Interesting article about Snell M2010

That's good news and an interesting article you linked, Gamefrou. Thank you.
It would've been great if the included Sharp in their discussion. I'd be interesting to see a comparison between Snell 2010 and Sharp full five star helmets.

it was impossible because the ece "likes soft" helmet.
The snell for years "liked hard" helmet. Why? None knows...a lot of studies proves that a good soft helmet is better than any hard helmet.
(check this: http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/gearbox/motorcycle_helmet_review/index...)

But he new snell likes softer helmets than it did before...i know what it means, do you too?

Alax, I know all of this (and if I remember correctly, one of my first post on this forum was to link this exact article )

Now, they are still saying that SNELL is better at sustaining multiple impacts, so it shouldn't be that different... I need to do more research about it, but anyway I found it interesting and decided to share it here

(btw I'm staying in california for a few months and just bought a snell 2010 helmet... am I going to die? )

The thing is Snell helmets are not only manufactured to sustain multiple impacts: they are manufactured to sustain multiple impacts on the same exact spot... and that is a whole different thing

When you are tumbling on the ground, after a motorcycle fall, the probabilities of your helmet hitting the ground on the same exact spot are very low: hence a helmet that has been rigidified to sustain this has actually been rigidified too much, in a very probably useless way, that will in turn have undesirable consequences as to impact energy absorption. This presents an advantage though: they tend to be a tad lighter, which relieves stress on the cervical vertebrae (less momentum above the neck) ; that is not that much useful in an accident, though, as the maximum damages are not so much due to excessive stress, than to excessive strain (displacement of vertebrae, causing spline ruptures - and passed a certain strain, whatever the stress, you are screwed anyway): neck restraints that will absorb energy through breaking or dampening (neck braces or airbags, typically) are probably a lot more effective than a light helmet, in such cases.

Lighter helmets are still more comfortable for long rides, though - but I tend to choose safety first, and comfort only after: I prefer a safer Sharp tested helmet to a lighter one, if I cannot have both: funny thing is that the very few helmets that have been 5-stars/all-green-zones Sharp tested are all made of composite materials, hence making them stiffer and lighter than they would be if thermoplastic, which proves obtaining both comfort and safety is possible (though too much rare, unfortunately... and again unfortunately, no Sharp tested helmet even manages to obtain 5-stars, while having at the same time an internal sun-visor, which is a top-ranked safety feature, IMHO, and a full-white outer-shell, which I deem as very important too - I am still quite happy with my white Nolan N85, though).

Now, Snell helmets are a lot more useful in applications such as cars: in that case, first, the probabilities of your head banging the crashbars in the same exact spot are very high. And second, as you are harnessed to a seat, your head will have a very short path so to slow down, which will definately cause a whiplash, that will cause extreme stress on your vertebrae: so there, the lighter the helmet, the better (actually, it is then important to wear neck restraints, that will dampen the energies stressing your vertebrae, through visco-elastic materials, typically Hans and similar devices: and there, the less weight on your shoulders, the less kinetic energy will have to be absorbed). In the case of restrained driver, a lighter and more rigid helmet is a win/win. SA2005 helmet actually have the right approach for this particular application (and the fact that they can as well be FIA 8860 approved is quite an indice tending to confirm that).

This reasoning is also valid, to a lesser extent, for karting: you are not harnassed (generally... there still is the particular case of offroad karts), but when a kart tips over in a crash encounter, the driver tends to remain stuck under the kart, more or less like he was seating head-down on it: so the helmet will also tend to touch the ground on the same place, and the neck will not be as free to move as during a bike fall, hence making car helmets more appropriate to kart crashing than (CE) motorcycle helmets are. You know what you have to do now, Gamerfou: buy a kart so to enjoy your helmet in the safest way

To each application its (best) solution...

once again, I'm already aware of all of this, but I guess a little memory refreshment doesn't hurt

(and about sharp 5stars helmets, there actually are some which are thermoplastic, the Lazer LZ6 for instance)

Absolutely, for the 5 stars: but Sharp 5-stars doesn't mean all-green zones (less than 275G everywhere) in the head diagrams - some of them actually are all green, except on the temporal zones (generally), where they are yellow (between 275G and 300G), though the helmet actually ends up being rated 5-stars.

