With out a doubt your helmet is the most important piece of protective gear that you can wear. There are dozens of features and benefits that helmet manufacturers offer to make their helmets attractive to you. There are also different safety ratings currently in use by government and private testing laboratories. Finally, there are enormous differences in price, materials, and the way that helmets are manufactured. However, those are all discussions for another day. Today, I am going to help you fit a helmet to yourself based on the size and shape of the helmet. Whether you “plan” on having an accident or not, if the unforeseen does happen to you, a properly fitted helmet can greatly reduce the chance of you sustaining a life threatening injury.
The first and most important aspect of proper helmet fitment is how it fits on the crown of your head. If the helmet has removable cheek pads, take them out and put the helmet on without them. Check to see if the helmet fits the size and and shape of your crown. It should feel like a fitted hat with equal and slightly firm pressure around the entire circumference of your crown. Reach around to the back of the helmet and push it straight forward. Don’t let it pitch down toward your brow. You want to see how much room there is in-between the helmet liner and where it normally rest on your forehead. I use my pinkie as my gauge. I do not want any more than just my finger tip to fit in between the firm portion of the helmet liner and my forehead. If you can not create any gap but at the same time the helmet does not feel too tight, then all the better. Now
compare that front to rear fitment to the side to side fitment above your ears. Is there an equal amount of room compared to the front to rear? If not, take the cheek pads out of another helmet and try again until you find one that fits equally around your crown with the tightest fit that you can comfortably wear.
Now that you have the crown fitted it’s time to put the cheek pads back in the helmet. This is were most people run into some difficulty so be patient. The cheek pads should put enough pressure on your cheeks that it forces you to bite the inside of your cheeks. You should also be able to grab the chin bar and move it side to side without the cheek pads losing contact with your jaw. If the cheek pads put too much or too little pressure on your jaw, see if there are alternate sizes available to make the cheeks as comfortable as the crown.
This process can take some time but the results will be readily apparent. With the cheek pads as well as with the crown you want to allow for some break in, so fit the helmet slightly tighter than comfortable. A properly fitted helmet will eventually relax and fit better for a longer period of time, will be quieter, and most importantly – maximize the ability of the helmet to protect you.
Got a trick knee? Do you want one? Not everybody that wears knee braces wear them for injuries. Some people wear them as a precaution, just like most other pieces of safety equipment.
Yippie kay yay there partner! Chaps were originally worn by cowboys to protect them from brush, but they’ve found a special place in the hearts of those that ride today’s iron ponies. Chaps are basically a pair of britches with the back side cut out. They help keep your pants clean and dry (for the most part) without having the bulk or heat or restriction of movement leather pants might have, …plus they look cool!
This article may be a little more serious than others because your helmet is without a doubt, the most important part of your safety apparatus. This can not be understated. Most wrecks occur very close to the home. For most of us, that means residential roads, but even a slow speed crash can be deadly if you have not equipped yourself properly.
people wear just to be legal is the worst choice you could make as far as helmets go. Not only do they not offer much as far as protection, but wearing the beanie type helmets can be akin to strapping a parachute to your head when you get up to speed. Full face helmets are quieter They’re drier, and will stay drier if it happens to rain when they are on the helmet lock on your bike and they help keep your face clean.
With the vast selection of motorcycle jackets out today it can be a hard choice as to which will best fit your needs. What you first need to determine what is important to you about your jacket. What types of features it should have? Pads? Pockets? Armor? Vents? Waterproof? Picking between leather or textile seems to be one of the most common questions I get regarding gear.
