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Carbon Fiber Motorcycle Helmets
Carbon Fiber Motorcycle Helmets
The most important part of any motorcycle helmet is its
construction. Carbon fiber motorcycle helmets combine
the sturdy construction of fiberglass and composite
carbon fibers with lightweight engineering. This reduces
rider fatigue and enhances the overall comfort level of
the helmet design, meaning a motorcyclist can wear a
carbon fiber motorcycle helmet for longer periods of
time than she can helmets constructed of other, heavier
materials.
In the past motorcycle helmets have been made of Kevlar.
This is a very sturdy material and offers a high level
of protection it is the same materials that body armor
and military helmets are made of. It is strong enough to
stop a bullet, but it is also considerably heavy.
Todays helmet manufacturers are proud when they can
reduce helmet weight from one model to the next by
several ounces. When the industry switched from Kevlar
to composite carbon fiber designs, it reduced helmet
weight by more than a pound.
The switch from heavy Kevlar to lightweight carbon fiber
did more than simply reduce the overall weight of the
helmets. It also allowed for a layered design
engineering that allowed the outer shell to be made of
hard fiberglass with the carbon fibers on the inside.
This design allows for more play between the shell and
the inner layers and the inner layers and the liner.
That small amount of give can mean the difference
between a slight concussion and a fractured skull in the
event of a crash. Naturally this was taken into account
in Kevlar helmets as well, but the introduction of
carbon fiber motorcycle helmets made a big difference in
the way that motorcycle helmets are engineered.
Major motorcycle helmet manufacturers all agree that
carbon fiber construction results in the best, most
comfortable and most protective motorcycle helmets.
Department of Transportation (DOT) and Snell Foundation
standards and testing practices also indicate that
carbon fiber motorcycle helmets are more reliable than
the older Kevlar designs.
In short, when the motorcycle helmet industry switched
from Kevlar to carbon fiber motorcycle helmets, the
entire motorcycle helmet industry made that switch and
it is generally considered to have been a change for the
better. Kevlar motorcycle helmets are now few and far
between as companies continually research ways to
continue making helmets of carbon fiber.
Progress is important in every industry. Can you imagine
what the world would be like if thermometers were still
made with pure mercury, if automobiles did not have smog
control devices, or if the Pentium computer processor
was never developed? It would be a different world but
in a lot of ways it would be the same world with little
progress.
It is natural for human to want to make progress. Carbon
fiber motorcycle helmets are not going to change the
world on their own, but progress is rarely made in great
leaps and bounds. It is made one step at a time.
About the Author
Abe Gardea is a full-time freelance writer and a
regular contributor to My-Motorcycle-Helmet.com
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