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Video: Motorcyclist dies while protesting against helmet law

Simona@topspeed.com(Simona) — Tue, 5 Jul 2011 19:15:00 GMT

In an ironic twist of fate, Philip A. Contos, 55, has tragically died after being involved in a motorcycle accident while not wearing a helmet. The ironic part is that Contos was actually participating in a ride hosted by ABATE (American Bikers Aimed Towards Education) that protested the helmet law. During the ride, Contos lost control of his cycle and hit his head on the pavement. He was taken to a local hospital before being pronounced dead. Police said that if he was wearing a helmet, the incident wouldn’t have been fatal.

Every year around 50,000 people are injured in motorcycle collisions and accidents in the United States. The most deadly injuries are head and chest injuries. These staggering statistics may persuade some to want to wear a helmet, but others feel it should be the biker’s decision whether or not to wear protective gear. The law disagrees. Bottomline: It’s better to be safe than sorry.

What do you guys think? Is Big Brother trying to control our freedom of choice or are they just looking out for the general population? Hit us up in the comments section below.

Video: Motorcyclist dies while protesting against helmet law originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 5 July 2011 19:15 EST.

Safety ad: “Valuable Is You” by Shoei

Maxx Biker@topspeed.com(Maxx Biker) — Thu, 27 May 2010 11:16:00 GMT

Posted on 05.27.2010 11:16 by Maxx Biker
Filed under: | safety | motorcycle helmet | Motorcycles | Motorcycle News

They say that an image stands for 1000 words and that is good because for this bike safety initiative and commercial Shoei Motorcycle Helmets have two. The print ads are made in Brazil by the Rai Ad agency and are as suggestive as they could be.

Starting from the motto “Valuable Is You,” they have replaced the biker’s head with decorative items such as a clock and a vase. Imagine that your unprotected head is as breakable as that even in a slow speed crash.

Shoei knows their motorcycle helmets aren’t cheap, so they are sending a fair message to spend your money on the safety items that make the difference during a motorcycle crash.

Safety ad: “Valuable Is You” by Shoei originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 27 May 2010 11:16 EST.

Video: The future of motorcycle helmets courtesy of Reevu

Kirby@topspeed.com(Kirby) — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 16:00:00 GMT

When it comes to riding motorcycles, safety is always an issue of paramount importance. Unlike cars that have an enclosed body, motorcycles don’t have that luxury so, in the event that you crash - or spill out of control - well, let’s just say that you’re on your own.

Helmet maker, Reevu, may finally have the technology to give bikers the helmet of the future thanks to the development of the MSX1, a revolutionary helmet that comes with a rearview mirror. Similar to how a rearview mirror in the car works, the MSX1 has a mirror located right above a rider’s line of sight. It works as an adjustable tunnel mirror that has a little collapsed periscope on the back of the helmet that allows riders to see exactly what’s happening behind them.

It may not go in the way of completely preventing motorcycle accidents from occurring - that would take complete abstinence - but it does go a long way in improving road awareness among riders out there on the streets.

Check out WebBikeWorld’s review of the product after the jump.

Video: The future of motorcycle helmets courtesy of Reevu originally appeared on topspeed.com on Wednesday, 28 April 2010 16:00 EST.

2010 Marushin sexy Calendar & Catalog

Maxx Biker@topspeed.com(Maxx Biker) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 11:16:00 GMT

Posted on 02.25.2010 11:16 by Maxx Biker
Filed under: | sexy bikers | motorcycle helmet | Motorcycles | Motorcycle News

The Japanese helmet manufacturer Marushin has recently presented the 2010 edition of their calendar, which features Italian model Barbara Cipolloni in foreground.

Like in the case of the previous edition, the pictures are signed by Italian photographer Luca Bracali. The calendar is available on the Marushin website in PDF format.

The Italian division of the Japanese brand has also published the 2010 Marushin Catalog (also in PDF), which presents closely the entire collection of protection helmets composed of 16 models.

Marushin helmets stand out thanks to original graphics, but also for being declared safe by the British Sharp program.

2010 Marushin sexy Calendar & Catalog originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 25 February 2010 11:16 EST.

Rollersphere, the helmet you ride into

Maxx Biker@topspeed.com(Maxx Biker) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 13:46:00 GMT

Bulgarian designer Krasimir Emilov Aseno has come up with a different kind of helmet. His concept is supposed to comfortably accommodate the rider inside and be handled by joystick. Power will come from several electric motors fed both by an accumulator battery and by a solar energy system which collects outside power thanks to a folio of solar sensitive cells. Ingenious, huh?

The best part about this concept is that it doesn’t roll you over as it goes down the street, but has what the designer calls a “speed track system” consisting in many treads covered in elastic, flexible, and strong material in order to make movement possible. Also, driving-belts can be used.

The joystick handling system is a gyroscopic one that determines the vehicle to bend left or right depending on the direction indicated by the rider.

Needing to be strong and yet very light, the Rollersphere will be made out of materials such as carbon or titanium and it will even have shock absorbers as it is designed for huge jumps too. Sounds crazy to me!

Is this supposed to turn into the world’s safest ride if it’s ever made?

Rollersphere, the helmet you ride into originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 23 February 2010 13:46 EST.

