Will a dark helmet cook my noodle?

[99rtRon]

I am about to replace my 5 year old Arai Quantum with an Arai RX Q. I have always worn white helmets but they make a really cool dark blue? Arai says no difference in the inside temp but I thought I would check with the experts!

 

Sorry if this is a worn out topic because I didnt check. Ron

 

 

[donbmw]

I remember seeing a article about this many years ago. They showed not difference in the inside temp between and black helmet or a white helme because of the foam in them.

 

Don

[ltljohn]

When I lived in Florida I wore a black full face everywhere and never cooked my noodle.

[SageRider]

What's your noodle doing in your helmet??? :eek:

[tallman]

Since you don't see the helmet when it is on your head, why not stick with the safety addition provided by a white helmet?

[Shaman97]

Since you don't see the helmet when it is on your head, why not stick with the safety addition provided by a white helmet?

 

+1

[Danny caddyshack Noonan]

No. It takes an amazing amount of time for heat to get through styrofoam.

The real question is, if you hold a raw egg in your mouth and then go riding will it cook?

 

 

[essman]

No--it won't

[elkroeger]

Looks like you've got your answer... I think of it this way - you're basically wearing a big beer cooler on your head. :-)

[CarrotNC]

Putting all science and data aside, if you at some gut level think the darker helmet will be hotter -- then your body may help you out by acting like it IS hotter. Weird stuff, but the mind is a powerful thing.

[woodscrew]

I'm with Tallman- go with white for hi vis. I gave up on style a long time ago.

Woodscrew

[RodB]

No. It takes an amazing amount of time for heat to get through styrofoam.

The real question is, if you hold a raw egg in your mouth and then go riding will it cook?

 

This question brings up a few more questions, among others:

 

- Why would someone want to hold an egg in their mouth long enough to cook?

- What temperature is actually required to cook an egg?

- If the egg actually would cook in someones mouth, would it mean that person's head would be hot enough that he/she would not survive?

- If so, what would somebody do with a cooked egg coming from somebody's lifeless mouth?

- Would it not be easier to cook an egg while riding by putting it at some strategic hot area on the engine?

- Would it not be easier still to cook the egg at home or even buy one from a jar as seen on many convenience store counters?

- Would my time have been better spent doing something else besides thinking and typing up these questions?

- Would your time have been better spent doing something else besides reading these questions?

 

 

 

 

[Redbrick]

Slight aside that you might be interested in.....I just bought an RX2 at the MOA to replace my Quantum 2 that is about 5 years old, and rode home to So Cal with it........I really liked the Quantum, fit and comfort and the RX2 feels just as good...Very happy with it and noticably better vented....Arai says they slightly changed the interior shape and I didn't know if the RX would fit as well but it did with the same size thinner cheek pads that I had on the Quantum.... ...Color: Spencer Blue (I like graphics)......

 

[Danny caddyshack Noonan]

Would my time have been better spent doing something else besides thinking and typing up these questions?

 

No.....I was at work.

 

We have to sit down and have a beer sometime.

[99rtRon]

Man, How did we go from the inside temps of helmets to cooking eggs in people's mouths in less than 13 posts?

 

Maybe I should start a new oil thread: Which engine oil has the best antiwear components but will also boil eggs with the least amount of aftertaste??

 

Haha. Thanks for all the replies guys. Ron

[Matts_12GS]

Man, How did we go from the inside temps of helmets to cooking eggs in people's mouths in less than 13 posts?

 

Maybe I should start a new oil thread: Which engine oil has the best antiwear components but will also boil eggs with the least amount of aftertaste??

 

Haha. Thanks for all the replies guys. Ron

 

Virgin or Extra Virgin?

[tallman]

You know an extra virgin?

[g_frey]

When you are crossing the desert in July --- think light colors. No objective data though. Remember even beer coolers end up the same temperature (or greater) than the air outside. Would someone buy two coolers and paint one flat black for a comparison?

[Danny caddyshack Noonan]

When you are crossing the desert in July --- think light colors. No objective data though. Remember even beer coolers end up the same temperature (or greater) than the air outside. Would someone buy two coolers and paint one flat black for a comparison?

 

Interesting point. However, heat flows away from hot to cold. With a helmet, there is a heat source inside and out. The styrofoam actually keeps more heat in than allows heat to soak through from the outside. Although it is a fact that gloss white reflects much solar radiation, the difference in how much heat flux results from a dark helmet is likely not all that much.

