Helmet question from the "guy" side

[Gilly]

Yeesh I feel like a bull in a china shop here.....:uhoh

Hey my wife wants to get a new helmet this year, she is just a tagalong, no real interest in riding, other than as an occasional passenger on HOT days.

I have read a little that there are some differences in womens helmets. I have seen some "real purty" paint jobs (and my wife wouldn't be one to wear a pink lacey or flowery helmet anyways), but are there really any differences in helmets for a lady?
I know she probably wants a fullface or flip up, and good venting to help avoid helmet hair (she is NO butch and hates helmet hair, but does want the helmet).
thx for any advice, I'll be getting it, with her help in selecting, for a birthday present.
Gilly

[PGlaves]

I have never seen a difference in protective helmets. Now those cute soup bowl costume helmets sometimes do come in styles that no beer swilling big belly would ever wear, but I don't think that is exactly what you are looking for.

[Bullett]

Not that I've been able to tell. I really like the airflow of my Arai Profile 2, FWIW. I tried on the Scorpion (?) EXO 700 and liked the fit, but to me the cheek pads made my face itch.

[Voni]

I haven't found a difference except what Paul noted above LOL

My current helmet is a Scorpion. I've found them to be very good quality, have nice features such as venting and light weight and are VERY nicely priced.

And they come in RED:heart

Voni
sMiling

[agmom98]

I'll "second" the Arai Profile helmet for good airflow, and I live in hot-as-heck Houston. There is no cure for helmet hair, sorry to say. Don't let her buy the helmet too big thinking it will protect her hair. A good alternative is to wear a microfiber cap or similar underneath. She can pull it on, and arrange her hair underneath in such a way that it will hold some semblance of "style" kind of like those old-fashioned hairnets used to do, and her hair will pretty much only need to be fluffed back up when all is removed. Good luck with it, and good for her for tagging along with you.

[JStrube]

I bought an Arai for my wife, not teh Profile, another one that fit her better. I tell you what, if you can get to one of the events like the International Motorcycle show, there is a company there that will fit her (mostly women do the fitting) PERFECTLY. They will measure, fit the crown first, ask about pressur epoints, check the cheek pads, shrink the padding, expand the padding, change liners, etc. Takes about 15 minutes, but man, oh man, is the fit PERFECT. She loved hers, I fitted myself, but since I just purchased a Scorpion EXO 1000 a month before, want to at least get some wear on it before getting a new one. I have never had a helmet fit perfectly, until that young lady helped me. THe NOLAN guy sent me over there, as I couldn't get one of his N103's to fit right. I was ready to buy the N103...

[AndresS]

Me, I am the Imelda Marcos of helmets, or so Patty,( the lady that sometimes rides behind me back and also my behind) claims. Ergo I can tell you that if you want to really impress someone in need of a helmet, go for a carbon one. One bimmer helmet I've got weights all of 2.5 lbs. Now, it is a very basic job from the 'convenience' aspect but man o man, is it ever nice on looooong rides. The aforementioned butt rider did not get one cuz a) they are evilly expensive and b) she wanted a flip up job, which she got. Now a flip up carbon job.....maybe if she stops riding my butt for like 10 years.... maybe....;)

Andres

[Gilly]

Thanks for all the replies.

I am looking at replacing mine as well. She understands we might have different needs and probably doesn't need to have me spend quite as much on her helmet as i am planning on spending on mine. She does seem to like the idea of having a modular helmet. She likes the idea of also having the internal sun visor.
Gilly

[clowry]

I've never really noticed 'women's' helmets. I really like my Nolan modular. It's a couple of years old now, so the sun visor is integrated, but on the outside. It's plain pearl grey, but I had a bit of pinstriping added at last year's rally to personalize it a bit.

[bmwgsrider]

I didn't know there was a helmet made just for the ladies... I've heard that you want to make sure you find a helmet that is shaped right for your head and make sure it is a snug fit.

[bogthebasher]

I had to respond because this was a big deal for my wife (rides her own RT). She spent an entire winter combing every internet site on earth looking for the perfect helmet (head shape, sound damping, air flow, colour, design, protection) etc. In the end she picked up an RF1000 selecting the 'Flutter' version. It has a very cool graphic of a butterfly that takes up the entire helmet and came in a couple colours at the time. She did pick the pink one... and that is the only pink thing she owns. As she says she wants people to know that she is a woman on a bike and is proud of it. :)

[TravelingPenguins]

I don't believe there is such a thing as a woman-specific helmet, although I suppose certain paint schemes are more feminine than others. I would encourage you not to skimp on her helmet vs yours -- although you may be on the bike more than she is, it only takes one good hit to the noggin to scramble the eggs, so to speak. I'd encourage spending quality time on webbikeworld's helmet reviews, followed by a trip to a bike show or a bike shop with a good selection of helmets to try on.

