I have noticed a new slew of GSTWINNERS and would like to give them a hello. I also remebered something that Kerry had talked about when I first came and would like to re-distribute some good info(at least for all you helmet wearers)

This is Kerry's how-to on a quick release helmet strap method(and it really rocks) so check it out...
http://www.bbburma.net/HelmetStrap.htm

Has anyone figured-out how to tie a helmet strap with gloves on?  I can get my helmet off, but not on (while wearing gloves).

Check this out, I have one and it works fine for me with gloves.



http://tinyurl.com/hrpvs

BTW: Kerry, please come back, we miss you!

Not bad for $9

That's horrible for $9.  That's horrible for free.  Plastic clips should NEVER be used on a helmet.  There's no way I'd trust something to keep me safe that my dog can accidently "kick" off (collars with plastic clips).

Quote from: makenzie71 on February 23, 2006, 05:52:39 PM
That's horrible for $9.  That's horrible for free.  Plastic clips should NEVER be used on a helmet.  There's no way I'd trust something to keep me safe that my dog can accidently "kick" off (collars with plastic clips).

Word. I don't like the quick release strap pull either. Seems too risky if you go down in a crash. Helmet coming off easier? No thank you.

According to the site, it's made of metal...  lemme check again...

"Constructed of tempered steel and high impact nylon"

Sorry bout that...  I take that back.  Only but metal for me.

Yeah tupperware should be used with food.  Nylon polymers have an amazing tensile stength but pathetic shear weight.  Old-school two-loops and  nylon straps for me.  If it's good enough for fighter-pilots, I won't settle for less.

The nylon is the outside cover (body), the latching mechanism itself is a spring type steel horseshoe that hooks into what they call an arrow, which is also made of steel.

I have one, it works quite well, snugs up as tight as you want, and it actually takes a little practice to release both sides to open it, and I can't jerk it open without releasing both sides. (I tried)

However, if you don't trust your gear, get something else. Therefore: To each his (or her) own.

I'd have to see it in person but I seriously doubt the latching device is all-metal.  They couldn't sell it for $10 and it'd have to operate basically the same way as a seatbelt clip for it to be trust-worthy.

What makes them dangerous isn't just the plastic involved...it's the over-all design.  If it was safe and easy while remaining cheap enough to produce to only cost $10 commercially, you'd see them EVERYWHERE.

They're safe, and meet the same DOT requirements for strap mechanisms that the helmet's D-rings do. They're cheap because the entire thing's basically just a cutout of a steel plate. Much better than the loopback method linked above, as the clips can't be opened by simply pulling in one particular place, which is quite imaginable in an accident.

I own one the same quick release shown above, and it IS all metal inside with a plastic cover.  It's very stable, and will not release unless you want it to.  I don't use it because I feel it's a little uncomfortable, but I never felt it was unsafe. 

I does work well though.

i3d

Those quick-release buckles have been around a LONG time; they were really popular among helmet thieves in Europe back in the late '70s - early '80s... They would walk through parking lots (at GP races and other motorcycle gatherings) stealing helmets by cutting the strap at the D-rings, where it hung from the helmet lock. Then, they'd have someone sew the quick-release buckle onto the strap in place of the missing D-rings...

Back then, those buckles were not legal in most of Europe (probably due to the strict German safety laws more than anything else), so any motorcyclist who had one was often suspected of being a helmet thief, or of having done business with one... Some of the American motorcycle magazines criticized them for the same reason (made it easier to steal a helmet and re-sell it)...

I dislike them because they make it easy for some well-intentioned idiot to remove your helmet from your head after an accident. When you've just been through a get-off, especially if you've just had your bell rung, it is better to keep your helmet on for a while, unless you have a serious head-wound that requires immediate treatment. No sense in having someone paralyze you (or worse) by removing your helmet when you might have suffered a spinal-cord injury; that is why the AMA gave away brightly-colored helmet stickers to new members through the late '80s and early '90s that read:

"IN CASE OF ACCIDENT, DO NOT REMOVE HELMET!"

or something to that effect... I haven't seen one in years, so I can't say for sure if that was the exact wording, but you get the idea...

Anyway, that is why I'll never use one; after an accident, the only person I want trying to remove my helmet is me, or the guy who just pulled up in the ambulance, not some well-intentioned bystander who doesn't know enough to leave the helmet alone.

Just my $0.02...