The Entire guide to...buying a motorcycle crash helmet

We’d argue that the crash helmet is the most important purchase any motorcyclist will make, so it’s important to buy well. Here’s our guide on what to look out for when buying your next motorcycle crash helmet…

Skid lid, crash hat, brain bucket… whatever you call your motorcycle helmet, it remains the single most important piece of protective equipment you can buy in your motorcycling career. It is it the only clothing mandated by law but, more than that, it is the only thing between you and a serious head injury (or worst) in the event of an accident.

This is why it is so important to make sure you take great care when buying a crash helmet. A motorcycle crash helmet is a long term investment, and there are a number of important factors to consider when making your purchase. Or guide has been written by experienced motorcyclists and aims to help you find the right helmet to match you and your riding.

We thoroughly recommend you do your research when buying a helmet, including checking ratings on the SHARP website and getting a proper fitting at a reputable retailer but, for now, here’s the Entire Guide to buying a motorcycle crash helmet.

Buy new

We know it’s tempting to save money by buying second hand, and with any other piece of protective equipment we’d be right up for it (with some caveats, of course), but it’s so important to know the history of your helmet, and to know that it’s not taken a knock in the hands of a previous owner.

Helmets are only designed to take one big knock, and most have a shelf life of around five years. A second hand helmet might look in good shape, but if it’s been dropped or stored incorrectly, it most likely won’t offer its full protection. Neither of these things are always outwardly visible, meaning it is always best to err on the side of caution.

Buying new from a reputable source means you know the history of the helmet. You can care for it in the appropriate way and ensure that it’s thrown out (or at least retired to ornament status) in the event of getting dropped or becoming too old.

Check the fit

You can buy the best helmet in the world, but if it doesn’t fit well it won’t do its job properly.

Too tight and it will be uncomfortable and distracting. Too loose and it will move around and might even come off in the event of an accident. As well as all the safety implications, wearing a poorly fitting helmet is going to massively reduce the enjoyment you get from riding your motorcycle – potentially being painful and/or distracting.

Helmet manufacturers generally make different sized shells and different sized internal padding to help get the best possible fit. Tempting as it is to buy online, or to take advantage of a bargain offer on a helmet which is ‘just’ one size too big/small, it’s critical to get the fitting correct – you’re going to wear this thing a lot, and you’ll literally be putting your life in its hands…

Go to the shop and get their clothing expert to help you out. Don't just assume that because you are size X with one brand that it’ll be the same with another. Just like everyday clothing, there are often small discrepancies between the sizing of different helmet brands.

It’s an expensive, long term, purchase upon which your life may depend, so make sure you buy well. Selling on a used helmet is difficult (for the reasons stated above) and the shop probably won’t take it back after it’s been used, so you really do need to make sure you get it right. 

Get the right type for your riding

There are lots of different types of motorcycle crash helmet. Each style not only has its own unique look, they also tend to have differing levels of comfort and safety. Here are the key ones:

Full face

By far and away the most common type of motorcycle crash helmet, a full faced helmet offers good protection and can be worn on pretty much on every kind of bike in any situation.

Full faced helmets, as the name suggests, cover the front of your face, with a chin bar and a visor for maximum protection in the event of a fall. They come in different sub types: racing helmets tend to be light, aerodynamic and expensive, but are not always the best for every day use as the field of vision is optimised for when the rider is crouched behind the screen.

Touring biassed helmets might have accessories like sun visors and speakers built in to them, which can be useful, but unnecessary if your riding doesn’t require them.

The downside of a full faced helmet is that they can feel a bit claustrophobic for some riders, and they can get a bit hot and stuffy on warmer days, They tend to offer the best protection, and you’ll be glad you’re wearing one if the weather turns bad.

Flip front

A flip front helmet is popular with touring riders and working riders, like police officers and couriers. It’s essentially a full faced helmet, but with the visor and chin bar hinged. While you shouldn’t ride with your lid flipped up, it’s useful for when you’re stopped and don’t want to keep removing your helmet.

To ride in, they don’t feel much different to a full faced helmet – although they can be a bit heavier than a helmet with a fixed chin bar. The main downside is an image problem. For a long time flip helmets were associated with police riders and instructors and, although that’s changing as more and more riders appreciate the benefits, they’re still considered a bit frumpy by some riders.

