[Lapine Rider]

Hello!

I've been going back and forth on whether or not to post about this here; I finally decided to go ahead, expecially since I've mentioned the difficulty before in other threads.

I have a really big head, and have been unable to find a satisfactory full-face helmet. While in a 1/2 or 3/4 helmet I wear a 2XL, in full face I wear a 3XL and even then only certain makes fit. (In Shoei and Arai helmets, my chin is pinned up against the area under the visor, to the point of making speech or anything resembling comfort impossible.) My first full-face helmet was a Fulmer Flip-Up that a small local dealer miraculously had in stock; it remains the only full-facer I've ever worn that was truly comfortable. It rode hard on my cheeks, though, to the point where it was difficult to close, and it leaked badly in the rain. I also had a lot of wind noise with it, so much that I finally gave it to Bill Meek of this forum in the hope that it might be quieter for him, if my cheeks were wedging it open as I suspected they might have been. (With his bike in the shop, we still don't know.)

I replaced this helmet with a non-flip full-face, a 3XL HJC. My chin rides hard up against the inside of this helmet as well, though not so badly that I can't tolerate it. Because I like my HJC 3/4 helmet, I bought this one with the intent of maybe taking a Dremel to the inside chin area and cutting some helmet material away, then recovering the machined area with a soft liner. It would have been worth the effort...

...save that the HJC has found all-new ways of driving me nuts! First, it fogs up at 65 degrees F in the sunshine despite having all vents all the way open; if I don't leave the visor cracked, I can't see a thing. This simply won't be practical when it's colder out, and makes a terrible noise to boot, even worse than the Fulmer at any kind of speed. I also suspect that this indicates poor ventilation; I notice almost no cooling from the vents whatsoever, which will be bad news indeed in the Southern summer. Does anyone by chance know a good way to try and fix bad vents? Should I try and poke a wire through, maybe? Would it hurt anything if I tried? The vents on my 3/4 HJC look to be of the same design, and seem to work well. They are part of why I bought another helmet of that same brand. What gives?

Plus, I installed an inexpensive quick-release on the strap that's pinching my neck and proving very difficult to connect and disconnect. On my Fulmer, I simply left the strap closed all the time and pulled it over my face, then snugged it up tight for riding. If I can't get the quick-release to work, I'll be stuck trying to "do up" the straps the old-fashioned way, which takes me _forever_ as clumsy as I am. What I'd really like is a good old-fashioned buckle- anyone out there still make helmets with those? Or are there any other good solutions out there that I simply do not know about?

<sigh>

The worst news is twofold. One, of course I can't take the helmet back. There are no local dealers to my knowledge that allow test-rides, so to properly evaluate a helmet I have to buy it. Two, the new helmet is at least half as loud as the old, even with the visor closed.

<sigh again>

Thanks for any help!

 

[allwalk]

I don't have a large head but I had problems finding a helmet that was comfortable. I went to the motorcycle show and tried on many different brands finally settling on the AGV brand.

I was wondering if the motocross style helmets would fit you more comfortably?

 

[DonRich90]

As to the fogging problem, I've had good results using the FogCity device that is a clear plactic material that adheres to the inside of your visor. Many shops have them and most of the large accessory outlets in the m/c magazines sell them.
Don

 

[Randy]

There are a few different types of quick release clips made, some work better then others.
Myself I sewed Velcro to the strap , -through the "D" ring and done -since the force to separate is lateral it will not come off by accident (or in an accident ).
Check that your vents are not blocked by helmet material, sometimes removing a little around the inside helps.
Not a whole lot you can do with the noise, try ear plugs, at first I did not like them but the peace and quite is soooo nice.
And least but not least, you may have to learn to live with the vent cracked open but it's worth trying the FogCity device

 

[Stormsteed]

Never mind.

 

[seatec]

If I had that problem and could not find one i would fix it my self, cut it down center and widen it out and replace some foam. Would not be as safe as new helmet, but if you cant get one to fit it would be worth a try. Start just back of visor on top and make a cut and spread it a bit, fiberglass piece in, sand and paint. liner may still fit. I enjoy a challange like that. Maby Im just nuts :shock: Seatec- Wayne

 

[wasions]

While I probably wouldn't go seatec's route :shock: - no - I'm sure I wouldn't go that route :wink: , perhaps thinning out the foam padding just a little might help.

