Sharp Helmet Test Results

[Blade]

Some really useful info and test results available on this website.

Thought people might be interested in having a look at the info if considering purchasing a new helmet.

http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/testhelmetli ... ontinued=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Kwacky]

It's an indicator but for me it allows the results to be manipulated as brands know the test. So you could get 5 stars but have a helmet that's crap in a real world accident.

A good fit and the quality are what I go for. No b point having a helmet that fits in the shop but becomes loose 2 months later because the foam is cheap.

Best feedback IMO is from those of us who wear the products.

[Blade]

But some Arai helmets get great results in the same test which other Arai helmets don't, so are Arai only maniplutaing the test for certain helmets in their product range ? Surely not ?

Fit and quality are important but so are test results IMO. They are giving you real world data and results that can't be ignored the information is fact. Relying on opinions is not very reliable IMO it has no scientific backing and is purely subjective.

I have crashed in a helmet and I may recommend it. But it may have only been good because I had a frontal impact and the same helmet could offer much poorer protection in a side impact but such detail would unlikely be given in a recommendation or even available as I could only comment on the speicifics of my scenario not a range of impacts as the Sharp Test provides.

[Perkles]

Most agvs score well which is good enough for me

[Kwacky]

I've instructed this expert on 3 cases and we've won all 3

http://www.visordown.com/motorcycle-new ... /7268.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Blade]

Very interesting reading but also very disappointing to learn that a Government Testing Agency which you would like to have confidence in to trust is found lacking by an industry expert.

However saying all that surely if the helmet performs badly in the test this must be a negative against that particular helmet as surely there is potential for a similar impact as used in the test to happen in a real world situation. isn't there ?

Although not ideal is there anything better we can use as relying on other use recommendations and personal opinions is even less scientific or valuable ?

[Kwacky]

I'm not dismising the SHARP test. I thought it was useful to give another viewpoint.

I know AGV do really well on the tests but they're not big fans of it.

[Blade]

Is there any other industry testing that is consider more reliable by your appointed expert kwacky ???

I know it was previously exposed that Chinese manufacturers could buy ACU gold stickers without any testing or even product inspection as long as they committed to buying in large enough volumes to make it worth the ACU's while, so the ACU gold sticker carries little value apparently.

[Kwacky]

He's a fan of the AGV test facility. They do repeat impact testing including rotation testing, which is similar to the way our heads can bounce on the road then slide. The last time I spoke to him that was the only place he had been to. He's asked other companies but they've refused. He reckoned (at the time) that any of the big names in F1 and MotoGP will have similar test facilities because none of them would want to be involved in a case where their lids were to blame.

He also liked the Roof lids due to the interior material they use and how much they used. He did say though that he could see why Roof aren't popular in racing because of the size. I don't think Roof do full face any more as they weren't popular, so it looks like he was right.

[Blade]

He's a fan of the AGV test facility. They do repeat impact testing including rotation testing, which is similar to the way our heads can bounce on the road then slide. The last time I spoke to him that was the only place he had been to. He's asked other companies but they've refused. He reckoned (at the time) that any of the big names in F1 and MotoGP will have similar test facilities because none of them would want to be involved in a case where their lids were to blame.

He also liked the Roof lids due to the interior material they use and how much they used. He did say though that he could see why Roof aren't popular in racing because of the size. I don't think Roof do full face any more as they weren't popular, so it looks like he was right.

I m told the Arai helmets that Motogp riders wear are just taken at random from the production line and are exactly the same standard and specification as a customer helmet.

[duke63]

I think the issue with the Arai helmets in the Sharp test is that the side impact points are exactly where Arai's visor connection is. All helmets have a similar point so i guess if you moved the Sharp test point about 10mm either way, then Arai's results would improve dramatically and other manufacturers would struggle.