In New Zealand your helmet is a mandatory piece of equipment and you are required by law to wear one when on your motorcycle.
Helmet materials
Modern motorcycle helmets feature four different construction components: the hard outer shell, crushable interior foam lining, comfort lining, and the chin strap.
The outer shell is a strong, rigid layer designed to provide abrasion resistance and protection from foreign object penetration. Most helmet designs utilise lightweight plastic or fiberglass composites, however some use materials like Kevlar or carbon fibre, which are very lightweight yet tough.
Most motorcycle helmets use a thick layer of expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam as the interior foam lining, a rigid yet lightweight and crushable material. During a high-impact crash this liner absorbs and disperses energy that would otherwise be transferred directly to the skull and brain.
Inside the top two layers is the padded interior liner, which ensures a comfortable, yet snug, fit.
Keeping all this protective material in place is a chin strap. It ensures the life-saving protection remains in place during a crash.
Helmet ratings
There are industrial standards that motorcycle helmets must conform. In New Zealand there are several international standards – the Kiwi S Safety NZS5430, the Aussie AS1698, BSI (British Standards Institution) and the US standards of DOT and Snell. Whatever helmet you buy, make sure it has at least one of these standards stickers affixed to it.
Types of helmets
The full-face helmet
Full-face motorcycle helmets deliver the greatest amount of protection to a rider, with total coverage to the rider's head.
Open-faced helmets
Within this classification of helmet there are three basic designs:
- The three-quarter helmet incorporates the same construction components as the full-face helmet, sans visor and jaw piece.
- With flip-up motorcycle helmets, a rider can opt for full-face coverage or flip up the movable visor/jaw piece to go open-face.
- Half-helmet motorcycle helmets are the bare minimum as far as safety is concerned. They protect the top of the head while leaving the face and base of the skull exposed.
Off-road helmets
Most off-road motorcycle helmets are full-face designs and are distinguished from full-face street helmets by elongated visors and chin protection, as well as an opening for goggles.
Fit
When trying on a helmet, the entire interior liner should come into contact with the head. If the helmet slips off and on without too much effort then it’s too big. If your nose or chin touches the front of the visor, it’s too small. The key to an effective helmet fit is finding a design that is snug without being uncomfortable; remembering that the interior comfort liner in a new helmet will break in over time.
