Go to the
Arai website. I can't find it now but they had a helmet shape page. Your head shape has a lot to do with it and you're probably buying the wrong interior shaped helmet. You don't have to buy an Arai, but understand the helmet shapes of other brands also when looking.
I found this on the Arai website,
How to Fit a Helmet.
Below is a print of a pdf file I kept from last years Arai website.
LONG OVAL
(very long front-to-back, very narrow side-to-side).
On this end of the scale, we have the new Profile
model, offering additional forehead room for those
who find that most helmets have pressure points
in the forehead.
INTERMEDIATE OVAL
(a little shorter front-to-back and a little wider sideto-
side than the Long Oval). This next fit package
comes in our RX-7 Corsair model, which begins
the shift from oblong towards round.
ROUND OVAL
(even a little shorter front-to-back and a little wider
side-to-side). This next fit package is represented
by both our Quantum-2 and our Astral-X models.
The Astral-X has a slightly more “relaxed” fit - a bit
more room in the forehead area - mainly because
the Astral has a non-removable liner.
The Quantum-2’s liner, on the other hand, is fullyremovable,
which makes it feel a bit more “round”.
Be sure to try both on to determine which feels
better on your head.
After many, many years of listening to riders, we have found that
helmet satisfaction starts with understanding helmets.
Most importantly, understanding how proper fit affects helmet performance
during everyday riding, and how that comfort extends to the
helmet’s interior shape. This is why Arai has gone to theconsiderable
effort to design, create, and offer three different interior shapes.(Arai
does not believe that all-day comfort can be achieved by trying to stuff
everydifferent head shape into a single helmet interior shape.)
In order to offer the most comfort, a helmet interior must fit snugly
around the entire head contour. (This is partly determined by firm, even
pressure at all contact points, and without pressure points that could
become uncomfortable in
the future) A previous helmet of the same brand, model and size - even
if an Arai - may not offer the same fit as a current model or size
because the evolution of design and use of new materials can affect the
final design and shape. (For example, such advances and refinements
have made the interior shapes of our new RX-7 Corsair and Quantum-2
models able to fit more riders than their immediate predecessors, the
RX-7 RR4 and Quantum/f.)
Attention must also be paid to the fit of the model’s shape around the
crown of your head - and not with facial fit. (The part that is contacted
by a baseball cap’s band, for example, is the crown) Cheek pads in all
Arai helmets can be replaced
with a size that better suits your facial structure, so the possible need
for different cheek pads should only be addressed after the crown is
properly sized. All too often, tight OEM cheek pads will result in
purchasing a helmet one or even two sizes too big - in effect sizing the
face and not the head! The end result will be a loose and noisy helmet,
as described above. (Riders with a strong jaw or heavy cheeks should
first remove the cheekpads completely in order to not be distracted in
determining crown fit.)
No one pays more attention to the subtle variations and
the infinite possibilities of the human head shape than Arai.
And even though we know we can never build a perfect shape
for everyone, we go to the extra time and expense to make a
genuine effort to offer shapes that allow more people to find
a better and more comfortable fit than by simply offering
one shape in every model.
This is why it’s important for you to understand the
different aspects of sizing as it relates to brands, models
and in Arai’s case - interior shapes.
How can you determine which of Arai’s three interior shapes is best
suited for you? In general, our interiors for the North American markets
have an oval shape orientation (somewhat longer front-to-back and a
little narrow from side-to-side) because that is the shape that tends to fit
most of us. Our different models then vary slightly based on that
general Oval shape to accommodate a much wider fit range.
INTERIOR SHAPE FITMENT
THE IMPORTANCE OF ARAI'S 3
DIFFERENT INTERIOR SHAPES
UNDERSTANDING INTERIOR SHAPES
DETERMINING YOUR INTERIOR SHAPE
INTERIOR SHAPE DIAGRAMS
