Helmets for Round Heads | GTAMotorcycle.com

Helmets for Round Heads

likebutta

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I'm at a bit of an impasse here. I've owned quite a few helmets over the last few years or so, trying to find one that fits my head shape. I've tried a lot of brands, models and varying model years and I have yet to find that fits me well.

The issue: I assume I find a helmet that fits me. First time I only wore my helmet for 5 minutes and thought "okay!". The second time, I bought a helmet after 20 minutes. Third, Fourth, Fifth.. the times get longer. The helmets seem all nice and well until I pass the 40 minute to an hour mark. I start getting increasing sore spots around the crown of my head and it increases to the point where it's painful and distract. As such, I need to stop riding, where ever I am and take my helmet off for about 10 minutes until I can muster another 40 minutes to an hour.

This is highly inconvenient and I'm frustrated at throwing money away. I've been to all the bike shops in and around the GTA, hunting for that perfect helmet. I've put an absurd amount of online hours trying to research the shell types that could possibly fit me (re: user reviews, avg. of revzilla shape feedback, webbikeworld listing) and in this in particular, I find is far from accurate. I've tried on almost all of the Arai and Shoei Helmets, a good chunk of Bell's helmet line, some of AGV, HJC, Shark and Scorpion. I tried a couple Suomy helmets and a Nexx Helmet.

I am looking to the community here for some possible solutions. I mean, there has to be other round heads out there (my particular scenario, looking top-down at head graphic, I am mostly round headed, probably very little "oval" if at all) who go through the same thing, since most helmets seem to be geared to intermdiate ovals. And this is presumably why I am getting the crown pains, because the helmet liner padding is not fully resting at the top of my head and instead mostly at the crown sides. Of all the helmets I have tried/owned that have thus far been close to fit but not quite there for longer rides: Arai RX-Q, Shoei Qwest. With the RX-Q in particular (my current helmet), I've tried changing liner sides, up and down and no change -- it's the shell that's doing me in.


Beyond that, I'm at a loss of what to try next. Word through the grapevine is that Arai is supposedly making a new round helmet for release later this year (re: the bike show) but can I really count on their definitions of round? More round helmets are still very much oval in nature. Another possibility is a custom design helmet.. I've heard about Bell's 3D Scan custom helmet but I would need to drive down to the States, get the scan done then home the result (which seems to be delayed) is good, at a very expensive price.


Anyway, if anyone has any ideas, I'm open to suggestions.
 
I've got the opposite issue (narrow head), but the fix is the same. Take a round object like a baseball or screwdriver handle, or even just your thumbs, and squish the tightest parts of the Styrofoam shell a little at a time. I've had to do this with every helmet I've owned.
 
I've got the opposite issue (narrow head), but the fix is the same. Take a round object like a baseball or screwdriver handle, or even just your thumbs, and squish the tightest parts of the Styrofoam shell a little at a time. I've had to do this with every helmet I've owned.

Personally I don't see this being a good idea......

That what is supposed to absorb and be there for the impact between your head and the shell and the road you have effectively made useless as it's now already compacted....

but that is just my thought on this...
 
The shell is something like 1.5 or 2" thick, and you're only squishing it perhaps an eighth of an inch. A little adjustment makes a big difference in comfort
 
Have you consulted webBikeWorld's reviews sorted by helmet shape? This can give you an idea of where to look. http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-helmets/motorcycle-helmet-shapes.htm

Personally, I've found my HJC CL16 has a fairly round shape and felt pretty good and similar to the Shoei RF1000 that I found fit my round-ish head the best.

Yea that's one of the resources I've used. I actually tried the CL-17, which is categorized in the same bracket, just yesterday and it did not quite fit (pressure points after 10 minutes). Short of trying modular helmets, I've gone through a majority of that list in the neutral, slightly round, and more towards that end of the spectrum (well, at least what is available and not discontinued).


I've got the opposite issue (narrow head), but the fix is the same. Take a round object like a baseball or screwdriver handle, or even just your thumbs, and squish the tightest parts of the Styrofoam shell a little at a time. I've had to do this with every helmet I've owned.

I've been weary of trying something like this but I may need to resort to this.

