Helmet Security

I simply use the trunk on my Ural. It locks up as well, but I have to make sure I don't have so much junk in it that it won't hold two helmets (second is a spare for anytime I have a human passenger). You could try stuffing your helmet a bit further into the nose of the hack so it is pretty well out of sight. A helmet lock is probably just as easy to use, but I have never used one, myself.

I asked a similar question when I was new to motorcycles. The old farts basically replied that no one wants someone elses smelly old helmet that has no telling what critters inside it. However, I lost one once, and I think the old farts may have been wrong. It was funny, as it wasn't a high dollar helmet at all. It gave me an excuse to have something else on either my Father's Day or birthday wish lists for the kiddos to get for me.
Huey

My bride keeps hers in the toe space of the hack under the tonneau.
If I'm in a helmet State I do the same for short term and in a saaddlebag, the locked trunk or the motel room for overnight.

Lonnie

PS: I used to leave them hanging by the strap from the handlebar but once a new Bell Magnum was gone and once the helmet was full of runoff water from a roof without gutters (a nice Canadian bartender dried it for me in their popcorn machine).

L.

If i'm just making a quick stop at Mickey D's, or a store i just put it on my seat. been doing that for 40 years now with no problems.
for longer shopping stops in stores, then we put them in the nose of the SC. no cover unless its raining!

Well friends,
you all seem to live in lovely harmless area.
Like in my village, here I leave the helmet on top of the tank and I often even leave the key stuck when I step into a shop. When it rains it goes under the s/c cover.
(but for many years I am tempted to make a tank sticker saying: "Don't even try of what you are thinking: You will have an accident within the first 500 meter.)

But downtown I have to take all stuff with me into the clients office.
And there I had several bad awakenings each time I forgot to open the steering lock. I never got costumed to that bugger.

(on my Service truck people would believe it easily if I put that sticker, because of the mini PLC that has connected: number code, Diesel lock, door shutter (mainly for the tools cabin) high voltage generator (like for cattle) and solenoid valve for the pepper spray) My tools are more worth then the van and I make my living on them. One toolbox theft once took me 5 years to get the collection complete again. ...That is it! Today I was asking myself where my Nortons sidebox went (the one with the sticker: "Don't take life so seriously, its just temporary!") That was the box of that theft, possibly over 25kg of highly specialized tools.)

As you see it depends on how safe is your area where you live/drive. I don't even know how often I left the keys in the car, bike or house stuck, several times even over vacations. (1 1/2 Week Spain / 1 week Panama) And nothing happens, but the well secured things in normally safe areas got suddenly feet.... like my tool box inside the trucks cabin and me observing it through the window continuously.

The helmet locks I never liked because of the rain. So I would prefer always a sidebox or the s/c trunk for to take care of the helmet.

Now I remember the only helmet theft I ever heard of happened to my brother in an industrial town in North Germany. It was one of the first Kevlar helmets that came out on the market back in 1982. That thing was incredibly light weight, but flexible like a willow box.

Make it up with yourself, I feel like as more safety preventions somebody makes as more bad luck he gets with the long fingers.

Like...Kopenhagen downtown,1984: I left all camping gear Helmets and so on on the bike. 2 hours later the BMW beside my CB650 Honda was standing on bricks ...front and back...

Enjoy every moment, let others worry.
Sven Peter

Like Sven says, it all depends on your environment. I live at 5000 feet elevation. The winters can be challenging. Because of this the locals seem to be a little more respectful and the transients stand out like a sore thumb. Around town, I just set the helmet on the diagonal brace between the saddle bag and the sidecar. It can't roll of the seat if the bike gets jostled. But if I drop down to the flatlands, the helmet and any thing else go in the sidecar. I used to live in Oakland. If it wasn't nailed down, it was gone by morning, no matter how worthless. Check and see if your home owners insurance will cover helmet theft. They need to be replaced every few years any way.

I clip my chin strap around the right end of the handle bar and then use a long hasp bicycle lock from Wal Mart through the "D" rings and around the bar or brake cable. Make sure you remove it prior to unlocking or moving the bars or you can damage your fuel tank. Ride safe, Dick

My helmets go in the trunk along with anything else that will fit. Anything that doesn't fit goes with me. I use Dowco helmet bags that will accommodate the helmet, gloves, rain suit or other gear and just carry it with me. Helmets are too expensive to lose just because I don't want to haul them around. People in my general area seem to know better than to be messing with other people's bikes so they stay at respectful distances but there's always one person who will just have to get touchy-feely if they think they can get away with it.

Oddly enough I live in one of the poorer parts of town. In north Dallas (Texas) the yuppie larvae tend to be less respectful of property.

Ya know several years ago I was with my GF (at the time) at a big mall in Dallas. Noticed they had some FINE leather jackets and such on display. Thru the sleeve of each jacket they're ran a security cable.

Wall-laa...went to Home Depot and bought some 6' of plastic coated 1/4" cable. Then put a loop in end using some hardware they have there. Now when stop somewhere I pull the cable out run it thru the sleeve of my jacket, D ring on my helmet and buckle of my chaps and lay them on my seat. Run one loop thru the other and secure that loop with a helmet lock on the down tube of my Harley. Only one time have I come out and found my stuff on he ground. Guess it was kinda like a pit bull running out to the end of his chain.

o~o

"anybody can become an American, you have to be born a TEXAN"

Hey, that's how I feel about being an American, too, but especially, about being a Virginian! You can't just move here, you have to have Virginia in your blood!

Oh yeah! Helmet security - use helmet locks. They come on Goldwings. 🙂

Connie

I think the best place for a helmet, jacket etc is either in a saddelbag, trunk or in the sidecar covered up. Two things that we have seen come to mind..one was a helmet strap secured to a handle bar with a cable but no more helmet. The other , kinda off topic, was when we saw what appeared to be a sportster front wheel chained to lamp post outside a bike show but no more sportster...oh well.
Claude

I just put the helmets in the sidecar and button the tonneau cover up. never had any problems, I've had the rig four years.

My pick up truck has a soft tonneau, no one has ever tried to unsnap it or take anything in the 18 years I've had it.

Dave

As Claude mentions its just the opposite case of the Beemer in Kopenhagen parked on bricks....where my helmets, jackets and camping gear right beside it was not interesting to the long finger.
Sven

Did see one helmet that had a hole cut in it that allowed it to be put over the handgrip...kind of a helmet law protest thing but it was effective.

I use the same thing, run the cable thru the open face aream(full face helmet), use a combinztion lock.

Originally written by Texan on 7/6/2008 4:35 PM

Ya know several years ago I was with my GF (at the time) at a big mall in Dallas. Noticed they had some FINE leather jackets and such on display. Thru the sleeve of each jacket they're ran a security cable. Wall-laa...went to Home Depot and bought some 6' of plastic coated 1/4" cable. Then put a loop in end using some hardware they have there. Now when stop somewhere I pull the cable out run it thru the sleeve of my jacket, D ring on my helmet and buckle of my chaps and lay them on my seat. Run one loop thru the other and secure that loop with a helmet lock on the down tube of my Harley. Only one time have I come out and found my stuff on he ground. Guess it was kinda like a pit bull running out to the end of his chain. o~o