AC50

OnRails
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OnRails
Edited Date/Time 11/12/2014 6:29pm
So does anyone have the inside scoop on why he is wearing a Bell Moto 9? I look at his teammates and they are still wearing those junky Thor helmets. What's the deal? I thought lites riders don't get to pick their kits.

Here is some pics for those of you that haven't seen:









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Agfracing
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Agfracing 11/11/2014 1:14pm
11/11/2014 1:14pm
I have no idea. But when it comes to my head I wear the best helmet i can find. If i destroy a $500+ helmet I'm not even gonna be pissed because it did its job. If he's like me, then maybe thats it, didn't like the helmets and its for his safety.
ML512
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ML512 11/11/2014 1:16pm
11/11/2014 1:16pm
I asked someone high up at Bell, and even they weren't too sure about it...
OnRails
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OnRails 11/11/2014 1:16pm
11/11/2014 1:16pm
Agfracing wrote:
I have no idea. But when it comes to my head I wear the best helmet i can find. If i destroy a $500+ helmet I'm...
I have no idea. But when it comes to my head I wear the best helmet i can find. If i destroy a $500+ helmet I'm not even gonna be pissed because it did its job. If he's like me, then maybe thats it, didn't like the helmets and its for his safety.
Yes, I agree. But some of the teams don't have a choice and get stuck with crappy equipment. I know AC was a Bell rider in ams but why the switch now?
IWreckALot
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IWreckALot 11/11/2014 1:27pm
11/11/2014 1:27pm
I wouldn't be surprised to hear that AC had a little more negotiation power. Just speculation on my part.

Does the brand of helmet signify the protection quality? It was my understanding that they all went through the same DOT and SNELL tests and it's pass or fail. I thought you just paid more for better ventilation and more comfortable fit. . .

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OnRails
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OnRails 11/11/2014 1:31pm
11/11/2014 1:31pm Edited Date/Time 11/11/2014 1:37pm
IWreckALot wrote:
I wouldn't be surprised to hear that AC had a little more negotiation power. Just speculation on my part. Does the brand of helmet signify the...
I wouldn't be surprised to hear that AC had a little more negotiation power. Just speculation on my part.

Does the brand of helmet signify the protection quality? It was my understanding that they all went through the same DOT and SNELL tests and it's pass or fail. I thought you just paid more for better ventilation and more comfortable fit. . .
They go through the same testing but the helmets score differently. I can almost guarantee a $350 Thor helmet is not nearly as good as a $500+ brand like Fox, Bell, Arai, 6D, Shoei, etc.

But I'm not talking about safety, I just want to know how this deal came around and why.
davistld01
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davistld01 11/11/2014 1:38pm
11/11/2014 1:38pm
AC might have the same deal as Hahn did his last year at Geico...he was running a Shoei helmet, and the rest of the team was running the 6D lid. Of course, Tomac got whatever he wanted and got his own Alpinestar gear deal & kept the 6D sponsorship. Adam is probably the most hyped and most visible rider on the PC team...so he might have a lot more negotiating power than the other guys.
IWreckALot
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IWreckALot 11/11/2014 1:48pm
11/11/2014 1:48pm
IWreckALot wrote:
I wouldn't be surprised to hear that AC had a little more negotiation power. Just speculation on my part. Does the brand of helmet signify the...
I wouldn't be surprised to hear that AC had a little more negotiation power. Just speculation on my part.

Does the brand of helmet signify the protection quality? It was my understanding that they all went through the same DOT and SNELL tests and it's pass or fail. I thought you just paid more for better ventilation and more comfortable fit. . .
OnRails wrote:
They go through the same testing but the helmets score differently. I can almost guarantee a $350 Thor helmet is not nearly as good as a...
They go through the same testing but the helmets score differently. I can almost guarantee a $350 Thor helmet is not nearly as good as a $500+ brand like Fox, Bell, Arai, 6D, Shoei, etc.

But I'm not talking about safety, I just want to know how this deal came around and why.
Good information. I didn't realize they scored the helmets but it makes sense.
berno929
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berno929 11/11/2014 1:51pm
11/11/2014 1:51pm
davistld01 wrote:
AC might have the same deal as Hahn did his last year at Geico...he was running a Shoei helmet, and the rest of the team was...
AC might have the same deal as Hahn did his last year at Geico...he was running a Shoei helmet, and the rest of the team was running the 6D lid. Of course, Tomac got whatever he wanted and got his own Alpinestar gear deal & kept the 6D sponsorship. Adam is probably the most hyped and most visible rider on the PC team...so he might have a lot more negotiating power than the other guys.
Hahn was 450 so he could do whatever he wanted gear wise.... just like Tomac...


Maybe AC is secretly wearing Bell during the week for safety but wears Thor when the spotlight is on him...
Agfracing
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Agfracing 11/11/2014 1:51pm
11/11/2014 1:51pm
IWreckALot wrote:
I wouldn't be surprised to hear that AC had a little more negotiation power. Just speculation on my part. Does the brand of helmet signify the...
I wouldn't be surprised to hear that AC had a little more negotiation power. Just speculation on my part.

