Just watching some football & thought of something

holyroller1

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Jun 20, 2001
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Why do you think, besides weight, they do not make motorcycle helmets more like football helmets. With motorcycle helmets one tough hit and it is trash. With football helmets they take a lickin and keep on ticken.

The ability to protect from impact would be more than sufficient. But the weight might be a problem. The padding system would also be FAR superior in my opinion. Football helmets have great padding.

What are your thoughts on this. It sure would be nice not to have to throw your helmet away after a small impact.
 

BigBore

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Jun 16, 1999
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I doubt the abuse a football helmet takes is anywhere CLOSE to what a motorcycle helmet goes through in a really bad crash. I don't know about you guys, but I'd hate to be wearing a football helmet during a nasty 50+mph get-off. No way, no how, never.

If designing a motorcycle helmet like a football helmet is so great, you can rest assured that helmet manufacturers would be all over the idea by now.
 

Hucker

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Sep 15, 2000
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I played football for 5 years in HS and they are not even close to as comfortable/safe as a motorcycle helmut. They are not made to take a 50 mph crash like mentioned above. Whats the hardest hit, maybe 10-15 mph at the most. Plus its never a head on collision with the helmut taking the brunt of it.
 

holyroller1

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Jun 20, 2001
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I too played football while in highschool. I will give you the comfort thing, didn't think of that.

But saying a football helmet isn't as tough as a MX helmet is ridiculous. You can drop a mx helmet and crack it. In fact they say if you drop a helmet from more than 5 feet you can damage it beyond repair.

You must remember these helmets take FAR more abuse during one game than a helmet does during one accident. 2 200-220 pound guys running into each other square on at 15-20 MPH (which is not uncommon) is a closing speed of 30-40 MPH and the helmet is not even phased. You can not even remotely consider a motorcycle helmet tougher that is ridiculous.

You put a mx helmet side to side with a football helmet and put them through the same stress test I will guarantee the football helmet takes MUCH more abuse than a MX helmet, no question.
 
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holyroller1

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Jun 20, 2001
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BTW Hucker:

You never had a head to head collision in all of your years of football? Happens all the time in the NFL. Those guys can get up to 15-20 MPH and they aint light.

Take 2 MX helmets hold them by the face guard and beat them together. I bet 10 good hits at the most and there will be major damage.

Here is a pic of my helmet that was just rolled over by a 550 pound quad at very slow speed. It has cracks all over it on the opposite side from that shown. I think you all give helmets more credit than deserved as far as strength.

http://home.cinci.rr.com/eross/Helmet.jpg
 

holyroller1

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Jun 20, 2001
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I may have answered my own question. The football helmets have very little give. The shell is super strong. On the other hand I can take my helmet and squeeze it with my hands, it is pliable. I bet the helmets are designed kind of like race cars. They design them to break apart to absorb more impact. With a stiff shell such as a football helmet the only give would be in the padding.

What are your thoughts on this theory.

I still say (as anyone who really knows) that football helmets are much more rigid and tough, at least the shell.;)
 
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Hucker

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Sep 15, 2000
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Yeah, a head on collision that resulted in a concussion, about 5 of them total. So, maybe they weren't doing there job, a football helmet is just so harsh its brutal. It might do the job, but I got my bell rung a whole bunch of times even off soft hits, I guess its just the way the impact happens. I think the biggest difference is the comfort, I hated those damn things. Your probably right above giving it more credit, I guess I think a helmet is a helmet. I don't plan on testing it out anytime soon. (hopefully).
 

holyroller1

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Jun 20, 2001
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Hey Hucker

Read my last reply and see what you think of my theory.

I will definitely give you the harsh thing about the helmet:)
 

BigBore

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Jun 16, 1999
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Tell ya what........you strap on a football helmet, then go out and wrap your bike around a tree at 30-40mph.....then try it with a motorcycle helmet.....just for comparison's sake. Then you can enlighten us all on how much better (hahahahaha) a football helmet is.
 

holyroller1

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Jun 20, 2001
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Tell you what Bigbore. You do it and I guarantee you have to throw the motorcycle helmet away and I guarantee the football helmet will barely have a scratch. 30-40 MPH head on collisions happen quite a bit in the NFL. And they don't go trade in their helmets for new ones.

Just a little bit of trivia: Did you know the fastest NFL football player was clocked at 25.5 MPH and the average speed is in the low 20's for the speedy (WR, CB etc...) players.

I just talked to one of my buddies which happens to be an equipment person for the Cincinnati Bengals. He said the helmet shell is made to sustain well more than 50 MPH impact suffering zero to very little damage (paint and cosmetic) to the shell.

You can't even begin to argue the fact that a MX helmet is even remotely close to the strength of a football helmet. Go to your local sporting good store and pick one up, they weigh a couple pounds more (slight exaggeration) and MUCH more sturdy, and that was my original point. Why have a helmet you have to throw away EVERY time you have a little tap to the head.

And as posted in one of my previous posts this may be why they are not used. They may be designed to break apart.

I still say they should be able to make them a little more resilient. Then again I am a cheep skate that crashes a lot:scream: And I hate having to buy a new helmet every time I bump my noodle:confused: I will however continue to do so since there are currently no better alternatives.
 
