Motorcycle Helmet Paint Spray in Mass Production

This is one of the most traditional and oldest way to paint a regular helmet in mass production under dust-free condition. The water flows on the wall are used to clean up the dust and air-brush in the air. This untold helmet factory is located in inner China, producing 50,000 DOT-approved helmets per month.

The Main Reason of Motorcycle Road Accidents

Motorcycles are less stable and less visible than cars. For that reason, they are more likely to be in a crash and get injured easily. According to the data from the motorcycle insurance agency, around 75% of all motorcycle accidents involve car automobiles recently. Most motorcycle accidents occur because the automobile driver does not see the motorcycle. Besides, there are other reasons such as:

Bad roads - treacherous roads that are already dangerous enough for cars and trucks can become fatal for motorcycles. Beware of roads with big potholes, loose gravel and sand.

Road debris – blowouts due to pointed objects littered on the road must be prevented by keeping alert while driving through debris-filled roads.

Bad weather – passing through ice or rain is very dangerous for motorcycle riders. Always check the weather conditions before going out for a ride. It is wise judgment to avoid riding when the fog and snow is too thick or when there are torrential rains or heavy downpour.

Under influence of drugs or alcohol – if it is dangerous to be out driving on a car when drunk or loaded with drugs, it is doubly treacherous to ride out in a motorcycle.

California Motorcycle Helmet Law Regulation Death Toll Info

According to the federal motorcycle reports, over 2,500 motorcyclists are killed each year and another 50,000 are injured in USA. More than 80% of all motorcycle accidents result in injury or death.

Many of these accidents are not the fault of motorcyclists but instead are the fault of inexperienced, inattentive, or reckless drivers.

California's helmet use law covering all riders took effect on January 1, 1992. Helmet use jumped to 99 percent from about 50 percent before the law. During the same period, the number of motorcyclist fatalities in California decreased 37 percent to 327 in 1992 from 523 in 1991.

Helmet Shock Absorption Test Equipment - Impact Test for ECE & DOT (Video)

As mentioned before, the ECE 22.05 standard administered by the Economic Community of Europe is the most common internationally. Both ECE and DOT standard test for energy absorption and helmet rigidity at greater impact speeds, but ECE standard requires that a sample from each manufacturing batch be re-tested for compliance for any manufacturer.

We bought an ECE Testing Machine for designing helmet and cost us around US$100,000 from Taiwan. Please see the video for this Shock Absorption Test. When manufacturing a batch or a certain amount of helmets, we need randomly to take one helmet for testing and give data details together with the shipment.

If you want a free Shock Absorption Test Info or want us to perform a free Shock Absorption Test for your helmet, please contact me via email.

Is it legal to wear non-DOT approved helmets in the US?

It is a good question! and a concern to new motorcycle riders

A motorcyclist could potentially be cited for not wearing a DOT approved helmet, while riding in one of the states (U.S.) that requires a motorcycle helmet. The police can pull you off the road to check on the helmets if it has a DOT sticker. Usually, they do not inspect helmets on roads, but they have the right to do it, according to the Dept Of Transportation. May get you a traffic ticket, but i have heard of this happening so far.

One concern is when, just in case, accidents happen. You can not get any claim from the insurance company with no wearing an DOT approved helmet in the state that requires wearing helmets.

Which standards offer better protection for the rider. Just about every helmet available in Europe is also available as a DOT-approved model in the U.S.

The helmets I am skeptical about are the ones that are originally designed to meet ECE approval and then are re-designed to also be Snell approved. I can tell you the truth that SNELL is the best and superior standards, but only designed for racers to absorb shocks. Personally, I'd much rather wear a DOT only or DOT/ECE helmet, which are designed for casual riders against accident impacts.

In my opinion, there's nothing at all wrong with DOT standards and, in fact, the article indicates that DOT approved helmets may offer just as much protection.

If you need a free ECE or DOT sticker, please email and contact me.

