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Helmets are the most significant safety gear; you should understand that life is precious to save a few bucks when purchasing one. Thus it would be best if you did not compromise on your safety.

According to John at MotoFolder, “Purchasing a helmet seems to be a simple task, but it involves numerous things that will best suit your demands and requirements”. There are so many choices, makes and models, and thus making a mistake while purchasing is simple, especially if it’s your first time buying motorcycle helmets.

Even though there is a wide variety of motorcycle helmets, you should not consider that alone; there are so many things to consider as an individual which will influence your decision. It’s tempting to put the style, color, and price as your main area of focus, but the reality is you need to measure the standards and performance of the helmet. Also, your safety, comfort, and protection should be a key focus area. While purchasing the motorcycle helmet, you need to know that it will do more than protect your head since it will provide comfort as you navigate the road at the highest speed and shield you from wind, rain, cold temperatures, and noise pollution. All these are factors that you should consider to help you remain focused on the road.

Therefore, while purchasing a motorcycle helmet, many people make a lot of mistakes and settle for helmets that do not meet their demands. Also, based on the survey conducted in 2003 in America by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the figures depicted that 32% of motorcycle riders have a high chance of dying in a crash compared to those driving vehicles. Thus the simple practice of wearing a helmet plays a major role. Thus since many people make many mistakes while buying motorcycle helmets, we have compiled most of the common mistakes that you should avoid while buying a new helmet.

Not sticking to your needs during the purchase

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Before going to your favorite motorcycle accessories shop or navigating the website for purchase, you should have outlined your needs first. This is influenced by the activities that you engage with your motorcycle. Is it for road trips and long-distance ones, or is it just for reaching the office and hanging out with colleagues? It is essential to weigh your needs and the frequency of using your motorbike, even if you are a food delivery rider or an endure racer. Also, there are different types of helmets, and if you are a short distance rider, an open face helmet will suffice, but if you are a frequent long rider, you need to look for the best full-face helmets so that you can protect your cheeks and chin.

Not buying the size that fit you correctly

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This is another great mistake most new riders make while purchasing their first helmet, especially if they are limited on a budget or have been impressed by the colors. But you need to understand that for a motorcycle helmet to serve its purpose well; it needs to be the right size for your head. A loosely fitted helmet increases more danger in case of an accident as it might even fly off your head during an impact on the road. Therefore, if the helmet does not fit you properly, it does not provide optimum protection.

However, on the other side, having a tightly fitted helmet is also not recommended as it increases strain and pressure on the rider’s head and face. If you are riding long distances, it might cause unnecessary distraction and fatigue to the rider. Therefore to accurately determine the right size of your head, you can measure it in the motorcycle accessory shop before purchasing the helmet. If you are purchasing from a website, you can ask your friends to help you measure the circumference of your head and then pick the appropriate size for you.

Purchasing based on the outer appearance

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When you navigate your favorite helmet-selling website, you will be overwhelmed by the numerous helmets. All of them have been nicely designed and decorated with colorful patterns and prints to give them a selling advantage. To make it more confusing, you will find that the website has outlined numerous benefits to convince you to buy that particular helmet. There will be a lot of confusion, especially if you have not defined your needs, but you need to remind yourself that a helmet is a showoff lifestyle accessory. They are essential safety attires that need to have the capacity to protect you in case of an accident.

Therefore, other than the outer appearance, there are numerous things that you need to consider, like was it manufactured with a hard ABS shell, does it contains scratch-resistant visors, and is incorporated with an EPS inner shell. These are the components that one need to focus on more since they are the one that guarantees maximum protection in case of an impact. Also, ensure that it has an easy-to-use strap mechanism so that it becomes easy to use.

Purchasing without the certification

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There are numerous ways of checking if the helmet is certified, but the most commonly used is looking for the ISI mark at the back of the helmet. The ISI mark on the helmet symbolizes it has passed all standards of road use requirements and has been approved by the government. So it is convenient to be used as a safety gear on the road. Although you might get cheap helmets without the ISI mark that have not been tested, they might not provide optimum protection for road use. You need to understand that life is very precious to purchase a helmet that has not been certified. Also, if you are in for the sporting helmets, the safety measures are in the form of DOT and SNELL to ensure that the helmet you purchase meets and complies with these requirements.

Conclusion

Before purchasing your first motorcycle helmet, the outlined above are some basic things you need to avoid to buy the best helmet. Sometimes you might think it saves you a few bucks, but it will require you to look for a new one within time. Therefore if you are unsure what helmets will best suit your demands, you can read through the other articles on MotoFolder, since it has outlined the best motorcycle helmets that will best meet your demands and needs.