Helmet Liners

It may be a British thing but the helmet liner has never really caught on over here. Apart from a couple of BMW riders I met at a rally about 20 years ago wearing Slik liners they'd bought from the US through an ad in the BMWOA Magazine, I've never met another British rider that wears a helmet liner.

I thought it was a good idea for keeping your helmet lining cleaner and fresher and started wearing them a couple of months later. I bought a couple of HJC Comfortmax liners from the US with some other bits and pieces. Straight away I was a fan of helmet liners, but soon found out that the seams could cause discomfort along your forehead if you didn't position them right.

A few years later I started wearing Silky comfort liners, they are better than the HJC but cause pressure aches on the forehead if you don't get them on right. Also if you wear them for a few hours, after being initially comfortable they tend to move a bit and the seams cause the familiar aching. I've tried a locally made EDZ liner which is closer fitting but the seams are too thick around the forehead, and I've told them that in their shop.

Apart from the seams occasionally causing discomfort I'm a fan of the helmet liner, Mrs M pretends she doesn't know me when I put mine on, and maybe I do look like a medieval dung gatherer.

To try and eliminate the seam problem for good, last week I ordered a couple of WickIt! liners from the US that have no seams in the problem areas, and have a little pointy tail at the back so you always wear them the right way round. They also come in a variety of colours, I've ordered a yellow, and a sort of lime green as black liners tend to blend into the contents of a drawer full of dark items.

So now I've outed myself as a confirmed liner wearer, does anyone else have any recommendations?

Meldrew wrote:

So now I've outed myself as a confirmed liner wearer, does anyone else have any recommendations?

http://ldcomfort.com/store/comfort-accessories/

The LDComfort liner are made out of two layers.

Try this drench your liner in the coldest water you can find ... then without wringing-out any water put the liner on your head.

The other liners I used would stay cold and wet for awhile against your head. The LDComfort wicks the water away from the internal liner very quickly, you feel the cold and wet for a few seconds then then you it is gone ... the evaporative cooling starts.

I use the longest liner for the Texas heat ... I am more interested in functionality then looks. I place it under my jacket and it provides great cooling and relief. It works so well, I even use it in the heat while working outside in the Texas heat ... it does not require a lot of air movement for the evaporative cooling.

Thanks, I've read a bit about LDComfort gear in the past when I was looking at seam free underwear, and their helmet liners were ones I considered before opting for two no seam WickIt! liners in bright colours.

At the moment heat isn't a problem here in the UK, we're having the wettest dullest Summer for many years, we've got exactly the type of weather you Americans imagine we have all the time. The last sunny day I can remember was that Sunday a few weeks ago when I lost the top section of my Airflow.

Happy Independence Day.

I have an Oxford balaclava (silk like material). The only time I have actually worn it was when trying on new helmets. I have to be specifically going to try on helmets to remember to get it out of the drawer. You just don't know just how many people have tried on a helmet that is on the shelf.
It also makes trying on a slightly too small or wrong shaped helmet easier on the ears!

Cheers,

I am with Mildrew on this one.
On my last long ride, I noticed major head pain in the middle of my head in the front.
Because I was ridding with 9 others I did not want to stop and do any adjusting.
But I guess, the riders behind me could see me shaking my head and moving my helmet a lot and felt sorry for me so we all pulled over.
I was in such pain at that point I was crying. Just kidding.
When I pulled off my helmet to see what was wrong I could see a long red, pain full three inch line on the front of me forehead.
Live and learn I guess.
Thank you for the address for PAIN RELIEF.

I've been a fan of helmet liners for a couple of years now as I read on another forum (MP3) that they help a snug helmet go over glasses and ears easily as well as keeping your helmet clean. My wife also smothers a giggle when I put it on in front of her - says it reminds her of old movies set in Tudor England. I got mine from a company that specializes in providing liners for Jet Jockeys, Helicopter Pilots and the like but I can't remember the name of the website. The seams are very comfortable and never give me a headache.

I decided to order a couple of spares for this hot weather and found an aviation source but they call them "skull caps" to go under helicopter pilot helmets. Gibson & Barnes (gibson-barnes.com) have them in various sizes and colours starting at $9.00 US

I have used a SLIK liner in the past but these days I don't bother as I find that they interfere with the helmet's ventilation although I must admit they can help with the fit of the lid. I gues it all depends on how well your head fits the helmet and vice versa !

Part of the problem with "seam headache" and the red marks left on your head caused by the liner digging is made worse if you are bald or have receding hair, I'm an old git so that certainly applies to me

I've also noticed on TV that the fire retardant Nomex balaclavas worn by some Formula 1 GP drivers have a frayed edge when it looks as if the seams have been cut off, probably to stop them digging in.

