Helmet age issue?

[thehypercube]

A coworker has offered me a free helmet. The only catch is it's 12y old. I need something for passengers so this is great but my only concern is that I don't want to put them at risk. I know it's recommended to replace helmets after 5-7y but is it actually dangerous for somebody to wear this? It's never been crashed or dropped.

[i h8 winter]

something is better than nothing..... use it till you find a better deal or buy one..... just my .02

[babblefish]

I personally wouldn't use a helmet that old for two reasons; 1) the foam inside deteriorates over time and will no longer offer the protection as when new and 2) it's too easy to become complacent with it and put off getting a new helmet.

[illnoise]

I just threw away a 10-year-old bicycle helmet and a similarly-aged motorcycle half-shell because the liners were falling apart and showering black dust all over everything.

It's hard to say whether the manufacturers just say that to make you buy a new helmet every couple years, but I guess it's better to error on the side of caution.

If it had been sitting unmolested in its original packaging on a store shelf that long, then maaaaybe, but if it's been used on-and-off and kicked around a basement or garage for that long, where it'd likely have been dropped, I'd be nervous. 12 years is a pretty long time.

Bb.

[Cheshire]

While I think 2 years is probably too soon (guessing liability picked that number), 12 is definately too long.

Probably a horrid analogy, but think about milk. Unless you left it out of the fridge, there's pretty much no way it's magically bad on the day it expires. A week or two past that, however...I'm going to be very suprised if it doesn't start to smell funny.

[jfrost2]

I personally wouldn't use a helmet that old for two reasons; 1) the foam inside deteriorates over time and will no longer offer the protection as when new and 2) it's too easy to become complacent with it and put off getting a new helmet.

I think the brittle plastic shell would slice through the foam and into the passengers face in an accident. Not too safe to use a 12 year old helmet like babblefish said about foam breaking down. Motorcycle gear stores, most of the time claim every 3-4 years replace it, but depending on use, you can do go longer, but 12 years is crazy.

[JNV]

I actually replace my helmet every three years whether it has hit the ground or not. Since I am a daily rider I will replace my helmets just because by that time the inside liners start to get ugly due to sweating, hair products, road grime getting in through the vents, and general wear and tear that start to make the inside less comfortable on my head. That is regarless of the fact that I also get helmets with removable liners (pads) so I can wash them, but after so many washes they do start to wear out. Because of that I try to buy good helmets but not the expensive Shoie or similar high end brands.
I got used to doing this from my dirt bike days as a teenager, now those helmets got really grimey real fast.

[olhogrider]

Regardless of age I would not use a "used" helmet! Who knows what it has been through in its life? Everything from chemicals to heat. Even resting on a mirror or sissybar can do invisible damage. What is your head worth?

[ericalm]

In all honesty, if it's just a passenger helmet for infrequent use, I think you'd be better off with one of those cheap but DOT-certified (for what that's worth) eBay helmets than a 12 year-old used one of any kind.