I tried and I tried, yet I couldn’t find the sentence that said You had leathers. They are still correct. There is no “shelf life” on safety equipment. Check for mold. That would be the only thing that could “downgrade” your stuff.
Remember,SHINY SIDE UP!!!!

Baring accidents and wearing out u should be able to pass the nylon gear down to ur children.
Motorcylist magazine tested a 30yr old Arai and it still met the standards it was designed for.
See “blowing the lid off” for article.

Make sure that it is kept hanging properly and is dry, you should have no problems.

Leather needs waxing occasionaly to stop it drying out and cracking. A good bees wax will do, it also adds some wet weather protection too.

Waxed cotton needs re waxing from time to time, make sure it is not creased when storing.

Years if in a closet or at least dry

my leather hangs all summer or longer i just grab it and put it on

I have been told to get a new helmet every 5 years.

As far as leather – I think the leather would last a long time but what about the stitching? It would eventually dry rot I would think?

If you have leather riding gear I wouldn’t worry about it unless it was damaged or showing signs of wear. The helmet however is made from plastic and could become brittle over the years. Plus the padding gets compacted which reduces it’s ability to absorb impact. I had doubts about my old helmet and just bought a new one I figured I could live without an arm or leg but having a busted skull could really hinder my performance.

helmets have a shelf life of 4 to 5 years until the plastic deteriorates and is a safety issue

1 year…just kidding. No “Shelf Life” that I know of…leather is durable material and will be good for a long time (probibly your lifetime)…I thought you were going to ask about gear oils…

Why would there be shelf life? It is leather mainly. Helmets last forever unless you ***** it by wrecking or dropping on hard floors