What to do with an old motorcycle helmet?

Having a clear out, and wondering what to do with my old Arai Astro-R. Not been used for about 5 years, but has a manufacturer date of 2003, so probably at the end of it’s life.

I was going to just cut the straps off and destroy it, but a bit of googlng suggests the fire service etc may take them to use for training purposes. This info was mainly from US forums, but wondered if the same applied here?

I must admit, it’s going to be hard destroying something that cost me £400 back in the day 😯

Hanging basket?

Growing strawberries in old sidecar tyres at the mo.
Which is nice.
🙂

Having googled, that’s a Kevin Schwantz replica lid, you could probably get some dollar back selling it on t’ebay for display only.

But yes, I’d use it as a hanging basket.

Got/know young kids? Mine always go down well at school for toys or turning into viking/space helmets.

I need a new helmet. My Shoei is probably that age, and as you say, well past its best. It does seem a shame to just chuck it though.

Destruction test! Do you have a shotgun, axe, sledge hammer, pick axe or anything else you can use?

I’ve an arai quantum f of a similar vintage. I think how they’re stored makes a difference. If mine wasn’t in use, it was in the carry bag, in the box, in the cupboard.

What ages them?

Same things as a cycle helmet as it’s a similar construction. Compression of the polystyrene through use, ageing of straps and shell, etc. It is quite possible the helmet is still perfectly usable or maybe not.

I took my old Shoei to the local fire station. To be honest they didn’t seem that interested when I emailed them to see if they wanted it but the guy who actually took it from me was well happy.

Rockhopper, I guess he had a “shoei” head.

Funny you should say that, I’ve had four Shoeis which have been perfect but I recently bought a Neotech and its like some instrument of torture after about ten minutes!

What about a helmet that has been dropped? A friend gave me an Arai helmet she had dropped for the kids to play rocket man etc (as above!) but they’re not interested.

It looks fine to me- the centre vent took the impact and broke off- should I just bin it? seems a waste…

Emergency services used to gladly accept them for training purposes, (Fire, Ambulance) maybe enquire with your local dept?

*Edit, er +1 (note to self: should read responses before commenting, again!)

ctk – Member

What about a helmet that has been dropped? A friend gave me an Arai helmet she had dropped for the kids to play rocket man etc (as above!) but they’re not interested.

I don’t know if it’s still possible but Arai used to do an inspection service- I returned my old Condor after bouncing it along the track at knockhill (and dropping it a whole bunch of times)- they checked it out, replaced the straps and some pads, touched up the paint and confirmed it was still safe. I’d already replaced it as I assumed it was dead 😳

@Sobriety, I doubt it’s collectable, that was pretty much the most common astro r a few years back, hein gericke punted millions of them on big discounts. Nice hat though.

What ages them?

Time, it’s done me no good at all

But what deterioration will there be on a helmet like that which has been carefully looked after?

In Oz the high UV levels used to embrittle the shell and the straps would also get weakened by it, but there’s nowhere near those levels of UV here. When I lived there I found my helmets lasted longer if I stored them in a dark cupboard.

IMO the safety warning about age in an uncrashed helmet is mainly a precaution against UV damage.

I would continue to wear it, or if at all uncertain get it inspected.

EPS degrades over time, it goes harder and more brittle. Whether that’s the issue, I don’t know!

Its the polystyrene lining that compresses over time and degrades with sweat etc. Thats the bit that does all the impact absorption when you crash. The outer of a modern kevlar/GRP helmet will last almost for ever. A helmet that’s been in storage for years will be fine, one that’s been used daily for five years not so much. I tend to change mine at the five year point or when they start to feel a bit loose.

Northwind – Member
EPS degrades over time, it goes harder and more brittle. Whether that’s the issue, I don’t know!

I thought UV had something to do with that too.

Nest for baby robins?

The little sods made a nest inside the fairing of my Ducati earlier on this year!

Can you pull the lining out and turn it into a goldfish bowl?

Just to bring this to a close, I gave it to my nephews.

They take turns with one wearing it, while the other either kicks footballs/hits them with a foam baseball bat in the head.

Seemed the best solution.

@Sobriety, I doubt it’s collectable, that was pretty much the most common astro r a few years back, hein gericke punted millions of them on big discounts. Nice hat though.

Yup….that’s where I got mine from.

Bugger. I’d have bloody had it……………

I would have made it into a Bluetooth speaker. Coupl of large holes cut into either side and speakers glued and screwed into place, then wire them upto a Bluetooth module and power supply, jobs a good in.