South West Bikers | Motorcycle Forum

Had a white Shark vision-r helmet. When cleaning after a ride I noticed about 4 very, very fine hair line cracks.

Didn't think I would have much joy with Shark as the lid was about 3 years old.It had a 5 year guarantee but I assumed they would just say it must have been dropped ( it hadn't).

Billinom8s said I should send it back, if nothing else to find out why it failed.

Well, Shark have said the lacquer failed and have replaced the lid with the latest mk2 version. Can't be fairer than that.

Couple of things though;
Firstly, they haven't stated why it failed
Secondly, if it wasn't a white helmet I'm not sure it would have been noticed.

Do people know if the lacquer is an important part of it's strength or is it just cosmetic.

Finally, thanks Simon

not a problem Tom

not sure if the lacquer has anything to do with the UV protection.

Good people, Shark

I have a cheap helmet which did the same after a sunny day. Forgot I left it in the car. I'm pretty sure it is just the coating for looks put on to the blanks but I still replaced it.

The laquer on a lid should be the same as for your bikes paint job. Its a sealing layer to tie in any graphics/ paint work and give the lid a nice shiny finish. Fine hairline cracks in the laquer are just a cosmetic defect, but if its hairline cracks in the helmet construction Thats a serious safety issue.