HEAD MATTERS
Motorcycle helmets are all the same, aren’t they? Thick enough to take a knock and the thicker the padding the better, right? Actually, as we have recently found out, that’s not quite the case.
It’s true that, as a general rule, motorcycle helmets all serve the same purpose of protecting your head. The conventional motorcycle helmet has two principal protective components; a thin, hard, outer shell typically made from polycarbonate plastic, fibreglass, or composite materials, and a soft, thick, inner liner usually made of expanded polystyrene (EPS). To date, it has been widely thought that the single most important component with regard to safety in a crash is the foam lining, and the more foam used, the better the impact resistance.
Technology plays a major part in the development of safety equipment across a host of sports genres, and as that intelligence advances, so too do the safety features deployed in mandatory gear such as motorcycle helmets.
EPS is lightweight and can withstand compression, making it a perfect material to use for the lining of motorcycle helmets. This lining absorbs and diffuses the energy of an impact. However, there are a couple of emerging technologies that could become real gamechangers in the world of motorcycle head protection. It’s all about slowing down the damage caused to the brain by the force of rotational impact.
MULTI-DIRECTIONAL IMPACT PROTECTION SYSTEM
Or MIPS for short, is a plastic liner that sits under the helmet’s EPS foam liner. On impact, the EPS will still perform its role of protecting the skull. However, rather than the crushable foam wrapping around the head to slow down the force and clamping hair and skin in the process, it will compress around the MIPS liner which will rotate slightly. This rotation – side-to-side and forward-to-back – to mimic the natural reflex of the cerebral spinal fluid surrounding the brain, will occur while the head is held securely within the ‘slip plane’.
The MIPS technology has been in development for 20 years by leading Swedish scientists. Their research has shown that when a head rotates quickly and comes to a sudden stop, the ongoing rotational acceleration can cause the brain tissue to experience high levels of strain. In short, MIPS reduces the amount of rotational force transferred to the brain by reducing the relative motion of the brain inside the skull for another five to 10 millimetres before tissues start to tear and cause bleeding on the brain; it could make the difference between low, and high levels of brain damage.
MIPS has been incorporated in motocross helmets for a few years now and, in the worlds of cycling and skiing, you’d struggle to buy a helmet without it. As more and more riders understand its potential benefits, it will be adopted in more and more race and street helmets. It’s even widely predicted that it could become a compulsory safety feature in the future.
FLEX – ROTATIONAL, ADAPTIVE, PROGRESSIVE
The other innovative safety technology quickly gaining ground is FLEX, a three-layered impact liner system designed to manage energy at three different speeds of impact; low, mid and high. Again, its key focus is all about brain protection.
The difference with FLEX is that it replaces the traditional thick single layer Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) with a thinner layer of EPS, then introduces a thin, soft and flexible liner – Expanded Polyolefin (EPO), and then closer to the head sits a harder Expanded
Polypropylene (EPP) liner. In the unfortunate event of an accident, the EPO layer will compress first at anything from 3m per second, the EPP will compress at around 5m per second and the EPS at just under 8m per second. Also in the mix is a ‘slip zone’ which, like MIPS, is important to help manage the force of rotational impact and reduce movement between the skull and helmet at speed.
Because the six different pieces within the EPO and EPP layers all move individually, and together, by five to ten millimetres, the system also provides an adaptive, almost custom-made, fit. For instance, for those with an irregular-shaped head, the segmented construction of FLEX means it will adapt differently to accommodate a rider’s head shape left-to-right, for a superior and snug fit. The six segments; one at the front, one at the rear and two either side, all move individually to adapt to the rider’s head and once adapted, will move as one. This advanced fit means there is little allowance for movement of the head within the helmet under impact. In short, FLEX technology offers riders the closest they can get to a custom-fit helmet, without the requirement of a head scan!
Importantly, the rider won’t notice any difference in the feel of the helmet under normal riding conditions; the compression only comes into play under impact conditions.
HOW TO GET IT
It’s all very well knowing about the latest progress in motorcycle helmet safety technology, but the big question of course, is how do you get it?
Bell produced its first Bell 500 helmet in 1954, and was the first manufacturer to produce a full-face motorcycle helmet when it introduced the Star model in 1968. Bell never stops pushing the boundaries in terms of research and development, and today it remains a premium brand at the forefront of technology. It was the first manufacturer to introduce MIPS within its entry-level price range of helmets, and the only one to incorporate FLEX in its off-road, road-race and street helmets. The Bell Star is equipped with MIPS, while its Pro and Race Star brands are fitted with FLEX. In round terms, there are three price points; £400 will deliver MIPS technology, £600 will provide FLEX and £1000 will give the ultimate in safety, style and comfort; combining the benefits of FLEX with a number of other premium features. For Bell, the optimum fit is important too and, for this reason, it offers a six-shell systemwith a unique EPS liner for each major size. Stockists can custom-fit the helmet to a rider’s head by getting it to fit snugly and then making any further adjustments required with cheek pads that can range from 25mm to 60mm to ensure comfort.
For more about head protection visit www.helmetfacts.com. For further product information, or Bell stockist contact details go to www.bellhelmets.co.uk
FLEX REPLACES THE TRADITIONAL THICK SINGLE LAYER EXPANDED POLYSTYRENE (EPS) WITH AN INNOVATIVE THINNER, THREE-LAYERED SYSTEM