The industry standard for the life of a motorcycle helmet is five years. After that, manufacturers, industry experts, and safety advocates say you should replace your helmet.
While I’m all for people buying themselves a new motorcycle helmet, I don’t think you should buy one if you don’t want to or have to.
For that reason, I thought it best to take a closer look at the question of how long do motorcycle helmets last.
Why Worry About Your Motorcycle Helmet’s Age?
The chief concern around motorcycle helmet age is that they will degrade over time, reducing the level of protection they provide.
In essence, the worry is that your motorcycle helmet won’t protect you as well after five years or so of riding regardless of whether or not you had a crash or accident.
Now, there are some things here that we should address. The standard of five years supposes you’ve been actively using your motorcycle helmet over the course of those years.
However, if you haven’t worn your helmet much, and it hasn’t been used or damaged in any way, there’s a very good chance it’s just as safe as the day you bought it no matter how old it is.
The Myth of Time Degrading EPS
Some people will tell you that the EPS layer inside a helmet hardens and degrades over time. While basically everything degrades over time, five years is not a long enough time for EPS to degrade to the point where your safety is compromised.
A study published in the National Library of Medicine (NLM), showed that EPS does not degrade from time alone. While this study was conducted on bicycle helmets, it stands to reason that the same could be said of the EPS used in motorcycle helmets.
So, Do You Really Need to Replace Your Motorcycle Helmet?
Occasionally, you will need to replace your motorcycle helmet. If your helmet has been damaged in any way, you should replace it before riding again.
As far as replacing the helmet due to age, I would say you only really need to do so if the helmet is worn out. If you wear the same helmet all of the time it will break in and eventually wear out.
You should be able to refresh your helmet in a way by ordering a new comfort liner or face shield, but often after several years of use, you won’t be able to find replacement parts. Also, the chin strap or other important parts you can’t replace might be in disrepair. At that point, you should replace your helmet with a new one.
How do You Determine How Old Your Motorcycle Helmet is?
You shouldn’t have much trouble figuring out how old your motorcycle helmet is. Simply look for a manufacturer’s label on the helmet. Often this is on the inside of the helmet just underneath the comfort liner.
Most comfort liners are easily removable, so you should have no issue finding the sticker label. I have seen some helmets with this information on a sticker on the outside of the helmet, but those often get removed, so the label inside the helmet is your best bet.
If you can’t find the label, try thinking back to when you purchased the helmet. A ballpark figure is all you really need. If the helmet hasn’t been regularly worn, then you’re likely fine. But if the helmet feels worn out or the comfort liner is nasty, then you might want to consider replacing it anyway.
If you need to replace your motorcycle helmet, I highly suggest Revzilla or Cycle Gear as places to shop. both of these retailers will allow you to return items (over a specific price) if they don’t fit properly or if you’ve changed your mind. If you’re unsure about what helmet to buy, I have dozens of articles on the best options for motorcyclists.
