I am new to motorcycling and quite curious, as I've seen some helmets being advertised with hugely discounted closeout prices. What, if any, are the dangers of buying a discontinued model helmet that may have been manufactured in 2009?

the general rule of thumb is that a helmet has a 5 year life from the time it's manufactured and that's because the helmet materials (mainly the EPS--basically the styrofoam that takes care of the impact shock) deteriorate and lose their protective properties over time.

Thanks so much. This is exactly what I needed to know.

Usually you can't return it either.