[Andrew]

Tried on a small HJC CL-15 and thought it fit pretty well. Pads were touching my cheeks. A store employee showed me a mirror and said there was a gap around my temples. He suggested the Shoei RF 1000 and I tried it on. Now it was more snug around my head so I left it on for 10 minutes or so. I noticed afterwards that my jaw was little sore. So I don’t think the Shoei is for me. Is that small gap at the temple on the HJC going to be a problem?

[RobbieJ]

You want the helmet to be snug. When you put it on, it’s going to push your cheeks in like a chipmunk. If you have any space in the helmet, at all, when it breaks in it is going to be too loose. It should be snug when you buy it and it will break in for you.

[ilnam]

I hate real snug though. I measured my head and I think it was about 56 centimeters, which is a small according to the couple manufacturers I checked. However, the mediums were really tight and the larges felt much more comfortable. If they break in a lot, then perhaps I’ll consider the mediums. Does anyone else find their head size/shape to run a few sizes larger than the general recommendation? Also, I tried to get into a few Scorpions, but my head wouldn’t even get into their XL!

[Matt]

I was told not to expect the crown (top of head) padding to break in much. If it is a little snug, then it’ll break in. If it is tight, it won’t break in enough. If it is JUST right, it’ll break in and be slightly loose.

Checkpads are different, they can be tight, they’ll break in a fair amount. I know my cheekpads where rather tight, but after two months of riding they were no longer an issue.

Headshape has a big role in helmet fitting. Go to a store with a wide variety of makes. Different models from the same company will usually use the same head shape, going to different companies is the best way to find a better fit.

—
“The two seconds between ‘Oh S**!’ and the crash isn’t a lot of practice time.”

[Author]

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