In India we wear helmets so that we don’t have to pay a fine to the cops. But in reality, we need to wear helmets so that we do not have to pay with our life in case of a fall. Just the other day a lady on a scooter skipped a signal because she thought waiting for 10 more seconds for the signal to turn green is going to make her a million bucks. Little did she know that a city bus was coming in full flow from the other end and this is when the bus hit the lady and she fell down from the scooter, head first on the road. Yes, this really happened right in front of my eyes, and yes, the lady did survive, but only because she was, luckily I must add, wearing a helmet.This is the reason why the law has made it mandatory to wear a helmet. People complain that it makes the head heavy and hinders all round vision. But then hello! That is why there are rear view mirrors on the bike and you only have to look straight at the road and nowhere else to have an all-round vision. Hence in a series of "Riding Gear", today we will make it simple for our readers to get a lovely helmet for them so that they can even look cool in them (yes, there are helmets now available to make you look cool, surprise surprise!).
Buying a helmet is no rocket science. You go to the store or a seller, try some out to find out which size fits you best and that’s the helmet for you. Then you can go and choose the designs and colors and features and what all and what not on the helmet.
How Do I Know Which Helmet Fits Me The Best?When you wear the helmet, your head should go in perfectly and come out perfectly, period. If your head does not go in, the helmet is small. If it goes in very easily and wobbles, the helmet is too big. When you wear the helmet it should completely cover your head and it should not more an inch. The best way to check is to wear the helmet and move your head as if trying to shake the water off your hair. If the helmet moves and wobbles from within, it is not good. If the helmet stays put on your head and moves along with your head’s direction, then it is a perfect fit. There should not be a single centimeter worth of movement within, but it is not really practical in real, hence we consider it an inch and anything below that is acceptable.
Which Helmets Are The Best?
The market is flooded with helmets from all shapes and sizes and even types. There are many brands available from provide helmets that are cheap to all the way crazy expensive. But always remember; never keep cost as the factor while choosing your helmet. There are certain certifications in case of helmets to prove their quality and protection. If your helmet is ISO certified, then it is pretty much a safe one for regular use. But if you are looking for helmets with a lot better crash protection, then your best bet would be to go for ones with DOT or SNELL certifications on it. These are international quality certifications which are used in racing helmets. So you can be sure your head will be pretty much unharmed in case of the most fatal crashes.
When buying a helmet, make sure you consider the given points below:Certification:
We have discussed the certification of the helmet just now. So make sure to buy a helmet accordingly.
Weight:
The helmet must be pretty lightweight. But not all lightweight helmets are good. The helmet should not feel like a huge load on your head. Hence make sure to buy a helmet whose weight you feel comfortable with and not just any which the shopkeeper says is good.
Material:
The helmet’s construction material also plays a huge role in the weight. Hence a plastic helmet will be light, but will crack at the first attempt of force. The metal ones won’t, but are pretty heavy. The carbon fiber and Kevlar ones are light yet very strong, but expensive. So you have to choose accordingly.
Visibility:
Just because we said you don’t have to look all around does not mean you should not be able to look at the road properly. So make sure to buy a helmet with a good, clear visor that is scratch resistant at the least so that your vision has no hindrance at all. If you happen to be driving a lot through the sun, then select the one with polarized visor or an option to switch visors on the go to make your journey easier.
We have discussed the certification of the helmet just now. So make sure to buy a helmet accordingly.
Weight:
The helmet must be pretty lightweight. But not all lightweight helmets are good. The helmet should not feel like a huge load on your head. Hence make sure to buy a helmet whose weight you feel comfortable with and not just any which the shopkeeper says is good.
Material:
The helmet’s construction material also plays a huge role in the weight. Hence a plastic helmet will be light, but will crack at the first attempt of force. The metal ones won’t, but are pretty heavy. The carbon fiber and Kevlar ones are light yet very strong, but expensive. So you have to choose accordingly.
Visibility:
Just because we said you don’t have to look all around does not mean you should not be able to look at the road properly. So make sure to buy a helmet with a good, clear visor that is scratch resistant at the least so that your vision has no hindrance at all. If you happen to be driving a lot through the sun, then select the one with polarized visor or an option to switch visors on the go to make your journey easier.
What Kind of Helmet To Choose From?There are certain kinds of helmets available in the market today as follows:
Full Face Helmet:
These helmets cover your entire head from the top to the neck. They only have the visor that can be opened and moved and nothing else. They are the most basic types of helmets and the recommended ones as they protect your entire face and head completely.
Half Face Helmet:
If having your entire face doesn’t get you going, you can go for half face helmets which have your jaw open and cover only your head and eyes via the visor. These are recommended only for those with claustrophobic issues and when puttering around town on low speeds.
Modular Face Helmet:
These helmets are the full face helmets with a hinge that allows you to slide up and open up the helmet and convert it to a half face one. Useful if you feel like suffocating and then again converting to a full face one when the need arises.
Three Quarters Helmet:
These helmets are as the name suggests, three quarters in size of the full face ones. This is because these helmets only cover up the head and the sides, not the jaw of the rider. The use for these helmets is pretty limited, but then it depends on the choice of the riders.
Motocross Helmet:
These are something that are lovely to use but are really light in weight, hence are not recommended to be used on the highways. These are full face helmets but are aerodynamically designed to let the air pass through quickly. This is because in motocross a lot of dirt and debris is present and it blows on to the helmet as well. This is why the helmets are a cap cover as well to keep the vision protected and also the air resistance is less for a quick go through. They are made of really tough material so that they can handle tough falls and are yet light to as to not tire up the rider.
Now you can use this piece of information and get yourself the perfect helmet for your use. Some of the good Indian brands are Steelbird, Vega, Studds, etc. As for the foreign stuff, you can go for LS2 (be wary as there is a lot of duplication in this brand), HJC, SQL, AGV, etc.
By: Pratik Patole
