My Helmet too small?

[UpNSmke]

Well I bought a Suomy Gunwind off ebay the other day. It is brand new. Anyways it feels good on my head as far as size and space inside, but it feels like my chin is hanging out of the bottom too much. Maybe it is just me, but when I open my mouth I can like almost see inside my mouth. So does this mean it is too small for me.

Here are some pics.

http://i1.tinypic.com/nednhg.jpg

Any help would be great. I need to know if I need to post it up on ebay. Or if someone here wants it.

[Black_peter]

hmmm well from that
photo it doesn't look too bad..

But this is why we usually suggest trying a brand
on at a dealer before buying online..

Though some people agrue (well I might add)
that, that is dishonest (using the dealers resources but not spending the money there..

[UpNSmke]

It also does the same thing with my dirtbike helmet. But I just expected a helmet like this to be fuller around my entire head. I guess it really doesnt matter though its just my chin and the helmet cant really protect the under side of it.

[mystahagy]

You could prolly tilt it down a bit. Looks like your eyes are pretty low in the viewing area. I know my shoei will look like that too if i tilt the front up. Otherwise you could maybe find a helmet like they wore in the movie Coneheads.

[Mojoe]

You could prolly tilt it down a bit. Looks like your eyes are pretty low in the viewing area.

+1 to that. you have it sitting wayyyy to high. the botton of the helmet is pretty much parallel (spelling? ) with the floor. it isn't made like that. judging from the pic, you could drop the front down a good inch....maybe an inch and a half. i usually have the padding on my eyebrow...or damn close to it. and your nose is buried way to low in the chin piece. tilt that sucker down until the padding just rests at the eyebrow.

fit isn't determined by the angle it sits on your head. so if it goes on snug with not alot of movement inside, then the fit is fine. better a bit too snug than too loose.

[UpNSmke]

I tilted it down and my chin does tuck in better, but now there is an annoying pressure on my forehead. Damn helmet lol but whatever. Good enough i guess better than not wearing one. Thanks guys

[sexwax]

It is not about the size of your helmet, it is how you use it.

[Dan Dubeau]

It is not about the size of your helmet, it is how you use it.

The ladies just tell you that to make you feel better.

[mystahagy]

I tilted it down and my chin does tuck in better, but now there is an annoying pressure on my forehead.

You said it's a new helmet so it'll probably feel tight. Give it some wear time. When I first got my small rf1000 I was really worried at first that it was way too tight. Thought I'd see blood out of my nose and ears at any moment, haha. Gave it about a week's worth of riding time and I couldn't imagine a better fitting or more comfortable lid. The padding compressed exactly as expected.

Is the excessive pressure only on your forehead? Either the helmet is wrong for your coconut or you've got a fivehead.

[tzortn]

I tilted it down and my chin does tuck in better, but now there is an annoying pressure on my forehead. Damn helmet lol but whatever. Good enough i guess better than not wearing one. Thanks guys

Actually that is not true. A poorly fitted helmet can actually cause more injury to you. You need to make sure that it is fitted properly.

[UpNSmke]

^^ I knew that comment would come back to bite me. Damnit haha. But yeh I know it could hurt if the helmet isnt properly fitted. Thanks though

[Black_peter]

I tilted it down and my chin does tuck in better, but now there is an annoying pressure on my forehead. Damn helmet lol but whatever. Good enough i guess better than not wearing one. Thanks guys

Actually that is not true. A poorly fitted helmet can actually cause more injury to you. You need to make sure that it is fitted properly.

That applies more to loose rather than tight no?
For tight spots you can use a spoon to give you a little more room
Gently squish the foam..

[Anonymous]

Hard to really tell by just lookin.....but I'm gonna go with yes....take it back, at least have them take a look...

...now pull those darn pants up...

[Anonymous]

oooops...double post...

[The CyberPoet]

Many helmet manufacturers only use one or two shell sizes and vary the fitment by the foam shape. The better manufacturers actually have multiple shell sizes to fit the different sizes (at least three, sometimes as many as seven).
Additionally, there are differences in general shapes of the head opening, usually based on the manufacturer's country of origin or primary market (more oblong vs more rounded, etc). Thus, while brand X may fit well, brand Y in the same size may not, even with the same basic measurements, simply because of the head shape it's designed for. This can even vary between helmets in the same manufacturer's line-up (example: my Nolan N100E has significantly more chin room and depth under the chin-line than my Nolan N102E).

In general, buying helmets is like buying shoes, not like buying jeans -- you really need to try them on to determine if a particular brand fits you properly and comfortably. If you are feeling a pressure ridge above your eyebrows when the helmet is rotated enough to protect your chin, this helmet isn't fit right to you. If you're trying to save on the $$, pop by a Super Walmart and see if the Bell helmets they stock fit well (about $80 last time I looked) -- they also did quite well in the helmet testing done by CycleWorld(?) [one of the major US mags -- there's a good thread on it here at KR, with a link to the article].

Cheers,
=-= The CyberPoet