re hell mets in article apr freenet carleton ca aa freenet carleton ca lloyd carr writes in a previous article maven mavenry altcit eskimo com norman hamer says if i don t end up replacing it in the real near future would i do better to wear my totally nondamaged face dot rated cheapie which doesn t fit as well or keep out the wind as well or wearing the shoei rf which is a lot more comfortable keeps the wind out better is quieter but might have some minor damage wear the rf even after a few drops paint chips it is far better than no helmet or a poorly fitting one i ve had many scratches bangs which have been repaired plus i m still confident of the protection the helmet will continue to give me only when you actually see depressions or actual cracks using a magnifying glass should you consider replacement this is not good advice a couple of years i was involved in a low speed getoff in which i landed on my back on the pavement my head helmeted hit the pavement with a clunk leaving a couple of dings and chips in the paint at the point of impact but no other visible damage i called the helmet manufacturer and inquired about damage they said that the way a fiberglass shell works is to first give then delaminate then crack this is the way fiberglass serves to spread the force of the impact over a wider area after the fiberglass has done its thing the crushable foam liner takes care of absorbing hopefully the remaining impact force they told me that the second stage of fiberglass functionality delamination of the glass resin layers can occur with no visible signs either inside or outside of the helmet they suggested that i send them the helmet and they would inspect it including x raying i did so they sent back the helmet with a letter stating that that they could find no damage that would compromise the ability of the helmet to provide maximum protection i suspect that this letter would eliminate their being able to claim prior damage to the helmet in the event i were to sue them the bottom line though is that it appears that a helmets integrity can be compromised with no visible signs the only way to know for sure is to send it back and have it inspected note that some helmet manufacturers provide inspections services and some do not another point to consider when purchasing a lid ken franklin they say there s a heaven for people who wait ama and some say it s better but i say it ain t gwrra i d rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints dod the sinners are lots more fun y know only the good die young