ThermaHelm Cooling Helmet can turn out to be a live saver [w/video]

Maxx Biker@topspeed.com(Maxx Biker) — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 14:12:00 GMT

Brain swelling is the immediate effect of head injury and it is a proved fact that the stopping of this effect can make the difference between life and death because of the pressure that the brain has to subdue when it meets the skull. This is precisely what paramedics are trying to prevent when applying a cold pack on the head of accident victims. So hearing about ThermaHelm having created the Brain Cooling Helmet, we started digging deeper into this potential life saving idea, only to find that the prototype stage is now completed and it should see production.

ThermaHelm’s Cooling Helmet works by storing separately gel or water and ammonium nitrate in a slim plastic packet positioned in the lining. During a serious crash, tiny spikes pierce through the separate compartments, causing the ammonium nitrate to mix with the gel or water, triggering an endothermic reaction that cools the brain, dramatically reducing the effects of the crash. Furthermore, it features an LED indicator that warns premature activation, small cameras that are able to record those crucial 60 seconds before a motorcycle crash, integrated Bluetooth headphones and fog-free visors. In other words, it brings helmets into the 21st century.

Press release and video are attached after the jump.

ThermaHelm Cooling Helmet can turn out to be a live saver [w/video] originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 26 November 2009 14:12 EST.

Timea Majorova starring in Scorpion helmets commercial

Maxx Biker@topspeed.com(Maxx Biker) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 16:01:00 GMT

Ardenti Films have come up with a very nice commercial for Scorpion helmets starring gorgeous fitness model Timea Majorova and Jett Schaeffer. Enjoy the video!

Timea Majorova starring in Scorpion helmets commercial originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 22 October 2009 16:01 EST.

Arai taking orders for Haga Monza limited edition helmet

Maxx Biker@topspeed.com(Maxx Biker) — Thu, 21 May 2009 12:54:00 GMT

Arai has started to take orders for the barely released Haga Monza replica RX-7 GP helmets. A number of 200 units of the Drudi Performance design helmets will be made and they’re sure few, considering that Noriyuki Haga worn this model during the fifth round of the 2009 Superbike World championship earlier this month. Haga came in second in the first race, but bad luck struck in the second race when the pilot hit a bird and crashed shortly after.

Exceeding both ECE 22.05 and the upcoming Snell M2010 standards, Arai’s RX-7 GP is one of the safest helmets out there and the shell is made of structural net composite (SNC).

Arai taking orders for Haga Monza limited edition helmet originally appeared on topspeed.com on Thursday, 21 May 2009 12:54 EST.

Put your face instead of Rossi's on AGV helmet

Maxx Biker@topspeed.com(Maxx Biker) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 16:04:00 GMT

The fans of Valentino Rossi are offered the possibility to create their own Rossi-like custom helmets on an AGV mini site that the helmet producer has put together specifically for this purpose. They wager on the fact that riders simply won’t abstain themselves and buy the self customized helmets featuring graphics of the helmet worn by Rossi during the Mugello 2008 GP race. Apart from that, there are also the plain white, black and silver GP-Tech schemes in the case that riders feel more inspired.

Put your face instead of Rossi's on AGV helmet originally appeared on topspeed.com on Monday, 30 March 2009 16:04 EST.

Video: Icon Tyranny ad

Maxx Biker@topspeed.com(Maxx Biker) — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 15:47:00 GMT

Icon has recently presented their promotional video for the Alliance Tyranny helmet and we simply can’t help noticing how professionally it is made.

The underground style ad that looks like it required thousands of dollars for production only is mostly addressed to stunt riders and those who wish to stand out through a unique style and attitude. It’s the best one we’ve seen so far!

Video: Icon Tyranny ad originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 27 March 2009 15:47 EST.

Fur-covered helmets unveiled at the Paris Fashion Show

Maxx Biker@topspeed.com(Maxx Biker) — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 17:57:00 GMT

German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld has come up with some unique creations the past weekend at the Paris Fashion Show. This fully functional motorcycle fur helmet is mink-covered and actually part of the designer’s winter 2010 ready-to-wear collection.

"Now everyone is on scooters, even chic women, so we had to do the helmet," said Lagerfeld who is currently working for Chanel and Fendi.

The fur helmets are also fitted with an iPod connection so they follow the industry’s trend with great accuracy and yet in a unique way. I just wonder what people are going to thing when seeing these things in traffic.

Fur-covered helmets unveiled at the Paris Fashion Show originally appeared on topspeed.com on Tuesday, 10 March 2009 17:57 EST.

Lego Motorcycle Helmet

Maxx Biker@topspeed.com(Maxx Biker) — Fri, 6 Feb 2009 14:52:00 GMT

Posted on 02.6.2009 14:52 by Maxx Biker
Filed under: | funny | motorcycle helmet | Motorcycles | Motorcycle News

Artist designer Sebastian Errazuriz takes ordinary objects and transforms them into funny, unusual and sometimes inspiring works of art. Take this lego motorcycle helmet for example. With the simple replacement of the visor with an emoticon-like one and combining the striking red with glowing yellow, any normal person wearing the helmet instantly transforms into a lego biker. The leather jacket and jeans do help in this case, but the helmet is definitely the key.

Lego Motorcycle Helmet originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 6 February 2009 14:52 EST.