Vintage motorcycle helmets

Guy things. That’s the way one of my auction friends describes tools and other items that men tend to buy. In fact, at auction this week, I heard one guy excitedly tell another about a John Deere riding mower in the back furniture room at the auction house.

Just outside the front door, one table held plenty of dusty and rusty guy tools in several box lots, but the items that captured my attention were about 14 motorcycle helmets neatly arranged on a table inside. I’d never seen that many in one gathering before. So, naturally, I was intrigued.

Half of them carried the Harley-Davidson name, and resembled German and polo helmets. The other names were Crown, Honda and Bell. I learned during my research that Bell helmets were once among the most popular, and some “vintage” Bells were selling for hundreds of dollars on eBay.

When the helmets came up for auction, I was standing behind them and could see the backs. One had the image of a nude woman, yellow hair, wearing a black leather jacket, her buttocks exposed. It reminded me of my friend Robert whose helmet has the image of a black nude woman. Naked women: I guess it’s a guy biker thing.

Only about four or five men bidded on the helmets, and the prices were extremely reasonable. Most of the men took more than one (these were likely dealers). The highest prices were $22.50 and $30, paid by two bidders who wanted specific helmets, including one with red, black and white wide stripes (likely bought for personal use). (An advertised sale of motorcycles at another auction house last year drew a lot of buyers.)

The lowest price was $10 per helmet. Sounds like a bargain to me, since most vintage helmets were selling quite well on eBay.

I assume that these were vintage or retro because they lacked the sleek look of some of the ones I’ve seen on bikers. If these were vintage, I wondered how safe they were, especially if they were made before 1973 when the U.S. Department of Transportation started certifying helmets and allowing DOT stickers on those that met their standards. The DOT certification is the most important one, but apparently isn’t the only one.

Several websites urged buyers to check for the DOT label on vintage helmets. Others offered suggestions on how to choose any helmet:

Look for the DOT sticker.
Make sure the helmet stays on your head and doesn’t fall off when you get off the motorcycle.
Make sure it fits snugly. Test it by shaking your head from side to side.

Interestingly, on my way to the auction, I had spotted a man and woman on a bike without helmets. That’s not illegal in my state of Pennsylvania, because they were over 20 years old. The law here is that people 20 years old and younger must wear helmets.

My state is one of 27 that require some riders to wear them, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Twenty states, including DC, require all riders to wear helmets, and three states have no laws regarding helmet-wear.

My feeling is that if you love living, wear a helmet. Without them, the damage to your fragile skull and brain can lead to major injury or death. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that motorcycle deaths have doubled in the last 10 years.

Here are some vintage helmet ads on the site dirtygirlmotorracing.com (dirty as in dirt, not smut – the website noted), along with a history of the helmet.

So, if you have one, wear it. Just like my friend Robert does.