Cheese are they using in this top-end gear?
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Had exactly this on my Sidi trials boots- stored in dry dark loft. Took them out to use them the shin guard with the buckles literally fell apart.
I was loathed to throw them out as the boot was like new- no spares available and no way of repairing them , in the bin. My Laverda wears 1969 rubber fork gaiters that still go up & down ?
 
I did some googling re Boot Plastic armour crumbling. Hardly anything online about it other than a mention of Dry Rot. That applies to timber, not plastic. Why I mentioned UV radiation from the Sun was years ago. They made Plastic Roof Guttering, which failed very early, and that was put down as UV. I did read an Interesting History about Scott fully Plastic Bike Boots and how they came from Ski Boots and Scott goggles. Early Rossi Boots used Steel armour. It's bloody annoying to see this on such expensive gear.
 
I watched my mate smear his nice shoei down the track in front of me in the weekend. He walked away and passed his HIA no problem.
There followed a discussion about whether a $1000 helmet is $800 better than a $200 helmet, when they both have the same standards approval.
 
If buying a Shoei with a replaceable foam interior, make sure you get the replacement foam at the same time. Two different models of their helmets I have owned with replaceable foam, once the foam needs replacement, your helmet is obsolete and they don't make the foam anymore.

Currently have a Shoei Neotec that has never been crashed or even dropped on the ground and it looks close to new. But they don't make the Neotec anymore as it has been replaced by the Neotec II so I now have a $700 helmet I can't use anymore.

And as for the shell deteriorating with age, complete BS. If that were the case, every boat made of poly carbonate or fiberglass that sit in the sun for many years would be dangerous and not allowed in the water. But somehow many thousands of fiberglass boats made in the 1950's are still in use and the boat has a much harder life than your helmet.
 
Andy said:
I watched my mate smear his nice shoei down the track in front of me in the weekend. He walked away and passed his HIA no problem.
There followed a discussion about whether a $1000 helmet is $800 better than a $200 helmet, when they both have the same standards approval.
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I’m not a helmet engineer, but presume, a $1,000 helmet and a $200 helmet both use flash decals at a cost, very similar to each other, to lure the buyer.

I do like interchangeable foam stuff though.

Once bought a full face without changeover bits, that I couldn’t wear because I bit the inside of my cheeks (not arse) every time I wore it.

When riding Speedway, my AGV was the best I ever wore for the job.
 
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