In the market for a new lid and have a question about fit. There is a question at the end of this tale, so hang in there. ;D
So went to local shop today to try on lids. Tried on the following helmets:
Arai-Corsair V, RX-Q, Profile, Vector 2
Shoei-X-12, RF-1100
My head measures 58.5 cm at the widest part...exactly in the center of the gap between M and L. So I tried all of these on in both medium and Large (as well as an RX-Q in XL..more on that later). The medium Profile and Vector 2 as well as both Shoei meds are out...think head crushing. The med RX-Q and Corsair were tight in the cheek area, but I didn't notice any tightness in the forehead/temples/occipital areas.
The large arais pretty much felt the same with the exception of the Profile which I've decided was made for people that have had their heads crushed from side to side...it's very narrow feeling in the top of the head box. I didn't care for the face hole size on the shoeis, particularly the top and sides of my field of vision when I was doing my best imitation of going around turns 1 and 14 at Miller.
I think my pretend cornering finally drew the attention of the staff as I was approached by a salesperson, who began talking incessantly about the great features of the arais and shoeis. I asked what the salesperson recommended in terms of size when you fall squarely between two sizes. At this point said salesperson asked me to try on the large RX-Q as I mentioned that I was kind of leaning that way. Salesperson then suggested I try on the XL...wait, what?!? Do you have amnesia? Did you forget the size of my head that I mentioned 2 min ago and the discussion that we've been having over whether a med or large is the better fit?
Anyway, the XL cushions don't squeeze my ample (facial) cheeks as much as the large. Salesperson begins to move helmet around on my head and says..."Don't worry about the looseness, it's supposed to move." My inner voice says, "I don't mind movement, but my peanut should not have room to bounce around inside in the event that I take a dive off the bike." I have now lost what little confidence I had in the salesperson.
Anyway, thanks for bearing with me...on to my question: How do you decide what size helmet to wear given that an online retailer suggests the following statistics:
9 out of 10 people that own Arai’s now are wearing one size too big.
4 out of 9 of those people are wearing 2 sizes too big.
1-2 out of those 4 are wearing sometimes 3 or 4 sizes too big.
Just for reference, the large moved less than the XL (obviously) and I'm currently wearing a large HJC IS-16.
This may be helpful. Lots of good advice:
http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/video/arai-helmets/283819/ (http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/video/arai-helmets/283819/)
Your fit issues came from Arai's (sometimes extreme) different head shapes (long oval, med. oval, round oval).
The easy fix is to buy the RX-Q with the best head fitment (probably L from your story). After that, buy different cheek pads from Arai (or find a retailer (possibly online) who will include different ones for free/discount). Arai cheek pads come in 15mm, 20mm, 25mm, and probably more but I'm not going to look at the moment since it's irrelevant. Almost 100% certain every helmet comes with 20mm cheek pads from Arai's factory. Pop those out, snap in the 15mm ones and you're good to go.
Of course, helmets "pack out" a fair bit after you break them in. If it's tight/snug but not unberable as it is, you probably just need to use it for a few months and break it in a bit. This is also the reason most people are wearing the wrong size... they get something "too comfortable" from the get-go and it only gets looser.
One thing is for certain: that sales person was an IDIOT.
Have you looked at any other brands? AGV GP-Tech is a GREAT helmet, probably my next purchase. My problem with it is that the cheek pads are a bit loose for me so I'd have to just get thicker ones. Might be perfect for you.
Right now I have a Suomy Apex. It's definitely a 'racetrack' helmet (SUPER light but noisy) but it feels like a lightened Arai. If you're doing more cruise-y street riding, then Arai would be quieter and probably worth it. But since you mentioned the track, the Suomy or the AGV might be worth looking at... great quality and great for sport-riding.
2 things you are DEFINITELY doing right (no matter what helmet you choose): You're trying them on first! And you're buying a good/great quality helmet.
great video, and i was about to say what that lindz/the video said too
also, look up the webbikeworld reviews for helmets. they're the only reviewer that i know of that has a scale to let you know the basic head shape of the helmet. you can try to find your old hjc helmet and see if you can match the shape to the ones you are interested in.
Yeah, I think that video answers some various helmet questions that people seem to have, so I post it often. It talks about fitment, how helmets work, pads, wear/lifetime of helmets, as well as whether people should be concerned about dropping their helmets.
And to reiterate,as was mentioned above, that guy is an idiot. I started with a large Scorpion helmet due to salesman advice (first helmet). Now I wear a small.
