This might fit better in the General or some other section of this site but I figured I'd like for the hdforums members with the best taste (dyna owners) to read it.

In my state it's recently become law that you have to wear a DOT approved helmet to be legal. I hate helmets even though I believe them to be generally beneficial. This isn't intended to be a helmet debate post rather, how I found a helmet I can live with.

I now have 4 helmets, 2 novelty, 1 old DOT from the 70's and the GMax 3/4 with face shield that I bought yesterday. I've been searching for a DOT 3/4 or full that I could live with and not feel like Fred Flintstone's pal Gazoo. The saleschick at the local jap dealer pointed out that the GMax helmets have entirely removeable padding and liners. Once she snapped out the cloth and padded insides I knew I could grind out some of the thick styrofoam core to allow it to fit further down on my head. This way I could also buy a helmet 1 size smaller than the size I would normally wear and make it fit.

I got the helmet home and snapped out all the liners down to the styrofoam base. I went to it with a wire brush wheel drill attachment. Just held the round wire wheel (2.5 to 3 inch??) in my hand and slowly grinded out the styrofoam occaisionally fitting it onto my head to see where I needed to grind out more. Works like a charm. Slow but easy to do. Do it in the garage over a trash can and have a vacuum nearby for the dust/flakes. After I had it fit the best it was going to get I used regular, clear silicone to seal the now rough, flaky surface of the styrofoam to prevent it from coming off anymore into my hair, etc. Just work a thin layer with any kind of round object all over the rough areas. The silicone dries to the touch in about 20 minutes and it seals the foam. I then used JBWeld adhesive to glue in the top piece of padding into the crown of the helmet and the rest of the padding and cloth liner snaps into place. Now the helmet sits at least an inch further down, probably more, and I don't look like a reject astronaut everytime I ride. The GMax helmet was about $70 and comes with a clear shield, tinted shield, and detachable visor.

 

Sounds good. Got any pics.
Smiley

 

would be great if you had some before/during/after pics, but any after pics at all would be great

 

Alot of work... not a DOT helmet anymore either.

Why not find a helmet you like and get "DOT" inscribed on the back?

Sorry... I'm truly lazy.

 

I'm doing that to my Skid Lid... just takes some work.

 

It sounds like you're cool with the fact that the integrity of the helmet has been compromised.

Yes?

 

I've read that the purpose of a majority of the foam thickness is to pass the penetration tests. I believe this is a claim made by ACC.

If this is true, there should still be similar impact protection offered with a helmet utilizing less-thick foam panels.

If you're going to be skewered by some rebar at 65mph you'll need more than an additional 1/2 inch of foam to do the trick. Kapeesh, kabob?

 

this is why i put a dot sticker on the back of my german novelty helmet..im lazy too

 

Did the same thing with my Bell Drifter...Worked great. Thing now fits down on my head like a real kevlar helmet. I for one think it's a better way to go versus a novelty helmet - at least you have some foam protection. Also, I'll admit it, I wear my full face DOT/Snell on long road trips and on the highway. I was plowed down once when I lived in Illinois and can attest to the fact that in a contest between pavement and a bare skull, the pavement will always win...

 

I looked at this spec a year or so ago. The helmet's cover is what has to pass the intrusion test. The foam has to act to decelerate the skull on impact - sorta like an airbag. I wear a DOT helmet everytime I ride and I'd do so even w/o a law. But I also feel that you're only weakening it's ability to decelerate your noggin when hitting something head first from the top of your noggin. I have no doubt that if you're in that position, you're in a world of hurt anyway.

Helluva lot better idea than putting a DOT sticker on a toy helmet, IMO!