 

Instrumentation would likely be required to notice a difference.

[Jim Miller]

The black helmet would be hotter on the surface than a lighter color - for certain. I had an Arai Quantum f in black pearl about 10 years ago and it was noticeably warmer than all of my white ones since.

 

Not quite the same thing...but a few years ago, MCN tested vented riding jackets from First Gear to determine if color had any effect on temperature. They laid out red, blue, silver and black jackets on a blacktop parking lot with digital thermometer leads attached. After two hours exposure to direct sunlight, the silver jacket was 13ºF cooler on the surface than the black one. The red and blue jackets were somewhere in between.

[tomk99r11]

Used to run a cannery in SD a few yrs ago where temps got very high. A/C was out of the question but we installed additional ventilation and replace the roof with a white material. The temp inside the plant was 8-10 degrees cooler with the white roof, given same outdoor temps as before. That was with the new ventilation system off. The previous roof was traditional black tar type. Color may not make much if any difference in a helmet but one has to wonder if it might make a little difference lighter color vs dark.

[effexer1]

I have one of each, and I'll put both out in the sun, on the grass, hard side up, wait half an hour, then measure the temperature of the inside lining with my infrared thermometer.

 

But I won't be putting my noodle in either one, that would be just weird...

 

[Albert]

I have one of each, and I'll put both out in the sun, on the grass, hard side up, wait half an hour, then measure the temperature of the inside lining with my infrared thermometer.

 

But I won't be putting my noodle in either one, that would be just weird...

 

"Half an hour"? That's about a whole day of sunshine up in NB isn't it?

[David in Tennessee]

We ALL know that it's better to look good than it is to feel good

[LeftCoastMan]

Best thread ever for entertainment. I spit up at least three mouthfuls of coffee.

[fatboyjim]

This question brings up a few more questions, among others:

 

- Why would someone want to hold an egg in their mouth long enough to cook?

Pratice for future porn film?

 

- What temperature is actually required to cook an egg?

Dunno, good question though.

 

- If the egg actually would cook in someones mouth, would it mean that person's head would be hot enough that he/she would not survive?

I'd hazard a guess at yes.

 

- If so, what would somebody do with a cooked egg coming from somebody's lifeless mouth?

First responding makes you hungry sometimes.

 

- Would it not be easier to cook an egg while riding by putting it at some strategic hot area on the engine?

No It'll get flies stuck in it.

 

- Would it not be easier still to cook the egg at home or even buy one from a jar as seen on many convenience store counters?

I agree, much better to eat at home in comfort and I've always believed in starting the day with an egg. Those pickled counter eggs are the devils testicals and should be avoided like the plague. Consult an expert on 'plague avoidance'

 

- Would my time have been better spent doing something else besides thinking and typing up these questions?

I've been thinking the same while typing all of this.

 

- Would your time have been better spent doing something else besides reading these questions?

See above reply

 

Jim

[Selden]

I remember seeing a article about this many years ago. They showed not difference in the inside temp between and black helmet or a white helme because of the foam in them.

I swear I noticed a significant difference when I switched from a black to a white helmet. That was the last black helmet I will ever buy.

[effexer1]

I have one of each, and I'll put both out in the sun, on the grass, hard side up, wait half an hour, then measure the temperature of the inside lining with my infrared thermometer.

 

But I won't be putting my noodle in either one, that would be just weird...

 

"Half an hour"? That's about a whole day of sunshine up in NB isn't it?

 

I'd take even half an hour of sunshine right now! It's been raining and or foggy all week :-( Mowed my lawn in the drizzle tonight, just in case the sun shines on the weekend. I'd hate to waste a sunny half hour on the lawn... lol

[Paul Mihalka]

I have one of each, and I'll put both out in the sun, on the grass, hard side up, wait half an hour, then measure the temperature of the inside lining with my infrared thermometer.

 

But I won't be putting my noodle in either one, that would be just weird...

 

"Half an hour"? That's about a whole day of sunshine up in NB isn't it?

 

 

I'd take even half an hour of sunshine right now! It's been raining and or foggy all week :-( Mowed my lawn in the drizzle tonight, just in case the sun shines on the weekend. I'd hate to waste a sunny half hour on the lawn... lol

You mean this weekend you might have your summer? - Think positive, with all that rain and fog you must have a nice lawn!