anyone know if TMS helmets are good?

[Josh_kcco]

i mean the are cheap as F**k and DOT approved but not sure on the quality.
kinda skeptical on them cause of the price.
and one have any insight on it?

[cbinker]

find a close out on a scorpion, cannot go wrong there.

[7oxSin]

got my scorpion exo 500 for like 91 shipped from jafrum.com. if your on a tight budget there is a newish company on the scene that makes decent helmets that sell for like 60$ at dealers. the companies name is Fulmer. also AFX has some good features and are priced pretty aggressively.

my brother bought this AFX helmet for about 60 shipped. it has the sickest quick release snap system i have ever seen, and also has internal flip down sunshades. its still on sale here for about 56$ but jafrum runs out quick!

http://www.jafrum.com/Motorcycle-Hel...rl-White-Skull

[adouglas]

TMS? Neeever heard of it.



Is your brain cheap as f**k?

You get what you pay for, up to a point after which it's all gravy (i.e., it's highly unlikely that a $900 helmet is fundamentally superior to a $500 helmet). DOT approval doesn't mean it's a quality helmet that will hold up over time. It means that a test sample passed the DOT impact test that is not representative of the real world, where we have things like UV exposure, cold temps that make plastic brittle, etc. It could have such poor build quality that it'll fall apart in a month.

Did you know that DOT approval is done on the honor system? DOT helmets are not tested by independent labs. It's the manufacturer's word. Can you say "conflict of interest?"

Stick to a known name brand. The major online retailers (e.g. Revzilla, Motorcycle Superstore, Sportbiketrackgear) are not in the habit of carrying crap brands.

I'd trust my noggin to a helmet from a trusted brand (e.g. Scorpion, HJC) even if it were on closeout at a low cost. Provided it's not too old, of course.

[Sykes92]

Im definitely a firm believer that if there is any part of your gear that you want skimp out on, the helmet is not it.

Sure, get a cheap jacket if you want. Buy cheap boots if you want. Don't ride with knee/shin protection. Whatever. But don't worry about how cheap you get your helmet for...

Yes, you SHOULD care about the quality of ALL your gear. But your helmet is definitely the one item that should never be under a certain level of quality. Afterall, it is housing the CPU to your body.

[DaBlue1]

Originally Posted by Josh_kcco

i mean the are cheap as F**k and DOT approved but not sure on the quality.
kinda skeptical on them cause of the price.
and one have any insight on it?

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=67655
http://news.yahoo.com/motorcycle-hel...--finance.html

You'd be wise to read the info contained within this thread. http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=166150

[adouglas]

That yahoo story reveals something very important.

The helmets were DOT approved.

They failed in the real world.

That should tell you something about DOT certification.

[Josh_kcco]

I wear a Gmax 68s helmets right now. I like it..kinda. its very noisy at high speeds and kinds heavy. it has this cool led light bar on the back for safety I guess lol. it was a gift lol but im just looking at more of a stealthier looking helmet.

[Sirref]

Just imagine that all of these helmets could be DOT approved. While they aren't necessarily DOT approved but they could be, exactly as they are, if the manufacturer wanted them to be)

Link to original page on YouTube.

[Lucagst]

GMAX gm68 very good helmet for 50$ shipped

[tfkrocks]

Stick with a name-brand helmet to be on the safe side. There are great clearance deals out there.

[JohnnyBravo]

I won't go lower than scorpion or HJC.

[dcj13]

Originally Posted by JohnnyBravo

I won't go lower than scorpion or HJC.

You gotta draw the line somewhere. My line is probably a couple of notches down (below THH and Bilt).

[JohnnyBravo]

Originally Posted by dcj13

You gotta draw the line somewhere. My line is probably a couple of notches down (below THH and Bilt).

Everyone has to draw their line somewhere... I like the safety, features, and price of HJC and scorpion... Never looked into the others, I have heard bilt builds decent stuff

[Boom King]

Originally Posted by Josh_kcco

kinda skeptical on them cause of the price

That's your guardian angel trying to tell you something. Good on you for listening and seeking advice . Like others have said, stick to reputable brands and look for deals on closeout. Just pay attention to the manufacturing date. Even better if you can get a helmet with an ECE or Snell 2010 rating.

[dcj13]

Originally Posted by Boom King

...Just pay attention to the manufacturing date. Even better if you can get a helmet with an ECE or Snell 2010 rating.

