Helmet thickness

[pacedawg]

I see a lot of riders on the road wearing skid lids/ half helmets that seem to be much thinner and less bulky. Most of the helmet sites carry helmets that are 1- 1.5 inches thick. Does anyone know where to find the thinner helmets? Are those only novelty helmets? I thought I saw one today that was very thin and had a DOT sticker on it. Any help would be appreciated.

[moto_hanki]

Those helmets are not DOT approved. You can purchase a DOT sticker to place on those helmets, but that doesn't make them safe or legal.

Where one at your own risk.

[asiantay]

Realize that a half face helmet, in the event of a moderate crash, will leave you sans-some-teeth, with a broken jaw or two, and a layer of rocks, blood, and other debris from the road in your face.

This might be a wacky idea, but... a full face offers more protection.

[jonnythan]

Those helmets don't offer any actual protection. They exist so that people who don't have any desire to actually protect their skull can keep from getting ticketed in states that require helmet use.

[storysunfolding]

But they have all those great stickers. Some of them are hilarious- no harley bashing but I mainly see those stickers on harley riders, though I think more weekend warrior types. Anyway the best part is that these guys generally get together as big groups of harley riders but if you read the stickers you can' thelp but smirk "If "Donut Holes" could fly this place would be a "procreating" airport"

[pacedawg]

I probably should have put this in the original message; I do have a full face helmet as well as a half helmet. I like the half helmet for short runs around town or on the barely traveled backroads. I understand the safety implications. My only question was if they made helmets that were as effective as well as DOT/ SNELL approved as the 1 inch thick standard helmets normally found. I live down the Jersey shore and see a lot of riders with different helmets and was just curious. Secondly, has anyone heard about the carbon fiber helmets?

[jonnythan]

Secondly, has anyone heard about the carbon fiber helmets?

Carbon fiber is nice for kayaking helmets, where you don't need high-energy impact protection as much as just something that won't break when you bang a rock or two.

The shell of the helmet has virtually nothing to do with the protection it offers. In fact, the harder and stiffer the shell, the more of the impact energy is transferred to your head, and that's not good.

The foam inside of the helmet is what saves your brain. The foam is there to slow your head down from full speed to a stop in the longest time possible - the shell is irrelevant.

[moto_hanki]

Secondly, has anyone heard about the carbon fiber helmets?

The shell of the helmet has virtually nothing to do with the protection it offers. In fact, the harder and stiffer the shell, the more of the impact energy is transferred to your head, and that's not good.

The foam inside of the helmet is what saves your brain. The foam is there to slow your head down from full speed to a stop in the longest time possible - the shell is irrelevant.

This is not true. The outer shell protects the head from projectile objects and from penetration. It also allows for the disperasal of energy throughout the helmet into the EPS liner. The outer layer is the first line of defense a helmet has to offer.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorcycle ... nstruction

[asiantay]

Motorcyclist Magazine, a while back, featured a two-part article called "Blowing the Lid." It covered various topics about helmets, whether hard shell or softer shell is better, and even questioned certain stickers like Snell. It's an excellent article and you should go read it.