My New Diecast Plane Toy only 1:200!!

Only 4" x 3" and I ordered it from Hong Kong for only US$45.00
printing in great details! Smaller than a wallet!

Choice of Motorcycle Helmet Double Ring & Buckle

There are several chin locks for your helmet. Double-Ring, Quick-Release, Indian Release, and others. Few reasons why the double D-ring system still rules.

1) Light weight.
2) Extremely simple and elegant design.
4) Takes a minimum amount of room under the chin.
5) No parts to break or wear out.
6) Strongest strength for any case of accident.
7) Flat profile makes it more comfortable than a thick buckle system.

But buckles are much convenient and easy to release. Like me, normal riders do not want Double-Ring. It is hard to release and adjust, but it is still on the market, because it has been proven the strongest in accident and cheapest in production.

If you want any of the Double-Ring, Quick-Release, or Indian-Release Buckle, email me and i can send you for free, since I have plenty of them in my warehouse.

what is the difference of DOT and SNELL?

DOT is the basic motorcycle helmet standard on the market. The Dept. of Transportation has minimum requirements for helmets that is called DOT. Helmet manufacturers are not required to submit their helmets to the govt. or an independent testing facility for testing, they are allowed to just put the DOT sticker on them if they believe they meet the standards. In some mandatory states, DOT sticker is required on the back of helmets; while some do not require wearing helmets.

Here in California you can buy little 'beanie' helmets that are not DOT approved (and they say so right on the box), but there is a DOT sticker in the box in case you want to put it on yourself.

On the other hand, the Snell standard comes from a race driver who was killed by a head injury in the 1950s. He had a DOT helmet but it didn't protect him. So racing drivers and helmet manufacturers formed an association to set standards for helmets that were stricter than the DOT standard, and to have mandatory testing for those manufacturers who wanted to join the association and test their helmets. The standards are more strict than the DOT standard, but not measured by the government. Therefore, if you import helmets from overseas, DOT is a must for custom clearance, but SNELL is not.

Now, Snell helmets are designed for racing, not for regular riding. If you are a casual rider, an DOT approved helmet is enough and much cheaper too. The foam in a helmet compresses when your head hits something. Snell helmets have firmer foam to protect against a harder impact. But in normal motorcycle riding, the impact is usually about the same, falling from about 5 feet. If you fall off the bike, your head falls about five feet to the pavement.

You might be going 70 mph, and you might slide a long ways, but the actual force of impact is the same as if you were stopped at a light and fell over. DOT helmets are designed for this force. Snell helmets are designed for more shock, so the foam is firmer, so they don't actually do as well at this amount of shock.

OTOH Snell helmets are made more carefully because the manufacturers know they will be tested. They don't submit samples, the samples are actually taken from store shelves!

SNELL helmets are usually going over US$250 for many famous brands. SNELL is more superior, but not necessary for normal riders.

Best CHROME HELMET in USA - MASEI

Making Chrome Helmet is not an environment-friendly and those plating left-over can pollute and harm the rivers and streams badly. Sometimes, the process of chrome-plating is illegal in USA if not using the licensed expensive machine and equipment.

Chromium is a toxic chemical that can only be introduced into the atmosphere or ground water in extremely small quantities. People drink water with these chemical will be affected mentally and get tired easily. And those things remain in human body forever.

For this reason, any plating processes must have several systems and procedures all designed to accomplish one simple task - returning the chrome to the plating tanks.

The Liquid chromium is hard to get rid of and need to dispose properly. If touring them in your toilet or sink, then you need to buy a new house. They can be reused few times before disposal.

We tried to manufacture a chrome helmet design before and It costs US$25 to chrome each helmet even in China.

Well, in USA and Japan market, chrome helmets are not manufactured easily, due to the strict federal regulations. Perhaps, riders can find out local stores to plate and chrome it personally or one by one, but will cost you few hundred bucks to do that job.

