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A co-worker of mine rode into work this morning and happened to drop her helmet in the parking lot. It chipped the paint. She called her dealer to ask about it and they said the helmet is absolutely trashed and needs to be replaced. Is that generally the case?

Yes...

Not worth the risk imho. Better safe than sorry.

No!

A woman dropped her helmet in the parking lot, chipped the paint and you guys wanna toss it?! How far did it fall? 3 feet, 4 at the most? Man, I take a hit harder than that every single ride I've ever been on. Without a head inside that helmet, I don't see how the foam could have been compromised. Nothing to smash against to distort it.

I've dropped my helmet several times just having it fall off the seat of the bike or slip off the bar end if I put it there. I'm sure any of you have too and didn't replace it.

for chipped paint, I'd sure look closer. If it is only the paint layer damaged I sure as heck wouldn't toss it - the paint is not what makes the helmet sound.

C'mon guys, how many of you routinely bash your helmets on brush and tree branches, obliterating paint? I do. How many occasionally dump it and grind off some paint on the dirt? Do you replace your helmet every other ride?

If you hit hard enough to compress the foam - yeah get it replaced. If you drop it hard enough to distort the helmet on impact, thus over-stressing the material, yeah I'd get it replaced (not that easy to do IMO). But c'mon....

I got some clarification on what happened -- she tripped on the stairs and as her hands went forward to catch herself the helmet clipped the corner of the concrete step. Doesn't seem that this would compromise the integrity (to me anyway) but I wanted to get some more input.

I have to say I've hit braches much harder than that and never once thought of replacing mine.

It's what you don't see that is the problem. Not worth the risk.... we are talking ASS Fault here boys!

Don't take a chance on that womans life....

I hold the record for stupidity in the helmet department...

I drilled "air vent " holes through mine....Lots of them
The next morning when I Sobered up,I threw it out and had to
drive all over the place looking for a new helmet that was my size,
matched my riding gear somewhat and wasnt $350.00.
So I could ride the next day as planned.

I would bring the helmet to someone for inspection.

Thanks all! I'm going to give her the opinions from both sides and suggest that she maybe send it to the manufacturer for inspection if she's going to keep it. Can't hurt. She's a big girl -- she can decide -- at least she'll have more info than she started with.

Rule of thumb: Replace it.

Who wants the liability of telling someone NOT to...then they crash into an immoveable object at 40mph, kilt themselfs, and YOU get sued because the helmet broke.

I've broken a couple of helmets..perfectly good, perfectly functional helmets. Flying through the air at 40-50mph and landing on your head may have that effect. I would prefer those hits be the first smacks the helmets took.

That said..replacing a helmet every time it's dinged is common-sensically goofy. I mean...what's a glue gun for!!??

Next time she rides to work...tell her to keep her helmet ON until she's sitting behind her desk.

On second thought...tell her not not take it off!! STAIRS ARE DANGEROUS!! IT'S ALWAYS FUN UNTIL SOMEONE LOSES AN EYE!!

Re: I drilled mine full'a holes....

Ha!! That's a good one!!

ski wrote:I've dropped my helmet several times just having it fall off the seat of the bike or slip off the bar end if I put it there.

Do I HAVE to say, 'And looky what happened!!' ??

And, I'll add, I've seen Carvr use his helmet as a kick stand several times and as a wheel chock for a trailer at least once. Then there was the time he used one for stashing gas along the trail. But the best, was when the bottle flu got the best of him and he used it to keep his sleeping bag from getting up-chucked on.

I call B.S.

Same with replacing them every 5 years

If I'm wrong and I die, think I'll care?

I replace mine every 5 years, no matter what.
They get soooooo stinky after 4 1/2 years it's all I can take.

Most newer helmets have removeable liners that are washable for a fresh and friendly place to stuff yur noggin.

Quite new helmets (newer than 'most newer') are designed very well..the liners snap in/snap out in just seconds.

if you have an old helmet like mine, you can just powerwash it, works great to remove the stinkyness

I hope you can't hear my eyes rolling , but come on. Paint chips from something like that? I'm pretty sure when I rode sport bikes, the paint came off a couple microseconds before the fiberglass ground away on my helmets. Didn't seem to affect the ability of the helmets to protect the pudding inside my noggin. Why, just take a look at my avatar and you can plainly see the bean is perfikly gud.

Any dealer is gonna tell you the helmet is trash because 1) they wanna sell you a new one, 2) they don't want the liability, and 3) most retards that answer the phone at any dealer I've called should be proud of themselves for getting the proper end of the receiver to their mouths by the second try.

A lot of the higher quality helmets have a coat of black paint on the inner side of the foam, this is so you can look at it and see white spider web patterns that indicate the inner shock absorber has been used, and has been compromized. The shell can be damaged without the inner absorber being harmed, I've done that too, sliding along on my face as my leathers are smoking and creating nice big heat blisters on my skin. The helmet ground through in places, but there really wasn't the big impact that crazes the internal stuff (still trash though).

The bottom line in my not so humble opinion is the helmet's protection mechanisms are the shell, foam, and to some degree inner liner. The paint ain't gonna do squat, and I can't see her damaging any more than that from the sound of it. If she's the nervous type, then by all means tell her to get a new helmet, but she might be better served by wearing the old one the next time she tackles those steps.

That's what I told her... keep it on until you are seated at your desk. Buildings are dangerous places!!!!

I think she's decided to contact the mfg. but she is wearing it for now.

marco wrote:..she is wearing it for now.

...at her desk?

...or just while walking TO her desk as you suggested?

I'd like to see a pic of her'n her hemet.........

It might look like this!

Just until she got TO her desk! Scary that she rides a Shadow 1100.

OMG! THAT'S HER!!!!!!!!!!!

Indawoods wrote:It's what you don't see that is the problem. Not worth the risk.... we are talking ASS Fault here boys!

Don't take a chance on that womans life....

ASS Fault...is that some kind of rectal disorder???