Personally I don't see this being a good idea......

That what is supposed to absorb and be there for the impact between your head and the shell and the road you have effectively made useless as it's now already compacted....

but that is just my thought on this...

True. It's definitely not my first option but it may be a last resort, if it can be done minimally and resolve the issue. But before that is attempt, I'd have to exhaust any other options available.
 
I kinda have a round/neutral head shape. My first helmet was the HJC CL 16 there was no pressure point. I currently have a shoei qwest its snug but no pressure point. Definitely looks like you tired lots of helmets. It's a long shot but maybe the helmets are blocking the veins on/in/around your head.
 
Ok, instead of squishing some of the styro liner, have you tried adding some padding to where your head does NOT touch? I had to replace a small section of foam on my helmet. Turns out the foam was just slightly too thick. Gave me a headache after a short while. Cut the thickness down a few millimeters and it was fine. Just that small amount made a difference.
 
I've got the opposite issue (narrow head), but the fix is the same. Take a round object like a baseball or screwdriver handle, or even just your thumbs, and squish the tightest parts of the Styrofoam shell a little at a time. I've had to do this with every helmet I've owned.

I did this on one of my helmets. Had a pressure spot at the top back - got painful about the hour-mark of a ride. I used a tablespoon. Not really deep.
 
I have a round head shape and just bought a Shoei Qwest as a replacement for my 6 year old HJC IS16. The Shoei fits extremely well compared to my old HJC on my round head. Shoei doesn't normally make helmets for round heads with the exception of the Qwest.
 
I have had to adjust all my helmets by using the butt end of a screw driver. As mentioned above, it doesn't take much to make difference. Hell I have even seen a heat gun used ( not recommended lol )
 
I kinda have a round/neutral head shape. My first helmet was the HJC CL 16 there was no pressure point. I currently have a shoei qwest its snug but no pressure point. Definitely looks like you tired lots of helmets. It's a long shot but maybe the helmets are blocking the veins on/in/around your head.

It could be something a long those lines. Maybe I just have an unlucky design (head/veins/cell bits wise). Yea the Qwest and RX-Q are by far the better helmets I have tried so far but they fail sometime after 40 minute mark.

Ok, instead of squishing some of the styro liner, have you tried adding some padding to where your head does NOT touch? I had to replace a small section of foam on my helmet. Turns out the foam was just slightly too thick. Gave me a headache after a short while. Cut the thickness down a few millimeters and it was fine. Just that small amount made a difference.

Well, technically, I've only tried going up and down in liner size (default is 7mm). But I guess that is something else I can possibly try (putting a thicker wad of foam in the top center of the helmet); I did try placing some foam pads from my Nexx XR1R around the edges of the top where the liner doesn't cover all of the shell but it didn't seem to make a difference.


I have had to adjust all my helmets by using the butt end of a screw driver. As mentioned above, it doesn't take much to make difference. Hell I have even seen a heat gun used ( not recommended lol )

It may be something I'll have to try but I'm going to try the foam method first. Yea, definitely wouldn't try the heat gun route.
 
I have a round head, suomy is going to be the best you can get. Size 1 up, even if you have an old suomy helmet, their new line is straight up 1 size smaller than everyone else. So if you wear medium arai, get a large suomy. The new models are insanely good, price will range from 250 USD to 400 USD. I can wear my suomy for like 12 hours and theres no pain or headaches at all, its so light you wont even remember you have it on after a few minutes.

*edit* the only thing I will mention is that the Apex helmets dont have as good venting as the older vandals did. Sitting in traffic it can get hot with the shield down, but moving its actually pretty decent. You can crack the shield slightly to let it breathe more, and the shield doesnt have notches but its pretty tight, so you can open it like 1 or 2cm and it will stay like that even at highway speeds. You can order it from speed addict cycles website in the US and theyll throw in a free extra shield, so you get a pretty good deal even with the exchange rate.
 
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I have a round head, suomy is going to be the best you can get. Size 1 up, even if you have an old suomy helmet, their new line is straight up 1 size smaller than everyone else. So if you wear medium arai, get a large suomy. The new models are insanely good, price will range from 250 USD to 400 USD. I can wear my suomy for like 12 hours and theres no pain or headaches at all, its so light you wont even remember you have it on after a few minutes.

