Why you need a Five Star helmet…

If you're in the "it's too cold to ride, might as well shop for gear" mode… then consider this before buying a new helmet…  Before the SHARP helmet testing came about, you'd still hear the dumb sales people say: "Sure, buy a $100 helmet if you have a $100 head." The logic being: if you spend more money you will get a safer helmet. But independent testing proved that this is just not true. The fact is that helmet manufacturers don't always seem to know what will make a safer helmet. The AGV S-4 is an older helmet which suffers from high wind noise, but it offers five star protection. The newer K-4 that replaces it is only four stars. What happened? Most decent helmets offer "good" or "very good" front and rear impact protection because that's where you need it most. But the real story is side the impact protection…

Many pricier helmets like the Arai RX7 Corsair have poor side impact protection. This is probably good enough for controlled environments, like some race tracks, where the main impacts will be to the front or back of the helmet.  Maybe not.  I think I'd still splurge for better side impact protection - especially since it won't necessarily cost more…  But for the street where impact protection needs to take into account cars, curbs, and lampposts, you need a helmet that will protect you on all sides.

The helmets for the SHARP ratings are purchased blindly in a store, in various sizes.  So they're most likely a good representation of what you'll get on your head.  But the downside for us in the US, is that these are UK specific.  Meaning, many of the helmets sold in the US will never be tested because they are not sold in the UK and vice versa.  And some brands, like BELL, are sold under the same name but have different designs and made in different factories.  But for those helmets that are sold in both the US and UK, five stars is the only way to go.

PS - By the way - MotorcycleGear.com (formerly New Enough) has a sale on the SHOEI Qwest (with a five star SHARP rating), $249.  That's probably the best deal on top tier helmet you'll ever find…  I don't work for these guys, but I buy from them from time to time.  So check it out.  Cheers!

Related posts:

1. SHARP Helmet Ratings
2. Which helmet is best for me?
3. Time for an open faced helmet?