MASEI are good at producing chrome helmets in Asia, as far as I know. We bought one MASEI Helmet for our store through online stores for decorations. They do a good plating job with fancy graphics over it at the same time. On the other hand, I can say that their quality are quite good and very comfortable.

What is their difference? DOT, ECE, SNELL

A helmet covers a greater proportion of a rider’s head and face area and it should provide excellent protection in the case of an accident. For instance, a full-face helmet out-perform an open-face model due to its shell wrapping around the rider’s chin and jaw line with its durable plastic shield protecting the eyes, nose and cheek areas.

There are many helmet safety standards in the industry. The most famous ones are DOT, ECE, SNELL, which are widely recognized. What are their difference?

DOT / FMVSS-218

DOT stands for Department Of Transportation (where I used to work 10 years ago)

In North America, the most common standard is DOT FMVSS-218, which is administered by the U.S. Government and is more commonly referred to as DOT. This standard is mandatory for every motorcycle helmet sold in most states of the United States and Canada. As you know, some states do not require wearing helmets on roads, but importation of helmets requires DOT certification.

Anyway, DOT consists of a battery of tests to gauge impact protection, the retention system’s ability to keep the helmet firmly attached to the rider during such impacts, and how the helmet’s design affects the rider’s peripheral vision among other considerations.

ECE / 22.05

It is used in over 50 countries, mostly in Europe. It is administered by the Economic Community of Europe. While similar in many ways to the DOT standard, ECE tests for energy absorption and helmet rigidity at greater impact speeds and requires that a sample from each manufacturing batch be re-tested for compliance. This is an important difference, for under DOT regulations, a model that passes can essentially be sold forever without being re-tested. ECE standard is not mandatory and valid in US street.

SNELL / M2005

This standard is administered by the Snell Memorial Foundation, a private, California-based organization dedicated to helmet research and testing. The market consider it is the best and safest standard so far. Helmets are subjected to a battery of tests that gauge retention system strength, positional stability (whether the helmet shifts dangerously during an impact), and whether they can withstand penetration tests from numerous angles; even chin bars and face shields are impact tested. Similar to ECE requirements, Snell-approved helmets must be re-tested for compliance on a regular basis. Compared to other two requirements, SNELL is harder to pass. The new version of M2010 has come out this year.

The important thing to know is that Snell motorcycle helmet standards are voluntary. Helmet manufacturers build to Snell standards because they want to (Of course, costing them more to manufacture helmets, but earn reputation) and they build to DOT, ECE 22-05 or other standards because they have to (mandatory by law).

Showing Snell sticker on the back is compariable professional. Many racers certainly obtain helmets with SNELL standards, which are usually more expensive.

And if it comes to a choice between what a manufacturer wants to do and what it has to do, they will give up Snell for DOT or ECE 22-05 every time.

Luu & Lustig

Sexy NASCAR # 8 Motorcycle Helmet Featuring Dale Earnhardt

I collected this DOT-approved motorcycle helmet featuring Dale Earnhardt # 8.
Quite a good looking red hot motorcycle helmet!

It weighs 1.45kg and made by Asian brand that I am not sure the name.
I ordered it online for only US$89 and will keep it for my helmet collections!

Thanks! Luu

ARAI VECTOR SCHWANTZ HELMET

This Kevin Schwantz graphic is offered on Arai's popular Vector helmet and is a restyle of the racer's most famous design. As you can see, it shows Kevin's #34 on the back and becomes the official student helmet of the Schwantz School at Barber Motorsports Park.

The helmet is designed for riders who can do without extraneous features. The price is quite high and cost riders around US$630. Not affordable item for casual riders...

It is not in store yet until August 2009.

HELMET Joke

How to Select the Correct HELMET

...They come in many different styles and prices.

You can get a full-face helmet for less than $100 while high end styles can cost over $500.

Be Aware…..

...That helmets are required to meet minimum safety standards set by the Dept of Transportation”

(DOT)

You Ask….

