Pudding basin helmets. UK road legal?
Discussion
Believe it or not my now dead father developed and designed protective headwear including motorcycle helmets from mid 70's till he retired maybe 20 years back.
I'm not sure if I can give you a correct answer or best guess but I think it needs to be type approved.
He did tell us a lot of stuff. Some interesting some less so.
IIRC pudding basin helmet will be a NO.
BUT
I think you can wear a turban.
It's highly unlikely Police will know. Tinted Visors too may well be a no no.
I'm not sure if I can give you a correct answer or best guess but I think it needs to be type approved.
He did tell us a lot of stuff. Some interesting some less so.
IIRC pudding basin helmet will be a NO.
BUT
I think you can wear a turban.
It's highly unlikely Police will know. Tinted Visors too may well be a no no.
https://www.gov.uk/motorcycle-helmet-law
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/motorcy...
in fact if you read this then GOOGLE as in most walks of life has answered your question
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/motorcy...
in fact if you read this then GOOGLE as in most walks of life has answered your question
I was under the impression that helmets that dated from before the reg's came into force were still legal to use, despite the fact that a modern equivalent would not pass testing. This isn't borne out by the links above, but, as is often the case, that is just a quick skim of the relevant legislation as it applies to most situations. Number plate info' from the same site is also massively lacking in detail with regard to older vehicles...
You may find knowledge and enforcement of this isn't that thorough, whatever the law say here, in my experience.
I wear a Simpson Bandit (top gear 'the stig' helmet) black visor for short rides on sunny days. Also I wear glasses and don't like contacts or shades on a bike .
Ironically when I want to be a headbanger on a bike then the Simpson Bandit is poor at high speed, it lifts at motorway speeds and is noisy - it was designed for car racing. Sort of lid that makes you look a headbanger although impractical if you actually were doing a real Ghostrider .
Whilst maybe I have 'misundertood' the helmet law
in reality never been stopped in thousands of miles. I think maybe traffic cop not always aware of the law, bike cops all know but seem to overlook it. A mate of mine routinely wore one of those German Helmets to many a bike rally without any persecution.
I wear a Simpson Bandit (top gear 'the stig' helmet) black visor for short rides on sunny days. Also I wear glasses and don't like contacts or shades on a bike .
Ironically when I want to be a headbanger on a bike then the Simpson Bandit is poor at high speed, it lifts at motorway speeds and is noisy - it was designed for car racing. Sort of lid that makes you look a headbanger although impractical if you actually were doing a real Ghostrider .
Whilst maybe I have 'misundertood' the helmet law
in reality never been stopped in thousands of miles. I think maybe traffic cop not always aware of the law, bike cops all know but seem to overlook it. A mate of mine routinely wore one of those German Helmets to many a bike rally without any persecution.Edited by Tyrell Corp on Friday 5th January 19:54
nuyorican said:
Super Sonic said:
From a quick search, the ones with a bs stamp are legal.
Of which there are none.Is how I came to understand it.
Cheers guys.
nuyorican said:
Super Sonic said:
I found a few. All kitemarked, all pre-owned, but still road legal. I wouldn't consider them safe, but that's not what you asked
Ahh sorry. Maybe I misunderstood your post. Probably thought you were talking about new ones.Yes, safety is not what I'm asking. It's more about staying legal by doing the bare minimum. For the situation in which I'd be riding I'd rather not wear one at all.
Cheers
nuyorican said:
Ahh sorry. Maybe I misunderstood your post. Probably thought you were talking about new ones.
Yes, safety is not what I'm asking. It's more about staying legal by doing the bare minimum. For the situation in which I'd be riding I'd rather not wear one at all.
Cheers
Edit: what got me thinking about exemptions etc is watching an old video on Youtube of Fred Dibnah where he tears off through the streets of Bolton on his old AJS with nothing but his flat cap on his head. But maybe that was before the regulation..?
No worries. Tbf, on my first quick search I didn't even check if they were new! I think I would rather have one of the newer non legal ones rather than an antique though, as said above by Tyrrell Corps.Yes, safety is not what I'm asking. It's more about staying legal by doing the bare minimum. For the situation in which I'd be riding I'd rather not wear one at all.
Cheers
Edit: what got me thinking about exemptions etc is watching an old video on Youtube of Fred Dibnah where he tears off through the streets of Bolton on his old AJS with nothing but his flat cap on his head. But maybe that was before the regulation..?
Edited by nuyorican on Friday 5th January 20:00
Why does legality matter so much ?
If you wear anything I highly doubt you would be stopped unless you were doing something illegal (ie speeding etc)
Then I highly doubt anyone would take any further action unless you failed the attitude test
It's a bit like dirty number plates, we all see them everyday in the winter. How many people do you know have been prosecuted for them? I've never heard of any
If you wear anything I highly doubt you would be stopped unless you were doing something illegal (ie speeding etc)
Then I highly doubt anyone would take any further action unless you failed the attitude test
It's a bit like dirty number plates, we all see them everyday in the winter. How many people do you know have been prosecuted for them? I've never heard of any
Tom Logan said:
I was prevented from riding my bike at the Brackley Festival in 2013 whilst wearing one, luckily I had my Shoei with me. I was told that they were not legal on the road nor allowed by the ACU.
If so, how come Michael Dunlop and Cam Donald were allowed to wear them in the IOM whilst riding garden gates?
I’m going to guess at the fact the Isle of Man has its own laws and legal system that are bugger all to do with the UK and that the ACU has even less relevance to the TT. If so, how come Michael Dunlop and Cam Donald were allowed to wear them in the IOM whilst riding garden gates?
I work in a Neuro rehab centre. Wear whatever makes you safest. You don’t want to end up like the people I see daily (although not all damaged by crashes). Apparently men are far more likely to end up with a brain injury. Sorry to sound negative but what I see makes me think that any risk you don’t need to take is a good thing.
Honestly OP I would just get a proper full face helmet; get one fitted to you in a proper shop and it will be comfy. After a while you will get used to it and not really notice it.
Also it’s much better if it rains!
You could get an open face helmet if you want, personally I’m. Or a fan.
Also it’s much better if it rains!
You could get an open face helmet if you want, personally I’m. Or a fan.
srob said:
Old, original ones are legal as they were legal and still classed as such.
Modern ones (Davida etc) aren’t legal. Loads of people still wear them though and I would if I had one!
Can you enlighten me as to why the modern Davida helmets aren’t legal?Modern ones (Davida etc) aren’t legal. Loads of people still wear them though and I would if I had one!
The link above to gov.uk says that helmets used on U.K. roads must comply with either ECE 22.05 or BS 6658:1985 and Davida speeder is showing on their website as tested to ECE 22.05.
So why do you say they’re not legal even though the manufacturer has tested them to the required standard?
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