Schuberth C3 helmets

[johnnywishbone]

I responded to this madness in my own thread names tight pants to break in among other things. Using kitchen utensils to break in helmets just might be a sign you are a redneck. Cmon, get the hint. I know there will be many defenders on this practice but they are also driven to work on short yellow buses. Would you buy size 32 pants when you are a........ makes me angry. Each of you should be slapped until conscious.

fiber. you need more fiber.

[Theo]

I responded to this madness in my own thread names tight pants to break in among other things. Using kitchen utensils to break in helmets just might be a sign you are a redneck... until conscious.

Kevin,

There is some sense in what you are trying to say. However, your actual message is totally obscured by your ill-chosen delivery. We are all brothers and sisters here, united by our interest and passion for riding motorcycles -- specifically BMWs. We try to respect others' opinions and strive to be helpful in our counsel. I can't tell you how much the thoughtful and well-considered responses to some of my bone-headed questions by extremely patient forum members has helped me!

I guess that there are a lot of people who can't find themselves in an environment where they can try on a dozen or so helmets to make sure they get an exact fit. Head sizes and shapes vary as much as the opinions on which helmet to consider. WebBikeWorld is a great place to start to identify your head shape and cross reference your shape to the helmet within that category. However, even that isn't foolproof.

After comparing the "shape fit" of one of my existing (older) helmets to the list on WebBikeWorld, I went to my dealer and tried on my new selection. The sizing was off from what the new helmet specs listed, so we got a different size and we made some cheek pad substitutions. I muddled around the dealer's showroom for a half-hour or so, and felt the fit was safe and comfortable.

Several months later as my helmet started to break-in, I began feeling some hot-spots on my temples. I believe that as the foam broke-in, it changed the helmet's fit on my noggin, the net effect causing the helmet to ride lower. I used a croquet ball to massage the foam in the temple area and relieve the hot-spots.

Point is that the fit of the helmet you buy in the showroom may change during the first months of ownership (depending of the frequency of use) and, therefore, may need some adjustment. This is something that the buyer cannot assess during the time of the purchase. Helmet fit is not a static situation. The fit at the point of sale may be different after 500-1000 miles of use.

IMHO, some due consideration of the finer points of this topic mixed with a bit of social tolerance may increase the value of the views you express. I certainly do respect the point you were trying to make, but the delivery was off-putting and at least one salient issue may have been overlooked.

Ride on...

[_CY_]

Here is Schuberth's reply to the original email that I sent a few days ago:

"Thank you for your support of the Schuberth brand, and for taking the time to contact us. I’m sorry that the helmets are causing you some discomfort, but can assure you that with proper break in time, they will adjust to your individual head shapes more and will become much more comfortable.
Breaking in a new helmet is similar to breaking in a good pair of quality shoes or boots. While some tennis or athletic shoes can be worn easily right out of the box, many shoes and boots require time to adjust to your feet. I would never suggest anyone get a new pair of boots and start out on a long kike, and the same is true of the Schuberth helmet.
Break in time is a function of time, miles, and frequency of use. The more short trips you take with it, the faster is will break in, generally speaking. To help accelerate the break in process, you can remove and launder the interior pads. This will soften them some, and can adjust how your head sits into the helmet. Another factor in break in time is how localized the pressure is. If it’s an all-over general squeeze, then you will notice results more quickly. The more localized the pressure, the longer it will take to dissipate.
The idea of breaking in a helmet is not unique to our brand, but ours does tend to take a bit longer than some others I have used. In my own personal C3, it was pretty uncomfortable early on, and now it’s an all-day helmet for sure."

gotta disagree... a bad fitting helmet will not always break in to fit.

as it's been mentioned several times already... not everyone has the same shape heads.

perhaps I had a bit more trouble than most fitting a helmet. at any rate went all over the place trying to get a helmet to fit.

my head measures 59cm which is between a large to ex large. but it took a size XXXL to find a helmet that I could stand to have on my head for more than a minute. including cyclegear who had a HUGE helmet display. NO way I was wearing a XXXL helmet on my head that was still spectacularly uncomfortable.

finally after much digging in the phone book ... found K&N Yamaha, which by the way is the nation's oldest Yamaha dealer right in Tulsa, OK. these guys were pro's at fitting up helmets.

they ignored my cries of pain and examined actual helmet to skull fit at several points. took the XXXL that I thought was closest and pointed out NO way a helmet that size fit my head.

despite tightness caused by pressure points. Helmet was loose as a goose where it counts. NO way my 59cm head would get proper protection from a XXXL helmet.

the pro's at K&N adjusted pads on a Size XL Bell helmet that fit my head's shape properly. helmet was still tight, but no longer in pain wearing it. fit was the best I'd experienced so far.

what they said next surprised me.... take it on a test drive at highway speeds. so I did... helmet performed great!!! was totally amazed at the lack of buffeting at speed. could turn my head without being yanked around. best of all helmet fit great without pain.

needless to say .. purchased that helmet on the spot. helmet quickly broke in and is now the most comfortable helmet I've ever experienced. ended up with a size XL Bell helmet.

morel of the story is .. if you have trouble finding a helmet to fit... find an established dealer that knows what they are doing. don't ignore what your head is telling you. a bad fitting helmet is a bad fitting helmet.