...Why do some of these helmets cost so much more than others?

Many Reasons! Paint designs will add to the helmet price as do graphic designs or copies of famous racer winners!

Some Helmets….

Are more pricey as they are made of more expensive materials in their outer shells. Perhaps they are lighter which make them more comfortable BUT that does not make them safer.

Summer Gloves - Buyer's Guide

Many riders are considering what to buy in lightweight hand protection. Motoring down the road without gloves may seem the most comfortable option, but it is far from the wisest. During the summer time, long days in the saddle with nothing between the palm and the grip can result in blisters.

Our hands are two of the most important pieces of equipment we have, so there's absolutely no excuse for leaving them exposed and get hurt if accident.

There are many companies manufacturing gloves in high-quality for summer usage. Among the top summer gloves are the followings:

1. Alpinestars Pressure Air Flo
2. Cortech GX Air 2
3. Dainese X-ILE
4. Fieldsheer Sonic Air II
5. Firstgear Baja Sport
6. Held Namib -
7. Icon Pursuit
8. Joe Rocket Phoenix 3.0
9. Rev'lt! Airvolution
10. Shift Stryker
11. Sidi Coibuss
12. Tour Master Dri Mesh
13. Vanson Talon

For more details, please feel free to contact me.

HELMET STRENGTH - Carbon Fiber, Fiberglass or ABS plastic

The most important protection while riding is a quality helmet. You will experience a much greater chance of surviving any unexpected road accident. If you engage in any risky car race, a helmet makes good sense.

However, what any helmet cannot protect you from is survival in 75-mph road crash. They cannot be made large enough to absorb all the energy in a big impact, but one will have a better chance to sustain less damage to their brain.

There are two main parts in the helmet - An Outer shell and Inner shell.

Today, I will address the outer shell, which is made from a tough and strong material, either carbon fiber, fiberglass, or polycarbonate plastic. It serves to absorb some of the initial shock and transform the impact energy. Basically saying, carbon fiber is stronger than fiberglass, which is stronger than plastic ABS. Each material has their advantages in production, cost efficiency, riding comforts, weight, and most importantly the strength against the accident impact.

The helmet outer shells are mainly made of these materials. Carbon Fiber and Fiberglass are similar and stronger, but not good at mass production. One molding may probably make up to 40-50 units per day, while plastic (ABS) can be put in mass production and 1 minute can make one shell with injection machine. So more cost efficient. All of them can pass all DOT and ECE standards.

Fiberglass and carbon fiber molding are much cheaper, but the production cost is limited or higher - 40-50 units per day; while plastic ABS is very costly in molding building, but after that, it can produce up to one thousand outer shell per day.

Lovely Motorcycle Style Toilet

I went to motorcycle trade show in China few months ago and found this interesting & trendy toilet to share with you. I can imagine how comfortable it should be.

What's Inside Your Helmet.

Hello! Today, I bring you some information

regarding helmet structure.

As you know, human beings like you and I are fragile. Should you have an accident, you

likely have some broken bones and some facial scratches, but there's one body part we can't must NOT damage - the brain.

The following are the basic or must-have elements of a helmet constructed to pass DOT & ECE standards.

1. Outer Shell - Strong protection composition materials such as Carbon Fibers, Fiberglass, or Plastics

2. Inner Shock Liner - The polystyrene Component of the Helmet that serves to absorb the energy from the impact.

3. Visor Part - Working like a window against strong wind when riding. Most helmets incorporate a quick release of visor. Can be clear or tinted.

4. Strap - Secures your head to the helmet or outer shell with a quick release buckle.

5. Comfort Liner - The part next to your skin comforting your head area that normally uses wicking type material that dissipates sweat and odors. Most of this part is removable and washable.

As helmet technology keeps innovating, there are many other features coming out in the market to bring more comfort to riders and also competition to the market. Those include Air Vents, LED light, and Blue-Tooth attachment, and so on.

Luusama & Marilyn Lustig