OFF THE WIRE
Get Your $2 DOT Chinese Helmets Here!
Mar 19, 2010, By Michael Gougis, ©Copyright 2010, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.
The question is, would you bet your brain on the manufacturing quality control and energy absorbing ability of a $2 helmet? And if a $2 helmet can actually meet DOT and ECE standards, are those standards tough enough for racetrack use? You decide.
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Fun With Helmet Shopping: An Exercise In International Trading
Stuff is made in China today, especially factory-manufactured goods. Like any product made in any country, the quality can range from excellent to pure crap. Thanks to the Internet, anyone can get a glimpse into the underbelly of global commerce.
The links below are to companies that are offering for sale, in quantities of about 300 or more, helmets that they say are certified to U.S. Department of Transportation and/or ECE 22.05 safety standards. Prices for full-face helmets start at $2 per unit. Poke around the site (alibaba.com) for a while.
One of the features that you will note is that many of the manufacturers offer their clients the ability to design the helmet color scheme. The manufacturer can put whatever company name on the helmet that they client wants (within, of course, the limits of patent and copyright law).
The upshot is this: If you want to sell Whimpering Weasel helmets, you can go into business for a song, and sell helmets in the U.S. that most motorcycle road race organizations will allow you onto the track with.
You can also go to:
http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/testing/comply/fmvss218/
There, you will find the results of federal DOT testing on what they manufacturer says is your helmet. The testing sample is provided by the company; the DOT does not test examples of the helmets on dealer shelves or in warehouses. You can click on the hyperlink on the far right and view the entire DOT report, if the manufacturer has contracted with a testing house for certification.
http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/269241295/Full_face_helmets.html
http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/277440371/motorcycle_full_face_helmet_SD_176_.html
http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/277447691/dot_motorcycle_helmet_WL_805_.html
http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/242810239/Dot_motorcycle_helmet_603.html
http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/276488942/DOT_helmet_DOT_motorcycle_helmet_Helmet.html
http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/265065194/DOT_ECE_ABS_Full_face_Motorcycle.html
http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/269241594/Full_face_helmets.html
http://www.alibaba.com/product-gs/241087161/Motorcycle_helmet.html
