hard to tell if its how its supposed to feel since its on your head and not mine. but "tight" is good. the helmet should "break in" but if you are feeling any undue pressure on the forehead, temples, or back of the head and neck which has more to do with shell size then the padding / lining, it might be a problem. also your head may be the wrong shape for the helmet or vice-versa. its just how you look at it
if large discomfort persists i have also read switching lining / padding to the next size up can help as sometimes that makes the difference, not the helmet shell itself
take a look at this and see what you think about your own "fit"
In terms of your lower face and jaw, it should feel as if you're almost going to bite the insides of your cheeks when you make a chewing motion. Fit around the upper part of your head should be comfy, but snug enough to prevent the helmet from sliding forward or backward when you tug on it. Different helmet brands tend to fit specific head shapes. If at all possible, it's a good idea to deal with a local shop where you can try a variety of helmets in person.
As "charlie" said, the helmet should not readily rotate forward or back when you tug on the face guard. Beyond that, it can't be so tight that you are unable to wear it for an extended period of time. I find a helmet that is snug but not uncomfortable on my head. I generally select models that have interchangeable cheek guards, so that I can go up or down a size to be snug on the cheeks without being too tight. In my case, I usually need to go one size larger on the cheek guards. Otherwise they press too tightly on my cheek bones on front of my ears.
I have the Scorpion EXO 1100 and it fits tight even after a year and a half. There are times when I just have to take a break and take off the helmet. The discomfort gets too much about an hour into the ride on some days. I find this to be the case more during the warm season.
The thing with Scorpion helmets is that their FF are NOT the same size type as their 1/2 or 3/4 helmets. I found this out when I bought an EXO-100 and loved it, and tried to move to one of their full face lids and discovered that they are a very "round" shape, while I am a very distinct "Long Oval". Major bummer because they're good helmets!
Rule of thumb: Pain is bad. Snug is the way to be, but if you're losing blood flow and need to take High blood pressure medication just to get the thing off, it's too snug
neotrotsky wrote:Rule of thumb: Pain is bad. Snug is the way to be, but if you're losing blood flow and need to take High blood pressure medication just to get the thing off, it's too snug
Exactly right! Those who are saying that they have to take their helmet off after awhile because they can't stand the pain any longer - Your helmet is too TIGHT!
It really depends on the shape of your head. The fitting of an open face and a full aren't comparable; the full isn't simply an open with a bottom part added. They're different shapes.
A new helmet that fits may be uncomfortable at first; the padding will compress and adjust to your head pretty quickly. like breaking in shoes.
But as others said, it shouldn't be painful.
There are some FF helmets that won't fit your head right at any size unless you have the rarest completely average universal head shape. Others, you may need a bigger size.
Eric // LA Scooter Meetup Group // Stella 4T // Vespa LX // Vespa LXS // Honda Helix // some, uh, projects…