[RTGirl]

I agree there is no such "women's" helmet. I would suggest trying both an Arai and a Shoei. I've had both, and for my head shape, the Shoei is the best and has the most air flow. As far as Shoei, try the new X12 or the previous X11 for the best air flow. Don't skip on quality. Go for a full face to ensure she is with you through even the worst of crashes. It doesn't take much of a crash to have horrific results through cheap helmets.

[Firebird]

No such thing as a gender specific helmet. Have your wife try on different brands to see which one she likes the best and offers the type of protection she wants in her helmet.

[Gilly]

Was at the locak "X", "Y" and "Z" dealer today with my wife, Gina, scouting for a helmet.
Ended up buying one she liked a lot. Essentially it is a Scorpion EXO400, but it is branded "BRP", which of course is the parent company of CanAm, the maker of the 3 wheeled "Spyder" cycle/trike, whatever you call that fun-looking freak of nature.
It is a matte silver color with a black and yellow liner, kind of weird, just like a Spyder. The one thing that I think might be different than an off the shelf EXO400 is that it has a buckle strap instead of D Rings. Her old helmet had this also. The old one was called a Bieffe helmet, wonder if they even make those any longer? It was getting old and the liner/cheek pads were starting to disintegrate, she was getting little specks of liner on her cheeks whenever she wore it.
Anyways, she has a new lid and from the reviews, it sounds like she picked out a pretty good one for the price. I'm happy it's Snell-certified. The color will go well with the colors of my bike, too!
Gilly

[Voni]

Great choice!

Picture?

Voni
sMiling

[Gilly]

Here ya go:

Not sure if it is a standard Scorpion color or BRP specified. Note BRP (Bombardier Recreational Products) emblem on front.
Wonder why BMW doesn't just go with another helmet manufacturer to have BMW-spec helmets? Schuberth refuses = No BMW-branded helmets?

Gilly

[Gilly]

second, shows the buckle system and interior materials. I feel this was a BRP-spec change. On webbikeworld they show D rings. Unless this was changed at some point on all EXO400s?
The interior colors might also be BRP specified?

[Gilly]

third
Just showing back, note another BRP emblem. They are pretty subtle, will probably leave them on. Note Snell M2005certified.

[Gilly]

fourth, Bombardier logo instead of BRP? Same company. They own CanAm, maker of the Spyder. The place I bought the helmet from sells these, and possibly other BRP products.

[pffog]

It is imperative that she tries the helmets on for fit and shape BEFORE making a decision on graphics. That pretty helmet, that she cannot see when it is on her head, may be excruciating to wear in 20 minutes time.

Personally I have tried 15 to 20 different brands of helmets on , here and in Europe, where the choices are many, and MOSTsimply do not fit my head. Comfort is the most important characteristic of the helmet.

Hope her choice works well for her

[Voni]

Nice!

Just in case, you do know the spoon trick, right?

If she gets a spot that feels tight, use the back of a spoon to slightly flatten it so it feels fine again.

Voni
sMiling

[Gilly]

Thanks. She had it on for around 10 minutes, she said it felt really nice, better than the old helmet. She likes the interior material, she describes it as a similar feel to a microfiber. Likes that the interior pieces will snap out so she can keep it fresh. Counter person said it could be machine-washed but recommended hand-washing. I did ask if she felt any pressure points inside, she said "no, fit's like a glove".
OK, will have another question up shortly for ya'll, will post in same forum since it concerns something for her again.
Gilly

[Pahl]

I recently purchased a Scorpion EXO-900 Transformer Helmet. I love it! I found it was true to size on fit to the crown of my head...in fact, it was perfect. The problem was it was a bit tight around the cheeks. I read that some modular helmets tend to fit snug around the cheeks and took a little time to break in. I went for about an hour ride and the snugness didn't let up. I solved my break in period issue by putting a flat volleyball in the helmet and filling it full of air with a compressor. I left it over night. The next morning, I went for another ride and no issues. I know it sounds a bit unconventional, but it made all the difference in the world. I think its a pretty good helmet for around $250. I spent around twice that much on my old helmet and this one is much better.