Anything in this world has an expiry date, whether it be a non-living thing like the mayonnaise kept tucked away in your fridge or you. This article, however, deals with questions about the replacement of a very intimate part of a rider’s life – his helmet. Motorcycle helmets keep the most precious part of our body – our brain safe from any damage. Yet like every other thing on this planet, it has a lifetime but how do we know that it has reached its ending point. My Motorlab will help you understand the different aspects of your helmet’s life and in knowing how long are motorcycle helmets good for
What is the General Time After Which We Have to Replace the Helmet?
You may be surprised to hear that the brands or helmet manufacturers who say that you should replace your helmet every five years do not do so to earn profits. If you look up the decisions of the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, you will see that they also recommend the maximum years of a single helmet to be five years. You will see this amount of time period reflected with most brands and associations.
What are the Factors on Which the Longevity of the Helmet Depends on?
Like the various other things in this world, the lifetime of a helmet depends on some factors. The first thing that you should understand is that we are not looking at the outer part of the helmet but the inner lining since you will not be able to understand if the helmet needs to be discarded from the usually shiny outer covering of the helmet. The inner lining of the helmet depends on a variety of factors like
• the amount of sweat that comes in contact with the lining
• the leftover shampoo particles on your scalp
• the excess amount of hair product you use
• the grease in your hair and more.
When do You Know That Your Helmet Needs Replacement?
The most important thing that you should know is that the good or bad condition of your helmet should not be judged by the simple fact that your helmet falls off when hung from the bike during parking – that has been a myth and rightly so. The red alert signs that you should look out for are
• black helmet pieces or helmet lining pieces in your hair
• the helmet starts getting loose and slipping off and
• the lining comes out without any hard probing.
A good motorcycle rider should be aware of the fact that five years is the maximum time that you should use one helmet if you use it on a daily basis. A pro tip would be to keep the helmet in a dry, cool place when you are not using it so that their condition remains intact. If you are a vigorous user, you may have to change the helmets every three years. Just look out for the signs and you should be able to deduce when you need to change your helmet.
