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helmet hurts after an hour

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ok so I tested out Macdoc's recommendation...took out the really really fat cheekpads and now the helmet it super loose lol.
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The bigger question is does that eliminate the pain after an hour.
If it does then you are on the correct track to dealing with it.

I ordered supposedly smaller cheek pads on the Shark and found no difference in fit - not sure if your brand actually has thinner. But wear the helmet around the house without them for an hour and see if the pain is gone.

The dynamic will not be the same as riding tho but it's start. .....or try another helmet but you may end up chasing a good fit for a while.

All helmets with cheek pads should have this....

[h=1]Arai Corsair V Cheek Pads[/h]
All new Arai Corsair-V Helmets have removable cheek pads to provide a custom fit, these are available for in 12mm, 15mm, 20mm, 25mm, 30mm, 35mm and 40mm. A new feature on the cheek pads for the Corsair V is a removable 5mm layer of foam. This allows some customization without having to purchase an entirely new set of pads. Please find below our selection of Arai Corsair-V Cheek Pads, if you are unable to find the Arai Cheek Pads you are looking for please call 483.483.7223 or email sales@gphelmets.com and we will be happy to help you.
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goin to test out the helmet w/o the cheekpads and see if the hurting head stops... the shoei cheekpad it came in was 35mm and they also come in 31mm...im debating saving the $100 (cost + shipping + tax) approx and putting it to a new helmet though... too bad ive gotten attached to the graphics of the helmet :S unwilling to spend the 550 it would cost me to buy the same helmet in larger though :S...may get a matte black of the same sort of helmet as they tend to be 100-150 cheaper?
MacDoc said:
The bigger question is does that eliminate the pain after an hour.
If it does then you are on the correct track to dealing with it.

I ordered supposedly smaller cheek pads on the Shark and found no difference in fit - not sure if your brand actually has thinner. But wear the helmet around the house without them for an hour and see if the pain is gone.

The dynamic will not be the same as riding tho but it's start. .....or try another helmet but you may end up chasing a good fit for a while.

All helmets with cheek pads should have this....
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Does anyone know when the best time is (outside of when its due) cost-wise to buy a new helmet?

If I can do the cheaper alternatives do helmets tend to go on sale pre season, end of season or off season? Ive been to the jan supershow but I didnt notice much of a price difference?

Anyone know best time to buy at the best available price on shoeis or arais?
 
Seeing you bought the bike and the lid there, ask Kahuna if they'll sell the lid on consignment for you. Or put it on Kijiji and hope for someone with a very small head :) Don't put anymore money into this lid OP!

If you go here:

https://www.motomummy.com/store/home.php?cat=

...and click on "Best Deals/Clearance" in January, you will see lids at more than half price off.

Same here:http://www.jakewilson.com/

Click on "Closeouts."

There's three pages of wicked deals on Jake Wilson already:

http://www.jakewilson.com/closeouts.do?webCatId=37&webTypeId=481

Here's another long-shot...go to a dress store or wherever you will find manikens, take your lid, find a maniken with your head size or larger, and ask if you can have one for $10 or so? Heat up the liner in the lid with a hair dryer (don't burn it), and leave the lid on the maniken head. Repeat that a few times and your problem should be solved.

You will likely see as the hot weather disappears, so will the pain, as your head will not be expanding as much.
 
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Thanks for the advice Prince will keep a lookout on those!

any suggestions on local places? honestly the experience in the accessories and sales dept was horrible outside of the girl that helped me and shes no longer there..the girl that IS there now...leaves a horrendous experience in your mind :S
Prince said:
Seeing you bought the bike and the lid there, ask Kahuna if they'll sell it on consignment for you. Or pit it on Kijiji and hope for someone with a very small head :) Don't put anymore money into this lid OP!

If you go here:https://www.motomummy.com/store/home.php?cat=

...and click on "Best Deals/Clearance" in January, you will see lids at more than half price off.

Same here:http://www.jakewilson.com/

Click on "Closeouts.