*edit* the only thing I will mention is that the Apex helmets dont have as good venting as the older vandals did. Sitting in traffic it can get hot with the shield down, but moving its actually pretty decent. You can crack the shield slightly to let it breathe more, and the shield doesnt have notches but its pretty tight, so you can open it like 1 or 2cm and it will stay like that even at highway speeds. You can order it from speed addict cycles website in the US and theyll throw in a free extra shield, so you get a pretty good deal even with the exchange rate.

I tried their SR Sport helmet the other day. It was okay up until around 22 minutes... definitely not the worst of the bunch but not the best either. I remember I was sweating balls inside that helmet, though! I didn't see any other models from Suomy at GP so it makes it difficult to say how the Apex would fit. I definitely don't want to order and find out it doesn't and be on the hook for more shipping charges.
 
Cycleworld used to sell suomy, maybe give them a call and see if they have any of the Apex in stock? I got my vandal from there but that was 4 years ago, but I dont think suomy has any canadian distribution now. But, I'll tell you that Shark helmets hurt my head, arai hurts my head, shoei hurts my head, HJC hurts my head, even the suomy vandal hurt my head after a few hours, always in the same spot, front temples, i would get a splitting headache always... I can wear my apex for literally 12 hours, no issues, I never have that screaming feeling that i need to get my helmet off now to let my temples take a rest. If you know that feeling, I definitely suggest you find somewhere that has them in stock so you can try it on, its the best helmet I ever owned. I'm definitely buying the same model again when I need to replace mine.
 
I also have a round head, and have been looking for a new helmet to replace my aging HJC CL-15. I've tried on pretty much every full face helmet that Royal and GP have in stock, and am going to pickup a CL-17 next time I get out there. I also tried on one from Gmax that fit pretty good.

Even different models from HJC fit differently. I found the RPHA and IS models really narrow, but the CL models fit fine.


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I have a very round head. A long oval helmet will typically be super tight to get on/off around the sides of my head and ears yet when actually on my head will be slightly loose front to back to the point that the helmet will rotate front and back. I was leaning towards a CL-17 but did not like the visor locking mechanism. Ended up going with the FG-17. The FG is very similar around the crown to the CL in that they are both pretty round at the crown, but the FG is more "race fit" around the chin bar and cheek pads. The FG also seems to be relatively wide around the ear area so it holds a pretty thick speaker without causing any pressure/pain on your ears, but conversely because it doesn't have a thick pad over your ear it tends to be on the noisy side.
 
I'm at a bit of an impasse here. I've owned quite a few helmets over the last few years or so, trying to find one that fits my head shape. I've tried a lot of brands, models and varying model years and I have yet to find that fits me well.

The issue: I assume I find a helmet that fits me. First time I only wore my helmet for 5 minutes and thought "okay!". The second time, I bought a helmet after 20 minutes. Third, Fourth, Fifth.. the times get longer. The helmets seem all nice and well until I pass the 40 minute to an hour mark. I start getting increasing sore spots around the crown of my head and it increases to the point where it's painful and distract. As such, I need to stop riding, where ever I am and take my helmet off for about 10 minutes until I can muster another 40 minutes to an hour.

Don't get TOO frustrated, heads are complex and variable shapes wrapped in blood vessels and nerves, plus they often contain cranky brains! I'm in the same boat, BTW. My head goes from rounded at the back, to oval at the front and it's big (the bone part, not the thinking part). Try finding a helmet that works with that! None of the web resources really amounted to much help

Have you been trying oversizes? I started riding with FF XL helmets and they just didn't work (hot spots galore, sore ears). Eventually moved on to an XXL in a Shoei FF and that worked great. Then I wanted to try a modular. Oh boy, even a 3XL Schuberth was torture and expensive. Modulars seem to run small for whatever reason. In the end, I decided to risk something less pricey and opted for a 3XL HJC modular. Close, but still a problem for the crown of my head--a common complaint for many. Curious, I removed the helmet liner to see how tight the shell really was. Not bad in this case, maybe I needed a larger (thinner) liner? Fortunately, HJC offers 4XL and 5XL liner options and the 5XL liner made things work. So check to see what brands offer the biggest range of shell and liner sizes before you order them, as you will need to play mix and match. Canada's Motorcycle made the process pretty painless for me, wish I had gone there earlier. I gave local stores many chances but customer service/inventory is an increasingly foreign concept to them, which speaks volumes since I'm not even remotely pushy.
 
