Helmet repair?

The chin strap buckle on my motorcycle helmet snapped in half (plastic part). Don’t want to throw the otherwise good helmet out. Any idea if a “repair kit” or something like that exists to fix this? Or does the lack of any good way to repair it account for those hundreds of helmets that I see stuck in the river muck at low tide around here? :wink:

If you have a way to repair this, let me know where to find the parts please.

Maybe buy one the the cheap helmets and try to steal parts from there?

The plastic helmets cost $150 at any shop. There’s no real reason to try to repair that kind of helmet. That’s why there are so many people who drive around Taipei with their chinstrap broken.

Hmm, if it’s an expensive helmet…they do have kits you can buy to change the type of strap under the chin. I’m not sure how those kits work…but they take an Arai for example and give it a strap similiar to a seat belt…instead of the normal loop around method. Maybe that would solve your problem…but as always the best place to go for that would be a “Big Bike” shop…since most people there buy 10,000 n.t. and up helmets…they probably have more ways of “fixing” them.

First, what kind of helmet is it?

Um, I think their chinstraps are merely unfastened because they’re stupid.

In Taipei, there’s a shop on Bade and Jilong, SE corner (on Bade) which carries a replacement quick-snap plastic buckle; I bought a set years ago, and I’m just guessing it was about $65NT. You can also get these and double-D ring converter kits online (Google it).

BTW, the double-D rings are safer in a collision; that’s why high-end helmets use them. And although they seem like more trouble at first, you quickly get used to it, so this is recommended.

Either way, you can attach the new rings or buckle with a needle and some heavy duty thread, ask a seamstress to do it, or pop a rivet through it.

[quote=“Dragonbones”]BTW, the double-D rings are safer in a collision; that’s why high-end helmets use them. And although they seem like more trouble at first, you quickly get used to it, so this is recommended.[/quote]Most high-end helmets have D-rings. But my AXO has a clip. Some pro racers wear AXOs so not all clips can be that bad, surely?

If the helmet strap is bolted onto the helmet as it is on mine, you could probably get an Arai or Shooooooei spare. I doubt the cheapies will do spares.

                                          :smiley:    :smiley:    :smiley: 

[quote]First, what kind of helmet is it?
[/quote]
Zeus, hard shell, non-full-face motorcycle helmet (not one of those semi-spherical inverted dog bowls). While maybe not high-dollar, it is actually a helmet.

I’m concerned about three aspects of the repair:

  1. One strap only has one D-ring.

  2. The strap is a bit short for comfortable use with a two D-ring setup even if I could get that installed. The now-broken buckle added length.

  3. Sewing. Will every solution require sewing?

[quote]
In Taipei, there’s a shop on Bade and Jilong, SE corner (on Bade) which carries a replacement quick-snap plastic buckle; I bought a set years ago, and I’m just guessing it was about $65NT. You can also get these and double-D ring converter kits online (Google it).[/quote]
Good tip. Maybe I’ll go there. On the other, I’m always afraid of Internet purchases here due to the exhorbitant shipping costs and my ignorance of local places to buy online.

If any particular solution seems to match my circumstances (described above), please let me know.

Thanks,

Seeker4

[quote=“seeker4”] [quote]
In Taipei, there’s a shop on Bade and Jilong, SE corner (on Bade) which carries a replacement quick-snap plastic buckle; I bought a set years ago, and I’m just guessing it was about $65NT. You can also get these and double-D ring converter kits online (Google it).[/quote]
Good tip. Maybe I’ll go there. On the other, I’m always afraid of Internet purchases here due to the exhorbitant shipping costs and my ignorance of local places to buy online.

If any particular solution seems to match my circumstances (described above), please let me know. [/quote]

Just around the corner from there is a shop that sells various motocycle parts. They seem to be a distributor more than a shop but I walked in there with exactly the same problem as yourself to buy the part in the hope of avoiding throwing away an otherwise perfectly good Zeuss full face helmet. They had the part and gave it to me for free despite my attempts to pay.

