To all new helmet purchasers;
Having just bought a new SA95 myself, I also learned that the fit and padding
in the new helmets are decidedly different than we've been used to. At Bell
Motorsports, where I purchased mine, they recommended trying it on and
walking around with it for a while to insure that it wasn't too tight. The
new fit is MUCH tighter, especially around the cheek area than before. I
don't know if this is for better safety, or just liability concerns on the
part of the helmet makers??? At Bell MS, they said that the proper fit was
when you could just squeeze a finger between the helmet and your forehead
when fitted. The 7 3/8 size that I used to wear turned out to be the proper
fit, but again MUCH tighter on the cheeks...it takes some getting used to.
The next size up was too big in the finger test.
The eye opening port is smaller than the old M2, and is more like the XFM-1,
making putting on glasses doable, but more difficult. This is unique to the
Kevlar design, the older style fiberglass M2 models still have the larger
eyeport. So, you trade weight for convenience (and cost).
Having used it a few times now, I'm getting used to it. I'd agree that the
ventilation system seems improved over my old M2, however it still has an
awful synthetic, plastic type smell from the new materials....hoping that
will diminish over time.
FYI,
Myles H. Kitchen
1965 Lotus Cortina Mk 1 #128
|