Yesterday, I bought an HJC IS-Max II Helmet. Before taking all of the stickers off (which would negate my ability to return it to the store), I've been wearing it around the house to check out it's fit and comfort. I have a very large noggin (mostly empty) so getting a helmet that fits well isn't very easy. This helmet fits pretty well - for the most part. Only one thing is uncomfortable, and that is the cheek pads. They push my cheeks in to the point where, if I open my mouth wide, then close it, I have to take care that I don't bite the insides of my cheeks. IOW, it fits fine around the crown of my head (and it's tough finding a helmet that does), but may be too narrow around mid-face. Other than that, it's pretty comfortable.

So, my questions are:

1. Will the fit "break-in" to the point where this tightness around the cheeks will work itself out? (This tightness is only there when the chin bar is down.) If so, about how long does that "break-in" period last?

2. I've seen or read reviews of this helmet that mentions that the cheek pads can be swapped out for different thicknesses. Is that worth pursuing as a solution at the shop, or are the differences in thickness negligible?, or

3. Should I just swap it out for a different helmet that hopefully would fit better overall?

4. How perfectly did your helmet fit "out-of-the-box"? And what steps, if any, did you have to take to perfect its fit for you?

I've tried contact HJC via-e-mail regarding Question #2, but haven't received a response yet, so thought that I'd ask here.

Thanks!