HOW SHOULD A MOTORCYCLE HELMET FIT?

A motorcycle helmet is the most important piece of safety gear you will ever own for a motorcycle.

It’s the only item that is a legal requirement to wear (as it should be ).

Of all the gear you buy, your helmet is almost always the most expensive, the most noticeable, and  gives you the ultimate protection.

It’s the single most important item to get fitted for. You may get away with an ill fitting jacket or gloves (although we don’t recommend that either), but you need to get professionally fitted for a helmet.   A bad fitting helmet can cause unnecessary injury, we commonly see people with helmets that are too large on… that’s the opposite of the safety we are looking for.

Bones can heal, skin can grow back, but a head injury can leave everlasting injuries that cannot be fixed.

Yeah, that was a dark and scary introduction, but as someone who has crashed in a helmet that was too big for her, trust me when I say that helmet fit is paramount.

So how about I provide you with some information?

Every brand, and even every model in every brand fits differently, as we all have different shaped heads!

A medium in a European brand (think Shark or AGV) fit very differently to a medium in a Japanese brand (Shoei, Arai)…

And price points can vary… the most expensive helmet on the market isn’t the best one for you  UNLESS it fits perfectly.

At the cheaper end of the scale, material quality is compromised, have a read of our academy article on why helmets can be expensive.

We recommend have a budget in mind at the mid point of the helmet market , usually around $300-500 will give a good range of fitments, brands etc.  but be prepared to spend a little more to get the ideal fit.

Some people can wear any brand of helmet, others can only wear one! This is our basic fitting  guide.

TRY THE HELMET ON AND SEE HOW IT FEELS.

Have a think about the below questions;

• Does the helmet feel snug like a big hug? Or tight like someone trying to squeeze your brains out? It should feel firm and even across the top and back of your head.
• Is the helmet giving you chipmunk cheeks? One of the ways a helmet stays on your head is with the cheek pads. Personally I scrape or bite the inside of my cheeks when I get a new helmet. You may need to pull the helmet down a bit to position it correctly.
• Can you fit a full finger between the helmet and your forehead? If not, the helmet is the wrong fit/size.
• Does the chin strap do up snug?
• Grab the front of the helmet, keep your head still and move the helmet up and down and side to side. The helmet shouldn’t cover your eyes and preferably doesn’t cover your eyebrows. Does your eye move too close to the side of the helmet? Does the helmet spin on your head? Then it is too big or the wrong style for you.

TAKE THE HELMET OFF

Helmets are designed for when they are on your head, not going on and off your head. Pulling open the chin straps as wide as you can will help getting the helmet on and off easier. If it’s too easy to get on and off, its too big for you.

KEEP IN MIND

You may need to swap the liners. Some people need a larger crown liner and smaller cheek pads for example. Most helmet liners come out with ease for washing, but also so you can customise the fit of your helmet. 

YOUR HELMET WILL GET BIGGER!

The more you wear your helmet, the faster it will break in. Just like a pair of shoes, the padding inside will compress, making the helmet bigger. That’s why its critical to start with the correct fit.

DON’T PICK ON PRICE OR COLOUR

Maybe you have a small budget, maybe money is no object, but whichever it is, get the best fit you can afford. Even if you really like that Rossi replica in go fast orange, if it doesn’t fit properly, its not for you!

WE CAN HELP

The easiest way is to talk to one of our staff. We have been trained with the knowledge of how a motorcycle helmet should fit. And with decades of combined riding experience, we know a thing or two about all the different styles and makes of motorcycle helmets.