NorthernPete wrote: ↑Mon Mar 04, 2019 7:15 pm
Well, to be fair, I have bought a used jacket before. But the smell wasn’t really anything I thought about (it was very new seeming to me. But who knows with jackets) as for a helmet, I just would rather break it in myself and not have to worry about possible foam damage from previous owners or the degradation of the liner from said previous owners sweat. Just my preference.
As far as Styrofoam degradation is concerned, it can be an issue. However, most motorcycle accidents happen at a relatively slow speed. They tend not to involve extreme impact to the head. That doesn't mean one would avoid a head injury, if not wearing a helmet. I had one parking lot incident where I opened up the throttle as I entered a turn. Rain had just begun to sprinkle, and there was something slick on the rounded portion of my rear tire tread. So, the motorcycle went out from under me, and it happened really fast. The speed the motorcycle was traveling when I lost control was less than fifteen miles per hour. In fact, I don't think I was traveling more than seven miles per hour, but when the motorcycle flipped, the fall was quite rapid, and the mass of the motorcycle contributed to momentum at impact so that if I had not been wearing a helmet, if I'd survived at all, I'd probably be drooling and unable to write this message, right now. Would a compromised helmet have protected me? Yes, definitely. (BTW, on impact, my head felt absolutely nothing, even though I hit the ground pretty hard. I was totally surprised at how well the helmet took the impact, and transmitted the momentum energy around my head. It didn't even feel like I'd been hit with a feather pillow.)
A freeway incident could be a whole different story. Even there, head impact with the ground would be about the same as a 10mph accident, because most of the energy from a ground impact comes from downward force, and not horizontal force. More likely, sliding down the freeway would break the rest of one's body, but not the head, not even with a compromised helmet. Then, there's the last kind of impact on a normal road surface. That's the sort where one strikes an oncoming vehicle or a stationary object. That's when helmet performance may matter the most. Forward (horizontal) momentum would be determined by whatever the combined velocity is between the two objects (the head and whatever the head hits). Obviously, even a horizontal impact may cause a rapid horizontal stop. For example, as one slides down a roadway, there may be a curb that suddenly stops the rider. I knew someone, once, who was riding a moped without a helmet (late 1970s / early 1980s). He was hit from behind and thrown several yards. His head struck a curb. He was in a coma for several weeks. Fortunately, he came out of it and aced Accounting 201 while I struggled. So, that's an example of what happens with no helmet and where vertical and horizontal forces combine to cause injury.
Oh well, that's enough of that. I think you get the picture. For most accidents, even a questionable helmet will provide appropriate protection. There are cases, however, where only the best will do. One must weigh all of the factors and make a decision, accordingly. For the crowd who worries about dropping a helmet on pavement from shoulder-high, only the best will do, period. (I roll my eyes when I hear someone say that one drop is one drop too many. That’s just F’ing ridiculous.)
I definitely do prefer how comfortably a well-worn helmet goes on and stays on, and I’d rather another guy literally sweat the details so I don’t have to!
