david.c Posted February 16, 2002 Share Posted February 16, 2002 I am due to do my 1st trackday in May and need to get a crash helmet. As I only intend to do 2 or 3 trackdays a year I don't want to spend a vast amount of money. I have seen a HJC helmet model CL-12 that is type A rated with a gold sticker for £65 (normally £110) at a New Suzuki dealers in Slough. Any words of wisdom etc would be usefull Cheers David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ACW Posted February 17, 2002 Share Posted February 17, 2002 What price can you put on Compus Mentus...? Avoid polycarbon and stick to a good known make (shoei, arai, bell, etc...). Also if the helmet is on a special they may only have a few sizes and you want to get something that fits well. A bad fitting helmet is short of useless. I would suggest you try a bike outfitters rather than a dealer. There are many of these now days which you will find by browsing a m/c mag at the local newsagents. you should be able to get a good helmet for under a 100 quid. Also another thing to note is bike and car helmets are designed slightly differently and you may find that ventilation in a bike helmet is not that good behind a windscreen. Hope that helps at little.... Someone who has thier blus book to hand should be able to tell you the BS numbers to look out for... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noel Johnson Posted February 17, 2002 Share Posted February 17, 2002 Agreed, at what price do you value your life. Plus You get what you pay for. I only do about 3 track days a year (only one last year though) and I bought a Shoei XR800 from a local Bike dealer which feels good and looks mean in enamel black Get the best fit available and go somewhere with plenty of choice. I origionally wanted a Shark helmet, purley for the reason that they look cool - but they dont fit the shape of my head at all. But anything made by Shoei, Shark, Arai (According to some the Rolls Royce of helmets) or Simpson would be a good starting point. Hope this helps, Noel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Stanton Posted February 17, 2002 Share Posted February 17, 2002 or Bell. Check out Demon Tweeks or Grand Prix Racewear websites and catologues - You'll also find a link to MPC - (Midland Performance Centre) on the club links page - they do a good range of reasonably priced helmets. Check the fit, and buy the best you can afford and use it with a fireproof balaclava (they're only about £10 to £15). That will "save" the inside of your helmet from all that adrenalin that pumps on a warm day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david.c Posted February 18, 2002 Author Share Posted February 18, 2002 Thanks for the replies I will do a bit more searching before I hand over my cash. What is the problem with polycarbonate? I have seen some that are Thermal Plastic, is this a different material? Cheers David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blatman Posted February 18, 2002 Share Posted February 18, 2002 Polycarbonate is just weak. I also believe that polycarbonate is susceptible to UV degradation. Also, the glue from stickers will degrade the surface shell, leading to possible early failure. Trouble is, you won't know that the shell has been weakened until you hit your head.................. The advice given above is all correct. DON'T buy a cheap helmet, unless you have a cheap brain...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david.c Posted February 18, 2002 Author Share Posted February 18, 2002 Blatman Thanks for reinforcing the comments above. I'm sure I met you at the Penn Sevens meet in November. I had the V6 Westie Are you going this weekend? Cheers David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blatman Posted February 18, 2002 Share Posted February 18, 2002 Hi David Yes I recall the V6. I haven't yet found any info as to the origins of your Westfield, but I still suspect it to be the ex Steve Broughton car. We (me an' Blatgirl) want to go, but we have a tight schedule on Saturday. If I'm there, I'll be in the tin top............ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david.c Posted February 20, 2002 Author Share Posted February 20, 2002 Blatman I have found out the history of the car, and it was ex Steve Broughton. It was the car he won the southern region ccc/barc championship with in 1995. At that time it was fitted with a whizzing 2 litre 16V Vx lump. Hope to see you on saturday. Cheers David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blatman Posted February 20, 2002 Share Posted February 20, 2002 My suspicions were correct then............. I know I know...........no-one likes a smart Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ACW Posted February 24, 2002 Share Posted February 24, 2002 Just FYI, Polycarbonate / Thermoplatic is a very stong material which would be good for helmets except that it is what material scientists call 'notch sensitive'. That is to say any concentration of stress caused by a notch will cause the material to fracture under a much lower stress. In this particular material a notch can be a very fine suface blemish which can be caused by abrasion or even by cemical interaction with sticker glue or paint. Once this has happened the strength of the helmet is greatly reduced and unfortunately you cant easily see the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steppenwolf Posted February 24, 2002 Share Posted February 24, 2002 I only did one track day last year and will probably do two this year (first one this Tuesday) and I took the purchase of my crash helmet very seriously. I went to a motor bike shop chosen from several that I rang and chose this shop because they gave the impression of wanting to help me get the right one. I actually wanted a black Shoei TXR as my car is very much black an yellow and I wanted it to match but after 1.1/2 hours (it was almost embarassing how much care they took) I bought a multi-coloured Shoei XR800, not for the appearance but because it was a perfect fit and that is what it is all about. You hope to never need the helmet to work but in the awful situation of you needing it, you only get one chance. Buy the best you can afford but get the priority right - it MUST be an excellent fit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david.c Posted February 25, 2002 Author Share Posted February 25, 2002 Thanks for all the advice, I have now bought my helmet. I went to several shops and tried a number of helmets on and without exception the staff were all very helpfull. I bought a Shark RSF Manta helmet, which is a multiaxial fibre and epoxy resin shell that is Type 'A' and Gold ACU approved. It fits superbly, and the bonus was that it was on sale in Motorcycle City in Reading for £70 instead of its usual £140. Result Cheers David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steppenwolf Posted February 25, 2002 Share Posted February 25, 2002 David, Sounds like a good result. Enjoy your track day and I hope you never need to make use of your extra protection! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juansolo Posted February 28, 2002 Share Posted February 28, 2002 A good helmet won't help if you've got the standard roll bar. Swap it for an RAC jobbie. The same argument about cost of bar vs head applies here. Click me if you think you don't need one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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