Living in Edinburgh it's been hard to avoid the build-up to Scotland's referendum on independence. On September 18^th 2014, less than a month away as I write this, people living in Scotland will go to the polls to answer the question: Should Scotland be an independent country?

Apparently an 80s commerical for the helmet manufacturer Bell bore the slogan: "If you've got a $10 head, wear a $10 helmet". Nowadays it's a deeply-ingrained and widely accepted idea among bikers that it's worth spending a lot of money on your headgear. A top-of-the-line Arai can sell for almost four figures, particularly if you want a nice race rep design, but what are you getting for your money and, in particular, is it any safer than a helmet you pickup for a tenth of that price?