I am not suggesting that everyone flock over there in the hope of freebies, but if they are in fact interested in the customers then I would certainly recommend them.

They are located on Songxin Road and I will find out the number if you are interested.

On the subject of those bike shops on the corner of Jilong and Bade Roads, my advice is not to deal with shop on the inside of the intersection (the v-shaped shop). I bought a second hand bike from them not long ago and the bike actually snapped in half within a month of my buying it. It has obviously been in an accident before or was put together from two bikes. They repaired it free of charge after I insisted that they do so, but I never felt safe on it again. About two to three months later it snapped in half again so I wheeled it to the nearest shop and just bought a new bike.

When I say snapped in half I am not kidding. The handlebars came all the way back onto the seat and the footrest was v-shaped and dragging on the ground. It would have been funny if it wasn’t so damn dangerous.

Don’t deal with those guys is my advice! :smiling_imp:

Oh, a few higher-end helmets do use them. Roof

Sure, that would be great.

All: Thanks for the good tips. I’m certain that something in there will do the trick.

With most helmets, if it’s the “male” side of the buckle that is broken, it should be easy to repair. However, if it’s the female part, or both, please get it repaired by someone who knows what they are doing. Sometimes a poorly adjusted helmet is more dangerous than none at all. I used to manage production in a helmet factory, I know my helmets. 90% of helmets in Taiwan are death traps and would never pass safety standard testing in a western country.

I am guessing that most repair guys here would know “Jack” about adjusting the straps and making it safe. They just want to keep it on your head. Most people are looking at possible broken necks from their helmets should they ever crash head first.

[quote=“Bassman”]With most helmets, if it’s the “male” side of the buckle that is broken, it should be easy to repair. However, if it’s the female part, or both, please get it repaired by someone who knows what they are doing. Sometimes a poorly adjusted helmet is more dangerous than none at all. I used to manage production in a helmet factory, I know my helmets. 90% of helmets in Taiwan are death traps and would never pass safety standard testing in a western country.

I am guessing that most repair guys here would know “Jack” about adjusting the straps and making it safe. They just want to keep it on your head. Most people are looking at possible broken necks from their helmets should they ever crash head first.[/quote]

Yep, 99% of the people here wear helmets which are oversized. In an accident there is the possibility that the helmet could do a 360 degree turn while still on your head…with the strap breaking your neck. A helmet should fit so tight that it is “difficult” to put on…it shouldn’t give you a headache…but it should be flush against your cheeks, forehead…etc.

[quote="MordethYep, 99% of the people here wear helmets which are oversized. …A helmet should fit so tight that it is “difficult” to put on.[/quote]

Yes, sage advice. If you move the helmet, it should pull your scalp along with it. But to have a helm fit this snug, it has to be not just the right size, but also the right shape for your head. Most helms here are round, while many Westerners have longer heads, front to back.

Yeah, the male buckle part is usually what breaks. And yes, when you fix the buckle, you need to make sure the male and female parts match (if you replace just one with the wrong size, it won’t be safe), and you need to ensure that the strap can still be easily adjusted to be snug. I’ve done this; it’s not difficult. But if you’re wearing a crappy plastic hat, I strongly recommend you consider upgrading.

In my case, it was the female part of the buckle. And that part was sewn in, not threaded on the strap = pain in the butt.

[quote=“Dragonbones”]…to have a helm fit this snug, it has to be not just the right size, but also the right shape for your head. Most helms here are round, while many Westerners have longer heads, front to back.[/quote]Right. And the Shoei & Arai, HJC models that are sold here tend to be the Asian models I think. The AXO was the only “high end” helmet I found that fit well. (Although my 3000NT M2R is a reasonable fit as well!)

I bough a bunch of helmets online in a desperate search for a longer oval, until finally finding the Arai Signet XXXL to be right for me. I have a few brand-new helmets in round to oval shapes, XL to XXL, if anyone is interested in trying them on and buying them at cost. Just like ordering them online yourself, except you get to try them on first, and there’s no risk of them getting lost in the mail or the seller screwing you.

Oh, a few higher-end helmets do use them. Roof