Getting a correctly fitting helmet...

[DirtFlier]

For as long as I can remember, my helmets have always had hot spots that I'd cure via shaving the white polystyrene liner. Sometimes that took only a little but the last time it took a lot! I'd bought that brand of high-end, modular helmets previously and the fit was OK but not perfect. In the last 3-4 years they changed the interior shape from round-oval (good for me) to oval (bad for me) but it's difficult to find that sort of info anywhere although I may have seen it on Rezvilla's website?

Not wanted to repeat that drill of modifying the interior of a new helmet, I saw a blurb for a service offered by Motorcycle Gear called "Lid Picker." For $20, they send you calipers, cloth tape and a skull cap plus sunglasses. You take the side-to-side and front-to-rear measurements plus the circumference and send them that info. A few days later, you get a multi-page report via Email. Mine was almost 20 pages and high-lighted are the helmets that would best fit your gourd.

The first two choices were both discontinued helmets and in the lower price range. One of them was totally weird and made the wearer look like a giant insect! The next two were the Klim TK1200 and Nolan N100-5 and in the margins it said "slightly narrow." I had a Nolan modular long ago and I never cared for the buckle system so I opted for the more expensive Klim. It arrived yesterday and getting it on/off it was tough on my ears but once in place, it felt OK. I'll have to learn to spread the shell more when getting it on/off. Between storms, I was able to squeeze in a 35 min ride with my Klim and never felt any hot spots or discomfort - for the first time ever with a new helmet! I could have spent hours and hours at a mega-store such as Iron Pony trying on helmets without ever finding one that really fit well.

I bought it from Motorcycle Gear and they offer a $15 coupon for the $20 spent on Lid Picker so that was good. My guess is that a best helmet for an individual won't always be available from Motorcycle Gear but at least you'll have the info. The $20 I spent with Lid Picker was well worth it, even without the discount coupon!

 

[ARKNT]

Good info. I could see trying on a bunch of new helmets for sizing in this virus world could be problematic.
Online buying for things that need to actually fit many times doesn't work all that well for me.

Brad

 

[junglejim]

I went to the motorcycle show in Minneapolis specifically to try on helmets and get a good fit about 6 years ago. It was a good chance to talk to factory reps and get good info and help sizing. I settled on an Arai and the factory rep wrote down the info for me to order one. When I finally got one it didn't fit at all like the one at the show. It was OK but not great. My good plan had a mediocre outcome.

Now the helmet factory reps don't even show up the the motorcycle shows. Fortunately some good dealers show up to help choose size. That worked for me last time.

I saw the "Lid Picker" option but didn't think simple measurements could result in a great fit. It seemed too simple.

 

[DirtFlier]

Agree about it being "too simple" but it was the best option available for me so I thought I'd give it a shot. I've ridden with it twice now and still no hot spots or any discomfort although it does feel a tiny bit tight but without pressing too much on any one section. The tech at Lid Picker said it takes 20-30 hrs of riding before the interior breaks-in.

 

[junglejim]

Well, it is the results that count Tosh. A comfortable helmet makes for happy riding.

Helmets are way more complicated than they used to be. There are different shell sizes, shell shapes, and sizing pads inside (some with tear off layers), and no industry standards for size. Ordering on line is kind-of a crap shoot.

 

[Phil Tarman]

Tosh, I got a Klim modular TK1200 Tech helmet and by the time I'd put it on and taken it off about 8 times, I had a (temporary) cauliflower ear. I never was able to either put on or remove the helmet with my glasses on. It seriously hurt my ears going on and off, Once on, it wasn't bad, but it wasn't goiing to be a workable helmet for me. I sent it back and got a Shoei Neo Tech II. Motorcyclegear.com was the dealer and handled the exchange easily, as they always have.

The Shoei fits just as well and I can put it on and take it off without pain! I'd been using Schuberth for my helmets, but the Shoei is much quieter and seems to be of slightly higher quality to me. I'm glad you can wear the Klim and eager to hear how it works for you.

 

[DirtFlier]

I'm learning how much spread of the Klim shell is required to get it off/on. I've never tried to put on a helmet while wearing my glasses. The openings in the KIim's foam comfort pads make this very easy to do.

I've never owned a Shoei but did have several Arai helmets and at the time they did have a model that fit my rounder head but neither of those brands/models were
on my OK list from Lid Picker. I had a Schuberth C3 Pro 2 helmets ago and it worked well although it needed some work on the polystyrene foam to fit my gourd.

 

[Yoda]

In the past, I had much difficulty finding a helmet that fit. The Schuberth C3 I bought In 2014 was absolute torture, leaving a deep dent in my forehead.
I am currently getting along with an HJC modular in size XL, even though my head circumference measures a size large.
I have been told I have a long oval head, but maybe the lid picker will help confirm. I ordered it today from lidpicker.com after not finding a link in motorcyclegear.com.
Results forthcoming.

 

[DirtFlier]

I rode yesterday with two pals to a state park where we had our brown bag lunches. From the time I left my house, until when we parked our bikes at the park was just a hair under 2-hrs and in that time I felt no discomfort at all from the helmet.

As they say "The Proof is in the Pudding" but your results may vary.

Yoda - my guess is that Motorcycle Gear wants to keep Lid Picker as a separate entity. After you pay for the service, you'll get an Email with a link to Motorcycle Gear so you can utilize your $15 off coupon. They don't carry too many brands of helmets so I was lucky to find the one I needed but even without that, you can use your info to buy a helmet from a brick & mortar store or another online merchant.

 

[Frosty]

I used their service when I bought my last helmet. While it is not a custom fitting, it does give you enough information to narrow the search. I have found the information fairly accurate. I was surprised that manufacturers will change head shapes.
Also, I think that once you pay the $20, they will run additional reports for $5 each. This may have changed.

 

[DirtFlier]

As you say, it's not a "custom fitting" but any sound guidance is better than just guessing.

I'd worn HJC modulars for a long time and had at least 2 before I tried a Schuberth C3 Pro. All of those required minor shaving of the white polystyrene under the comfort foam but nothing major. HJC changed the interior shape of their latest and greatest RPHA modular so no amount of major shaving would make it comfy on me. That model is listed as "too narrow" in my printouts and they are right!

I now have around 10-12 hrs on my Klim TK1200 and it's still comfy for me, even on stints as long as 2-hrs.

ps. I often wondered why high-end, helmet makers didn't use a ploy similar to makers of custom, downhill ski boots in the 80s. You put your feet into a machine and they injected foam around it that exactly followed the shape of your foot. Don't know how much those boots cost or even if they still do that but it sounded great to me!

 

[Frosty]

I was looking for a modular to replace my Shoei full face. I was going to buy a Shoei Neotec but ended up with a Scorpion GT3000 that happened to be at a huge discount due to the unpopular hi-vis color. Without the lid picker, I think that I would have bought a very expensive helmet that I would have not been happy with. BTW, the scorpion has cheek air bladders with a built in pump. It snugs the helmet up a bit .

Last century, the Air Force made custom fit flight helmets. The liners were "cast" by the local Life Support technicians. As I recall, they stretched a tight skull cap over your head, followed by an exterior mold. Then came HOT, stinky material and the technician in front of the chair to prevent you from fleeing. The final helmet interior looked like 2 or 3 interior sections that were covered with smooth leather. A skull cap was worn. They let me keep the skull cap.