Do Motorcycle Helmets Expire? What Riders Need to Know

If you are a motorcyclist, motorcycle helmets are your best friend. When things go wrong, it protects your head. However, there is one common question that most riders ask: “Do motorcycle helmets expire?”

The short answer to this question is ‘Yes’. Helmets don’t last forever. They even lose their ability to defend you as time passes, even if they appear to be new. We will find out why this is the case and what you should do about it.

Motorcycle helmets usually expire for one main reason: their material decay with time. Consider it to be a food item that goes bad with time, no matter what. You may not notice at first, but there are changes inside.

Your helmet has its foam liner of EPS (Expanded Poly-Styrene) in it. This is where the impact force is absorbed. This foam disintegrates with time. The glue used to hold parts together becomes weak. The external shell may have cracks due to being exposed to the sun or bad weather.

Your body plays a role, too. Sweat has acids and oils. These things degrade the inner padding. On top of these, the hair products play their part as well. These things work against your helmet’s health over time, even if you keep it clean.

The UV rays coming from the sun also cause problems. They make the helmet’s shell brittle. This is accelerated by long exposure of the helmet to the sun. Freezing weather conditions cause the helmet material to get hard and crack.

Chemicals are another enemy. Some of the helmet shells are susceptible to gas fumes. Helmet cleaners that you may use may contain harsh substances that are harmful to the helmet material. Even the simple water and air drag can contribute to the wear and tear of your motorcycle helmet.

All these things add up to degrade your motorcycle helmet. After a couple of years of using your motorbike helmet, it will not remain as safe as it was when new.

The majority of helmet manufacturers recommend changing your helmet after every five years. This is a common standard. This is also supported by the Snell Memorial Foundation, which is an organization working to study helmet safety to ensure safe riding.

There is more to the story. Experts claim that a helmet can be used for 7 years after it was manufactured. This is true when you wear it properly, use it safely, and do not use the helmet extensively.

Here is what you need to know:

• Five years after you purchase and use the helmet.

• Seven years after the manufacturing of the helmet.

• Whichever comes first.

The kind of helmet is also important. Thermoplastic or polycarbonate shells on the helmet have a lifespan of five years. These are cheaper helmets. The fiberglass, carbon fiber, or Kevlar-made helmets can last 7 years. They are more expensive and are more durable.

The more you use the helmet, the sooner you wear it out. Instead, heavy use implies that you need to consider three to five years. The weekend riders are likely to reach the seven-year mark.

No, there is no expiry on the helmets. You will not find a date on it that says expired, as it comes on eatables. Nevertheless, they have a date of manufacture. This date will tell you the exact time when this helmet was manufactured. This is used to determine when to change it. Take five or seven years more from that date, and you have your expiry date of your helmet.

Where do you find this date? Look under the padding. The majority of the helmet brands paste a sticker on the EPS liner. To access it, you will need to peel the cheek pads or the center pad.

In case of the Shoie helmets, look under the ceter pad. It may have the date as Mar/11/2022, or the numbers could be 200919 in case of September 19, 2020.

In case of Arai helmets, look for the date on the chin straps. They have a month/year system, like 09/03. The position of the date on the strap has varied throughout the years. So, you may need some research to find the date on Arai helmets.

In HJC helmets, the manufacturing date of the helmet is usually placed inside. It is usually close to the safety sticker.

Do not lose the box that carried your helmet at the time of delivery. There are certain helmet brands that print the date on the box or packaging as well. Write down the date when you buy a helmet.

Yes, all DOT helmets expire. It doesn’t matter what their safety ratings may be; when they get expired, they don’t remain safe to use. Whether DOT, Snell, ECE, FIM, or SHARP, they all expire after a duration.

The U.S. Department of Transportation standard is known as DOT. It established the fundamental safety regulations of the DOT's helmets. However, DOT does not specify a time frame of expiration. They leave it to the makers.

Snell helmets come with more explicit guidance on the matter of expiration dates. According to Snell, helmets are best for 5 years. Even the Snell rating expires in 10 years when it comes to motorbike racing. However, you must change it much earlier if you ride on the streets.

