Choosing your helmet is maybe the most important thing in your riding safety. We can’t point out how important it is to buy the best quality helmet possible. You need to make sure that the size of your helmet fits you perfectly and that your head is protected at all costs. You need to consider many factors when choosing your helmet, and in this article, we will tell you all of them.
So how do you choose the best motorcycle helmet? You need to include many factors when selecting your helmet, but safety and comfort are the top priority. After you meet these conditions, look for the helmet that fits you perfectly in shape and size and in which situations you will use it the most. Once the helmet arrives, take it on a test ride.
Further in this article, we will tell you what elements you need to pay the most attention to, and we will help you choose your motorcycle helmet. Stay with us, and remember that your safety is your top priority.
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How to Choose Your Motorcycle Helmet?
Your helmet protects your head, and that’s why you need to get yourself the helmet that fits you perfectly. You can check the safety of your helmet by checking the DOT safety rating because it is the best indicator showing the safety of the helmet.
When you fall from your motorcycle and hit the ground with your head, the liner that absorbs the impact is responsible for absorbing those forces. If there is too much space between your head and the helmet, you risk getting injured by your own helmet. You can find helmets with slip liners inside like Bell’s MIPS system, which lowers the injuries that rotational forces can cause.
You need to make sure that the liner fits perfectly to your head and is not too big because if it doesn’t, its function will not be adequate. Also, you need to make sure that the helmet is not too tight because this will make you feel uncomfortable since there will be too little gap.
If your helmet makes you uncomfortable, it will distract you during rides or even become painful, and you want to prevent this by choosing the perfect size helmet. Every helmet make and model is not the same. Different brands have slight differences in helmets sizes. Also, you don’t need to pay hundreds of dollars for a good and protective helmet.
In today’s market, you can find a lot of different helmets depending on what style you ride, head shapes, different price ranges, which means you can find a helmet that is both protective and looks nice.
Some riders may think that choosing your helmet can be difficult, while the truth is quite the opposite. We will show you the perfect guide for selecting the ideal helmet for your safety and riding style.
We will list you the things you need to focus on the most when selecting your motorcycle helmet:
- Measure your head
- Determine what helmet style suits you the most
- Try the helmet
- Adjust the helmet
- Test wear your helmet
- Test ride
1. Measure Your Head
Your heads measurements are responsible for the two most important elements:
- Safety
- Comfort
You need to measure your head and figure out your head’s shape. There are three head shapes:
- Round oval
- Intermediate oval
- Long oval
You can determine your head type by taking a photo above your head. Make your head’s hair as flat as possible because if you have longer hair, it can lead you to determine your head shape wrong. The intermediate oval head type is the most common head type in the US. After you have determined your head type, you need to select the size of the helmet you require.
Some people may find it difficult to determine their head size because checking your head size is a little bit different than checking the size of your waist, shirt, or shoe size. There are rare occasions when you need to check your head size, like this one when selecting your helmet, but don’t worry since we will show you everything you need to know in this article.
You will need to ask some of your family members or friends to help you measure your head’s circumference using a soft tape measure since it will give you the most precise measurement.
When measuring your head size, make sure that you place the soft tape above your eyebrows and place it on the back of your head, and it needs to include the widest part of your head. Measure your head 2 or 3 times to ensure that you have the correct size. Use the helmets size chart and compare them with the results you got from measuring your head.
2. Determine What Helmet Style Suits You the Most
In today’s age, you have so many types of helmets that it may seem like a challenging task to choose what helmet you want the most. It is better to have more choice in choosing and picking the helmet that is nice to you (and meets safety and comfort standards), and you will enjoy wearing it. Motorcycle helmets are divided into five basic types, and we will write all of their characteristics so you can choose much easier what helmet type you will wear.
- Open Face Helmet: This type of motorcycle helmet gives you the least protection, and it is the least restrictive. It allows better airflow because the helmet’s shell doesn’t cover the rider’s face or chin, and because of that, it doesn’t give so much protection to the mentioned parts of your head. Open face helmets protect the top of your head and your skull, and these helmet types are mostly cheaper than other helmet types. You can see this type of helmet on riders on classics, cruisers, or retros.
- Modular Helmet: This motorcycle helmet is a subcategory of full-face helmets. A hinged system is used in this helmet type to lift the face and chin-bar shield up, allowing a rider to get some fresh air. A rider can lower the face and chin-bar protection by pressing the release button, which then protects the rider’s entire face. Touring and commuter riders like to wear modular helmets. Riders who choose to buy this type of helmet can have at the same time both full face and open face helmets. If you ride on some country roads and enjoy your slow ride, you may want to open your face helmet to feel that air breeze hit your face, while on the other hand, if you ride on the highway, you will probably want maximum protection of your face.
- Full Face Helmet: This type of helmet protects your entire head by totally closing the head of a rider. The nose and eyes are protected by a face shield, and there is the chin bar which is an extension of the shell, and its purpose is to protect the rider’s face bottom. If we look from the safety stand of view, full-face helmets are the best helmet type. Although they are the least ventilated, they will offer you the best protection if you fall off the bike and hit the ground. One other thing that this helmet provides is the best sound isolation. If you plan to race and go on the track, then a full-face helmet is a must-have because you need to protect yourself at all costs, especially your head.
