Getting The Fit Right: A Guide To Helmet Sizing

Sun and heat are the two things to watch for. Leaving a helmet on a dashboard or in direct sun for long periods will dull and eventually crack leather trim, so a helmet bag or a shaded spot makes a real difference over the life of the helmet.

Visors are a wear item, not a lifetime part of the helmet, and most riders find a spare on hand is worth having, especially before a long trip.

This is slower than fully automated manufacturing, and that is the point. A handcrafted helmet shell shell trades speed for a level of finish and individual attention that a purely machine made helmet does not offer.

Most manufacturers recommend replacing a motorcycle helmet every five to seven years even without a crash, since the internal materials that absorb impact degrade slowly with heat, sweat and UV exposure. The shell can look fine while the protective layer underneath has already lost some of its effectiveness.

Getting helmet sizing right starts with a proper head measurement, taken with a soft tape around the largest part of the head, just above the eyebrows and ears. That figure points to a starting size, but it is only a starting point, since head shape varies as much as head size.

The trade off is scale. A workshop like this will never produce helmets as fast as a large factory, and that is treated as acceptable, since the aim is a considered, well finished helmet rather than the fastest one to market.