A helmet is the most essential riding gear protection. It is very important to choose the right type of helmet as your life depends on it. There are various grades of helmets present in the market today, and they range from as low as INR 200 to INR 2,00,000. So if you ride a motorcycle and are looking to buy a new helmet, make sure you give the below report a thorough read as we take you through the top five qualities to look for when buying a new helmet.
Safety Rating
The most important quality of a motorcycle helmet is the kind of safety it provides in case of a crash. This is determined by the safety rating that a helmet bears. The general international helmet safety standards are SNELL, ECE, and DOT. So always make sure that the new helmet that you are planning to purchase has at least one of the mentioned safety ratings. Incase if you are planning to buy an ISI (Indian safety standard) certified helmet, think twice because it is nowhere close to the international standards.
Weight
Always make sure that the helmet should be as light as it can be. If it’s overweight, it might not be very comfortable when riding for a longer time. Generally, sports helmets are lighter at 1300-1600 grams, while dual-sport or adventure helmets (flip-flops) are heavier at around 1800-2000 grams. Also, make sure your future helmet is nicely balanced, and its weight should be well distributed across its structure.
Air vents
The helmet should have working air ventilation for all round cooling effect. Though your helmet dealer won’t allow you to test the helmet out on a ride, you can have a fair idea by gauging its vent size and the number of vents provided for the air to pass. All good grades helmets usually have decently working vents, but some helmets (especially touring helmet) are very good at it. Sports helmets have their vents higher up on the forehead which is designed as per their hunched over/sporty riding position, while daily use or touring helmets have their majority of the vents at the front which works best as per the up-straight riding position.
Locking mechanism
Helmets often come with two different types of strap locks, first and the safer is ‘Double-D’ lock, and the second is the regular one-click lock which is seen on the cheaper helmets. The former strap lock is designed in such as way that the helmet doesn’t come off even on a very high impact, where as the latter is infamous for just the opposite.
Internal padding and fitting
Different helmet companies design their products very differently using their own patent technologies and continuous research and developments. Hence the helmets vary in terms of their external shape, design, structure, and internal padding’s. Two helmets of the same size, from the different manufacturers, fit differently. That is not because they have different size standards but because of their own unique shape and internal padding’s. So always make sure that you try a helmet because finalizing it. And it is always better to physically visit a helmet store instead of just placing an online order for the same.
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A helmet should neither be too tight on the forehead, nor should it be too lose. When trying it on, make sure it fits just the right way, and is tight enough not to swing on the either side even when you try to shake off the head with full force.
Also make sure you gear up properly before riding a motorcycle.