[Jogitu]

Schuberths reply is the only reply they could have and remain viable as a brand. Arai would tell you that means you bought the wrong helmet shape. One of those two makes helmets to fit different head shapes. Which one is right?

[moralem]

morel of the story is .. if you have trouble finding a helmet to fit... find an established dealer that knows what they are doing. don't ignore what your head is telling you. a bad fitting helmet is a bad fitting helmet.

Amen to that.....i just picked up my new Shoei Neotec and it is a dream fit. I had tried the C3, wanting it to fit badly because I liked the look and the German engineering. But I stuck to my senses and did not buy one. When the Neotec came out I went and tried it and it fit, but wearing it in the store was nothing like wearing it on the road. So I decided to shell out the money and just get it and go with it and to my joy it fit perfectly, flowed some cool air through the vents and the drop down dark shield is perfect. It was about 85 today in Dallas and the helmet was warm but I opened the shield a bit and I cooled down. Or I dropped the windshiled and took more air in with the faceshield down.Find a helmet that fits it makes a huge difference. The Neotec is everything they say it is and at my local Honda dealer I even got a 15% discount because of an Easter sale.

[srgilmore]

I'm new to BMW bikes and to this forum. My husband owns a K1600 GTL and we purchased 2 Schuberth C3 helmets with communication systems. I was wondering if anyone is having the same problem that we are with this helmet. After about an hour of riding, the seam in the memory foam(?) begins to irritate the top of my forehead, actually causing quite a bit of discomfort. The helmet leaves a huge mark on my husband's head. We just want to rip the helmets off because they are so painful! Our local dealer has told us that she has talked to the company and that the memory foam has not adjusted to our heads. She suggested that we put a 5-10 lb. weight inside the helmet for a few hours to press it in. We are doing that and haven't ridden yet to know if it has worked. Just wondering about others' experiences with this expensive helmet.
(forgive me if I've posted on the wrong thread)

Michael and Kristy P.

I had the same experience with pain and the telltale red mark at the top center part of my forehead from my C3. I tried the spoon trick, but found a forceful thumb to press on the foam slightly more effective. Might not work for everyone, but it worked for me. Very little redness in the center of my forehead now and it's generally more comfortable.

[pipestone]

Spoon it and wear it...it will submit

[dude987]

Not a big fan of wear it until it breaks in. A good form fitting helmet should not have to be broken in. It should fit right the first time. This whole notion of wear it until it form fits is nothing more then voodoo marketing.

I bought a $120.00 Vega, Altura helmet. Some notes:
1. It fit right the first time and still feels perfect one year and 7,500 miles later.
2. The internal foam is detachable and washable.
3. Rode through torrential down pour on many long journeys and not a single water leak.
4. Easily installed a Scalarider bluetooth headset with mic.
5. External shell design is nicely shaped and functional.

Nothing fancy, no brand name, and not highly advertised. Honestly I feel like I hit the jackpot with this helmet. Great value on the dollar, near perfect fit, no pain, and highly functional.

Sometimes less is more.

[jnerges]

This is the possibly the dumbest thing I have ever heard of in my life. You are compressing the foam with kitchen utensils to relieve pressure points on the hard foam that is there to protect you in case of a hit to the head.

Maybe we should just use the bench grinder on our heads. Line up the spots after a ride and grind them down, I used to do that to get my ski boots to fit.

Yep, using a spoon to make a helmet fit seams odd to me too. However, I have heard way dumber things.

[nielsm]

Not a big fan of wear it until it breaks in. A good form fitting helmet should not have to be broken in. It should fit right the first time. This whole notion of wear it until it form fits is nothing more then voodoo marketing.

I bought a $120.00 Vega, Altura helmet. Some notes:
1. It fit right the first time and still feels perfect one year and 7,500 miles later.
2. The internal foam is detachable and washable.
3. Rode through torrential down pour on many long journeys and not a single water leak.
4. Easily installed a Scalarider bluetooth headset with mic.
5. External shell design is nicely shaped and functional.

Nothing fancy, no brand name, and not highly advertised. Honestly I feel like I hit the jackpot with this helmet. Great value on the dollar, near perfect fit, no pain, and highly functional.

Sometimes less is more.

I think the break in is fine, if the issue is pressure points after a while of wearing it. If it hurts when you first put it on, it is the wrong size/shape for you. Helmets naturally break in over time. You don't want to buy a helmet that is already loose on you, as then once it breaks in, it will be too loose to be safe. The helmet should be snug but not painful when first put on. It will loosen over time, so it's usually better to buy tighter rather than looser.

As you mentioned, price isn't the determination of fit. Though it can be, one should choose the helmet that offers the safety features you need, comfort (fit & ventilation), usability that are important to you. If you find one that meets that criteria & is lower cost, it's another benefit.