The point here is that the helmet safety rating doesn’t have much to do with the helmet's age. A DOT-approved helmet that was made in 2015 has way past its prime lifetime in 2025, even though it has only been used sparingly.

This is tricky. Helmets that are not used can work for a longer duration than those that are used. However, they still have limits.

When properly stored, a helmet can last as long as seven years after its production. Some say even fifteen years. However, that is not what most experts recommend using it for.

The major concern remains the storage:

• Store your helmet in a cool, dry place.

• Put it in a helmet bag.

• Keep it away from the sunlight.

• Do not keep it close to gases or chemicals.

A garage may appear to be a nice place to store your helmet. However, there are things to consider:

• Garages are hot in summer and cold in winter.

• They usually have gas cans and lawn mowers that can damage your helmet over time.

If you have to store your helmet:

• Keep it in your home.

• A closet works best.

• Keep it at room temperature.

• Low humidity is preferred.

Unless the storage is perfect, the unused helmets also get old.

• The materials slowly change.

• Glues dry out.

• Foam inside the helmet starts to shrink.

Regarding the lifespan of an unused motorcycle helmet, it highly depends on the storage conditions. A stored, unused helmet may last a long time. But an unused helmet means not used at all: a helmet that is not worn even once, not even slightly dropped, not subjected to any bad conditions.

Not all helmets that are not in use are actually unused. They sit in a shop for years. They were subjected to the dust, transport, and other impacts during their placement on one shelf to another. Riders also try them on before purchasing. They get moved around a lot.

When making a purchase, pay attention to the manufacturer's date on a new helmet. If you are getting a helmet that is manufactured three years ago, you are not getting a new helmet. You are getting a helmet that has nearly lived half of its life.

There are dealers and shop owners who sell old stock at low prices. This may seem like a good deal, but now that you know, it is not as good a deal. The best bet is the brand new helmets of current models that are recently made. You will have all the 5-7 years of its life, and you also have the latest safety features and technology that come with the helmet.

No, a 10-year-old motorcycle helmet is not good and safe. You must not use such a helmet even though it appears to be in perfect condition. Ten years is far beyond the five-year rule for helmets. It is also beyond the maximum 7-year limit provided by some manufacturers. The materials used in the helmets must have disintegrated. The form is likely not able to take the impact as it is supposed to.

Some riders may claim that they have used old helmets without any problems. However, this is the point. They have never dropped the helmet or ever gotten involved in a motorcycle crash.

In some of the studies, some of the motorcycle helmets were found to be quite long-lasting. However, these helmets were stored in ideal storage situations. Normal or real-life scenarios are different. There are so many things that deteriorate the material of the helmet.

Also, the technology improves, too. A helmet made in 2017 will not be as advanced and safe as a brand new one that is made in 2025.

Not at all. A 20-year-old helmet is nowhere near safe to use for motorcycle riding. It must have become ancient. The ESP foam may still exist in there, but it is still a risk. The straps may not even work. Also, safety standards have changed quite a lot in the past 20 years. There are tons of improvements made to motorcycle helmets.

It only takes a few steps to tell whether or not your helmet is expired. These are:

• Find the manufacture date.

• Find out the date of purchase.

• If you are using the same helmet for 7 years after the manufacturer's date or even the date of purchase, the helmet is considered to be expired.

• You can also check for physical damage signs.

• The visor is scratched to death.

• The lining within the helmet is disintegrating.

• The chin strap is ripped.

• The EPS liner is broken.

• The outer shell has visible cracks.

• Also, consider your usage of the helmet.

• Ask yourself if you have dropped it.

• Where do you store your helmet?

These signs can tell you clearly whether you should replace your old helmet or not and get a new one.

Do not keep using the helmet after 5-7 years of use. Also, replace it immediately and get yourself a new one if you have dropped the helmet or you have been involved in a motorcycle crash. Remember! A helmet saves lives, and it is a must that you wear one, not only when carrying, but also while riding your bike. This is not a fashion item that you can get painted after years of use and make it a new one. A helmet is something that makes rides safer.