If I had paid £300 for a motorcycle helmet (only somebody with a £200-head economises here), I’d be reluctant to put it down on a tarmac forecourt, sopping in diesel and rainwater. Surprisingly that’s what often happens, when I’m enviously watching my two-wheeled counterparts fill their tanks.
Bikes these days often have narrow, dropped handlebars and razor thin seats, which can no longer accommodate a helmet when the rider has to go and pay (having been asked to remove it before entering the shop in order not to scare the counter staff). To preserve the beautiful multicoloured artwork or race replica stripes, the lid is set down on the underside: just right for collecting gravel, moisture etc on the soft edge of the liner/ straps and depositing it down the rider’s neck later.
Instead, I propose another product in the booming motorcycling aftermarket. A small steel plate is attached to the rear of the helmet near the neckline (using some of that thin, double sided adhesive foam). To this, a chemically resistant plastic ‘doughnut’ containing a magnet can be attached.
The doughnut can be ‘stuck’ on the plate in two positions. The first aligns it with the wake on the back of the helmet and reduces drag. The second causes a segment of the doughnut ring to lie beneath the neckline. This allows the helmet to be set down, stably, on any surface, whilst keeping the helmet substantially right-side up (in case helmet removal is unavoidable when it’s raining) and above the floor-level crud.
