Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Sorry guys & gals but I gotta whine for a minute...

I am soooo ticked off at dealers in general right now. I'm looking for a helmet and I've read so much on the subject I almost feel like an expert. The biggest hurdle to overcome when choosing a helmet is making sure it fits correctly. What makes this so tough is that all the different manufacturers make their helmets a little differently as to head shape. So you might find the "perfect helmet" in your mind, but it simply wont fit your head, so you have to look at something else. I am half way into this problem.

I want a modular helmet, but I want a good one. There are many different models out there so all I have to do is go try them on and find the right one... right? WRONG. IF the dealer happens to have one, they usually only have ONE and it is always NOT MY SIZE! Not a problem, right? Not if the damn dealer would order a different size for me to try on and see if it fits. THEY WILL NOT. I am stuck with the same brands and the same sizes in all the stores I've been to.

Yesterday I went to a Honda dealership that carried the biggerst variety of modular helmets in the area. They were Nolan, Vega and KBC. Everyone else in town ONLY carries the HJC. The HJC is a nice helmet but the latch seems cheap to me, and I haven't been able to find one in my size, so I don't know if it's a good fit. The Harley Modular helmet is actually the KBC FFR with Harley's stuff on it. Harley want's almost $300 for this hat. I can get the same one without the Harley stuff on the internet for $169.

Cool? Nope. I tried one on yesterday and it pulled right over the top on my head. So I called KBC directly. They told me that all the shells are the same, and it's the liners that determine the size. Okay... so all I need to do is get someone to pull in some different size liners and I can "Custom Fit" the hat. Folks... This is a guarenteed sale if I can get the fit I need. NO-ONE is willing to do this. I have to actually commit to buying the helmet before anyone will order the helmet. But it HAS TO FIT! I'm not willing to spend $300 on a hat just to find out it doesn't!

Vega, Shoei, HJC, KBC, Arai, AVG, Schuberth, Nolan, Zeus, Caberg, Jarrow, and Lazer Century all make Modular Helmets. But I am only allowed to look at HJC, KBC, Vega and Nolan. THIS SUX! The most feature filled hat is the KBC, and this is the one I'm most interested in "at the moment". But Tucker Rocky (the distributer that is only a few miles from my house) won't let me custom fit one. And nobody else will order any in a different size so I can try it.

What the heck am I supposed to do?

Sorry for the whine... I'm ticked off.

can u return helmets im not sure but just buy the "poo poo" do what ya need to do and if you dont like return?
although im thinking most places wont take helmets back.....

If you are in nj on rt 23 is a place that has like a thousand helmets supposedly and a few other stores but I can not help ya if you aint from jersey

Nawww... I'm in Ft Worth, Texas.

The issue isn't one of "taking it back." They don't have one for me to buy in order to take it back. I have to pay for it up front before they will order it. And then it's considered a "special order" and there are no refunds. I can return to some web sales... but I have to pay for shipping. So that could end up costing a fortune if I don't get it right early on.

*Shrugs*

That's awful. Will some pads from the non modular fit the modular helmets? Maybe you can cannibalize what they have to get a better idea.

I've been having "fun" with similar issues. It looks like stores have a lot of helmets, but the average shop has maybe 2-5 on display that are the right marked size for me and most of those are wickedly uncomfortable. I have found exactly two helmets that I can wear for 10+ minutes (XXL Arai Quantum II, XL Nolan N100E)... of course, those are in two different shops. I'm pretty sure more helmets would fit, but as you say how can you find out without trying?

My favorite part? I go into the shop that has the Nolan on display, figuring I'd be a good guy and give them the sale since they had the sample. I say "I'll take this in XL", they say "we don't have any... and if we order it, it'll cost $40 extra..." He actually suggested I look online.

BTW: The flips are more prone to operator error, especially when trying them out for the first time. I had one fail the roll off test because I got the (loose) strap caught in the latch. That wouldn't happen in normal operation. I tried it again with the latch actually closed and it held fine. I tried ripping the chinbar off (and I'm not a total weakling) and it held fine when latched.

Here's what I got found yesterday...

Nolan...

Looked great! Seemed to fit good. Closed tightly and felt secure, but the latches were very thin plastic. The vents seemed cheaply made. It had a plastic quick click latch instead of the double D rings. I fastened it and it hit me right dead in the middle of the adams apple... Hurt like hell.

Vega...

Put it on and wore it for 45 minutes. Seemed to fit fine except that it felt like my chin was sticking out the bottom. It has a spacing where the top liner and the cheek liners meet that creates a channel focusing air right up to your ears. Reviews I've read talk about this being one of the loudest modular helmets. The latches were two tiny pieces of plastic that looked they could break off way too easy and in the reviews they did. Just looked and felt really cheap. I tapped on the top when I had it on and it sounded like a rappers bass drum. I only tried it because it was there.

KBC...

Has been rated to 80 MPH with the face guard UP! The only one to do this. The latches are metal pins that slip into metal receivers. Very secure. Tried to pull it over the top of my head and it slipped right over until the chin bar hit my throat. Shook it from side to side and it slid all over the place. The top liner was tight on my forehead, so it was their correct size. The cheek pads just didn't reach my cheeks.

I plan on trying the HJC Symax if I can find one in my size. This seems to be the most popular right now. I don't care about popularity. There is 1 Shoei in town. It is a large. The salesman said if I have anything but a "round" head it probably won't fit. Again... he's not willing to let me try some different sized pads. There is also 1 Arai in town... A XL... too big. And it's $600... A little out of my budget.

*shrugs*

I hate to say it but if the shop doesn't feel they can sell the product, there is no reason for them to bring one in just so you can try it on. Lot's of manufacturers have minimum ordering quantities or require you to take a full size run. If they got 6 mediums sitting in back and 5 smalls but no XL's, you can bet they aren't going to bring in more just so you can try one on.You may be better off contacting the manufacturer about making their product more readily available so you can decide. Put it on the maunfacturers shoulder not the retailers. Good Luck in your search.

Sounds like you have a helmet-friendly head. The vega XXL I tried was miserable after a few minutes. Every Shoei helmet I've tried has been torture of the "getitoffgetitoff!!!" variety. The HJC XXL fit well on my skull but made my jaw ache after 3-4 minutes. I guess I have well developed jaws.

The KBC sounds nice... I can't recall seeing any of them though, and I bet it won't fit me.

The Arai was about $550, which started out looking pretty absurd (my headset for flying cost nearly $500 so I'm a bit desensitized to absurdities) but was looking better and better as I tried helmets on. When I got to the Nolan and found it not only fit me better but cost 2/3rds as much, I was pretty happy.



The nolan visor latches are sheet steel. The buttons are plastic, but if you raise the visor and look at what the buttons do, you'll see they move sheet metal hooks to engage bent sheet metal stops. The buttons may break, but it looks like there are springs to keep the hooks engaged. I think they put some thought into making sure it stays closed when the helmet hits the street. I have mixed emotions about the strap latch as opposed to d-rings but fortunately it doesn't hit me in the throat. If it did, that would be enough for me to take it off the list. I've got to admit, one of the reasons I liked the Nolan was that I could get it in bright yellow to match my jacket...

I had to go down to colorado to find a helmet. There are no less than 6 shops in cheyenne that sell helmets but all of them carry the same 2 or 3 helmets. Guess thats life in a no helmet law state, since 90% of riders here dont wear a lid most shops dont carry many helmets.