If you want to secure your helmet on your motorcycle and help animal rescue efforts after the bushfires, buy a Helmet Hook for your bike.
For every $19.95 Helmet Hook bought, about $7.45 will be donated to animal rescue.
Australian importer Bill Murphy says his American supplier is a “huge animal lover” who was “devastated by the images he was seeing on the TV over there”.
“We were talking about doing this in early January while the fires were at their worst but I had no stock of Helmet Hooks at that stage due to a shipping error from the Chinese end, so we’re doing it now.”
However, Bill will backdate the donations to when his stock arrived until the end of March.
Furthermore, the USA supplier will donate $US3 (about $A4.45).
“We’ll tally it all up and make the donation in one transaction, rather than small amounts along the way,” says Bill.
“We’ll publicly post up proof that we have actually donated.
“It’s not a lot but neither of us is swimming in cash so it’s a way we can help.
“Also those customers of ours who have wanted to donate but are also tight on funds can at least do a little bit to help.”
Bill says he is a vegan and regularly donates to wildlife and environmental charities.
“Along with constantly being shocked by all my favourite motorcycling areas going up in flames, one of my first thoughts were that the animals were being forgotten to a certain extent,” Bill says.
“The animals don’t have insurance and, for them, the road to recovery is going to be long waiting for the areas to regenerate. And now they are having to deal with floods as well.”
Click here to find out how to donate to the various “fair dinkum” bushfire appeals.
Helmet Hook
The Helmet Hook sits on the end of your left handlebar.
It was designed in the USA and injection-moulded in China from 1/4″ ABS plastic and has a metal washer inserted in the middle for the bar end bolt to go through and two holes in the “J” section to fit a padlock.
American inventor George Penev says the Helmet Hook was born from frustration.
“I simply dropped my helmet one too many times. My helmet only cost me $137 and it still hurt every time that thing fell on the ground and started rolling around. I can only imagine what people feel that have a $500-700 helmet.”
NEVER PLACE YOUR HELMET …
- On your seat because bit can easily fall off in a gust lot wind or if the bike is bumped. Then your helmet and/or visor is scratched and possibly damaged even to the point of not being able to wear it safely.
- On the mirrors or footpeg because they will indent the inner lining. And don’t place it on the ground as spiders and ants can crawl inside and make a surprise visit down the road!
- And let’s not forget that most service stations don’t have anywhere for you to safely store your helmet even though they demand you take it off before refuelling.
Nowhere to place your helmet on the top of the bowser at a service stationSome bikes supply a helmet holder under the pillion seat, but they are sometimes difficult to access because you have to remove the seat first and/or the helmet rests up against the body work, scratching the helmet and your bike.
The Helmet Hook is easy to access, it can be locked securely and the helmet doesn’t rest against the bike, but swings freely by the chin strap D-fastener.
Bill says the only bikes e knows where it won’t fit is BMWs with a wider bolt, which can be rectified by people drilling out the metal washer, and some Hyosungs that did not have screw on bar ends.
It may not be able to be used with some bar-end mirrors.
Australian importer Bill Murphy says the hook can be rotated out of the way so it is no hindrance to riding.
We tried it on a couple of our bikes and found it didn’t get in the way of the clutch operation.