Can you guys tell me what I need to be looking for in a helmet for a 6 yr. old......other than meeting DOT????????

 

Other than DOT, you want a snug fit and I would suggest at least a 3/4 shell (Covers the ears). By snug fit I mean that if your child has the helmet on and you twist the helmet your childs head has to move with it. If you get one with a chin bar on it, I would suggest one that is molded as part of the helmet, not one that is attacthed to the shell.

Good luck.

Marc

 

Understand that DOT is the MINIMUM requirements for helmet safety. I was recently concussed from what I was told (because I still don't remember anything about the day it happened) was not a hard hit. Looking into it a bit I found that DOT-only will transfer allot more of the impact to your head. Snell certified is the way to go. If you can find Snell M2005 as that is the latest standard.

Test the helmet you are looking at too. Press your finger into the foam on the inside. If past the liner there is no give, that helmet will pass allot of the G-forces through to your head. If there is some give in the liner, not the padding, but the internal liner, then there is much better impact absorbtion and distribution in the helmet.

Here is an interesting, albeit long, article about helmet construction and standards. It's geared toward the street riders, but still applies.

 

Definitely get a full face helmet, a friend of our's daughter recently needed 14 stitches on her chin that would have been completely prevented if she hadn't been wearing an open-face. Also, be sure to buy a dedicated children's helmet as they are much lighter and easier on a child's neck. We bought a Fox Tracer Jr for our 5 year old, it's great but we haven't been able to find googles that work perfect with it yet so that's something to consider as well.

 

Thanks to everyone for their help. I hate to sound like a dumb@$$ about this stuff but I'm new to the gas powered stuff!! I am also looking to buy the helmet online....is that not a good idea? I can't really tell the quality that way but I don't have a lot of shopping choices in my area for helmets. I have looked at the Thor. That has a pretty good rep, doesn't it? I was also just told by a rep at High RPM Racer that I definitely did not want a Meerkat 50 for my 6 yr. old. I'm going to consult with Raceway and see what their opinion is. Is the distance between the wheels on the Meerkat not wide enough?????

 

I would not recommend buying a helmet online. The fit of the helmet is just as important as the safety rating and there is really no way to check that online. Different manufacturers will fit different for the sizes, so you really have to try them on...

 

random the 50 i think is to small my four year old he is not big by any means and when he sat on the 50 with winter boats on his feet would not fit between the fenders as for helmets there is nothing wrong with on-line you can find some great deals on last year model helmets but each brand sizes them in there own way so find a helmet then try to find the ame brand at a dealer for sizing

 

red123, thanks...I just purchased the XL 90 from Raceway. (see my other posting for "need info on Meerkat...") I also ordered a Thor helmet. I measured his head and Thor seems to have a pretty good reputation so I'll see what I get. If it isn't satisfactory, I'll resell it on eBay. The guy at Raceway said it meets DOT and SNELL standards so hopefully all I have to worry about is fit. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-blush.gif[/img])

 

Not sure about THOR helmets but in my Simpson helmet there is a SNELL sticker inside under the foam that tells what year SNELL rating it has. SNELL also has a website that talks about what their ratings are for and what the cover, http://www.smf.org/stds.html, but a SNELL rated helmet is the best way to go. Like my dad always said "if you have a $10 head buy a $10 helmet" so usually you get what you pay for. Also THOR is one of the better ones right now and most of them are SNELL rated, so good job.