Does the brand of helmet signify the protection quality? It was my understanding that they all went through the same DOT and SNELL tests and it's pass or fail. I thought you just paid more for better ventilation and more comfortable fit. . .
OnRails wrote:
They go through the same testing but the helmets score differently. I can almost guarantee a $350 Thor helmet is not nearly as good as a...
They go through the same testing but the helmets score differently. I can almost guarantee a $350 Thor helmet is not nearly as good as a $500+ brand like Fox, Bell, Arai, 6D, Shoei, etc.

But I'm not talking about safety, I just want to know how this deal came around and why.
AFX has a helmet that is DOT and Snell and retails at $80.. I was playing with one that a buddy won and you can literally take the front part of the helmet and push the sides together. My kali and my FLY carbon helmet are way more solid. Also, look at the construction of a kali helmet.

One more thing, Snell/DOT are just the minimum for safety. As with anything. theres more and less safe. That AFX helmet i mentioned will be fine for a kid on a pw50 but when I'm seat bouncing over triples I'm not gonna have that thing on my head lol.
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Brent 11/11/2014 1:55pm
11/11/2014 1:55pm Edited Date/Time 11/11/2014 1:56pm
berno929 wrote:
Hahn was 450 so he could do whatever he wanted gear wise.... just like Tomac... Maybe AC is secretly wearing Bell during the week for safety...
Hahn was 450 so he could do whatever he wanted gear wise.... just like Tomac...


Maybe AC is secretly wearing Bell during the week for safety but wears Thor when the spotlight is on him...
This is the most likely scenario, but are any of the traditional helmets that much different from one another?

Aside from the MIPS, 6D and Kali Designs products, they all seem to be the same thing.

Maybe its a comfort issue?
Kennyfinpowers 11/11/2014 2:01pm
11/11/2014 2:01pm
I heard years ago that PC riders didnt have to wear the Thor gear but they lost a certain amount of the bonus pay or something to that extent. Im pretty sure when RC was riding for them he wore a different brand than the rest of the team. I could be wrong though.
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hvaughn88 11/11/2014 2:02pm
11/11/2014 2:02pm
IWreckALot wrote:
I wouldn't be surprised to hear that AC had a little more negotiation power. Just speculation on my part. Does the brand of helmet signify the...
I wouldn't be surprised to hear that AC had a little more negotiation power. Just speculation on my part.

Does the brand of helmet signify the protection quality? It was my understanding that they all went through the same DOT and SNELL tests and it's pass or fail. I thought you just paid more for better ventilation and more comfortable fit. . .
OnRails wrote:
They go through the same testing but the helmets score differently. I can almost guarantee a $350 Thor helmet is not nearly as good as a...
They go through the same testing but the helmets score differently. I can almost guarantee a $350 Thor helmet is not nearly as good as a $500+ brand like Fox, Bell, Arai, 6D, Shoei, etc.

But I'm not talking about safety, I just want to know how this deal came around and why.
Agfracing wrote:
AFX has a helmet that is DOT and Snell and retails at $80.. I was playing with one that a buddy won and you can literally...
AFX has a helmet that is DOT and Snell and retails at $80.. I was playing with one that a buddy won and you can literally take the front part of the helmet and push the sides together. My kali and my FLY carbon helmet are way more solid. Also, look at the construction of a kali helmet.

One more thing, Snell/DOT are just the minimum for safety. As with anything. theres more and less safe. That AFX helmet i mentioned will be fine for a kid on a pw50 but when I'm seat bouncing over triples I'm not gonna have that thing on my head lol.
aaaand this is where the same played out helmet arguments begin to come to the surface.
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MxKing809 11/11/2014 2:02pm
11/11/2014 2:02pm
Maybe Mitch is starting to allow more freedom for his riders, and making it a more desirable place to ride. He's not the 'place to be' anymore........
ButteryWaffles 11/11/2014 2:02pm
11/11/2014 2:02pm
Because that helmet looks better than any gear on the PC team. They look like private school kids on the line with their same black and green dress code.
hvaughn88
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hvaughn88 11/11/2014 2:03pm
11/11/2014 2:03pm
ButteryWaffles wrote:
Because that helmet looks better than any gear on the PC team. They look like private school kids on the line with their same black and...
Because that helmet looks better than any gear on the PC team. They look like private school kids on the line with their same black and green dress code.
haha, I went to private school. It sucked.
#991
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#991 11/11/2014 2:12pm
11/11/2014 2:12pm Edited Date/Time 4/3/2015 3:49am
ButteryWaffles wrote:
Because that helmet looks better than any gear on the PC team. They look like private school kids on the line with their same black and...
Because that helmet looks better than any gear on the PC team. They look like private school kids on the line with their same black and green dress code.
hvaughn88 wrote:
haha, I went to private school. It sucked.
...
TripleFive 11/11/2014 2:12pm
11/11/2014 2:12pm
Mandating a helmet could also expose the team a certain amount of liability.

