OK, so I have a weird head I guess. I've been riding with a Vega half helmet in size medium, which has been OK. It's snug and for shorter rides thats been fine. A couple weeks ago I went on a long ride and half way through the snugness was really bugging me. So, I went and bought the same helmet in size large. This was comfortable, but at highway speeds it felt like if it wasn't for the strap the thing would fly off my head. That can't be a good thing. Since then I've tried a number of other helmets with what seems to be the same results.

So this is my question. Would it be better for me to try and compress the padding in the medium to make a little extra room or find some kind of insert for the large helmet to snug it up some more. Do they even make inserts to do that? Also, is there any danger to compressing the padding and how would I do that short of putting my knee into it and putting my wieght on it.

Thanks for the information.

 

You'd have to look up your helmet and see if they make different liners, some full faced helmets you can buy different liners.

You can try to compress padding with end of a baseball bat.

Or try wearing a bandana or something similar under the larger helmet see if that helps keep it in place

 

It kind of depends on how the helmets fit. As in my case I have a wide head so helmets are more tight on the sides and loose in the back so buying a larger helmet and putting a bandana on under it didn't really help. I wouldn't compress the padding because its ability to compress is what protects you in a crash. If its already compressed it will not absorb the shock like it should.

I pulled the liner out of my helmet and use a grinding bit in my drill to "shape" it to fit my melon head. I took out very very little foam and it now fits great. Used spray adhesive to reattach the liner.

 

Not sure on your helmet, but as others have said, a lot of full face helmets have different liners/pads etc so you can adjust them. You can probably find some way to adjust a larger helmet for you. I'd think it would be better to adjust a larger one, than have to compress the pads in the smaller one, thought i'm definitely no helmet expert...

 

Try different brands of helmets until you find one that fits comfortably. Not all helmets are shaped/sized the same. All heads are not shaped the same. A poorly fitting helmet is a safety risk and an uncomfortable helmet can be painful.

 

Try on a Shoie and an Arai. These are two of the best helmets around and they manufacture two helmet shells per size grouping.

 

Welcome to the world of craniums that have their own moons!!!!
I went with a Seer and found that I can get a perfect fit with the etra pieces of padding that come with the helmet. You can install them at different points in the helmet and it really makes for a custom fit. I would be very hesitant to start pounding on the actual material in the helmet but that's just me.

Good luck

1HarleyGuy1

 

I have what is known as a long oval head too so like the rest of the freaks I have a hard time finding a helmet that fits from front to back.
I have ordered a Seer helmet as they claim "they are also made to fit American heads which are a long oval rather than circular".
They told me that there is currently a 4-5 week lead time but to have a helmet that fits properly the wait and cost will be worth it.
I reworked my current helmet liner with a ball peen hammer to make it fit properly which I know is not a good practice but otherwise it causes headaches as it is too round.
I would like to just buy a proper fitting helmet locally but the selection is pathetic and mailing wrong sized helmets back and forth is ridiculously expensive in Canada.
Hopefully the Seer will be the answer.