When someone asks me to fit them for a helmet, it triggers a huge array of calculations in my mind. I start by looking at their head shape and then basically begin recalling what models tend to fit what type of heads before even having them try anything on.
If you haven’t read my previous article about helmet fitment, I suggest starting here first. At the end of the day, is no other way to really tell whether a helmet fits than to physically put it on your head.
Please don’t rely on tape measures either. First of all, many companies get the measurements wrong, and second of all, it doesn’t account for head shapes. A round head and long oval head can measure out at the same circumference, but will still require drastically different fitment needs. Head measurements also tell you nothing about how well the cheek pads fit or if you have a sufficient amount of space between your face and the chin bar. A head measurement is just a starting point, and it’s a poor one at best.
With that being said, I wanted to write out and share the list that I access in my head every time someone asks me to fit them for a helmet. They are listed in alphabetical order and have been separated into three categories: street, ADV, and off-road.
Note that these are only the brands and models I have had hands on experience with from fitting hundreds of people for helmets. If the helmet you’re interested in isn’t on this list, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a bad helmet or that it won’t fit you. It just means that I haven’t had enough experience with it to speak about it with confidence. You may also notice a bias toward long oval fitting, and that’s because I live in the mid-Atlantic region where 80–90% of the market seems to be long oval.
As I gain more hands-on experience with more helmets, this list may get updated. I especially hope to add AGV models in the future, but unfortunately I’ve only fit like two AGVs. (Both people fit well and were between intermediate and long oval heads if you must know, but take that with a grain of salt).
Also, keep in mind that some people have head shapes that are a bit of anomalies, so once in a while, someone will fit into a helmet that doesn’t seem to align with my past experience regarding that helmet (though rare, it does happen).
With all this being said, here is a quick reference guide for how different helmets tend to fit:
Street:
Arai Contour-X: Intermediate
Arai Corsair: between intermediate and long oval, accommodates both (though I’ve been told the US version differs from the European model, so the EU version might be a true intermediate)
Arai Regent-X: Intermediate
Arai Signet-X: true long oval
Arai Quantum-X: true round oval
Bell Bullitt: intermediate oval and chin bar is small/lacking integrity. Please, just don’t buy this helmet
Bell Qualifier: wide intermediate
Bell Racestar: narrower than their lower end helmets and accommodates long oval American head shapes better, but still lacks adjustments for its price point
Forcite MK1s: true intermediate, lacks adjustments for its price point, does not accommodate long oval heads well at all
HJC CS-R3 and C10: narrow intermediate
HJC i10: narrow intermediate with thick cheek pads, accommodates narrow jaws well
HJC i30: narrow intermediate, but I don’t recommend open face
HJC i90: narrow intermediate
HJC RPHA helmets: relatively same as i10
(*most HJC models generally share the same shape)
Icon Airflite: intermediate, does not accommodate long ovals well
Scorpion EXO-R1 air carbon: intermediate, seems to accommodate most head shapes well and the air fit system is a big plus
Scorpion EXO-R320: narrow intermediate
Scorpion EXO-R420: intermediate, seems to accommodate long oval okay but it’s a bit wider than the 320 and its competitor the HJC i10. Has thinner/softer cheek pads than HJC too, so better for wider jaws
Shoei Neotec 2/Neotec 3: narrow intermediate, accommodates intermediate and long oval decently well, but true long ovals still tend to get the forehead hotspot
Shoei RF-1400: narrow intermediate, accommodates long oval pretty well
Shoei X-Fourteen: relatively the same as the RF-1400
Shoei X-Fifteen: intermediate with tons of foam adjustment options that allow it to accommodate most head shapes if you know what you’re doing
ADV:
Arai XD-4/XD-5: between intermediate and long oval, can accommodate either but may need interior and cheek pad swaps. The XD-5 has more adjustment options though, since it utilizes the tension adjustment found in their street helmet interiors and has more optional foam you can remove to alleviate hot spots.
Bell MX-9 ADV: wide intermediate
HJC DS-X1: narrow intermediate, fits most American head shapes better than MX-9 ADV
Klim Krios: intermediate oval, does not accommodate long oval heads well at all
Scorpion AT-950: intermediate leaning toward long oval
Scorpion AT-960: true intermediate, doesn’t seem to fit most long oval American heads as well as its predecessor
Scorpion EXO-XT9000: intermediate and seems to accommodate long oval okay up top, but the chin bar tends to be too close for many people
Shoei Hornet: narrow intermediate, accommodates longer ovals decently well
Off-road:
6D ATR-2: Intermediate that runs a bit wide. Does not accommodate long ovals well
Alpinestar Supertech M10: intermediate oval, does not accommodate long oval well. (Alpinestar helmets seem to be based off European head shapes)
Arai VX-Pro4: between intermediate and long, can accommodate either but might need modifications (basically identical fit to XD-4/XD-5)
Bell Moto-9 Flex: narrower intermediate than their low end helmets, but still not ideal for true long ovals (tends to move too much during roll test and crams people’s faces too close to the chin bar)
Bell MX-9: wide intermediate, does not accommodate long ovals well at all. Good budget option for those with wider/rounder heads
Fly Kinetic: wide intermediate, but narrower than Bell
HJC i50: narrow intermediate with thick cheek pads, accommodates longer ovals and narrower jaws well
HJC CS-MX II: narrow intermediate, accommodates most shapes well but true long ovals still get hot spot on forehead
Leatt helmets: wide intermediate, does not accommodate long ovals well
Troy Lee Design GP helmets: wide intermediate, similar to Bell
Scorpion VX-16: intermediate, yet accommodates long ovals very well
Shoei VFX-EVO: narrow intermediate, accommodates most head shapes well but sometimes not great for those with wider jaws
Hope this helps!
