Your motorcycle helmet is arguably one of the most crucial gear ensuring maximum safety. So, you have to wear the right helmet to prevent possible injuries whenever you ride a motorcycle. Sometimes it may seem like you have reliable safety gear, but helmets aren’t built to last.
Helmets will degrade over time because of various causes, including helmet age, usage duration, becoming loose, involved accidents, and many more. A damaged helmet can’t ensure maximum safety when you’re riding a motorcycle. You should wear a helmet that will offer the highest protection even if you have a dangerous accident.
That’s why you have to immediately replace your helmet if you find any signs of degradation. In this context, we will let you know some significant signs that you need to know when replacing your helmet. So stay tuned by reading this article.
Do Motorcycle Helmets Need To Be Replaced?
Professionals suggest replacing a helmet worn frequently every three years or so. The main reason is that the helmet’s foam degrades because of heat, sun, salty sweat, and other environmental factors. These factors make the foam unable to give complete safety during accidents.
Besides, a helmet can be damaged in a crash or even dropped on a hard surface. Some experts said that a helmet would be protective until it is damaged, no matter its age. There is no arguing that replacing a regularly used helmet every three years will help to keep you comfortable and safe.
If we talk about purchasing helmets, several helmet brands are available on the marketplace. You should choose the best brand helmet that provides the highest protection while you’re riding. Remember, not all helmet brands offer maximum safety while riding a motorcycle. There are some motorcycle helmet brands to avoid if you don’t want severe injuries during accidents.
How to Quickly Inspect Your Motorcycle Helmet
Checking your helmet every day before and after usage is a good habit. You should pay attention to the following:
Exterior
Sometimes the helmet exterior gets large scratches or cracks from storage conditions, the circumstance’s environment, or rubbing against a rough surface. Using good polish small scratches can be removed easily. But for large cracks or splitting in the shell, you have to replace the helmet.
Visor
The helmet’s visor provides vision to the rider while protecting their eyes from dust and wind. If your visor has a large number of micro-scratches that may obscure your vision.
Balance
Check your helmet’s balance by tilting your head right and left a couple of times. Even after firmly securing the chinstrap, the helmet might have accumulated internal damage if it feels wobbly.
Signs You Need to Replace Your Motorcycle Helmet
Here we have demonstrated seven signs to look for that will assist in determining if you need to replace your helmet. So check out the below factors to know whether you need a new helmet.
Helmet Becomes Loose
A newly purchased helmet will hug your head firmly, but you will feel looseness after a few years of usage. Whenever you find your helmet doesn’t hug your head firmly and feels loose, you won’t get maximum protection in accident times. For checking your helmet looseness, shake your head while wearing the helmet. Your helmet is loosened if you knock your head around its corner smoothly. This type of helmet opens automatically when you face any accident that will not protect your head.
The Interior Starts Decaying
We know the outer shell of an object is most susceptible to corrosion from natural and elemental sources. However, helmets tend to deteriorate most from the inside rather than the outside. In most cases, you will find flakes in the lining of your shoulders or hair. Flakes exist not the main concern here; it indicates that the stability and integrity of your helmet have been compromised. It will be unable to absorb the hit properly in accident times. In that case, your current helmet would need to be exchanged for a new one.
The Exterior Starts Decaying
If you use an object excessively, it will be exposed to extreme sunlight daily or for other reasons. For that, the outer surface of the helmet can become deeply brittle. As a result, the helmet shell can develop cracks which indicate signs of safety failure in your helmet. Also, the outer shell surface of your helmet can get large cracks, falling from your hands.
Broken or Compromised Visor
Numerous minors can occur when you’re riding a motorcycle on the road. For that, a visor is equipped with every helmet to cover the rider’s head and eyes, the most fragile piece of human. The core function of the visor is to protect riders’ eyes from dust and other small particles. On the other hand, the visor helps to provide a clean and better view. If your helmet’s visor gets damaged due to any cause, you have to change the visor or replace the helmet immediately.
Strap or Lock Failure
A chin strap is the most crucial component to keep the helmet lock tight on your head. For that, it is integrated into almost all types of helmets. Often chin straps become corroded and damaged because of weather and dirt. In case of breaks or damage, it is better to replace your strap chin with a new one. If your helmet has an inability to change the chin strap, you should replace the helmet with a new one.
Falling Into Accidents
Involved accidents are the most common cause of your helmet being damaged. For that, you should check the helmet thoroughly after falling into an accident whether it will still provide you with the needed protection. A damaged or broken helmet will not ensure the safety of your head in an accident. In that case, checking your helmet on an X-ray is the best way to find any damage. If you encounter any defect, you should replace the helmet.
Helmet Age and Usage
After wearing a helmet continuously, it will be more than likely weakened. This is because the helmet becomes exposed to weather, UV rays, dirt, and other elements that affect the helmet’s integrity. And ultimately lose the resins and glues that hold the helmet together. Different manufacturers offer their helmets with a three-year age expiration date. Several factors can influence a helmet’s lifespan, but three years is the recommended timeframe for replacing one.
How to Extend the Life Span of Your Helmet
You can easily significantly improve the lifespan of your helmet with proper maintenance and storage facilities. For your help, below, we have pointed out some crucial tips that can help you extend your helmet’s lifespan.
- Always store your helmet at room temperature and away from any heaters or radiators that may be present in the garage.
- Ensure your helmet is kept above ground level to prevent an unwilling contract while working in the garage.
- Do not expose your helmet to chemicals, as this may damage the integrity of the helmet.
- Clean your motorcycle helmet every 3-6 months at the latest. Avoid using any petroleum-based cleaning fluids that can damage your helmet.
- If you find your helmet’s visor gets lots of scratches that barrier clear view, replace the visor to keep your helmet functional.
Conclusion
Riders should be able to diagnose and analyze the condition of their helmets. This is because helmets are crucial gear that help provide maximum protection of your head during accidents. Apart from accidents, a helmet prevents your eyes from entering dust or small other particles. But with a damaged helmet, you will not get such advantages.
That’s why you have to ensure you are wearing the right helmet. For that, you will need to keep track of when to replace your helmet. Through this context, we have presented some signs to replace your helmet. If you find a sign discussed above on your helmet, you will need to replace your helmet with a new one.