Open faced

A traditional open faced helmet is, as the name suggests, completely open at the front. You need to wear goggles or safety sunglasses as eye protection but an open faced helmet is great for experiencing the wind on your face and getting flies in your teeth.

With the front of your face exposed, they definitely offer less protection than a full faced helmet, but they’re well liked by riders of cruisers and big tourers as they are unmatched when it comes to creating a feeling of freedom.

Jet helmet

An evolution of the traditional open face helmet, a jet helmet has a large windshield to offer eye protection, but without the security of a chin bar.

They offer great visibility and airflow, but aren’t as protective as a full faced or flip front helmet. They’re popular on the continent, and with riders of bikes like scooters, cruisers and touring bikes, especially riders who enjoy more sedate speeds or who generally ride in the city.

Off-road

Motocross styled helmets have a peak and a chin bar, but no visor. They have an opening for goggles, which can be removed and replaced quickly in muddy conditions. They’re popular with riders of scrambler style machines, while adventure bike riders are often drawn towards the crossover style adventure helmet, which looks like a proper off-road helmet but features a built in visor.

One of the main reasons for wearing an off-road helmet on the street is looks. They look awesome on scrambles, although they can be noisy at speed, with the peak sometimes making them uncomfortable (creating drag, which in turn can cause neck strain) – while they don’t typically offer as much protection as a full faced or flip front helmet.

Retro

Not a style per se, but retro helmets are popular. They come in different types, for example retro off-road helmets, retro open faced helmets and retro full faced helmets. While it’s mainly a design thing rather than a specific type of helmet, we mention it here as retro helmets often focus on style over substance.

For example, they might lack the vents and other features which make more modern designs more comfortable to wear, while they may not match the outright safety of a helmet with a more contemporary design. 

Beware of fakes

It is sad to say this, but we see substandard helmets and fakes on the market from time to time. Whether it’s a cheap copy with a reputable maker’s brand slapped on it, or a cheap helmet with fake certification stickers, there are some unscrupulous types selling on unsafe helmets.

Once again, but from reputable sources. Beware of fly-by-night online traders and bargain basement Del Boys at bike shows. If a price seems too good to be true, it probably is. Dig deeper and, if unsure, walk away and buy elsewhere.

Get the best you can afford

Legendary American racer Kenny Roberts famously said ‘If you have a $10 head, buy a $10 hat’.

He really was right. The helmet is the only piece of motorcycle protective equipment which is compulsory and there’s no doubt in our mind that it is the most important too. Hopefully you’ll never have to find out if your helmet is up to the job, but on that one occasion when you need it, it has to do its job and do it well.

A more expensive helmet doesn’t necessarily mean more protection. Sometimes the extra costs go on features like extra vents, sun visors, inbuilt speakers and fancy colour schemes, all nice to have but none adding to the helmet’s main job, which is to protect the rider’s head in the event of a crash.

As a case in point, Arai’s top of the range RX-7V costs (at the time of writing) £669 when ordered in plain black or white, but race replica versions can cost up to £875. That’s over £200 for a nice paint job. To put it further into perspective, Arai’s Debut-V full faced helmet costs £330, less than half the price of the RX-7V. It’s a plainer helmet but still meets the standards you’d expect from one of the world’s leading helmet makers.

You don’t need to spend top dollar on a helmet, but you should budget on buying well and buying a helmet you can trust, which brings us to our final point….

Look at the ratings/certifications

Such is the importance of the helmet, they undergo rigorous testing from manufacturers, which is then validated through various forms of independent testing.

Helmets sold in the UK must meet one of three recognised standards:

• British Standard BS 6658:1985: this can be recognised by the BSI Kitemark, which is issued by the British Standards Institution 
• UNECE Regulation 22.05
• European Economic Area member standard: as long as it offers at least the same level of safety and protection as BS 6658:1985 
  

In addition, the Department for Transport has created the Safety Helmet Assessment and Rating Programme (SHARP) which is a brilliant scheme.

We know real product is being tested because the samples are bought anonymously by the testers from regular shops. We’d say this is one of the most important thing to look at when buying a helmet, because these guys destruction test them in a way you will hopefully never have to.

We highly recommend visiting the SHARP website as part of your helmet buying research.