Mmm sounds xxx its not..   Help any one please   I have a Schwants Aari helmet from 1993 is it legal or is it just guideline that you should throw em away after ?? years??   Main question i've not seen a helmet i like... i want to buy a plain one colour Aari and have it personalised with a iron maiden eddie or something... is there a company that does helmets or does it ruin em.. there  was a company called dream machine or something 20 years ago that did cool bikes dont know if there still going?????   Rich Fort William                                                                                                                                                                             

I know someone who can personalise it for you - and they're in Scotland .... Will get the gen and PM you                                                                                                                                                                              

its perfectly legal! in ireland they dont allow you to use one more than 5 yrs old for racing.....but ive never seen any evidence to suggest that wearing an old one thats been looked after is not as safe as wearing a new one. In fact without putting them thru an xray machine theres no way to see internal damage. theres loads of guys painting helmets and it doesnt damage them these days in the old days painting a helmet made of polycarbonate was a no no, but they are fiberglass outer shells these days.   there is a guy called Dean bromley in brum somewhere you'll find him on fleabay and facebook who i would recommend.                                                                                                                                                                             

Not caught up with him for a few years now, but Jon at http://www.pitstop-paint.co.uk/ is a class act when it comes to air-brushing. Last I heard he was moving to Stornoway, but his website's still up and running it seems. If I was to recommend anyone, it'd be Jon                                                                                                                                                                             

personnel opinion never use a helmet older then 3 years old as they degrade and safety first                                                                                                                                                                             

Copied this from Arai support ... was told same for all lids when doing my DAS / CBT   Hope it clarify's thing for you looniebiker  
Perhaps the ultimate demonstration of a company's faith in its product is how strongly it is willing to warranty it.

For nine years, Arai was the only helmet company we know of that offered a warranty longer than one year. Arai's was, and is, a full 5-year warranty.

But even a helmet as good as an Arai won't last forever.

Like most major helmet manufacturers, Arai subscribes to the Snell Memorial Foundation benchmark of five years as the suggested usable lifespan of a motorcycle helmet. Why? Think of a helmet in terms of your body. No matter how good it may look, or how well you take care of it, age still takes its toll. Even with minimal use, a helmet is affected by things like the acids and oils in sweat, haircare products, pollution, exposure to UV rays, etc. At about the five-year mark, helmet interiors begin to show wear and/or deterioration, which should serve as an alert to its overall condition. The helmet's fit may begin to feel a little "loose", not as snug as it once did. This unseen aging and deterioration of the EPS liner and fiberglass shell can affect the helmet's ability to perform in an impact as it was originally designed. If a helmet suffers an impact and any doubt exists as to its further ability to protect, it should either be returned to the manufacturer for competent inspection or discarded and replaced.

These are the reasons to replace your helmet after five years. Of course, if your helmet becomes less than snug in fit, or damaged, it should be replaced before the five year mark. And when you do, you may want to remember that Arai was the first company willing to warranty its helmets for the full Snell-recommended usable lifespan.
                                                                                                                                                                             

Sound advice.                                                                                                                                                                             

I think your 18 year old helmet should make a nice hanging basket, rather that than you risking being a basket case.                                                                                                                                                                              

I seen a couple at my mates house as flower pots they stuck old indicators on bottom for feet lol looked good though