There's three pages of wicked deals on Jake Wilson already:

http://www.jakewilson.com/closeouts.do?webCatId=37&webTypeId=481

Here's another long-shot...go to a dress store or wherever you will find manikens, take your lid, find a maniken with your head size or larger, and ask if you can have one for $10 or so? Heat up the liner in the lid with a hair dryer (don't burn it), and leave the lid on the maniken head. Repeat that a few times and your problem should be solved.
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I buy my bikes locally, but always go to the US for gear. If you click on the Jake Wilson link, there's three pages of clearance already. I'm drooling over that Bell RS1. I'm to helmets what a chick is to shoes. I just have to walk away :) Jake Wilson will have the lid to your front door in 2-3 days. And with our dollar at $1.04 US, your $15 shipping will basically be paid for.

http://www.jakewilson.com/closeouts.do?webCatId=37&webTypeId=481


ice05 said:
Thanks for the advice Prince will keep a lookout on those! any suggestions on local places? honestly the experience in the accessories and sales dept was horrible outside of the girl that helped me and shes no longer there..the girl that IS there now...leaves a horrendous experience in your mind :S
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Prince said:
Jake Wilson will have the lid to your front door in 2-3 days. And with our dollar at $1.04 US, your $15 shipping will basically be paid for.

http://www.jakewilson.com/closeouts.do?webCatId=37&webTypeId=481
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How does JW deliver? I hope it's not UPS. I also assume you're having to pay duty?

ice05 said:
any suggestions on local places? honestly the experience in the accessories and sales dept was horrible outside of the girl that helped me and shes no longer there..the girl that IS there now...leaves a horrendous experience in your mind :S
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I visited Kahuna earlier this summer. I'm experienced enough to know how a helmet should fit. When I tried on a medium Shoei, the young girl there insisted it was too large, and she was standing a good ten feet away. Medium is definitely what size I need, but I tried on a small just to keep her happy. Much better, said she, but it felt like my noggin was getting squished in a vise. She then went on to tell me that she was riding on the back of her BF's bike the previous night, doing about 240 on the 407, and experienced some helmet lift. So I guess she thinks smaller is better and tries to steer her customers in that direction.

Perhaps this is the same girl who sold you your Qwest?
 
Jayell said:
Perhaps this is the same girl who sold you your Qwest?
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dealt with 2 girls...1st girl was utterly useless, her main goal seemed to talk to anything that had something between their legs... her main focus was also the design of the helmet...

2nd girl spent time with me...I will take responsibility...I tried on the RF XS for 30 min when my head felt like it was in a vise...by the time I put on the Qwest which was rounder I guess my head was so happy to be in a "larger" size that even for the 15 min + I had it on my head was fine... added to this...there was a bit of drama with the 1st girl making a scene

the 1st girl was overloaded with makeup...2nd girl is on this forum and is well liked
 
Obviously the helmet is a slight bit too tight, but when you tried on the small it was too loose. The issue must therefore be shape. The best solution would be to exchange the helmet, or buy new. If this is not possible you can try changing the shape of the inner liner.

I have not tried this so bear with me. You will need to know where the helmet is tight, and this will not be easy. Line your helmet with carbon copy paper, as best you can. Get a very thin white helmet liner and put it on. Put on your helmet as carefully as possible to not upset the carbon paper. Wear the helmet for 1 hour or so until it bothers you. Move the helmet around so the carbon paper marks the helmet liner. The darker the marks, the more pressure the helmet is exerting. This may tell you the pressure points of your head. If you can think of another way of detecting and marking the excess pressure on your head, then try it.

Once you know the pressure points you can try to take the liner out of your helmet and compress the polystyrene inside in order to give you more room. You may also try to shave some polystyrene down, very little at a time, until you get a good fit. A dremel with the appropriate bit would work. A good fit would be uniform pressure over a large area of your head. A bad fit would be lots of pressure on a small area/bony prominence on your head.

If you like the helmet and it almost fits well, then try to tweak it.
 
TorontoBoy said:
Once you know the pressure points you can try to take the liner out of your helmet and compress the polystyrene inside in order to give you more room. You may also try to shave some polystyrene down, very little at a time, until you get a good fit. A dremel with the appropriate bit would work. A good fit would be uniform pressure over a large area of your head. A bad fit would be lots of pressure on a small area/bony prominence on your head.

If you like the helmet and it almost fits well, then try to tweak it.
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would me dremmel-ing the helmet compromise it though?

Im debating just getting a "passenger" hjc helmet for now ...not that I intend to carry a passenger on the 250 anytime soon but my weight with my best friends shouldnt exceed the top weight range on the bike so maybe someday she can use the secondary helmet?
 
ice05 said:
would me dremmel-ing the helmet compromise it though?