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J_dem_Bones

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Jun 23, 2001
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You guys made some great points.
But the design of todays modern helmets are designed to greatly reduce the inital impact, NOT multiple impacts.:eek:
A MX helmet breaks down and absorbs the impact which reduces the g-force of your brain madder striking the inside of your skull. The foam paddding in a Football helmet doesn't absorb the impact as well, but doesn't break down as quickly as the MX helmet either, which makes it last longer. You wouldn't want to change your Football helmet after ever play now would you? hehe
In a crash, I would rather have a MX helmet over a Football helmet anyday!!
Ya, I will have to buy a new helmet, but my brain is better protected!!:confused:
 

holyroller1

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Jun 20, 2001
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J_dem_bones:

After I really started to think about it your conclusion is what I suspected.

That still doesn't change the fact that I wish they could be designed to take more than one impact:confused:. What can I say, I'm a poe boy all the way through;)
 

RoadRash

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Sep 13, 2000
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Three thoughts on this subject. 1- Trying to compare running into a linebacker, who is closing at 20 mph, head-on to running into a car or wall is ludicrous. Remember a body gives, solid objects do not. Example: you hit wall, head stops, helmet stops, brain keeps going, the helmet compresses to slow your brain. 2- My life, and hopefully yours, is worth more than $200-$400. 3- I do think you make a good point though, but consider this, manufacturers have no interest in making products that never have to be replaced? Think about the tire and shoe companies.
 

holyroller1

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Jun 20, 2001
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Roadrash

It is not ludicrous. The same amount of energy will be exerted with a closing speed of people of 40 MPH as with 1 person hitting a wall at 40. However, the individual with the lesser mass or lesser velocity will receive more of the impact. Think about a smaller person being hit by someone much bigger if both are traveling at the same velocity. The smaller individual not only comes to a complete stop but begins to travel in the opposite direction therefore absorbing more impact than that of just hitting a wall and stopping. In such a case if the closing speed was 30 MPH the smaller person will take more of an impact than if he were to just run into a wall at 30 MPH. Besides most of the guys in the NFL are walls:scream: :) To say the impact is not comparable is ludicrous. The forces exerted during a collision in the NFL are remarkable, something you really have to be close to to understand I guess. You can feel the ground shake as they make hits and such.

Remember a body gives, solid objects do not.
You haven't watched much football have you? Many many times one player gives and the other keeps going on through that poor idividual:eek:. Which is worse than just not moving.

I do understand the point of companies not wanting to make their product indestructible. However I would think there would be a happy medium. Dropping a helmet from a distance of more than 4-5 feet should not, IMO, cause damage that would be detrimental to the integrity of the helmet.
 
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RoadRash

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Sep 13, 2000
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Originally posted by holyroller1
You haven't watched much football have you?
Not much, I'm only 28 and there are only 18 weeks of NFL games plus the playoffs. And what is that other organization, the NCAA? And I guess playing for many years when I was younger wouldn't count either. I'm not saying it doesn't hurt like hell when you get blindsided but for every 1 HUGE hit there are probably 3-5 arm tackles. I don't know any of the physics or the laws of nature to really debate the issue but let's me ask you this. Would you rather be tackled where you have some chance of dodging/darting to take a glancing blow or drive into a wall at the same speed? :eek: I'll go with the NFL because for every Bruce Smith there is always a no tackling loser like Deion Sanders (sorry I'm a bitter Braves / Falcons fan).

But this has gotten totally off topic, I do wish that every company would make the best product possible. Just think how much a company would charge by making the claim 'this is the last helmet you ever have to buy.'
 

holyroller1

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Jun 20, 2001
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I do agree Roadrash about the reason they don't make them less prone to damage.

And actually if we think about collisions in MX they are very much like those in football. For every time you face plant into the face of that last hill in a triple there will be 20 accidents where you only receive glancing blows, maybe run over by a bike or 2:scream:. I have never seen a bad wreck at our track where someone was going over 30MPH and hit something solid. For one thing everything is pretty much padded with straw if it is a solid object, pole,etc...

Just a little more trivia: Did you know that kduring one major football collision enough energy is produced to move 23 tons of concrete 1 inch in the air:eek: Or one 200 pound football player running full speed hitting a wall is the same as dropping an 8 pound bowling ball off of a 13 story building. Imagine trying to catch that ball:scream:

Sorry I am a football nut. I spend spare time here and on football sites. If you are interested in any good physic related sites that deal with football and the physics of collisions let me know. It is actually a very studied topic. Physicists love football, all the elastic and inelastic collisions really gets them going.:)
 
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Mudboy

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Dec 3, 1999
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Football helmets are tougher but don't absorb impact as well. If you've seen some of the hits that have caused concussions in the NFL they aren't really that severe. The football helmet is designed for multiple impacts with greater durability. The motorcycle is a one-time major hit design. I'd rather buy a new helmet after a major wreck than get a brain injury. BTW I suffered a major concussion with a good motorcycle helmet on. I bet with a football helmet it would have been much worse.
 

holyroller1

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Jun 20, 2001
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I definitely agree Mudboy.

The shell would definitely seem to absorb more of the impact due to the ability of the shell to flex.

My original statement was:

"Why do you think, besides weight, they do not make motorcycle helmets more like football helmets. With motorcycle helmets one tough hit and it is trash. With football helmets they take a lickin and keep on tickin."

I in no way meant that football helmets should be worn instead of a genuine motorcycle helmet. My only thought is that with todays technology, advanced materials and resins, they should be able to make a helmet that is a little more resilient than the current models. You should not have to worry about dropping your helmet from 4-5 feet and damaging it, IMO.

I think Roadrash and a couple others hit the nail on the head. They could probably make a helmet that will flex and give the same as current MX helmets, and still not destroy the shell? But why would they? That means less profits for them.
 
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