Ban quick release helmet strap

[bpw]

Wow, this is news to me. I've been using these for over 20 years and they have all been metal to metal clasps. They make a solid click when engaged and I just can't see how they could pop open as it takes 2 fingers to release the 2 latches (one on each side for redundancy) and there is no way your neck or collar is going to do this. I certainly can see where you could not latch it properly or fully not paying attention to the clearly heard click and it would fail. One could also mess up a conventional strap system too, missing a ring for example. Any safety system will fail if not used as intended.

Never-the-less, this will be my last one.

I don't think one companies lousy product means all quick releases are a bad idea. Quite a few well known helmet companies produce factory quick releases on helmets sold elsewhere in the world that are plenty reliable and pass certification.

Helmet straps don't really need to be that strong since our necks won't handle very much stress.

 

[danate]

Yeah, the image posted by the OP looks like a cheap piece of crap and certainly should be banned. Helmets with a well developed and tested ratcheting quick release seem just as safe as their D-ring counterparts. I have a Nolan with their microlatch system and it feels very robust.

 

[ScottRNelson]

What about the buckle that comes with Schuberth helmets? That's quick release, and as far as I'm concerned, it's fantastic:

AFX helmets use something that looks very similar to this.

My AFX dual sport helmet (FX-39) has one of those and I don't like it because it is extremely difficult to get the helmet strap tight enough. But I can take the helmet off while still wearing gloves, which is pretty much impossible with any of my Shoei helmets.

 

[clutchslip]

I've lost 2 friends this year on the track due to this quick release helmet strap............

Sorry about your friends. They should have talked to you, FIRST, it seems.
This is fraud, in my opinion. SNELL doesn't approve any independent quick release systems.

Question for clarification. Does this post at all also include the SHOEI Emergency Quick Release System that's embedded into their premium helmets? (X-Twelve, GT-Air, etc.)

THESE are GREAT, but the EMT needs to know to look for them, and since they are in limited use, not many are aware of how they work. This has been discussed in this forum.

SNELL is a CAR racing standard that has been adopted by the motorcycle industry for lack of any other better option.
A quick release makes perfect sense inside a roll cage.
Obviously not so much on two wheels. ......

This is absolutely false. SNELL standards and testing are separate for automobiles, motorcycles, equestrian, and bicycle helmets. And they don't have any approved "quick release" anything.

I truly believe that SNELL standards have saved numerous motorcyclists (and others) from severe injury, including myself. Please be very careful what you state about one of the most helpful and upstanding organizations in the world.

 

[TonUpTimes]

First, sorry for your loss. Horrible tragedy.

Second, personally I don't believe in them either. I would not buy a helmet without a traditional D-ring buckle. I would never try to bypass the D-ring with this dime store gadget.

However, and perhaps this is a different topic, I'm not totally convinced that a helmet strap should be "unbreakable". I have a suspicion that it should have a break point when excessive force is applied. Think about it, the strap is basically a noose around your neck. Don't some people get hurt in this manner when there is excessive pulling or twisting on their helmet?

 

[ST Guy]

I'm pretty sure SNELL wouldn't want their name attached to anything like that.

I'm pretty darn sure they didn't. I'll bet the manufacturers are using the Snell name illegally.

 

[Gabe]

Biga, I'm sorry for the loss of your friend, whom I assuming was Titus. I couldn't find anything about his helmet strap, just that his helmet came off. How do you know he had one of these devices? And that it was properly installed?

I've also looked through the CMRA rulebook and didn't see anything about aftermarket straps. Will CMRA consider banning these?

 

[Gabe]

Helmets, Inc. still carries this item, by the way:

http://www.helmetsinc.com/motorcycle-helmet-quick-release/

 

[Biga]

Something's in the CMRA forum are only available to members...

 

[Gabe]

Something's in the CMRA forum are only available to members...

How do they know he was using that release and that it was properly installed?

 

[originalsturge]

Oh shit didn't realize they sell this garbage. People are that lazy they can't take the 3 secobds to weave a helmet buckle i guess

ive put one of those on a helmet for a guy with one arm and a hook on the other. its not always people being lazy.

 

[Paulo666]

Yeah the one on my AGV helmet is solid metal and really robust and Dot approved. I do like the quick release buckle.

 

[enki]

anecdote not evidence.

 

[NorCal_SV650S]

Once again, this comes down to two things...
Common sense and...
This specific release system should be recalled and the company sued. They are implying their buckle is safe and tested, but common sense would dictate it is not.
The irony of this is I would love a faster buckle system for my bike as sometime I get the sequence screwed up as final call is being made...but that was my own damn lazy not ready on time fault, not the helmet or the buckle...