Helmet Question.

 I'm looking for thoughts on this. How much room should you have around
your helmet when wearing it? Should there be any give at all or not?

You get the idea.

 
No room.  Not overly tight either...  When brand new, slightly uncomfortably
snug...  It will break in like a new pillow in almost every single model out
there and be comfortably right after a while.

Too tight is better than too loose as too loose means your head will move
around inside during a crash and not be nearly as protected.

Joe in Northern, NJ  -  V#8013-R

Currently Riding The "Mother Ship"
http://yunx.com/valk.htm

Ride a motorcycle in or near NJ?
http://tinyurl.com/5apkg

 

TC wrote:


What kind of helmet?  Full face, open face, half, beanie, yarmulke?

I've been wearing full face helmets since they have been available.
Early Bell Stars and Star 120s. If I hadn't been wearing one on that
evening in 1981 when I killed the deer at 65+mph, I would likely have a
new face courtesy of a nearby plastic surgeon.

The guideline has always been you should purchase a helmet that is snug
(including at the cheeks), perhaps to the point that it gives you
pressure point aches on the head for the first month of use.

After some usage, find those pressure points - e.g. where is the foam
that is causing the ache - and roll on it with a baseball. Wear it some
more. (wash, rinse, repeat...)

In a month or so, this helmet will now fit properly, and last you a long
time.


Sort of... the type of helmet can mean a different answer. The above
descriptive answer probably doesn't apply to a new yarmulke.

--
   -bts
   -Motorcycles defy gravity; cars just suck

 

TC wrote:

How much ear pain can you stand for the first few days? Breaking in a new
helmet is like breaking in a new pair of shoes.

You need to know something about the head shape YOU have before you ever buy
an expensive helmet.

There are people who have a head that is long and narrow and others have a
head that is wider and shorter.

The terms for those two skull proportions are brachycephalic and dolicephalic.


People whose ancestors came from eastern Europe, east Africa, the Middle East
and western Asia would have the brachycephalic skulls. They may even have an
Anatolian bump that sticks out the back of their skull, making them look like
queen Nefertiti.

People whose ancestors came from western Europe, west Africa, Siberia, and
the far East would have the dolichcephalic head shape.

Nordic (Germanic) types add yet another factor. Their high domed heads are
not only short and wide, the top of the skull may be so high the chin may
stick out the bottom, underneath the chin bar.

And, some Germanic/Caucasian/Hellenic types have a classic long chin like
you see on Greek statues. I have a head shaped like that.

Jay Leno has an extreme Anatolian crescent chin that makes his skull look
like a cartoon character. His chin is going to stick out the bottom of a full
coverage helmet. He might as well buy an open face helmet or have a custom
helmet made.

I watched a friend try to pick out a helmet once. His unique pin-headed skull
looks like a Yeti from behind. The Anatolian bump on the lower part of the
back of his skull stuck out from under the lower edge of the helmet. He
didn't buy that one.

Arai traditionally made helmets that fit brachycephalic skulls, and Shoei
made helmets that fit dolicephalic skulls and people with brachycephalic
skulls complained that if they bought a Shoei that wasn't painfully tight, it
would be uselessly loose.

Shoei suddenly started making some Arai style helmets in the mid-1990's,
without ever telling anybody that they were now making helmets for two head
shapes.

Fortunately, the Arai shape fits my head better than the traditional Japanese
head shape. My chin hits the chin bar though and the cheek pads push against
my cheeks.

The helmet doesn't flop around on my head like the old style Shoei. Having
the wind move a helmet around on your head definitely indicates it's too
loose.

--
Message posted via http://www.motorcyclekb.com

 | I'm looking for thoughts on this. How much room should you
have around
| your helmet when wearing it? Should there be any give at
all or not?
|
| You get the idea.
        I am totally in agreement with those who said it
should be tight enough to be slightly uncomfortable when it
is new.  Those who mentioned head shape also have a very
good point.  All helmet manufacturers do not use the same
head form.  Try several on until you have a good firm fit
for YOUR HEAD.  -- steve