Cycleworld used to sell suomy, maybe give them a call and see if they have any of the Apex in stock? I got my vandal from there but that was 4 years ago, but I dont think suomy has any canadian distribution now. ............ If you know that feeling, I definitely suggest you find somewhere that has them in stock so you can try it on, its the best helmet I ever owned. I'm definitely buying the same model again when I need to replace mine.

I will try and call them. Would be less travel than going back to GP again (though I didn't see any other Suomy there, I might as well call to see if they have any in stock (the Apex is on their website)).


I also have a round head, and have been looking for a new helmet to replace my aging HJC CL-15. I've tried on pretty much every full face helmet that Royal and GP have in stock, and am going to pickup a CL-17 next time I get out there. I also tried on one from Gmax that fit pretty good.

Even different models from HJC fit differently. I found the RPHA and IS models really narrow, but the CL models fit fine.


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I'll have to retry the CL model again. I tried the CL-17 and I can't remember why it wasn't a good fit but maybe I'll have to size up and try again.

I have a very round head. A long oval helmet will typically be super tight to get on/off around the sides of my head and ears yet when actually on my head will be slightly loose front to back to the point that the helmet will rotate front and back. I was leaning towards a CL-17 but did not like the visor locking mechanism. Ended up going with the FG-17. The FG is very similar around the crown to the CL in that they are both pretty round at the crown, but the FG is more "race fit" around the chin bar and cheek pads. The FG also seems to be relatively wide around the ear area so it holds a pretty thick speaker without causing any pressure/pain on your ears, but conversely because it doesn't have a thick pad over your ear it tends to be on the noisy side.

Thank you, I'll try the FG-17 as well. I normally ride with earplugs, especially if I am going highway so noise shouldn't be that much of an issue.

Don't get TOO frustrated, heads are complex and variable shapes wrapped in blood vessels and nerves, plus they often contain cranky brains! I'm in the same boat, BTW. My head goes from rounded at the back, to oval at the front and it's big (the bone part, not the thinking part). Try finding a helmet that works with that! None of the web resources really amounted to much help

Have you been trying oversizes? I started riding with FF XL helmets and they just didn't work (hot spots galore, sore ears). Eventually moved on to an XXL in a Shoei FF and that worked great. Then I wanted to try a modular. Oh boy, even a 3XL Schuberth was torture and expensive. Modulars seem to run small for whatever reason. In the end, I decided to risk something less pricey and opted for a 3XL HJC modular. Close, but still a problem for the crown of my head--a common complaint for many. Curious, I removed the helmet liner to see how tight the shell really was. Not bad in this case, maybe I needed a larger (thinner) liner? Fortunately, HJC offers 4XL and 5XL liner options and the 5XL liner made things work. So check to see what brands offer the biggest range of shell and liner sizes before you order them, as you will need to play mix and match. Canada's Motorcycle made the process pretty painless for me, wish I had gone there earlier. I gave local stores many chances but customer service/inventory is an increasingly foreign concept to them, which speaks volumes since I'm not even remotely pushy.

It's hard not to get frustrated but I hear you. My head is big, round and the crown edges out a bit around the sides. At any rate, I did try oversizing in the helmets that I felt fit the best thus far (RX-Q, Qwest) and with some of the other helmets I've tried. But no success so far. Tried quite a few liners and they also did not solve the problem. I think I am going to try to add top padding to the RXQ so it rests more on the top of my head instead of at the crown. That and try some of the other suggestions for helmets out there.
 
I'm really taken aback by the self awareness. I'm really encouraged by people knowing the size, shape and any irregularities pertaining to the head. Pop quizzed, I would have struggled to come up with even rudimentary descriptors. Would probably default to square head which may not fly because all my helmets seem to glide on like butta. HJC 17 for those keeping score. L.
 

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