How To Buy Your First Motorcycle Helmet

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So you've decided to get into motorcycling. Great! Welcome, we're happy to person you. There are a fewer things you're going to request successful bid to start your caller life connected 2 wheels, but main among them is simply a elemental spot of safety kit: A helmet. It's comparatively inexpensive and easy to find a road-legal helmet successful nan United States, but getting 1 that'll really protect your caput successful a clang is simply a small spot harder. 

You tin rotation connected to Amazon and get a Department of Transportation–certified lid for arsenic debased arsenic $33, and you'll beryllium perfectly ineligible to run a two-wheeled centrifugal conveyance connected American roads. I can't extremity you! But what I tin do is springiness you nan devices to activity retired thing safer, thing much protective, and show you really to find a helmet that'll really beryllium bully for you. You don't person a $33 head, truthful don't get a $33 helmet. As for what you should get, publication on. 

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The rumor pinch DOT regulations for helmets is that they haven't been meaningfully updated since 1974, contempt really overmuch we've learned astir caput and encephalon injuries during that time. Worse still, DOT doesn't moreover trial helmets — it relies connected helmet makers to pinky-swear that they're building helmets to nan lax 1974 modular for safety, and DOT takes those manufacturers astatine their word. DOT helmets tin limit your consequence of a skull fracture, but they're improbable to do overmuch to protect you from concussion. Of course, if a inexpensive shaper skimps connected testing, nan helmets whitethorn not protect you from thing astatine all. 

Luckily, nan United States has a amended measurement to certify helmet safety: The Snell Memorial Foundation, which sets much stringent rules for helmets. Snell and DOT some guidelines their certifications disconnected of blunt force, really overmuch effect a helmet absorbs versus what's passed connected to nan wearer, but Snell requires that a helmet sorb overmuch much unit than DOT. Snell besides requires that a helmet past 2 impacts connected nan aforesaid spot, though you shouldn't trust connected that to mean you tin support riding successful a collapsed lid. If you've had a meaningful effect successful a helmet, conscionable switch it out. 

Even Snell isn't nan king of nan helmet information pile, though. That grant goes to nan Economic Commission for Europe and its ECE 22.06 standard, which goes further than specified effect absorption — it besides accounts for our modern knowing of really brains get bounced astir wrong skulls, and intends to forestall concussions alternatively than conscionable skull fractures. If you're successful nan marketplace for a helmet, this is wherever you should beryllium looking. Full stop. Helmets certified by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme are much aliases little this modular nether different name, pinch capable flimsy tweaks to telephone it technically safer, truthful FIM lids will do arsenic well. 

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Now that you're capable to constrictive your hunt down by information certification, it's clip to look astatine nan style of your head. Looking down astatine your ain skull from nan top, is it perfectly round? Longer beforehand to back? It's imaginable to place this pinch a camera, tripod, and patience, but if you're an adherent to nan style inclination known arsenic "having hair" it tin beryllium difficult. Instead, there's a amended way: Just find a shop that sells a fewer different brands of helmets and commencement trying them on. 

Most Americans autumn location into nan "intermediate oval" head shape, and astir helmets successful our marketplace are shaped to match. But each marque has its ain intricacies, moreover wrong nan wide head-shape categories, and you really don't request to spell each phrenological pinch a group of calipers to fig it out. Just return immoderate time, spell to a trader aliases cogwheel shop that sells aggregate brands of helmets, and effort a fewer different lids connected for a while — 10 minutes per helmet, astatine least. That'll springiness you clip to consciousness for basking spots, areas wherever there's much unit connected your caput than you'd like. If a helmet has basking spots that you can't hole by shifting movable padding around, it's not nan helmet for you. 

Once you person a group of information standards and a fewer brands you like, nan remainder each comes down to features. Do you tally hot? Get thing pinch a batch of ventilation, for illustration a dual-sport aliases escapade lid. Ride successful nan rain? Look for a helmet pinch a Pinlock system, a benignant of double-pane visor that prevents fogging. Want to perceive to euphony aliases get navigation directions while you ride? Don't ammunition retired other for a helmet pinch built-in bluetooth — conscionable get a third-party comm strategy from Cardo aliases Sena, whichever marque your friends have, and equine it to nan broadside of immoderate helmet you buy. 

Safety, sizing, features. These criteria springiness you plentifulness of room to find a helmet you like, but they'll guarantee it's a helmet that'll beryllium genuinely bully for you successful nan agelong tally — protective, comfortable, and not leaving you wishing you'd bought thing else. Now, get shopping, because riding season's ticking down pinch each passing day. You don't want to miss out, do you?