So what is the recommended shelf life of a helmet these days? (Assume it's stored out of the sun, not put away wet, and generally well cared for).

7 years? 10 years?

[antiant]

Usually it's 4-5 years, I believe.

[dcj13]

Originally Posted by antiant

Usually it's 4-5 years, I believe.

Ok... But that seems kind of short for what can be a high-priced item. In shops, the helmets on the shelf can be a year to a year and a half old.

Heck, even the flashlight batteries I buy at Costco say "Best if installed before 2024".

[adouglas]

Originally Posted by Josh_kcco

I wear a Gmax 68s helmets right now. I like it..kinda. its very noisy at high speeds and kinds heavy. it has this cool led light bar on the back for safety I guess lol. it was a gift lol but im just looking at more of a stealthier looking helmet.

So you want to be LESS visible to cars?

From another forum, check out this short thread. It's about a guy who went down at 60 mph on the highway at night, wearing all black. He'd broken his leg, and found himself in the middle of high speed traffic, in the dark, wearing all black.

http://www.gixxer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=456642

The thread has a photo of my helmet in it. Suffice to say, it's not stealthy...

After reading my $0.02 on the importance of being seen, the OP in that thread wrote this:

I was on a mat black bike, black leathers , and black helmet. I have no idea how those cars saw me hopping on one leg in time to avoid me. And yes. All of the new gear will be day glo. I've always ridden with black gear but I tell you what, when you turn around and see 30 headlights coming at you at 65 mph you have a come to god moment. And I'm fairly agnostic! I don't think I'll ever wear black again. And +10 for reflective tape. I think my suits reflective piping saved my but.

[dcj13]

Originally Posted by adouglas

So you want to be LESS visible to cars?

I was thinking the same thing when I saw that yesterday.

My biased observation is that white helmets are the most visible. That's the color I'm shooting for in my next new-helmet purchase (maybe sometime this year). Most brick-and-mortar shops don't stock too many white ones.

[adouglas]

Originally Posted by Sirref

Just imagine that all of these helmets could be DOT approved. While they aren't necessarily DOT approved but they could be, exactly as they are, if the manufacturer wanted them to be)

Link to original page on YouTube.

The orange one with graphics that the guy keeps wailing away on -- without catastrophic failure -- is clearly an HJC.

The ones that shattered with big cracks have either ABS or polycarbonate shells. Fiberglass doesn't fail like that. It delaminates, which is a good thing.

Caution: this video can be misleading. What you see is what happens when you take a sledge hammer to a helmet. Last I checked, this is not what motorcycle helmets are designed to protect against.

[antiant]

Originally Posted by dcj13

Ok... But that seems kind of short for what can be a high-priced item. In shops, the helmets on the shelf can be a year to a year and a half old.

Heck, even the flashlight batteries I buy at Costco say "Best if installed before 2024".

It does, but that's usually the shelf life for helmets, of course some people ignore that and do as they please.

Originally Posted by dcj13

I was thinking the same thing when I saw that yesterday.

My biased observation is that white helmets are the most visible. That's the color I'm shooting for in my next new-helmet purchase (maybe sometime this year). Most brick-and-mortar shops don't stock too many white ones.

Actually, hi-viz yellow is more visible than white because it disturbs the eye.

[dcj13]

I fugure the white helmet will contrast the hi-viz yellow jacket.

[Boom King]

Yeah solid white is a good alternative to the hi-viz.

[Sirref]

Originally Posted by adouglas

The orange one with graphics that the guy keeps wailing away on -- without catastrophic failure -- is clearly an HJC.

The ones that shattered with big cracks have either ABS or polycarbonate shells. Fiberglass doesn't fail like that. It delaminates, which is a good thing.

Caution: this video can be misleading. What you see is what happens when you take a sledge hammer to a helmet. Last I checked, this is not what motorcycle helmets are designed to protect against.

While that may be true, it does raise the point that in a direct impact half of those won't do much. HJC is snell rated and it was the only one that took the impact. My point is that you shouldn't trust random brands that you don't know with your cranium because they may not actually protect it. HJC is a known brand that I personally trust, my backup helmet is an HJC, largely because it is snell rated.

