Every time before you choose a motorcycle helmet from us, your head circumference is measured. In our experience, more than half of motorcyclists wear motorcycle helmets that are too big and risk unnecessary injuries. It's a shame, but that's the reality. In this case, it doesn't even help that the helmet you bought cost €500-600. An oversized motorcycle helmet means that you have thrown away at least half of that amount. We are constantly trying to explain to our customers why they shouldn't ride with oversized motorcycle helmets. It's good to see that most of them hear us, but unfortunately not all of them...
Why shouldn't I wear a motorcycle helmet that is too big? First of all, for health reasons. Secondly, because of the deterioration of the functions of the motorcycle helmet itself.
1. Why is it dangerous to your health to ride with an oversized motorcycle helmet?
- Because wearing a helmet that is too big exposes the head to more than one impact during an accident, as it tabs backwards/forwards and sideways. A helmet just half the size of an oversized helmet is enough to do this, as the forces acting on the head during an accident are very strong, t.y. speed + weight of the rider of the motorcycle. There is another problem. As a large proportion of Lithuanian motorcyclists ride with "polycarbonate" or "thermoplastic" helmets (the materials used for the outer shell of the helmet), there is a risk that those repeated impacts (which could have been avoided) could lead to a bad end, as this type of motorcycle helmet usually absorbs only a single impact. Therefore, at a distance of 15-20 cm from the point of impact of the first impact, the motorcycle helmet will not absorb the second impact.
- Even the first impact is not absorbed as efficiently as it could be, because the helmet itself and its safety have been designed using a headform of ideal size and proportions.
- There is an increased risk of neck injury. Expensive neck protectors do not help either, as they protect against other types of neck injuries.
- If the helmet is too large in the jaw area and walks sideways, there is a very high risk of breaking the jaw if the front of the helmet is struck.
- An oversized motorcycle helmet can simply be torn off the head in an accident. Even the most secure "DD" type fastening does not help.
- If you fall with a helmet that is too big, the lower jaw can come out and the consequences are probably already clear...
2. Another disadvantage of using an oversized motorcycle helmet is the loss of function. There are two main problems here:
- The helmet becomes more open to sounds, as the whole head/helmet area becomes a free space through which wind/sounds start to penetrate.
- The helmet becomes less aerodynamic. More specifically, we are talking about the way it fights air resistance, in English "wind drag". This means that the helmet starts to move/balance on the head much more than it should. This is particularly noticeable when driving at speeds above 120 km/h. Again, long wind tunnel tests by manufacturers to find the optimum aerodynamics are only carried out on helmets of the correct size. By the way, the so-called wind drag is further increased by opening the header intake and exhaust vents, as the helmet creates unnecessary gaps between the head and the inner EPS shell, which usually has cut-outs for the helmet's ventilation system.
In discussing this part, I wanted you to understand how dangerous and useless, even stupid, it is to ride with a helmet that is too big. However, we know from experience that most people don't even think about it, and even more often they don't even know that they are riding with an oversized helmet.
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