Best Motorcycle Helmets

Hobbies Articles | May 7, 2010

Best Motorcycle Helmets By Alan Dowds, Motorcycle Expert

A good helmet is the most important piece of safety equipment for any motorcycle rider – fact! Sure, you need a nice pair of boots, some smart leathers, and flashy gloves – and these are all vital to keep you in one piece should the worst happen. But, to put it simply, your head is your brain is you. Serious head injuries are the number one killer in motorcycle accidents – you can break a leg or an arm and survive, even major damage to your body can be fixed up in the ER. But damage your brain, even slightly, and that can be the end of you. But a well-chosen, high-quality helmet can protect you from injury in many crashes. Helmets are generally made from a tough outer shell, usually of fibreglass, carbon fibre or Kevlar weave, with a softer liner. This liner – usually expanded polystyrene – protects your skull by absorbing the energy of an impact, slowing down the deceleration of your head inside the outer shell, and preventing the bruising, swelling, and skull fractures which are so often fatal. The outer shell also serves to prevent penetration injuries from such items as motorcycle footpegs and roadside fence poles.

A helmet’s primary purpose is protection, but they also have a number of secondary functions. A movable visor is essential, to provide eye protection, while many helmets have quick-release systems to allow a dark visor to be swapped in for riding in bright sunshine. Vents are important to allow cooling airflow into the helmet, and there are a variety of fastening systems available, including ‘seatbelt-type’ buckles for easy fastening.

The most important part of a helmet though, is the fit. It’s essential that the user tries the helmet on and makes sure it is the right size – not too large or too tight. A helmet that’s too big can come off your head in a crash, leaving you totally unprotected, while a too-tight lid can cause discomfort and headaches. It’s not just size either – different helmet models can suit different head shapes. If your head is long and narrow

, you may find one model will suit you better than another that will better suit a rounder head shape.

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Article Tags: Best Motorcycle Helmets, Best Motorcycle, Motorcycle Helmets

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alan Dowds: Motorcycle Expert

Alan is currently Deputy Editor at SuperBike magazine in the UK – Britain’s biggest and best performance motorcycle magazine and website. He’s been a motorcycle journalist for more than a decade, and has ridden almost every major motorcycle built in the last 25 years, as well as MotoGP and WSB race bikes. As well as his work at SuperBike magazine, Alan has also written a number of motorcycle books.

Alan is 37 and is from Greenock in Scotland. He now lives in south London.