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How to size a motorcycle helmet


By flood - Posted on 10 December 2008

how to size a motorcycle helmet

Fit and comfort is all too important. Too small and it can feel like torture. Too large and your head will bang around inside the helmet during a crash. Each model helmet within a given brand will best fit a particular head shape.

You can get a pretty good idea of how a helmet will fit your head by measuring your hat size. To measure your hat size take a tailors tape measure and wrap it around your head about 2cm or 1 inch above your eyebrows and ears. The total length is your hat size. Each manufacturer will state what hat size range is a Small, Medium, Large, etc. Here's a sample chart of hat sizes and the type of motorcycle helmet sizes they fit.

Size Hat size Measurement
XSmall 6 5/8 - 6 3/4 20 7/8 - 21 1/4
Small 6 7/8 - 7 21 5/8 - 22
Medium 7 1/8 - 7 1/4 22 3/8 - 22 3/4
Large 7 3/8 - 7 1/2 23 1/8 - 23 1/2
X-Large 7 5/8 - 7 3/4 24 - 24 3/8
XX-Large 7 7/8 - 8 24 3/4 - 25 1/8
XXX-Large 8 1/8 - 8 1/4 25 1/2 - 26

The only way to get a correct fit is to try it on, do some basic checks, and even thought you might feel stupid at the moment, wear it around the store for a short while before buying it - once you have found the right helmet for you, that feeling of looking stupid in the shop will turn into a feeling of success in knowing that you made the right purchase.

Since we can now properly size a helmet it's time to start the selection process and find out how you can choose what helmet is right for you using our helmet selection guide.