[dcj13]

Originally Posted by Sirref

While that may be true, it does raise the point that in a direct impact half of those won't do much. HJC is snell rated and it was the only one that took the impact. My point is that you shouldn't trust random brands that you don't know with your cranium because they may not actually protect it. HJC is a known brand that I personally trust, my backup helmet is an HJC, largely because it is snell rated.

Snell means it's rated to a higher hit force (and is it multiple hits as well?).

Stronger material doesn't necessarily mean more protection. "There's no replacement for displacement" is particularly applicable to cushioning a shock force. Stronger material and stronger foam means less displacement for a given force hit. Thicker, less dense foam would provide better protection, but manufacturers have to appeal to helmet asthetics: most of us wouldn't buy a bigger, more special-ed looking helmet.

One of my backup helmets is an HJC, too. It came (gasp! used) with the Ninjette.

[Sirref]

Originally Posted by dcj13

Snell means it's rated to a higher hit force (and is it multiple hits as well?).

Snell is overall protection, Which is a combination of higher ability to keep force from penetrating as well as the inner shell being able to absorb a larger amount of force. Mostly what the sticker means is that the helmet passed through a series of fairly difficult tests. Any helmet with a snell rating should be able to protect you, assuming the inner padding hasn't been activated already.

[Aodrn]

Motorcycle closeout has bell vortex helmet for 89 all the time. Snell rated if you are worried about that. I found it difficult to find any accessories for my fulmer helmet. They refuse to sell online and most shops around here dont carry a lot of fulmer stuff. I couldnt even buy a smoked shield.

[adouglas]

Originally Posted by dcj13

I fugure the white helmet will contrast the hi-viz yellow jacket.

I'd go hi-viz yellow for the helmet if you can find it in a model you like.

A good way of thinking about this is to use your eyes, observe and draw conclusions based on what you see in the real world rather than doing thought experiments.

Next time you're out for a drive (and the snow is gone) observe how many things you see in the environment are white or reflections that appear white. The number is large.

Since white objects are commonplace in the environment, we tend to tune them out. They get lost in the visual noise.

Relatively few objects are fluorescent yellow. Being unusual, it grabs attention.

Which is why highway workers wear fluorescent yellow vests instead of white.

My personal choice is to go for a fluorescent yellow helmet and not worry about the jacket, largely because I only wear leather. I've posted elsewhere on the reasons why I feel a fluorescent helmet is enough for me so I won't bog this thread down with that stuff. Do a search and you'll find it.

Re contrast... white and yellow are not contrasting colors. Take a black & white photo of that combo and the jacket will appear very light gray against the white helmet.... very low contrast. White would contrast with a dark color. But even so, what leads you to believe that contrasting gear matters? What matters is contrast with the background.

[CaptainPlatypus]

I owned a modular TMS helmet when I first started riding last year. It was a decent helmet for the price, I guess - extremely low on features, ventilation, aerodynamics and the like, but that was what I was expecting, and it seemed sturdy enough. I wasn't confident in it, though, so I bought myself a GMax 68s for ten or twenty bucks more. Holy ****, by the way - can't recommend this helmet enough. More comfortable than helmets I've tried on that are six times the price or more, and with a proven track record of safety and so on. Plus, it has rear LEDs for night visibility, which is baller as ****.

Anyway, so I bought a new helmet, and did my best to deliberately destroy the TMS one. All I managed to do (without a sledgehammer, admittedly) was crack one of the points where the flip-down front attached - the screw and its attachment point inside the helmet were fine, but I managed to get the visor portion of the helmet to break free of the screw entirely. I should have tried something like filling it with apples or whatever to see if they'd bruise inside it during this abuse, but I didn't think of it. Anyway, it proved itself to me. Now my partner owns a TMS helmet that she wears when she rides pillion, and I don't worry about her extremely valuable brain a bit. Just my two cents.

Regarding the recall - it was an issue with chin straps on one particular size of one particular model helmet. Yeah, a helmet is a ****ing horrifying thing to have go wrong, but your chin strap is something you can test yourself without doing any lasting damage to your helmet - it's not a "stress once" piece. The chin straps on her helmet and on my old (retired) one are both fine. On the BBB grade - every single negative factor that went into it seems to be based on the fact that they ignored the BBB, not any actual concerns with their product. Fine by me.

Yeah, this is anecdotal evidence. But even crappy evidence is better than no evidence, which is all this thread has so far except for one good post by DaBlue1 (props to him!)