[Turwilliger]

I'm having a rough time finding a helmet that fits well.



My local dealers dont carry much of a selection in MX or dual sport helmets so I've already ordered and shipped back 3 helmets online.

I'm hoping some others can help guide me in the right direction.

I prefer the open feeling of a motocross helmet, the wider (peripheral) visibility and light weight.

But Im open to a full face street helmet and riding with the shield up if the ventilation is excellent and visibility is similiar to an MX helmet.

Really would like a high quality helmet that is more than just DOT approved





What I've tried:

My head measures 22 3/8" so I tried the Arai xd-3 and I was between a small and a medium. But the real issue was it had too much room at the "corners" of my narrow head! The AGV AX-8 fit better (I was a small), but still was too wide.



One issue with the XD-3 and more so with the AX-8 is the the chin of the helmet was hitting my shoulder protector about 7 degrees before full rotation of my head.

Cliff Notes:

Seeking Narrow (long oval) enduro style helmet or well ventilated street helmet

Want short chinbar to allow more motion in my neck (not hitting my shoulder)

Want light weight



Any ideas? I don't mind shipping back helmets if I feel like I'm close to getting the right one! So I realize there is no substitute for wearing different ones, I just need to get closer to the mark then I have been!

 

[Xracer]

Friend of mine had the same problem. He ended up with a flip front BMW helmet! Maybe try finding out who makes them for Beemer and go from there.

 

[CaptD]

I believe that you have a Shoei head. I've read that either you have an Arai head (round type) or a Shoei head (oblong type). Check over at www.advrider.com under the equipment/gear section and then do a search for helmets. Good Luck. Capt D.

 

[GapRunr]

I know a little something about this. We are a stocking dealer for Arai, Shoei and Schuberth



Arai makes more than one head shape. As far as I know they are the only helmet manufacturer that has more than one head shape in their line up of products. The Arai Profile is a long oval head shape. It has recently been discontinued but there is still some remaining inventory. The Arai Signet-Q is their new long oval fit helmet. The RX-Q is the intermediate oval fit and the Corsair V leans more towards the round oval fit. The good old Quantum has been discontinued as well.



Find a dealer close to you that has either leftover Profile's or the new Signet-Q and try them on. If these aren't 'long oval' enough, then you will probably need to modify the EPS liner of a helmet to make it fit you better.

 

[Turwilliger]

Thanks for the tips and insight guys... I really want to try and find an MX helmet or dual sport first.



I'm thinking I'll have to take a trip to revzilla's store.



It's a few hours away from NYC but worth it to get the right fit. I'll mix it into a hiking, biking, enduro riding or snowboarding trip- depending on when I go.

 

[RisingSun]

Arai and Shoei actually have different sizes. The one from Japan is different from the U.S model. I got the Japanese one.

 

[PalmStateCrawler]

BiLT has a pump up helmet coming soon to CycleGear kind of like the old reebok pumps but a helmet. May be worth looking into for odd shaped heads.

 

[lizrdbrth]

We just bought a pump-up Bilt. The only parts which inflate are the cheek pieces. I don't think it will help much if the overall shape is wrong, it just seals things up a bit, making it less noisy and a more secure fit.



Appears to be a decent quality helmet, though.

 

[elime]

I bought a helmet online and it didn't fit so I sent it back for a larger one. The larger helmet still had "high points", or maybe I should call them "contact points", that made the helmet very uncomfortable. The return shipping fees were quickly eating up the savings of buying online so in desperation I removed the liner and found what looked like styrofoam. I took some rough sand paper and went to work. After a short time of "adjusting" the helmet fit well and felt comfortable and I now wear it all the time.



You might consider a solution like this one if all else fail.