Are there any companies that have smaller or more lightweight shells for their helmets? I made the mistake of getting a medium Bell helmet because I didn't measure first, I just went with what I thought was comfortable at the time. It ended up being way too bulky for me and it puts strain on my neck. Now I'm sure that I'm a small, but I don't know which brand to go with. I don't need any bells and whistles, just plain full-face and solid black.

 

Different manufacturers will fit differently. You might take a small in one and a medium in another.

Helmets are tough. You know you can get it cheaper online, but you really need to try it on first. Heck, even some models within the same manufacturer, I'll take a medium in one and a large in another. You're really going to have to go somewhere and try a bunch on, then search online and see where you can get the best price.

 

In this case it's unfortunately true that the more you spend the better you get...

Most companies like Shoei, Arai, Suomy and AGV (Hell...any of them) have various ranges of helmets...so with more expensive helmets, the lighter weight materials are used, the better the ventilation systems, you get things like removable/washable liners and exchangeable cheek pads for a more custom fit.

If you don't have a lot of money to shell out, then you'll have to buck up and deal with it, but honestly Bell helmets are about the lowest quality on the food chain... [&:]

 

Dennis Kirk has a good chart in his catalog comparing the sizes of the different helmet brands. Look that up for some help.

 

Thanks for the replies so far, but I didn't really get the answer I was looking for. I've been looking at a bunch of different sizing charts for different brands, and I've determined that I wear Small padding. What I was asking was whether there are helmets that are smaller on the outside... because to me, it looks like all the helmets are the same size, but they just add more padding to the smaller ones. I'm pretty sure Medium uses the same shell as a Large, but with extra padding. And Small has a smaller shell, of course... but depending on the brand, a Small could be the same size (on the outside) as a Medium from a different brand. I guess i'm just going to try some on at the local shop.

 

The answer was within my reply, but you missed it...HJC, Bell, KBC and some other low end brands are huge...I have an HJC and I feel like I'm wearing a deep sea diving helmet when I put that fugger on...my Shoei RF-900 is made of lighter weight, yet strong material and it's much smaller...My track helmet which is a Shoei X-11 Kato replica as super light, very small and has superior ventilation...get the point now?

You get what you pay for (don't take that statement too literally guys).

 

Ok, I gotcha. To me, it sounded like you were really pushing the ventilation and custom liners/pads in the other post... things which don't bother me enough to pay $300+ for. I'm just going to check some of them out in person and then order it later. But I don't mind shelling out the extra cash for a helmet if it's exactly how I want it.

 

pick up a shoei rf-1000 or tz-r. Lightweight, come in plenty of solid colors.