I agree on the ear protection, I personaly keep cotton balls in my pocket. I tear a piece off and put it in my ears, and it stops the hard wind from entering my ears and I can still hear and talk to my buddies as they pull up along side me like I dont even have anything in them. WORKS GREAT!!!
Low profile helmets-No mushroom head
- Thread starter Rhys
- Start date
I agree on the ear protection, I personaly keep cotton balls in my pocket. I tear a piece off and put it in my ears, and it stops the hard wind from entering my ears and I can still hear and talk to my buddies as they pull up along side me like I dont even have anything in them. WORKS GREAT!!!
I ride with ear plugs due to the wind noise. When I tried it the first time, I couldn't believe the difference. When I worked outside, I kept a pair of ear plugs in my truck for when I worked on busy roads or near an inter-state. Unbelievable how noisy it can get. Now, my husband thinks I have bionic ears sense I can hear things that he can't. He has a lot of years with shooting guns & using power tools that has cost him a lot of hearing. I have always used ear protection, especially with power tools. :s
R_W_B
Senior Member
Rhys how large is your head ? I'm 6'-2" and wear a XL in a Hawk helmet. Maybe I look like a SuperFreak and my wife doesn't have the heart to tell me ::lolrolling
++ on ear protection. I'm half deaf from working with explosives in the Army and then working around heavy equipment much of my civilian life. I've tried several kinds of ear plugs, but believe it or not the best of all of mine are the ones I bought at Home Depot for construction work. They are rubber and have the 3 size decreasing cones that go into the ear. The also have a small cord attached so I can stuff them in far enough to stay in and then not have trouble pulling them out. I cut the cords off to about 2" long. Didn't like them hanging everywhere. Believe or not I can hear everything quite well with them in. But it stops the wind from constantly buffeting my ears. If I don't wear them after 30mins above 60mph my ears are pretty much totally deft from wind.
Before I got my windshield of the perfect height, the wind at high speeds used to pull on my SuperFreak helmet. But after I got a windshield all that went away.
Probably the 2006 HD made by HJC model I use...
Newer model does not have the tiny air vents, but the price is right at $99 here in SoCal...(MSRP $250)...:s
YnotBiker
Active Member
I recommend you go to a helmet warehouse store, or maybe a motorcycle rally with a large number of vendors to try on several helmets and talk with someone who really knows the business and what different brands have available, and get a measuring tape for your head. I was about to order off the internet with my self-measurement number when I saw the fine print saying all helmet orders were final and NOT returnable, so I went to a helmet warehouse store a 45 minute drive away. The guy there took 15 minutes to find a perfect fit that matched my bike. My self measurement was wrong so I would have been "so sad - too bad" sorry if I had ordered off the internet.
If your head is a size XXXL, and they only have XL, you could buy a quality helmet that has a removable inner lining (for washing), and just ride without with the inner lining -maybe you could wear a beenie instead. Of course that would void the DOT (Department of Transportation) or Nolan status of the helmet. Helmets are rated by ability to withstand forces that might shatter or crack the outer shell [kill factor], but protecting the grey matter noodles inside the skull from scrambling is the shock factor. Bones heal but you can't think straight after some blows to the head. For example, a carpenter biker friend of mine had a brain swelling fever & lost the ability to look at a piece of wood and tell you how much it weighed. Having said that, most bikers in my neighborhood wear novelty helmets, which are just a shell and no padding. I think the Hurt report on motorcycle crashes said you have a 5 to 1 chance that an accident will affect your head, and then one 4th of those involve the face.
I went with the Scorpion exo-100. Scorpion EXO-100 Solid Helmet - Street Bike - Motorcycle Superstore
I like to hear the surrounding traffic and those Full Face helmets also cut down my visibility, but I have a Nolan rated FF if my rider wants one.
cdn-bigfoot
Junior Member
I have a very large head as well. I wear a 7 3/4 hat.
I have done well with getting XL helmets in full face designs throughout my biking life. I know exactly what your saying about mushroom head with the half shells. I believe a helmet that sits lower on the head not only looks better but protects you better in side impact collision (that being impact to the side of the head). I found a Large size Harley Davidson (HJC I think) half shell I liked. An XL was not available so I bought it anyways. After peeling back the fabric lining for re-install later I went at the styro lining with a dremmel tool. After just a few minutes I had shaved the top down enough to reveal the letters XL on another layer of styro. It appears the L is just an XL with an extra layer of styro glued in. I say dremmel inside the top layer of styro to get it to sit lower. This will void the DOT but who needs to know. I believe the helmet is still safe (maybe even safer as it will sit lower). Just don't ever do this to a friends helmet for them as you wouldn't want trouble with lawyers and such if something horrible were to come of an accident.
Only do this at your own risk and knowing full well that you have compromised the tested performance of the helmet.
I have done well with getting XL helmets in full face designs throughout my biking life. I know exactly what your saying about mushroom head with the half shells. I believe a helmet that sits lower on the head not only looks better but protects you better in side impact collision (that being impact to the side of the head). I found a Large size Harley Davidson (HJC I think) half shell I liked. An XL was not available so I bought it anyways. After peeling back the fabric lining for re-install later I went at the styro lining with a dremmel tool. After just a few minutes I had shaved the top down enough to reveal the letters XL on another layer of styro. It appears the L is just an XL with an extra layer of styro glued in. I say dremmel inside the top layer of styro to get it to sit lower. This will void the DOT but who needs to know. I believe the helmet is still safe (maybe even safer as it will sit lower). Just don't ever do this to a friends helmet for them as you wouldn't want trouble with lawyers and such if something horrible were to come of an accident.
Only do this at your own risk and knowing full well that you have compromised the tested performance of the helmet.
