Helmet Fit

spikes · Postby **spikes** » Wed Feb 01, 2012 1:03 pm

Coming from riding bikes, this is the advice I've been given about fitment.

A helmet must be snug, but not so snug that it puts pressure on your earlobes and causes discomfort.
When wearing the helmet, shake your head side to side vigorously, it must not move
When trying out helmets, try wearing it for about 10 minutes, yes you may like a idiot but you'll feel any discomfort in that time.

manga_blue · Postby **manga_blue** » Wed Feb 01, 2012 2:37 pm

Yh, I had a fitting session at Revolution a few weeks ago. Similar advice there for car helmets. I was a bit surprised at how tight they want them to be.

Can someone explain why the scrutineers always check the condition and certification of the helmet and never check to see whether it fits or not?

bruce · Postby **bruce** » Wed Feb 01, 2012 2:50 pm

Well, it only takes them 5 seconds to check the condition/certification on the helmet. It would take much longer to pfaff around getting you to put the helmet on and then trying to wrench if off your head.

deviant · Postby **deviant** » Wed Feb 01, 2012 3:09 pm

manga_blue wrote:Yh, I had a fitting session at Revolution a few weeks ago. Similar advice there for car helmets. I was a bit surprised at how tight they want them to be.

Can someone explain why the scrutineers always check the condition and certification of the helmet and never check to see whether it fits or not?

Probably yet another liability thing to stop you standing up in court yelling "you said my helmet fit!" when you have a smash and it falls off and decide to sue the poor scrut.

Quite rightly it is up to you and nobody else to be responsible for your helmet, if someone was silly enough to wear a helmet 3 sizes to big and got hurt they bloody deserve it!

MR5000 · Postby **MR5000** » Sat Feb 04, 2012 9:02 pm

Also NEVER buy a display model or 2nd hand helmet..

Once a helmet has been dropped on the ground they should be binned, That's why you should

always but a helmet that is sealed in the box. If your paying $1000 + for a ARAI or Shoei you don't want a helmet that's

been tried on a thousand times & dropped once or twice.

Also a helmet should only really have a 3 year life.. 25+ years riding and god knows have much I've spent on helmets.

deviant · Postby **deviant** » Sun Feb 05, 2012 2:27 am

Buy a flame resistant balaclava while you are at it. There is the added safety of course but nothing wrecks the foam in your helmet quicker than sweat and a balaclava helps to reduce this. I prefer Pyrovatex over Nomex as it just feels like cotton t-shirt but does the same job.

Always air your helmet out after use to, if it's gets stored away with any sweat in it you will end up with a stinky and moldy helmet.

Duane · Postby **Duane** » Sun Feb 05, 2012 8:28 am

deviant wrote:Buy a flame resistant balaclava while you are at it. There is the added safety of course but nothing wrecks the foam in your helmet quicker than sweat and a balaclava helps to reduce this. I prefer Pyrovatex over Nomex as it just feels like cotton t-shirt but does the same job.

Always air your helmet out after use to, if it's gets stored away with any sweat in it you will end up with a stinky and moldy helmet.

As an ex bike racer I always used to buy models that have a removable (washable) liner. Washed it with softener etc after every race meeting and always felt like a fresh new helmet every weekend.

1 Small drop, like falling off the tank etc destroying helmets is a load of bullshit. The shell is stronger than that and the real protection is slowing down the forces to your brain by compressing the polystyrene. This damage doesn't happen if your heads not in the helmet. Of course you wouldn't want to repeatably drop it and I agree with buying new unopened.
I have tested helmets. I have thrown out alot over the years from damage. Most were just abrasive damage from skipping down the tarmac but I have been KOed 3 times and lived to tell the tale.
I'm the fat unconcience one on the right, I was T-boned going into MG at the Island and airlifted for that one...

deviant · Postby **deviant** » Sun Feb 05, 2012 11:26 am

I can't quite tell...is one of your feet on backwards?

I have heard that the reason they say to not wear a dropped helmet is because there might be a tiny crack in the shell or the liner which will bust wide open in a smash.

Zcootz · Postby **Zcootz** » Sun Feb 05, 2012 1:07 pm

It's because the inner foam can crush and start to lose its impact absorbing properties and the outer shell bounce back and look intact. Either way I comes down to how much you value your head.

CT · Postby CT » Mon Feb 06, 2012 8:46 am

Remember that car racing helmets and bike helmets are designed for different impacts too. Car helmets also have mesh in the air vents and fireproof liners - bike helmets do not. Car helmets are designed for impacts like steering wheels and roll cages, bike helmets are designed for hitting tarmac. I currently own 5 helmets, 3 for bikes and 2 for car racing. I never mix them. Snell SA (car) vs MA (bike) are tested differently too. The ADR/DOT system adopted in Australia uses a combination of these results for bikes only - they ignore car helmet testing. Helmet manufacturers also have different shell shapes and you need to try on different brands as well as sizes before you can be sure you have the best fit. For eg, Arai are oval/slender, Bell are round, OMP are round, Shoei are less oval than Arai, HJC are round, Shark are more like Shoei etc etc. I wear OMP for the car, HJC and Shark for the bike. My OMP has replaceable internals which I renew every season - it's like having a new helmet every year. Car helmets also have re-enforcement where the HANS pins go - more good insurance.