[beemeup]

I was having the same problem that was mentioned earlier in this thread and I did the suggestion with the spoon and it helped. The other thing that I did that helped a lot was I cut out a small piece of moleskin (found in the foot care area in any drug store or supermarket) with an adhesive back and fitted it to the area with the stitching that was causing the most irritation. I took the helmet out yesterday for an all day ride, no problems.

[_CY_]

amazing all the similar comments about fit of C3 helmets.
do BMW dealers tell you that C3 fit all head shapes?

don't worry about how it feels... just break your head into the helmet

[Artiee]

Thanks for the welcome and for all of the helpful hints!
I sent an email to Schuberth this morning, couldn't find a phone number for them.
We'll see what they say, but in the meantime I will try these ideas and hope and pray that this gets better! We've never owned a motorcycle before and are looking forward to many trips as we will be empty nesters in the fall.
Kristy

Kristy,

Welcome to BMW Motorcycles. I hope you can resolve your helmet issue, however I need to bring up a non-helmet point......

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE tell me you and your husband are approaching riding motorcycles in a safe manner. In other words, you are both taking a Basic Riders Course of some sort, and then you are both going to follow this up with lots and lots of parking lot practice?

The K1600GTL is a fantastic machine but if you don't learn to ride properly, you could both be in for a very short riding career.

Please, DO NOT rush into this. Start slow and work your way up. Give your skills time to develop.

[rtravelbee]

I'm on my 2nd Schuberth.... It is the best helmet I have every worn. My HJC's and the like were fairly comfortable, but I worn earplugs to reduce the noise. I hated the Schuberth initially, but once it was broke in, it was the quietest and most comfortable helmet I have worn. The bonus is the earplugs are no longer neccessary. I had my 1st Schuberth a year when I slid it across the asphalt after striking a deer. Schuberth bent over backwards, and jumped through hoops to get me a new one.
Schuberth is the last helmet I plan on buying....

Thanks
Randy

[deilenberger]

Just to keep to the actual thread content..

Picked up my C3 (Dayglow-Yellow) today at about 12 noon. Got home about 5 hours later, completely satisfied with the helmet.

I've owned at least one of each model Schuberth flip-up, going back to the BMW System-II helmet. This is the best of the bunch.

Compared to my Concept-II (same size, XXL, about 80,000 miles on it):

- C3 fits snugger - but it's like it was formed on my head. I guess I have what they consider the current Schuberth XXL head. No hot spots, quite snug, but also quite comfortable. I do wear a Slick on my head - mostly to make it easier to pull a helmet over my ears, and also to keep the helmet a bit cleaner.

- Works fine with custom earplugs and sunglasses. This combo usually would cause a bit of ear pain in my C2 after a few hours. Never even noticed them today.

- It's QUIET. As in really quiet, even with the winter breath guard out. Only noise I hear is a very slight whistle from the top vent... and that's with the faceshield in the city position, not snapped closed. If I cover the vent with my hand - it gets absolutely quiet. BIG improvement from the C2. I actually rode about 1/4 mile in it with no earplugs, and the noise level is actually quiet acceptable.. almost making me think about the BMW communications system for it.

- It's LIGHT. When I first hefted it, I had my old C2 in my other hand, and wow.. there is a considerable difference. I'm going to have to measure the two. Combined with the snug fit so it doesn't try to twist on my head - it's much less tiring to wear, and makes over the shoulder checks much easier on my neck.

- It seems aerodynamically neutral, even when turning my head to look over the shoulder. The C2 was fairly good, this is better. On the C2 when I turned my head to look to the rear quarters it would tend to try to turn further then I wanted to. The C3 doesn't do that.

- New micro-latch is nice, and better padding on the chin strap that doesn't fall out of place.

- No big bunch of disclaimer tags inside the helmet (had to cut those out of my C2)

- Pin-Lock antifog shield works fine. I always loved the inner antifog coating on the C1 and C2 helmets, until whoever was supplying them to Schuberth changed their process and the coatings started flaking/pulling off. The Pin-Lock stayed perfectly clear even with the helmet buttoned up tight - and stopped at a light, and should be much easier to find and replace if necessary. Area of view is about equal to the C2. No double reflections seen, no rainbow effect.

- Integral sunshield is even better. Shaped better and comes down further. Easy to use once I got used to the slider on the bottom.

- Easier to open. Having the latch on the one side always was awkward on the C1 and C2. In an emergency it was not where the average first-aider would look. The center position with the label "Push HERE" is much more intuitive.

What's not as good?

- Well - it costs more. Considerably more (although it's been quite a few years that I bought the C2.)

- Doesn't have the latch assurance buttons the C2 does (red thingies that pop up in your vision if the chinpiece isn't correctly closed. That said - the C3 seems to close easier, and doesn't require the fiddling the C2 sometimes did.

I'll report back in after a few weeks of use and see if I'm still as enthusiastic about it..