Legality of Mohawks on helmets

I've seen a few younger riders with those mohawks on their helmets and was wondering if that's in some sort of violation of the HTA.

As for me, it's bad enough that I ride a supersport with blown muffler packing. I don't need any more attention

According to "R.R.O. 1990, REGULATION 610", motorcycle helmets can meet any of these certifications:

-CSA Standard D230

-Snell

-British Standards Institute

-DOT FMVSS 218

The DOT standards were easy too look up, and they only seem to prohibit rigid cosmetic projections. I'm not sure if just the act of modification voids the DOT certification, but otherwise the mohawks don't seem to be outside the standards.

Regardless, we were cautioned against decorating our hard hats because several glues will react with the plastic and make it brittle, rendering it useless during impact. I'm guessing the same applies to motorcycle helmets.

One of those kids complained that he got pulled over and the cop told him to either remove it or that he'll get a ticket for it. So I'm wondering what the charge would be in that case. For all I know, he could be talking smack.

"Fail to wear proper helmet on motorcycle"

Thanks to Squishy was able to find the Oreg 610 faster...

1. A helmet worn by a person,

(a) riding on or operating a motorcycle; or (b) operating a motor assisted bicycle,on a highway shall,

(c) have a hard, smooth outer shell lined with protective padding material or fitted with other energy absorbing material and shall be strongly attached to a strap designed to be fastened under the chin of the wearer; and

(d) be undamaged from use or misuse

What I did learn here is that a "motor assisted bicycle" also requires a motorcycle helmet and that a bicycle helmet will not suffice.

Too bad.. It would have been a nice way for the occasional squid to divert even more attention away from me and towards him/herself

So if there's an accident with enough of a head impact to deform the lining, I wouldn't be able to ride the bike home (assuming both the bike and I don't sustain any serious injuries) because the helmet would technically be "damaged"?

I can't find the definition for it, but I'm pretty sure a "motor assisted bicycle" refers to gasoline-powered bicycles, the ones that require the new low-speed M license. An electric bicycle is called a "power assisted" bicycle and doesn't require a license to operate, and the only helmet difference between that and a normal bicycle is the over-18 exemption doesn't apply (covered in OREG 473/06).

EDIT: Unofficial definitions from the MTO website were the best I could come up with:

http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/dandv/ ... /emerging/

I'm guessing the distinction is made in the Motor Vehicle Safety Act, but the justice.gc.ca site is down right now.

FiReSTaRT wrote:

...

So if there's an accident with enough of a head impact to deform the lining, I wouldn't be able to ride the bike home (assuming both the bike and I don't sustain any serious injuries) because the helmet would technically be "damaged"?

I wouldn't ride a bike with a wrecked helmet, unless it was at low speeds and at the side of the road. Even if the helmet didn't crack, the impact-absorbing foam is single-use and won't expand after it is compressed. The wrecked bike may have some hidden damage that would lead to another wipeout, and now your helmet with a used up crumple zone will just transfer the impact energy to your head.

Squishy wrote:

FiReSTaRT wrote:

...

So if there's an accident with enough of a head impact to deform the lining, I wouldn't be able to ride the bike home (assuming both the bike and I don't sustain any serious injuries) because the helmet would technically be "damaged"?

I wouldn't ride a bike with a wrecked helmet, unless it was at low speeds and at the side of the road. Even if the helmet didn't crack, the impact-absorbing foam is single-use and won't expand after it is compressed. The wrecked bike may have some hidden damage that would lead to another wipeout, and now your helmet with a used up crumple zone will just transfer the impact energy to your head.

Similiar note went to a collision couple weeks ago....2 kids in child seats....owner asks if they can be used again.....highly recommend they both be replaced as the manufacturer states so.....but I just spent $200 on them 2 days ago, that was a waste of money ...your children are not injured the seat did its job! $200 or your child's life??

That's why I have a spare in addition to also having a bi..., I mean passenger lid

It's just in certain circumstances, the CAA takes forever to get to the spot, assuming the cell didn't get wrecked.

hwybear wrote:

Similiar note went to a collision couple weeks ago....2 kids in child seats....owner asks if they can be used again.....highly recommend they both be replaced as the manufacturer states so.....but I just spent $200 on them 2 days ago, that was a waste of money ...your children are not injured the seat did its job! $200 or your child's life??

Wow. Do motorcycle/bike helmets expire like child seats and hard hats do?

And I could see someone making the argument that lots of people ride with no helmets and many of them survive just fine - except the chances of the bike having a mechanical failure are much greater if you just took a tumble.

They're good for about 5 years of use, before you can't quite trust that the lining will absorb the impact and compress. That's assuming you wear it on a regular basis (body heat deteriorates it).

Also if I did decide to ride the bike home, I'd throw out the lid and pick up a new one. The el-cheapo spare would allow me to ride while shopping around for a new one.

As for those people making the arguments.. Let's put it this way.. Would you rather fall on your head from 6' height while doing 100km/h and with a chance of getting clipped by an inattentive driver who's right behind you with or without a DOT/Snell/ECE approved helmet?

That's why I always wear my full gear, including jackets/pants with CE-rated armour inserts.

Squishy wrote:

An electric bicycle is called a "power assisted" bicycle and doesn't require a license to operate, and the only helmet difference between that and a normal bicycle is the over-18 exemption doesn't apply (covered in OREG 473/06).

Electric bicycles don't even need to have insurance

Another couple of questions of this topic. Both of my lids have pop-up vents. Technically that would not be a "smooth hard outer shell."

1) Can I get ticketed for that even though my regular lid is DOT+ECE certified and the spare is DOT+Snell certified?

2) What would be the difference between a pop-up vent and a mohawk in the eyes of the law?

Probably because one helmet is manufactured with the vents in. The mohawks things are either glued or bolted on after market thus wrecking the dexterity of the helmet with holes and/or glue thus voids the DOT/CSA certification. Removing foam liner also voids the helmet.

Thanks Bear. I have been pulled over by one of your colleagues once on the 407. He didn't ticket me for the helmet, but I wanted to make sure I wasn't shootin' craps, especially since just about every decent lid on the market has popup vents.

On another note, I'm assuming sticking a self-adhesive reflective marker on the back of my lid for better visibility would leave me in the same legal trouble as a mohawk?

That could go either way....I don't know.

If it still is smooth with the surface, can not forsee a problem...Not like it is a mohawk thing where should you fall off and slide, the hawk part could get caught in a road drain and snap your neck....but by then you are already "up the creek"

Thanks Bear. In that case, I'll probably risk the legal consequences in the interest of better night-time visibility. It will be placed at the lower part of the helmet, in a no-impact area. It's also a bit flatter. The way I figure, it will appear stock to an uneducated constable and as a smart safety feature to an educated constable, so the heat factor should be fairly low.

Speaking of going overboard with my idea....

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/ ... elmet.aspx

Patented LED light is incorporated into the rear vent, unobtrusive design is easy to use with different light settings