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proper helmet sizing

bigsur52

04 1150RS
I'm in the market for a new helmet. a lot of what i try on in XL feels a little to quite snug on my head. I currently wear a Shoie 1000 in XL which I find very confortable, but it is getting on in years. 5 years old this year. The snugness in a lot of the new ones (shuberth and Nexx) is on my forehead. Is this a normal fitment, and is what I'm currently wearing really too loose? My current helmet moves around a little when I twist it; does this mean it is really too loose?
 
If you have a 5 year old helmet the chances are that the padding is been compressed so many times that it has lost much of it's firmness and thus your helmet fits less snugly.
Every brand helmet fits differently because they are built using different headforms. You need to understand your head shape and the inner shape of the helmet you are looking at. The reality is that some people's head just won't fit comfortably into certain brands of helmet because of thier head shape.
 
I also have a Shoei head.

My biggest issue in buying a new helmet is the salesperson - I take a Large, but they always seem to want me to buy the Medium - "It's supposed to be snug! It'll compress as the liner breaks in."
STFU, salesperson - it ain't your head in here.
 
I'm in the market for a new helmet. a lot of what i try on in XL feels a little to quite snug on my head. I currently wear a Shoie 1000 in XL which I find very confortable, but it is getting on in years. 5 years old this year. The snugness in a lot of the new ones (shuberth and Nexx) is on my forehead. Is this a normal fitment, and is what I'm currently wearing really too loose? My current helmet moves around a little when I twist it; does this mean it is really too loose?

The Shoei RF-1000 is neutral shape as are the Nexx and Schuberth helmets. I suspect that you might have a narrower head shape based on your description of snugness on your forehead. You ought to try out some different helmet shapes and see if something fits you better. Check out webBikeWorld's Helmet Shapes page for some reference.

I switched from a slightly round (HJC SY-MAX II) to a narrow (Arai Profile) and have been extremely happy with the change. The narrower Arai is vastly more comfortable for my head shape.

Good luck and happy hunting.
 
The snugness in a lot of the new ones (shuberth and Nexx) is on my forehead.

You have a "long-oval" head size. Try an Arai Profile. I did get lucky on a road trip when I had trouble with an Arai and got an HJC that fits my long-oval head okay, but the best fit is with the Arai Profile.

Harry
 
The important point is, how will it perform when you need it.
And they have found they do not perform well unless they are quite snug. Not uncomfortable, but not bouncing around like a bobble head.
The manufacturer wants it to perform right, so they, and their salesperson will try to fit it proper tight.
You don't want it to come off when you need it on.
Due to different head sizes, you need to find the manufacturer or model that fits your head, then get it in the recommend (tight) size.
It will loosen up.
Remember, you ain't wearing the thing for decoration.
dc
 
You have to try on

Go to a good quality dealer and try on the helmets. I think some people give too much credit to a brand. As the famous saying goes, IF IT DOES NOT FIT, you must not purchase? or something like that.

If you like a brand, then try on the new styles. Try on some other brands too, it might surprise you that some other brand feels better.
 
Don't get hung up on sizes, either. Maybe one brand's XL is another brand's XXL or vice versa, even of the same shape.
 
Exactly. Just get a good, tight fit.
I'd like to have mine fitted, not by the sales person, but by someone from Schuberth.
They did have an open house some time ago at a dealer, but I missed it.
I want a C2, that new full face. But I'd like to get a sales rep or something from the company to do the fit.
dc
 
Thanks to everyone for your replies.

It is clear that my current helmet is too big. And perhaps my wife is right and I am a blockhead!
 
I have never had a good fitting from the dealer most try but have not a clue.
Only when I met a helmet designer/fitter at a motorcycle show did I fully understand how to measure and size. Arai was the manufacturer and he put me in an xl and I thought I needed an xxl. Total comfort for hours on end.
 
You may be one of those people that are right on the edge of needing the next size up.
I am that way. For me the C3 in an XL size feels good but very slightly loose on my head and I worry that it would be to loose when broken in. A large feels snug on and just slightly uncomfortable on my forehead. Just above the left and right temples. The same area that a Barber has problems cutting my hair because of the square corners.

Your dealer should be very pro-active about fitting your helmet.
If they have a "could care less" attitude then go some where else. If a dealer does not care about the most important piece of safety gear you will buy, what makes you think they will take proper care of your bike?
 
My experience is this. There's snug and then there's SNUG (too tight). I was told to wear the helmet for 10-15 minutes. If it begins to hurt, then it's too tight or the wrong shape. Unfortunately for me, the headache associated with a too tight helmet precluded me from trying on another helmets for an hour or so, which usually meant I had to come back another day to try on another one. The end result was a proper fitting helmet. I had the pleasure of having a trained helmet salesman fit me to my current helmet. I think that helped, but is not necessary as my previous helmet was purchased without such assistance and was very comfortable good fit.
 
Helmets need to be snug, and I've found that most other riders I run into are wearing helmets that are at least a size too big for them. Arai (and other manufacturers too, I'd assume) offer different sized cheekpads to customize fit. Try and find someplace that carries many different brands, and that has someone on staff who understands helmet sizing.

And forget Shoei, it sounds like your head isn't round, so they're never going to fit right.
 
Helmets need to be snug, and I've found that most other riders I run into are wearing helmets that are at least a size too big for them. Arai (and other manufacturers too, I'd assume) offer different sized cheekpads to customize fit. Try and find someplace that carries many different brands, and that has someone on staff who understands helmet sizing.

And forget Shoei, it sounds like your head isn't round, so they're never going to fit right.

Chiming in here...my head is definitely not round, but the Shoei Multitec fits me better than other brands I tried. So I wouldn't rule out Shoei without sampling first...
 
Chiming in here...my head is definitely not round, but the Shoei Multitec fits me better than other brands I tried. So I wouldn't rule out Shoei without sampling first...

Oh absolutely, try everything and buy what's comfortable. I'd love to be able to wear a Multitech or Neotech, but my head's just too damn long. I have an Arai head, and that's just all there is to it.
 
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