Arai says; drop helmet..still OK
 

Straight from the horses mouth....
US Director of Marketing for Arai has said that if you've dropped your helmet from something like handlebar height the HELMENT IS OK!!! I figure with the litigation/suing shiite that goes on in the states, that if they are willing to say it on TV... I'm willing to beleive it!
Bit of a relief, as I'd been quitely feeling bad about not replacing my Tour-X after it feel off the mirror after only having it for 4 weeks, thinking that it could be banjo'ed.. :(
Here's the vid.

Embeding is not working

here's the linkDropped my Helmet - ADVrider

I'm sure we've all done it. I dropped my Arai from handlebar height on the first week of an 8 month trip through Europe and the Middle East... sigh. As a motorcycle instructor, I'd tell my students to replace the helmet. As a rider on a tight budget, I'd inspect it for damage and try to not crash.

you can FEEL a sort of "quishiness"

drop tests
 

A number of years ago one of the UK bike magazines performed a series of tests in order to investigate whether or not you really do ave to replace after a drop.
They took a number of helmets (Arai I think) from the same production batch. Tested them with some hi-tech gizmos and then started dropping them from different heights onto concrete(Set and Hardened) before retesting them.
From what I recall (and i'm willing to corrected here) all helmets were still structurally sound up to and including those dropped from 5(five) meters.

Makes you think....!!!

SNELL Foundation
 

That info sounds about right.

I wouldnt worry too much after a minor drop. You can usually see, if there are any significant marks or cracks on the surface. If you drop it, while you´re not wearing it, I dont think there´s any real danger of the inner linings compressing, either.

Stickers?
 

Whats the collective opinion on sticking stickers on your helmet?

I was told that some stickers do something to the outer structure of a helmet and if you are in a crash some insurers might use it as an excuse not to pay out.

From my mountainbike days i've got this habit of ''personalizing'' all my helmets with stickers and it pains me to look at my bare tour-x looking as naked as a new born baby.

Just wondering.