Actually, the majority of those 5-stars rated helmet even feature such a yellow zone

The only Sharp-tested helmets that feature less than 275G transmitted everywhere (amongst those still manufactured - I don't keep track of the others) are, if did my info gathering right:

- Bell M4R Carbon (1,20kg - carbon fibre)
- Bell M5X Carbon (1,20kg - carbon fibre)
- Bell M4R (1,35kg - composite fibre)
- Bell M5X (1,35kg - composite fibre)
- HJC HQ1 (1,50kg - composite fibre)
- Nitro Aikido (1,50kg - fibreglass)
- Shark RSX (1,60kg - carbon kevlar)

None of these is thermoplastic (though they are not all what one could really call a light helmet) ; and all the other 5-stars (including the Lazer LZ6, which is the only thermoplastic 5-stars) at least have one yellow zone on their test diagram, as to what I saw... There ends up being real differences between the 5-stars themselves.

Now on another note, amongst the 5-stars, there only are 2 helmets with internal sun visors (which I would not do without on the road, being very sensitive to light), but those two 5-stars do actually have a yellow zone on their diagram:

- Caberg V2 407 (1,50kg - fibreglass)
- Caberg V2R (1,50kg - fibreglass)

Though, quite stupidly IMHO, none of those two is avalaible in full white, as to what I know...

If we go down to the 4-stars helmet, only two are avalaible with an internal sun-visor, and in full white paint, at the same time:

- Nolan N85 (1,50kg - polycarbonate)
- Scorpion Exo-1000 (1,65 - fibreglass)

Hence my choice for the road: yes, there are more, or as much, absorbing helmets than the N85, but either without a sun-visor, or either in non-white paints, or even heavier.

Sharp datas are really precious and interesting, but as to help us choose a helmet, they could actually be presented in a more useful way: choice of shell color, visor, and such things - I actually ended up maintaining my own oocalc array, based on Sharp datas, to take those characteristics into account). Impact absorption is not all to the helmet safety: if other drivers see you better due to the helmet color, the helmet could do as much as to litteraly prevent the accident (hence, its protective values become of less importance) ; same thing with the sun visor: without it, I can easily be blinded for some seconds, and get involved in an accident I did not even see coming. Tough choices, compromises, etc

je suis parfaitement d'accord sur le fond, même si en ce qui me concerne j'assume ma kékéitude à ce niveau... j'aime les décos de casque qui flashent (mon actuel est un shark rsi déco "acid" et mon prochain surement un shark RSR2 duhamel)

par contre j'y laisse les stickers réfléchissants!
--------------

I'm voluntarily not translating this one

Héhé ... none of us is perfect: it actually was a (really-really-really) tough decision from me, to start wearing a yellow-vest (which I still do not: but I lately decided to buy an airbag fluo one), and to choose a non-black helmet (even off the bike, I always-always dress in full black, so...).

You forgot Caberg Trip\Rhino, 5 stars, all green, internal visor and avalaible in white color.

Ciao.

Don't forget that a more comfortable helmet is a safer helmet, because allows you to drive more relaxed and focused on the ride.
Sure, if comfort meets safety, that is the best solution, but sometimes is better a 4, or maybe 3, stars comfortable helmets than a 5-stars-all-green that is uncomfortable and doesn't fit you well! For this reason Sharp says "Remember, fit comes first"

also Arai GP5X is 5 stars alle green (1,30kg - composite fibre): http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/testsratings/arai-gp5x

I discarded the Caberg Trip because it is a modular helmet, which does not interest me, to be honest (after I saw the face of a guy whose modular Schuberth exploded appart, on the advrider forum, I think, and read the Schuberth answer who told they thought the helmet did its job properly, I totally forgot about the idea of getting such a thing). And I discarded the Arai GP5X, because it doesn't appear if you uncheck the "Include discontinued models" on Sharp's website (I precised I did not keep track of "old" models)

Now, I perfectly agree as to the comfort being very important: but I make a big difference between a helmet that presses my head so hard that it is unbearable, and a helmet that is a little bit lighter, or a tad more silent. The first is more about the proper fit, which is vital, and the second is more about the enjoyment, which is just nicer.

Now, as I said: tough choices, compromises, etc...

sorry man, just english.
i admit my ignorance: i do not speak french. i just understood u r speaking about hi viz stickers, i guess.
please ONLY ENGLISH.
cuz some people does not speak english.....so do not use another language

anyway i am in contact with the nitro for news about the aikido