Im debating just getting a "passenger" hjc helmet for now ...not that I intend to carry a passenger on the 250 anytime soon but my weight with my best friends shouldnt exceed the top weight range on the bike so maybe someday she can use the secondary helmet?
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Yes, you'll be compromising the integrity of the EPS foam liner.
 
Since you bought the helmet at Kahuna, see if you can borrow some cheek pads out of a small and medium Qwest. If it were me i wouldn't mind lending them to you as long as you didn't go riding with them. Just try the thinner cheek pads while watching tv or something for an hour or so to see if it makes the helmet fit any better.

The thicker cheek pads would be pushing your head back into the helmet which could explain the top and sides of your head hurting. Just a few mm thinner pads might give you the room you need for it to be comfortable. If one of the thinner sets of pads works just keep them, order a new set through Kahuna and when they come in they can put the new set in whatever helmet you borrowed from.
 
ice05 said:
would me dremmel-ing the helmet compromise it though?...
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Invariably yes, but if done with care, not by much. A better fitting helmet will allow you to ride without distraction and thus will increase your level of safety. You are trying to shave off millimeters, not large gouges of foam. Think surgical rather than blunt force. Maybe a dremel is too crude a tool. Better would be hand sanding, slowly. When you find a pressure point, mark the liner surface with pencil or sharpie and sand until you see no marks. This will guarantee you will sand down millimeters at a time.

The key will be in investigating where there is a pressure point, and to be able to slightly relieve this area. You are not trying to create a depression such that this area of your head does not touch the liner, but to shave a slight little off so that there is lower pressure on this area. The pressure point should still touch the liner, but not excessively enough to give you a headache.

While a helmet has its technology, it is not rocket science or fuel injection. You have essentially a somewhat well fitting styrofoam cooler on your head, with a dipping of hard plastic on the outside. There is the visor and attachment system, which you will not touch. To slightly modify the fit of the liner, to me is the same as slight modifications to a riding jacket for better fit. It is doable, but with care. Do not be ham fisted with your liner.

Your head is small. There are few people who can fit into an xs helmet, so it will be difficult to sell or for most people to use. The helmet is just slightly too small. I say consider the possibility of modifying the liner.
 
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TorontoBoy said:
Your head is small. There are few people who can fit into an xs helmet, so it will be difficult to sell or for most people to use. The helmet is just slightly too small. I say consider the possibility of modifying the liner.
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Thanks for the advice...unfortunately the liner on the Qwest isnt removable. stopped by a store earlier to check to see if I can get an Arai or even another shoei... turns out even the XS arai is loose on me LOL ( I could move it up and down A LOT....even the guy was like umm ive never seen a head like yours)

By measurement I should be a SM-M...but when I tried SM - M in Arai it was loose...maybe its because Im used the vise grip that is my helmet...

They didnt have any SM qwests but I did try on another XS qwest and the guy even said...that actually looks (based on movement and fit) the best...

so now im really torn :s
 
ice05 said:
Thanks for the advice...unfortunately the liner on the Qwest isn't removable...

So now i'm really torn :s
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Liners may provide some extra padding but their main purpose is to hide the inside of the helmet, jacket, pants. The helmet liner is probably glued in. Carefully rip it out. You will need it later. If you cannot rip it out intact you can sew yourself a new liner using the old one as a template.

As stated above, different name brand helmets fit different heads. You will need to search a little further.
 
ice05 said:
Its weird but I fall in between small and medium in tape measurement but when I tried on a medium it was super loose.. Even the small you could move the helmet and my head wouldnt go...
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Head shape dammit, HEAD SHAPE! Think square peg, round hole but a little less extreme. Arai caters to different head shapes by design. Others might also but they aren't as upfront about it as Arai.

And yeah a ponytail is gonna mess up the fit for sure, if you don't want to let your hair down to ride then you will have to live with a poorly fitting helmet. Uncomfortable, loose, or both.
 
MacDoc said:
So did you wear it for an hour without the cheek pads?

what was the result?
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it felt looser but I did just wear it around the house I dont know how it would feel with the wind riding... I have a feeling that cheekpads MIGHT help...as the guy at the store thought the helmet based on movement and fit was better than the arais (RX-Q was super loose and tons of movement, vector was ok...but I still would have to get another XS and im a bit leery now)

debating whether putting the 50-60 in cheekpads would be better put to a new helmet...but now knowing that arais are too loose and shoeis may be too tight (given they didnt have any SM in stock) ...I dont know what brand to try next
 
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