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While visiting a Cycle Gear yesterday, I had an interesting conversation with the manager.  Apparently, your helmet has a “shelf-life”.  Meaning that, like bananas, you’ll eventually have to throw out your $700 Arai helmet because it “goes bad”.  But, when?  How long does a helmet last?

So, I did some research to find out what the life-cycle is like.

A Google search returns literally hundreds of results on internet forums and magazine websites, but I decided to go right to the source.  Since I own a Shoei, I went to them directly.

First, find out what your manufacture date is:

“Where can I find the Production Date of my SHOEI helmet?
The Production Date is located on a sticker under the center pad of your helmet.”  - source

According to the research I’ve done, 5 years is your shelf life. Now we ask the question: “Is that 5 years from manufacture date? Or 5 years from when I bought it?”

Surely, you can buy a helmet that’s been sitting on the shelf for 2 years, does this mean that you have to replace it 3 years after you buy it?  This question was actually a hell of a lot harder to answer, and consequently not addressed on their website.

With a little more digging, I found this:

Helmet Replacement
Ultimately, the useful service life of a safety helmet is dependent on the intensity and frequency of its use. Helmet replacement is recommended even if only one of the under-mentioned points applies:

1. The helmet was subjected to an impact.
2. The comfort padding or the retention system has become loose due to heavy use or display signs of deterioration.
3. The synthetic foam padding displays signs of heavy use and the helmet feels too loose. Test: with the retention system fastened, the helmet turns to the side when you gently shake your head.
4. There are indentations in the EPS liner and/or white scratches can be seen on surfaces with black paint.
5. Even if none of these is applied, we, SHOEI, recommend replacement in 5 years after it’s first purchased at retail.

So there we have it, right from the manufacturer’s mouth: Assuming the helmet is in new condition, you should replace it 5 years from purchase date.  Either way, I’m due for a new helmet.

This past weekend I found a closeout sale on a REALLY cool Arai helmet that’s being phased out.  The model is about 2 years old, and when the manager at CycleGear told me about the shelf-life, I got worried about it’s safety.  Thanks to Google and good old-fashioned research skills, it looks like that Arai is in my near future after all.

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