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My helmet is too small?

6631 Views 38 Replies 14 Participants Last post by  metbandit1
I was at the Honda motorcycle dealership near here recently and I was trying on helmets to get a feel for what size I should get... and it seemed like at the time that the large size was just about right in terms of comfort but also "snug"...

However....

I just purchased my Scorpion 400 series Octane helmet and I selected large size - are all large sizes the same across all helmet brands? Or do brand spankin new straight from the factory helmets require some breakin period to loosen up?

Because the large I got from them was a lot smaller than the large I tried on at the dealer....

I'm a bit worried because although I can deal with it (and tight is better than loose) it's a bit uncomfortable to wear.

And no, I don't have the bike yet. I have to go paycheck to paycheck buying the safety gear I can afford before I go get the actual bike, heh.
-Aleckor
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Big no! In my limited experience every helmet seems to be different. I could fit a Large in one brand but not another. The helmet should be pushing your cheeks up a little and have no one spot tighter around your head than another, even pressure. The padding will get smaller over time, and in some helmets can be replaced.

That or your head grew between trying them and buying one :p Eat any bad clams?

Felix







Felix is right, helmets do differ in size from Brand to Brand. Can you take it back and trade it in??
some companies offer thinner padding to put in
G
the helmet should be snug because they wear in, i wear a samll super snug and super light
I've got a Scorpion too, and the reason I liked it was b/c it ran a little smaller than other brands I'd tried, to a M fit me. You just have to try on tons of different helmets, and even different lines of helmets made by the same brands. Some of them are shaped a little differently, made for different head sizes.
I've heard good things about Scorpion helmets, any pros or cons?

personally if i bought a helmet and it was too snug i'd wait and just wear it until the padding inside shrinks, unless its giving you a headache. Then I'd just replace the padding but your best bet is to buy the comfortable one, and if it wears in too much just replace it with thicker padding. Then presto!
virtualmatrix258 said:
I've heard good things about Scorpion helmets, any pros or cons?

personally if i bought a helmet and it was too snug i'd wait and just wear it until the padding inside shrinks, unless its giving you a headache. Then I'd just replace the padding but your best bet is to buy the comfortable one, and if it wears in too much just replace it with thicker padding. Then presto!
i've heard they were a little heavier than other helmets, but i'm not sure if that's true or not.
Ugh I hate heavy, on long trips my neck starts to ache.
Most shops willnot accept a used helmet because they can not verify that it has not been dropped, therein voiding the structral intergrity. It is always advantagious to have more than 1 helmet.
Helmets are made for different shapes also. example..Arai The series called Profile fits me best but the Vector series did not.
You want the skin on your forehead to move up and down when the helmet moves up and down. But not so tight it hurts or gives you a headache.
So far the only thing that bothers me about it being "snug" is that it is hard for me to close my mouth once I open it (to talk for example) because I end up biting down on my cheeks... heh...

Other than that, the other places feel really snug but not to the point where I wouldn't want to wear the helmet.

I am SUPER glad to hear that the padding inside breaks in after awhile. I was talking to some people at work and they were saying that a helmet always stays the same size, which didn't make any sense to me.

The pads must shrink over time right? So if it doesn't HURT me right now, and it's just a little uncomfortable, it's more or less going to start to begin to fit right?

Anyway I appreciate the responses. I am VERY happy with my scorpion helmet although I don't have any experience with any other helmets. It's the only one I've ever owned.
-Aleckor
Here is some fitting advise from scorpion
http://www.scorpionusa.com/support/fitment.html

You should be able to close your mouth with out discomfort. I would email them and see if they can provide you with smaller comfort liners.

Also from site:

How many different shell sizes do you offer and can I trade comfort liners to change sizes?

Ans:
Currently we offer only 2 shell sizes per style (EXO 400 and 700, VX-14 and 17). All our extra-small to medium sizes come from one mold while the large to double extra large sizes come from another shell mold. The internal white EPS (expanded polystyrene) liner is also the same size for the smaller and larger helmet ranges mentioned. It is the softer, upholstered "comfort liners" which are installed to actually "size up" or size down" within the shell range to get the perfect head size for you.
Wow thanks, that will save me a lot of trouble. The liner is only 30 bucks, a lot cheaper than replacing the whole helmet or trying to mess with exchanging it and shipping it.

I just sent them an email asking to make sure their liner on their accessory page is the same as the original that comes with the helmet (and not some cold weather accessory thing)

Thanks for all of your help guys, worst case scenario I'll just pay another 30 bucks for the correct size liner.
-Aleckor
the lid should press your cheeks like a hamster :p but not crush any other parts of your head, it should also sit a bit above your eyebrows. always try on brands of lids before buying
metbandit1 said:
the lid should press your cheeks like a hamster :p but not crush any other parts of your head, it should also sit a bit above your eyebrows. always try on brands of lids before buying
hahahahahaha
? :p
G
Put your helmet on, wait 10 minutes, then go look in the mirror, if your face is turning purple the helmet may be too small. ;D
My helmet is a kbc and it is real tight but plush inside, but the other helmets I have tried on that fits are snug but the padding is more ridgid. I hate my helmet but I love how comfy it is inside.

Also what happens when your DOT/SNELL sticker rubs off?
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