Modern Vespa

I just bought a 20+ year old vespa helmet but the padding has deteriorated and all of the padding I look up are new with snap. Is there a place I can get it repaired or buy padding for older helmets. Or should I just go to a fabric store and buy thick foam and try to repair it myself. Thank you.

That's very amusing.

An overwhelming majority of us will tell you to just trash the helmet. It will not provide protection. Most helmets will last 5-6 years and then the foam starts to degrade and will not provide the protection the helmet was designed to provide. This of course assume you care about protecting you noggin' in the event that you end up hitting the pavement or something else.

I've never heard of anyone refurbishing their helmet. Florida does not have a helmet requirement so I'm not sure they care if you wear one that isn't DOT approved. If you're just looking to make it a fashion statement, have at it.

Best
Miguel

A helmet is just like underwear.

You can look at someone's helmet, you may gently touch it if the owner lets you. But please, please do not put someone's helmet on and don't smell it!
Oh, and don't you buy an used helmet unless the helmet was used only one day by a pretty young girl.

I am told that the foam inside a helmet degenerates with time, aggravated by natural hair oils.
Washing the inside of your helmet every six months or so with diluted hair shampoo will extend the effective life.

If you have a stale smell in a helmet (or change pillions often) liberally sprinkle with sodium bicarbonate and let it sit overnight, then rinse out with copious amounts of water.

Any helmet over six or seven years old should be strictly regarded as an objet d'art, and nothing more: age and materials deterioration have made it unfit for its principal function. Find a nice place to display it, and call it a day.

The most suitable new liner for that helmet is a bin liner

Yikes!

No. Just no.

It should have been a bird feeder a long time ago.

Put it on a shelf for 10 more years, untouched, and then see what you can get for it on "Antiques Roadshow".

make it a pot to grow some micro greens in and get a new helmet.

Welcome to Modern Vespa!

The lifespan of a helmet…any: bicycle, moto, rock climbing, etc…is 5 years or one significant impact (unless it's multi-impact rated, like a roller derby helmet). This is the industry standard, set by research and materials. After 5 years of use, the shell gets brittle; the density foam that crushes to protect your head degrades and starts to lose structural integrity. One aspect of the research involves the SNELL/DOT/etc crash rating. This is a big factor in that 5 year mark. This is also why there's no such thing as helmet repair.

At twenty years…I'm honestly surprised that helmet hasn't been disposed of. If it wasn't included at no extra charge with buying a used 20 year old scooter…I hate to say it, but you got taken advantage of.

If you need an inexpensive helmet, I recommend either Revzilla dot com or your local scooter/motorcycle dealer. If supply is still low, online is a good option.

How's the Vespa 50cc so far? Enjoying it?

Old padding turns your head to pudding.

I love it! That's when I saw a matching helmet, I though even better but I didn't know there was a expiration on helmets. I though I could just get another thicker padding insert. The helmet itself has no cracks and the white Styrofoam seems good it was just the padding around the ears and top area. That foam is gone.

Nice helmet. Wear it to your next Village People function or Mario Lanza tribute show as a prop (only).

A plastic showercap will keep the foam out of your hair.