For example, the NFL no longer allows alternate helmets. This is because some players are currently wearing helmets that are no longer available. Forcing the players to switch helmets simply for aesthetic purposes could create legal troubles for the team/league down the road in light of the current concussion crisis.
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hvaughn88 11/11/2014 2:18pm
11/11/2014 2:18pm Edited Date/Time 11/11/2014 2:19pm
ButteryWaffles wrote:
Because that helmet looks better than any gear on the PC team. They look like private school kids on the line with their same black and...
Because that helmet looks better than any gear on the PC team. They look like private school kids on the line with their same black and green dress code.
hvaughn88 wrote:
haha, I went to private school. It sucked.
#991 wrote:
...
whoa, shots fired!! But do you herd sheep, cattle, kangaroos? You didn't clarify.

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GD2 11/11/2014 2:28pm
11/11/2014 2:28pm
berno929 wrote:
Hahn was 450 so he could do whatever he wanted gear wise.... just like Tomac... Maybe AC is secretly wearing Bell during the week for safety...
Hahn was 450 so he could do whatever he wanted gear wise.... just like Tomac...


Maybe AC is secretly wearing Bell during the week for safety but wears Thor when the spotlight is on him...
From what I've heard Hahn has limited freedom with his gear last year. He could sign his own goggle and helmet deal, but had to run Alias gear & A-Star boots.
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mxjon454 11/11/2014 2:32pm
11/11/2014 2:32pm
That is weird. I had heard before that when RC went back to PC for outdoors in '99 and wore fox that things weren't too great with Mitch for the first couple rounds since he wasn't wearing Thor. But then again it remember that brayton wore a one helmet at the first SX round in 2013 and then switched back to bell after that and the rockstar husky team switched from one helmets to airoh which I'm sure didn't sit too well with one industries. But the Thor helmets seem to be better quality than the one helmets
Moto75
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Moto75 11/11/2014 4:53pm
11/11/2014 4:53pm
IWreckALot wrote:
I wouldn't be surprised to hear that AC had a little more negotiation power. Just speculation on my part. Does the brand of helmet signify the...
I wouldn't be surprised to hear that AC had a little more negotiation power. Just speculation on my part.

Does the brand of helmet signify the protection quality? It was my understanding that they all went through the same DOT and SNELL tests and it's pass or fail. I thought you just paid more for better ventilation and more comfortable fit. . .
A Smartcar & F350 both pass minimum safety requirements, so they must be equally safe to ride in, right?

J/K... Sorry man, couldn't resist.

There's a big difference in quality of construction, especially with the top helmets.
Grizz
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Grizz 11/11/2014 5:47pm
11/11/2014 5:47pm
Riding a 250 or 450 doesn't make a difference on what you can or can't wear, it's your sponsors that dictate those decisions.

I'm also very interested to know why he's wearing the Bell and not the Thor.
#991
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#991 11/11/2014 5:52pm
11/11/2014 5:52pm Edited Date/Time 4/3/2015 3:49am
...
O___o
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O___o 11/11/2014 6:06pm
11/11/2014 6:06pm Edited Date/Time 11/11/2014 6:06pm
There was another ginger who broke mitch's helmet contract to wear a bell.
#991
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#991 11/11/2014 6:40pm
11/11/2014 6:40pm Edited Date/Time 4/3/2015 3:49am
O___o wrote:
There was another ginger who broke mitch's helmet contract to wear a bell.
...
Benchracer101 11/11/2014 8:13pm
11/11/2014 8:13pm
O___o wrote:
There was another ginger who broke mitch's helmet contract to wear a bell.
#991 wrote:
...
Other than maybe the bell helmet thing I see no similarities..... Pretty sure RV started winning titles right away. Also didn't get injured before his 2nd outdoor season. Don't think RV was as successful indoors as AC right away.

Not sure in what manner you are seeing history repeat itself?
#991
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#991 11/11/2014 9:17pm
11/11/2014 9:17pm Edited Date/Time 4/3/2015 3:50am
O___o wrote:
There was another ginger who broke mitch's helmet contract to wear a bell.
#991 wrote:
...
Benchracer101 wrote:
Other than maybe the bell helmet thing I see no similarities..... Pretty sure RV started winning titles right away. Also didn't get injured before his 2nd...
Other than maybe the bell helmet thing I see no similarities..... Pretty sure RV started winning titles right away. Also didn't get injured before his 2nd outdoor season. Don't think RV was as successful indoors as AC right away.

Not sure in what manner you are seeing history repeat itself?
...
haydos25
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haydos25 11/11/2014 11:48pm
11/11/2014 11:48pm
I vaguely remember Broc Hepler running an Arai with HJC stickers on it in his latter years after a few concussions also.

Personally if i was going to break a contract and wear a different helmet it would have to be 6D, those things seem to be the best on the market at the moment from all reports.

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