Quote Originally Posted by T Baggins
Pilot2 - looks like you've done some homework in this area. As I'm going to go out and buy a new helmet here any time...Would you share any info or links to testing that I might find useful?
...
Having perused through the SHARP (Safety Helmet Assessment and Rating Program) which is a government backed, independent safety rating for motorcycle helmets, very few helmets make the 5-star standard. If you want to see an animation of how these government tests are done, take a look here: http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/content/animation

The one helmet that Arai had that met the 5-star standards above is no longer in production. Please do not misunderstand, I am not saying Arai helmets are bad, I am only suggesting that if everything else is equal, proper fit and it is comfortable, some other helmets may protect your head better.

As of today, 27-helmet models have the 5-star SMART safety rating, take a look at: http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/testhelme...-price-to=9999 Of those 27-helmets that are 5-star rated, only SIX of them were rated VERY GOOD in IMPACT ZONES-HIGH SPEED TEST RESULTS for ALL impact zones. Here are the six: Bell M4r, Bell M4R carbon, Bell M5X, HJC HQ1, Nitro Aikido, and Shark RSX.

One of those six helmets, the NITRO AKIDO, see:http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/testsratings/nitro-aikido is interesting if for no other reason its price point. This helmet has the standard ECE 22.05 certification and also the Auto-Cycle Union (ACU) Gold sticker. Somewhat ho-hum in appearance...



Beyond it doing well in crash dispersing energy before it gets to your brain, it may be the most uncomfortable, unfitting helmet ever made. I have never actually seen one. Very little written about it. I just ordered one, quite inexpensive, and I will report its comfort level for my head...which ultimately will not mean much for its comfort level on your head.

A side-bar that will have experts with their fists up is which helmet evaluation system provides the most meaningful data? SNELL, ECE, SMART, DOT, etc. I don't pretend to know that answer, but personally I don't think it is SNELL for the following reasons: 1) SNELL has maintained that a thicker less flexible shell, heavier helmet, is best as it will withstand the brutal puncture type test they administer. On the other hand, SNELLs new 2010 testing standards reduced the impact load they had previously utilized--seems like they are getting closer to ECE or SMART. 2) The SMART test administers 32-impacts for each helmet rating, the others have less impact data. Ultimately, at the end of the day, a 5-star SMART helmet may result in your getting your bell-rung less than in a SNELL helmet if you get whacked. On the other hand, if you collide into a brutally sharp object, which I suspect is rare, the SNELL type helmet may do better. Take a look, however, at crashed helmets, the shell can get scratched and gouged-up, but rarely is there a complete breach of the outer shell, so why not have the shell flex a bit and absorb energy? That means less bell ringing for the brain.

So my 2-shillings on this subject is, find a helmet that has a top safety rating from the organization you choose to trust that is COMFORTABLE for YOUR head when it is PROPERLY fit. On the subject of getting properly fit, here is an interesting 2-minute video from Motorcycle Consumers News: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KytJa4i96v4