Custom fitting of helmet

[UtahPete]

My wife and I both experience some discomfort of our ears on a long ride; there just is not enough room at that place on the helmet (HJC modular). I'm thinking of removing, compressing or melting a section of the foam around the ears to provide more room there without compromising the fit (which is excellent) everywhere else.

Has anyone had this issue? If so, how did you solve it?

Thought I'd see if there is any wisdom on this before I start on it.

 

[Bob Denman]

You can use a tablespoon to compress stuff up in there...
DON'T try to melt it! nojoke

 

[UtahPete]

DON'T try to melt it! nojoke

Why do you say that?

 

[pegasus1300]

I have had a problem with pressure on the forehead on a few helmets and used the spoon trick mentioned above. Don't try to melt anything,I don't believe you can accurately control the reaction. You probably don't need very much change so go slow. Maybe the pads need to be changed to a smaller pad. I know HJC makes different size pads so contact then directly (google them.)

 

[UtahPete]

I have had a problem with pressure on the forehead on a few helmets and used the spoon trick mentioned above. Don't try to melt anything,I don't believe you can accurately control the reaction. You probably don't need very much change so go slow. Maybe the pads need to be changed to a smaller pad. I know HJC makes different size pads so contact then directly (google them.)

The different size pads are to adjust around the cheeks and crown; there are no pads around the ears.

I was thinking of heating the spoon a little to make the compression easier and more permanent. Don't worry; I know the foam is there for a good reason!

 

[Bob Denman]

1. What if the helmet goes up in flames? :yikes:
2. Adding that much heat could affect the structural integrity of more of the foam than you think...

...or even the shell itself! :yikes:

 

[UtahPete]

1. What if the helmet goes up in flames? :yikes:
2. Adding that much heat could affect the structural integrity of more of the foam than you think...

...or even the shell itself! :yikes:

Oh, I see what you are concerned about. I wasn't planning on using an open flame! If I'm that dumb, I probably don't need a helmet at all. My father used to say "no sense, no feeling".

Some places I found on the internet talked about using a heated spoon or some other piece of metal to gently 'melt' (i.e. soften and depress) the foam. I should have been more specific!

 

[Questions]

My wife and I both experience some discomfort of our ears on a long ride; there just is not enough room at that place on the helmet (HJC modular). I'm thinking of removing, compressing or melting a section of the foam around the ears to provide more room there without compromising the fit (which is excellent) everywhere else.

Has anyone had this issue? If so, how did you solve it?

Thought I'd see if there is any wisdom on this before I start on it.

I had this problem on an HJC modular, especially on one ear which is a bit higher than the other. Tried compressing the foam with a tool (heat is not necessary). But what really fixed the problem was buying a Shoei Neotec.

 

[SteveLaoyster]

I have a Scorpion modular with plenty of room in the ear area. I even have my 20s speakers in there and still have room.

Cheek pads are very thick though & presses a lot when the helmet is closed.

Makes it hard to close my mouth but it's getting better as I wear the helmet more.

 

[UtahPete]

I had this problem on an HJC modular, especially on one ear which is a bit higher than the other. Tried compressing the foam with a tool (heat is not necessary). But what really fixed the problem was buying a Shoei Neotec.

I'm beginning to realize that the HJC may just be shaped wrong for our heads. We just got them and I hate to think we wasted all that money. If I can't figure out how to get some relief from the ear pressure though, we may just have to bite the bullet and shop around some more.

 

[Bob Denman]

Oh, I see what you are concerned about. I wasn't planning on using an open flame! If I'm that dumb, I probably don't need a helmet at all. My father used to say "no sense, no feeling".

Some places I found on the internet talked about using a heated spoon or some other piece of metal to gently 'melt' (i.e. soften and depress) the foam. I should have been more specific!

I don't think that I was thinking specifically about using an open flame...
...Although there are some really creative Darwin Award Candidates always waiting to be discovered!
I was thinking that it might be tough to keep the heat level at just the bare minimum necessary to modify the exact amount of foam necessary...

 

[Road-Kill]

Every helmet I have purchased gets placed on my lap and I gently beat the Styrofoam with a hammer till it fits my nugget like a glove.

 

[UtahPete]

Every helmet I have purchased gets placed on my lap and I gently beat the Styrofoam with a hammer till it fits my nugget like a glove.

That's one way to do it I suppose!

 

[wrb3004]

I have a G-Max helmet that was tight on my forhead and left a red spot. I took the liner out and shaved some of the styrofoam out with a dremel tool. This worked well for me. Never thought about using a spoon but will try that next time.

 

[SteveLaoyster]

Every helmet I have purchased gets placed on my lap and I gently beat the Styrofoam with a hammer till it fits my nugget like a glove.

Wish I could do that with my cheek pads. Maybe I should try taking out some of the stuffing if I can.

 

[UtahPete]

Wish I could do that with my cheek pads. Maybe I should try taking out some of the stuffing if I can.

I found this advice about helmet fitment at RevZilla.com to be helpful in understanding why helmets need to fit a certain way; https://www.revzilla.com/common-tread/motorcycle-helmet-fitment-101

 

[jaybird1]

My wife and I both experience some discomfort of our ears on a long ride; there just is not enough room at that place on the helmet (HJC modular). I'm thinking of removing, compressing or melting a section of the foam around the ears to provide more room there without compromising the fit (which is excellent) everywhere else.

Has anyone had this issue? If so, how did you solve it?

Thought I'd see if there is any wisdom on this before I start on it.

My right ear hurts on long rides and I have the 20s. I tried all kind of things to no avail. Good question, I will be following this closely.

 

[UtahPete]

Helmet-mounted speakers rub on ears?

My right ear hurts on long rides and I have the 20s. I tried all kind of things to no avail. Good question, I will be following this closely.

Yep, I have the Sena20S too; I think the speakers are the problem. Just too thick. They have some velcro backing and such; will try to remove those and see if I can fit them deeper into the small helmet cavity.

 

[RinconRyder]

The different size pads are to adjust around the cheeks and crown; there are no pads around the ears.

I was thinking of heating the spoon a little to make the compression easier and more permanent. Don't worry; I know the foam is there for a good reason!

I had the same problem with my Kabuto helmet. Getting the next size smaller cheek pads solved the problem. On the Kabuto the cheek pads just snap in and out so relatively easy fix. New pads were about $22.

You can use the spoon method on the "hard" foam (forehead area) and you should be OK but don't apply any heat or you risk melting the foam (or distorting it). You need a consistent fit across your forehead for adequate protection in the event of a collision.

 

[UtahPete]

Yep, I have the Sena20S too; I think the speakers are the problem. Just too thick. They have some velcro backing and such; will try to remove those and see if I can fit them deeper into the small helmet cavity.

View attachment 149384

Well, what I found is that the Sena came with a multitude of pads in different thicknesses that attach with velcro behind the speaker, then to the velcro on the helmet itself. I was using the middle thickness (see picture) pad. I removed those pads completely and just put a thin supplied velcro patch (see picture) behind the speaker. This put each hard surfaced speaker about 1/4" closer to the helmet and away from the ear. It feels better already. I'll try that for awhile and hopefully avoid having to squash the foam liner of the helmet altogether.