Quick helmet tip…
Jul 23rd, 2009 by Leo
Superfluous Ducati video
You don’t have to watch the video for this, and I don’t think I’ve seen anything else by this reviewer, but the way he put on his helmet is affecting his riding position (especially if you jump ahead to 4:10 when he’s talking). When I took the MSF, I think I vaguely remember them saying that the top of the eye-port needs to be right around your eyebrows. And while this makes sense on a half helmet (because the bulge of the helmet on your brow can help keep your face off the asphalt) it’s not necessary on a full face helmet. Actually, it can ruin your riding experience on a sportbike. With the top of helmet eye-port on your brow, you can’t see forward with your head down. That means you have to crane your neck to see forward (and good luck seeing traffic signals way up top). People complain about neck pains when they’re riding sportier bikes… it’s not the bike, it’s your helmet… Or more precisely how you wear your helmet.
If you watch racers put on their helmets their eyes usually line up right around the middle of the eye port. The nose and mouth should be covered by the chin part of the full face helmet, and the eyes should be right in the middle (or thereabouts) of the opening. Sometimes the chin sticks out a little below the helmet. Some people think this is wrong, but if you think about what a crash would do to a helmet, the chin out the bottom just slightly is quite safe. Your eyes should line up right around the center line of the helmet. 
Some jacket/helmet combinations make this difficult. I have an old KBC helmet that fits as nicely as any top of the line Shoei or Arai (seriously, the feel is excellent) but the back of the helmet bumps into the collar of my everyday riding jacket, and pushes it low on my brow. I was getting neck aches craning my neck upward. With my AGV S-4 helmet (not as comfy, but 5 stars on the Sharp helmet ratings) this is not a problem. The KBC helmet is also not a problem when I’m wearing my track suit (that has no collar). So it has to do with how your gear fits you.
Now this video reviewer might be doing this because his producer asked him to make sure people could see his face, or because of the microphone or something, but you can see how it adversely affects his riding position in the video. People ride like this all the time, and then they wonder why they can’t get low enough onto the tank to do the turns they want… In this case, it’s not you or your bike it’s your gear.
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