I had the opportunity to be carefully fitted for a hemet by an Arai rep. I was wearing a 2X HJC at the time and once I was fitted, I couldn't believe that a helmet was supposed to be that tight. (Large Arai). Long story short, I ended up buying an Arai RX-Q from another DMF member this spring, size Large. It was very tight and the cheek pads were downright uncomfortable. I kept wearing it and after breakin, it fits super. Tight with no pressure points, very secure, no vibration. I'm very happy with the helmet although I might go down a size on the cheek pads at some point.
As you know I too have a giant noggin with fat cheeks, and my RF-1100 in large is the most comfortable, best fitting helmet I've ever owned. Don't have any issues with visibility either that I haven't experienced in ever other full face helmet I've owned. My only gripe with it is that the shell is a bit large so I do have a little bit of spaceman syndrome, but if it keeps my melon intact, I can deal with it. It's very lightweight as well compared to my last Scorpion.
The sales guy is an idiot.
I suggest buying the smallest helmet that fits on your head comfortably. You can buy thinner cheek pads as needed for a comfortable fit there, but you don't want your head rattling around in the lid in a crash. The medium RX-Q or Corsair V with thinner cheek pads sounds like the way to go.
I wear a medium Quantum 2. And I have a pretty big head. Not much hair. The helmet was fairly tight when new. Almost too tight. Now it is still tight, but I'm used to it and would never buy a helmet that feels good right away. It is now 3 years old and wind gusts barely make it wiggle.
lenos video has a great interview with an arai guy about how a helmet should fit.
http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/video/arai-helmets/283819/ (http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/video/arai-helmets/283819/)
I've only bought one helmet, but I took a while to. All I did was find the snuggest fit I could that had no pressure points or contact with actual hard parts of the helmet. As long as it was just padding putting pressure on me, I thought it was good.
I ended up with a small Arai Astral X (I can't even put a small on in most other helmets I've seen) and cannot imagine anything fitting better... sorta bummed they stopped making it.
Lots of helmet info
http://www.webbikeworld.com/ (http://www.webbikeworld.com/)
Most of their reviews have an 'opinionator' that compares a number of points and more important here, a fit comparison chart. The chart list 7 (or so) helmets through the spectrum of the head shapes and then ranks the reviewed helmet on that chart, so you can see where it compares to other stuff on the market.
I too have the RF-1100 which replaced my RF-1000. I thought the 1000 was great, and the 1100 has improved on it a lot. Like Ted, i have a large. The shell size of the 1100 is larger than the one of the 1000, which is in the same size L.
One thing to mention about the 1100 is that more than just the cheek pads can be adjusted. They have a couple thickness of the padded sections that rest on your forehead and over the top. So between that and different cheek pads there's a lot of potential adjustment. Though that other section is around $70 for a replacement... ouch.
The first thing you need to understand is your head shape. Took me a while to figure out my head is a long oval, and no thanks to salespeople (no effing clue). I would either wear a larger helmet or deal with pain on my forehead after wearing the helmet for an hour or two.
Head shapes go from "Long Oval" -> Arai Profile (Discontinued, replaced by the Signet-Q (http://www.araiamericas.com/default.aspx?pageid=57#/helmets/moto/signet-q))
to "Intermediate Oval" (fits most people) -> Arai Quantum-2
to "Round Oval" -> Arai Vector-2 (http://www.araiamericas.com/default.aspx?pageid=57#/helmets/moto/vector-2)
Images, lists, info here: http://www.araiamericas.com/default.aspx?pageid=132 (http://www.araiamericas.com/default.aspx?pageid=132)
As bikepilot says, the helmet should fit snug or it will shift with the wind and can come off in case of an accident. Also padding degrades with time so it's better to have something a little tighter at first.
Another thing to remember is that helmets have expiration dates! I think Shoei is 7 years since manufacturing date or 5 since purchase (whichever comes soonest). Arai is 5 years since manufacture. This is mostly due to the fact that the materials designed to absorb the shock and protect your noggin degrade with time.
If you have a watermelon shaped head like me the X-eleven and X 12's are perfect. I bought an Arai Profile and had a headache in 10 minutes of riding. Be sure to buy where you can return within a certain period just in case.
Quote from: muskrat on October 30, 2011, 05:36:46 PM
If you have a watermelon shaped head like me the X-eleven and X 12's are perfect. I bought an Arai Profile and had a headache in 10 minutes of riding. Be sure to buy where you can return within a certain period just in case.
[laugh] sorry couldnt resists
(http://www.deviantart.com/download/141355677/Hey_Arnold__Au_Naturale_by_genaminna.jpg)