- ADV Helmet: ADV helmet or an adventure helmet, as it is called, is the best helmet type if you plan to go on an off-road ride. This type of helmet can be used in streets (road) and trail rides, so the riders who plan to go on both rides in a single ride like to wear this type of helmet. ADV helmet gives you head protection and meets the legal safety rating. You can use it in dirt rides since it can imitate a dirt helmet that has a peak. Adventure helmet is compatible with goggles and provides you with a lot of ventilation so that you will have fresh air at all times. This type of helmet will meet your needs both on the trail and street, and there is no better option than an ADV helmet if you look to satisfy both requirements.
- Dirt Helmets: Dirt helmets, or as some may call them, dirt bike helmets, are specially made for off-road rides. What is interesting about these helmets is that they don’t need to have a DOT (Department of Transportation) rating, which means that they may not be legal for a street ride. Dirt bike helmets have a lot of airflow and a huge peak whose purpose is to prevent any branches from the rider’s eyes. Dirt helmets need to be worn in combination with goggles. They are not so protective as other types of helmets because they don’t have face shields which makes them very light. Keep in mind that dirt helmets are designed only for off-road riding, and we recommend you not to use them on the streets, especially if you plan to go high speed, then consider taking a full-face helmet.
3. Try the Helmet
Now is the time to go to your local motorcycle shop or order your helmet online. Once the helmet arrives, you need to put it on your head and test if it fits you. By this step, you know your heads measurements and what type of helmet you like most, and this should help you narrow the volume of the helmets you consider buying.
Remember that there is a possibility that you will need to take the straps and spread them apart so you can put the helmet on your head. You might feel some discomfort while putting the helmet over your head since helmets are not made to feel comfortable at the moment when you adjust your head on the pads. There is a possibility that you will have to adjust your ears also, but don’t let that bother you because that is perfectly fine. Make sure that you focus the most on how your helmet fits once you put it on your head.
4. Adjust the Helmet
Once you put the helmet on you, you need to determine if you feel comfortable and the helmet is good for you, or you need to replace it with another helmet. If you followed all the steps we gave you above, and your helmet is still too small or too big, you should check your shape and size one more time.
If your helmet fits perfectly, then the cushions inside your helmet should be placed right on your cheeks. Don’t look for check pads if you buy an open-face helmet because open-face helmets don’t have check pads. Hold the chin bar, shift it around, and notice if your helmet or cheeks move.
Note: Your cheeks must move and not your helmet. The helmet needs to stay still. If the helmet slides, consider taking another one number smaller helmet. If your helmet is a little tight, have in mind that helmet liners can break in a range from 15%-20% most of the time and that mostly happens during the first 10-25 riding hours.
5. Test Wear Your Helmet
How to test your helmet? Pretty easy; once your helmet arrives, you should put it on your head and wear it for a while (40 minutes to 1 hour) just to feel how it feels. Focus on the pressure points, if you feel a little bit of tightness, you don’t need to worry about it, but if you feel pain in your head, you need to take the helmet off and replace it with one size bigger helmet.
Most riders feel discomfort in two spots above the temples or directly at the forehead. If you feel that your temples are squeezed pretty hard, it points out that the helmet is not round enough for your head. If you take the helmet off your head and notice a big red line on your forehead, you need to try another helmet because that helmet is not long-oval enough to fit your head.
Make sure that this period of 45 minutes to 1 hour, you need to wear your helmet off the motorcycle, so you are 100% concentrated on the helmet and the feeling it gives you (if you were on the road, you would have to focus on the traffic and all the other elements and factors that affect your safety).
6. Test Ride
If you feel comfortable wearing your helmet off the motorcycle (in your house, for instance), you should now go for a test ride and see how it behaves during a ride. If you feel comfortable and not disrupted while having this helmet during a ride, it means that this helmet is perfect for you, and you should keep it. The helmet will mold to your head as you wear it more often, which means that it will feel more comfortable in future rides.
There is also other protective equipment like motorcycle jackets and gloves to consider when discussing riders’ safety.
If you want to know How to Choose a Perfect Motorcycle Jacket, click on this link.
For more information about How to Choose a Perfect Motorcycle Gloves, you will find by clicking on this link.
Stunt Ride Helmets
My friends and I love stunt riding, and we practice it whenever we have our free time. These helmets are almost always adjusted to the needs of a stunt rider. Here is an excellent example of a stunt ride helmet:
Here is a nice video from Revzilla that explains to you what you need to look for when choosing your motorcycle helmet:
Final Thoughts
A motorcycle helmet is the most crucial piece of your safety equipment, and with that being said, it means that you should take your time and not rush in selecting your helmet. Figure out your riding preferences and where you will ride most of the time, and according to that, choose your motorcycle helmet. Make sure to use the measurements that we gave you above to pick the perfect helmet for you. We hope that this article has helped you select your helmet, and one more time, please be cautious and make your safety the top priority.