Buying a Helmet from Trademe? Opinions?

[B1NZ]

If my helmet has the AS,NZ,Snell or ECE stds markings, and I'm confident that they are genuine, then I don't care if it's a $100 helmet or a $1000 helmet, as long as it fits well, appears well made, and is bought from a reputable seller.

Exactly, As someone has stated more expensive not always better, I'm not paying an extra $600 so I can look like the stig or have pink flowers on it, no one can see me anyway cos I drive too fast and am awsomo!

[Malcolm]

yeah I don't necessarily think that people should pay top dollar for a helmet - often the extra money goes to lighter weight or lower noise; my point was more that I find it weird when people suggest a helmet that may have questionable safety due to being excessively cheap is fine because they've owned one (but never crashed/needed it)

[Snaps]

Often the extra money goes to lighter weight or lower noise

this is also what the bike shop told me, any extra money spent on a helmet that passes the same standard just means you're either paying for the look or the weight/noise reduction of a helmet.

[Emperor]

weight is important tho. less strain on your neck, less damage in an accident possibly.

and comfort.

[Snaps]

obviously, but for the amount of time I'll be racing each race (probably a couple of laps each go) it won't really bother me.

[gurutasker]

noise; my point was more that I find it weird when people suggest a helmet that may have questionable safety due to being excessively cheap is fine because they've owned one (but never crashed/needed it)

I don't think anyone here is recommending a helmet of questionable safety.

[TRD Man]

We have standards that are applied by MNZ for various grades of our sport.
If we are not going to accept or trust the standards there is little point having them, or having MNZ research and make assessments/rulings for that matter.

The fact is if a helmet meets the required standards it is fine regardless of whether it costs $50 or $500.

Personal safety is a personal issue. Very few competitors have limitless budgets and so we mitigate risk by applying appropriate level of resource to counter any perceived eventualities.

If I was racing a single seater, such as that in Malcolm's avatar, I would invest in the very best helmet designed for the job.
However the risks involved in racing a tin top saloon are entirely different.

For much of my 30 plus years of competition, all of which has been in saloon type rally cars, I have used one of the cheapest helmets available that has met the standards ... a Star branded helmet that we could buy in the 70's for under $20 and which is still available today for about $80 retail.
Only my forays into international rallying in the 90's required me to upgrade to a more expensive Snell rated hat.

And, yes Malcolm, both grades of helmets were tested in a number of roll overs and other accidents.

When I make my anticipated return to national championship competition next season I would be more than comfortable to use a cheap compliant helmet such as the $80 Star from a safety perspective but will probably opt for something more expensive solely due to the practicality of fitment of intercom and possibly HANS if necessary.

The standards required by MNZ are the minimum, and they are adequate. You are free to supercede them if you wish. That is your choice. But there is no benefit to anybody, or the sport, to denigrate anybody who chooses to accept the minimum nor to have scrutineers applying double standards due to their own prejudices.

[Snaps]

^ What he said.

Another reason I'm trusting the FFM helmet everyone has suggested, is that my brother Hayden (Races the orange civic in PC mag a while ago) uses an FFM helmet and has never had any problems with it.

[B1NZ]

People that say spend extra money on a helmet do have a point, I mean your head is the most important part of your body, But with all other motorsport costs as TRDman has said I am on a limited budget so cant reall justify a more expensive one atm,

Maybe once I get into more serious event I might opt for a more expensive one for piece of mind and to fit an intercom set better

[GX61 Mark II]

I've got one of those helmets, from that seller, it is all good, but it is what is on the inside that counts I guess.

has the E - something euro standard label on it.

Just checking, does it have a sticker on the back of the helmet or a cloth tag sewn on the chin strap?

sorry for the slow reply, it had the cloth tag sewn on the chin strap.

got mine for around $70.

The shop (CNELL) is near the bottom of Onehunga mall and selwyn road, on Neilsen street in Onehunga. You could go in and check it out/check sizes as they are on the small side compared to other helmets.

[Dragger_Dan]

This is something that relates probably to more serous motorsport than most of us would be into, but anyway, does anybody know about helmets and fireproofing? Seems to be something that doesn't come up much, but I figure if you're racing at a level which requires flameproof overalls, then why not have a flameproof helmet too?

My motorcycle helmet is all I use for now for autocrosses and motokanas etc, which hopefully I won't catch on fire in, but as the padding seems to be dense polystyrene or something similar, wouldn't that be a bit of a fire hazard? I'd be more afraid of disfiguring myself in a bad accident than actual impact head injuries (being that fact that a lot of motorsport already requires rollcage padding which would absorb a lot of impact).

Also does anybody use neck brace for basic motorsport? I had a bit of a prang a while ago, my helmet protected me fine, but my neck was a bit sore for a few days afterward. Might be something I'll have to invest in before I go racing next.

[Mr Revhead]

thats why these are required for racing/rallying above a certain level.
although im sure there are helmets that are fire retardant as well.

[Leon]

Also if you go for the specific to motor racing standards (see the MSNZ International Approved Helmet Standards) listing you will get flame resistant lining.

eg:

Snell M2005 is a motorbike helmet standard, so does not have flame resistant lining.

Snell SA2005 is a motor racing helmet, so will have flame resistant lining.

Both will be a good helmet, as it is a very demanding standard, but only one is required to have flame resistant lining to meet the specific standards.

[Snaps]

Ok, went into the bike shop again today, found a helmet that has the ECER22-05 sticker on th back, but then looked at the tag on the chin strap and found it said 'E9' in a circle, along with some other numbers below it.

I then asked the owner, and he explained to me that that just says where the standard was passed, and pulled out a book with all of the different numbers that represented which places.

I'm still not too sure, does the E9 mean it has passed the standard?

Also, another thing I found, this particular helmet didn't have the normal D-clips that hold the strap in, this one had a buckle instead, it looks like it passed the standard, so is this kind of buckle still OK?

[Leon]

Ok, went into the bike shop again today, found a helmet that has the ECER22-05 sticker on th back, but then looked at the tag on the chin strap and found it said 'E9' in a circle, along with some other numbers below it.

I then asked the owner, and he explained to me that that just says where the standard was passed, and pulled out a book with all of the different numbers that represented which places.

I'm still not too sure, does the E9 mean it has passed the standard?

He is kind of talking correctly, the number in the circle means f*ck all to nothing that we care about. As the bike shop owner says, that just tells us what country the helmet was approved in.

Ignore that, it means nothing.

The 05 on the back, and the 05 that the serial number on the cloth tag starts with tell us what the standard 'suffix' is.

There has been an 01, 02, 03, 04. If you find an 01 on the shelf anywhere it will have a thick layer of dust on it! It's an antique. Even an 04 is an oldie, and to be not bought new. 02 03 and 04 are still legal for motorsport last time I looked. However, a bit antique at this stage. I think in all my years of scrutineering, I've seen one 04 helmet, and it was seriously old.

The other form of buckle is no worries.

[Snaps]

Oh cheers, I'lll grab it next week