Steve

 

[Randy]

A lot of helmets have Styrofoam under the lining & padding, this can be cut, shaped , even compressed a little.
Even if your liner is not removable, you can always glue it back in place.
I think the main point here is -do something -
Three main things ruin a ride -an accident -rain - lousy fitting helmet

 

[billmeek]

I sent this to Lapine Rider but thought I'd mention it here too for any that may also having the same problem. The webbikeworld site has a page dedicated to helmet's XXXL and above. See :

Extra large helmets on WebBikeWorld

 

[pauljo]

I also have a large, and rather long head. I've never found a flip-up helmet that I can close over my chin. I've had full face helmets that fit, but the padding pushed my cheeks in so bad that I would bite the inside of my cheeks accidentally when riding. My dentist gave me hell for that.

There are a couple of things that make finding a helmet tough, particularly of you have an odd head size or shape.

1. There seems to be absolutely no size standardization between manufacturers. An XXXL in one brand won't be any larger than an XL in another. This drives me crazy. The best you can do is to get familiar with the sizing used by a brand or two that you like.

2. Head shape is as critical as size. For years, Arai made helmets for people with round heads. Shoei made helmets for folks with long oval heads. I could never wear an Arai, because my chin would hang down below the chin bar, and the top of the helmet wasn't contoured to my head shape either. Shoei's alway fit me. But that has recently changed. Now Shoei makes some helmets that are contoured more like the Arai was. I can't wear them. Fortunately they do still make some models that are shaped right for me - but I can't simply assume that any Shoei in an XL size will work for me any more. And there are a number of newer manufacturers too. HJC seems to size like Shoei - an XL in either brand is about the same, and it is my size. But I've picked other brands off the shelf that boasted XXL for size - and I couldn't even pull them over the top of my head.

I would never ever purchase a helmet online without trying it on at a dealer first. If a dealer is helpful, and particularly if they will let me test ride the helmet, I make every effort to negotiate price with them. I will allow them a bit more than the helmet sells for online for their effort - but I will walk if they hold the line at an unreasonable price. In most cases, I've been able to work something out with them. But for my last helmet purchase, a Shoei Z-Two, the price gap was about $100 - just too much. So I bought it online from Ron Ayers.

 

[casek]

I too wear a 3xl helmet and have 8 different ones. My favorite is the Zeus as it seems to fit the best. I also have Vega, HJC, and some other inexpensive ones. The Zeus is a modular flip-up and is really reasonable on price.

Kelly

 

[Lapine Rider]

Thank you very much, y'all!

For now, I've bought some antifog to get through the winter with the fogmeister HJC, and will probe the vents with some wire later tonight in the hope of opening things up some. For this summer, I've pretty much resigned myself to going to a 3/4 helmet, though I don't like it for safety reasons. As opportunities come I'll try on other full-facers, but I'm no longer going to make a determined effort. They're safer, yes. But they simply do not seem to exist in my size and head-shape in any quantity, and I've hit the point of diminishing returns in the looking. My free time is limited, and I've maxed out on how much of it I can invest in a helmet.

I may even buy a neck-warmer-thingie and wear the 3/4 in winter too, now that I think about it...

FYI, the cranium part of my head tape-measures for a 2XL hemlet, and in a 3/4 the 2XL fits perfectly. A 3XL full-face is slightly loose, everywhere except the point of my jaw (where it is still too small). Therefore, I need to find a _differently-shaped_ 2XL or at worst 3XL, not a 4 or 5XL. This is part of why I've become so proufoundly pessimistic.

Hmm. Another nice option would be a jaw-guard, like on a football helmet, added to the 3/4. Anyone ever heard of such a thing?

Again, thanks!

 

[Randy]

As you run around, stop in at different dealers.
Different company's do make different size (head shape) helmets, try some on, try on your friends you are bound to come up with one -nothing wrong with a 3/4, I like them and use them
- but not for the winter, just to much cold air.