Of course. Arai will want to protect their product. Ever heard of industrial espionage? Why would they want to give their competitors information on their products, especially how they develop what are universally recognised as the best helmets on the market?

Motorcycle News sparks new helmet safety policy - Motorcycle News - MCN

Motorcycle News have been pushing for such a scheme for a while and were the first publication to announce it was coming. Seeing as all MCN's helmet safety and advice video's feature Arai helmets and Arai's technical staff, you can bet Arai has had more than a fair amount of influence, directly or indirectly. My last post stated that I'd heard Arai had a hand in it, meaning they were consulted, not they are devising the tests. I will find the exact article if you're really that bothered about it.

It's no secret that Arai have been pushing for this for a while, probably in the knowledge that their products would do well out of it. I'd be very surprised if the first helmets to be rated weren't Arai's. I would also expect MCN and Arai to regularly pressure the testing authorities to "move the goalposts" once the testing criteria is established.

I think this is a good thing, after all, any star rating or system of testing that is devised without consultation with the industry will be about as meaningful as the ACU's current Gold sticker certification.

Craig,

That's NOT a valid reason to keep all of us (it's own customers) in the dark! It may be for you but I am sure most would prefer to know a little more about the results of these tests. We're talking about peoples safety here not Colonel Saunders secret ingredients! In any case we don't wish to know how they manufacture their product just how well it stands up to these exhaustive tests. If another manufacturer wanted to find out more about their product and how it is constructed it would be a straightforward job to forensically evaluate the product in laboratory conditions (which I suspect is done as a matter of course anyway).

This is fantastic news for all motorcyclists not just those in the UK. I am sure that the vast majority of website visitors will be bikers outside the UK. It's amazing it's taken the government so long to get their act together in this respect.

I don't know about your last comment regarding Arai producing the best helmets.... There can be no doubt however that their product is one of the most expensive. The most expensive doesn't always equate into the best value and safest.

Lets all just wait to see the results before we leap to the defence of the likes of Arai etc...

Neil

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Triumph Bonneville 800 (2004), Yamaha XT600E (1999), Honda XBR500 (1986).

What's your problem with Arai helmets? This just seems to be some sort of reverse brand snobbery.
Do you think that the MotoGP and superbike riders as well as a large proportion of the Formula One drivers wear Arai because they want to be look good?? It's not because they've all got big sponsorship deals to wear them. Do you think the tests used to determine the star ratings are going to be more demanding than the FIM or FIA's requirements for motorsport use at this level?
The fact is if you buy a helmet from a decent maufacturer (not necessarily expensive) then it will be safe. The testing methods used around the world are well established - some are more severe than others, but the international brands like Arai, Shoei, Bell, etc pass them all.

The reason some of us choose to spend more on a 'premium' branded helmet is the same reason people choose to buy a Mercedes instead of a Renault, or an Audi instead of a Vauxhall. If you appreciate the quality then you'll pay for it.

That's exactly what other manufacturers will be doing. Even car manufacturers will buy another manufacturers product, straight off the forecourt, road test it, tear it down, analyse it in fine detail, cost it out, etc, etc. They spend millions every year on research and development of their own products and you honestly think Ford would publish all this data and hand it over to General Motors for free? The same goes for any consumer product.

You're talking about access to the full test results. The basics in layman's terms are freely available on Arai's website if you're interested. They're one of the few to disclose even the basics, even if it is just for marketing reasons. Are you a materials engineer or a specialist in destructive testing? I did my fair share of this kind of work at technical college and university and trust me, the detailed results don't make light reading. The average buyer will barely understand what they're looking at anyway.

Yes, Arai's are expensive and is the reason I have a Nolan at present. I prefer to spend a little less so I can afford to replace it more often.

If anyone, either a magazine or a company is pushing for greater safety standards and forcing others to raise their game, it will push all the crap off the market. In which case, I fully agree with you that this is great news for everyone, except for those who are dead set on buying a sub £50 helmet from Aldi's that is.

I've got to ask the question though, what's the point in starting a topic asking for honest opinions on Nitro helmets if you're just going to shout everyone down because their opinion differs from yours? My opinion is simply that they lack the longevity of products from more established manufacturers and fog up far too easily. However, I still use mine at the kart track but would not take it out on the road due to degradation of the foam lining. You say you're an ex-bike cop so I'm sure you will be all too familiar with the reasons of why you shouldn't use ill-fitting helmets.

One thing's for sure, companies who have been in the business as long as Arai, AGV, Shoei, etc, etc, know how to make a better product than any Chinese upstart. Let's be honest, they can't even make a half-decent copy of Honda's ancient CG125.

At the end of the day, you don't get anything for free. Even AGV make their lower priced helmets outside of Italy using cheaper labour, so if you've bought what looks like a £200 lid for £80, you know corners have been cut somewhere, not just in labour costs but in development, production or materials and I believe this will show when the NCAP-style rating is implemented.

Just spoken to the local bike shop and they say the Helmet is new and not due out till end of March. I'll be keen to see this one when it comes out....

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'99 R1100GS - In a suitable shade of black

It's not that life is so short, It's just that we're dead for so long....
"The world is a book, those who do not travel read only one page." ~ Saint Augustin

Darn it!!!! This happens way too often...

I knew I should have read all the posts before writing anything!!!

You'd think I'd learn!!

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Adventure: it's an experience, not a style!
(so ride what you like, but ride it somewhere new!)

Farq once you drop a lid you Replace it simple as that, Time limit for lid use is about 2 years, and less if you ride over winter or in extremes.

If you can't afford an expensive helmet then ebay is your friend.