Helmet liners were originally used by military pilots to keep their expensive flying helmets clean, and they obviously have enough stuff going on when they're flying to give them a real , without the added irritation of the liner digging into their heads. They can't pull in half a mile down the road and fiddle with their helmets either like we can either.

I ride a lot and do not use helmet liner or is it necessary on good fitting helmet. I go thru and throw out about 2 helmets a year----cheap 3/4 jet, DOT approved, now some are having ECE approval, too.

In US Arthur Fulmer helmets are available only from dealers and seem to be priced right and FIT.

Just returned from 7 day, 2600 mile ride in this very hot weather---used/tried Bell Pit Boss helmet=fit good,shorty so protection? No front vent, so front inside wet from sweating. Comfort good, weight 900 g....maybe??? Best feature, CLEAR drop down eye protection----works great for me and I have long history of not having good luck with face shield-------bill on helmet a little short, making riding into sun a neck bending exercise. Great in rain. Helmet a bit over priced. Greatest discomfort for me on long rides=EAR PLUGS! after 400 miles inner ear channel starts to hurt, 2 aspirin and a little vaseline and on we go.

I clean inside with Windex and it holds stink down--wiping with towel and air dry. Protect All onn shield.

tarmacburner2 wrote:

I have an Oxford balaclava (silk like material).

I use one of these 'nearly' all the time at the moment. Mainly for health reasons, keeps the lining of the helmet cleaner. Easier to wash a balaclava than remove the helmet liner, (if removable at all), and stick in the washing machine.

On hot days, not many of them around at the moment, I don't wear balaclava as I like the cooler air around the neck.

Mildrew. Even though I may not agree with all your writings, I do agree with you and thank you for the information about the Wick It.
I bought one, after viewing your information and think the wick It helmet liner is great.

Temp around her are only about 69 deg. NICE.But I am looking foward to trying it out when it gets hotter.
I can put my glasses on and remove them without any problem.

I'm glad to know that there's a helmet liner out there that does the job without the dreaded seam ache. The one's I ordered should have arrived now, but I've been in Milan for the last few days where no one wears ATGATT and jet style helmet, shorts, and flip flops (or thongs if you're an Aussie!) seem to be the dress code.

Ciao!

I collected my WickIt! helmet liners from my local Post Office Sorting Office a couple of days ago as they had been delivered to my home when I was away in Italy. I wasn't pleased to be shafted for another £11.79 or about $17.70 in mainly admin and handling fees by the licenced bandits at Royal Mail. If I'd known about WickIt! Liners a few months earlier it would have been cheaper and easier to order them from home and have them mailed to the hotel we were staying at in Boston.

So far I've only tried them on with my helmets, I still look like a medieval dung gatherer, but they feel very comfortable and I like the Electric Green and Sunburst Yellow colours. I look forward to wearing them on all day rides and have now hopefully banished the seam headache forever.

Update, I've been wearing WickIt! liners for every ride for over a year now, and just occasionally using the Silky or the nylon under hood on my Polo rain suit. Nothing's changed much, however carefully you put them all on and adjust them fore or aft to avoid seam ache it still inevitably happens, and I've put up with it all through this hot, sticky summer we've just had too.

Today when I went out to for a ride to a Honda dealership in West Yorkshire, I thought bollocks to keeping my helmet sweat and hair free I'm not wearing a helmet liner at all, the first time in over 20 years. It felt great, no annoying seam ache spoiling the ride and I can alway sanitise the helmets lining if it starts to smell like a lepers crotch.

I used to get the "Klingon" forehead and aching furrows on top of my head just from the helmet. Mainly this was when I'd be wearing my helmet for long intervals when riding. Balaclavas and such didn't help much because of the same problem; seams. I ended up using some layers of that very thin foam that electronics are often wrapped in. It helps distribute the pressure more evenly and mitigates the problem fairly well, but often falls out when I remove my helmet and tends to block what little bit of air that might flow through the helmet vents. It's not bad at all when the weather is cool, but sometimes gets kind of warm when going slow on hot days. 

Mike B.

(Rochester Hills Michigan Dark Side Rider)
(4 Honda Reflex scooters and a FSC600A Silverwing too)

Winter, summer, I will never drive without a balaclava. Sweat destroys the helmet pad thingy faster.

we always wear balaclavers ,they keep your ears in and
I have thin foam rubber about 3" diameter stiched over
whare my ears go as it helps to keep the noise down so
it dispenses with plugs. keeps helmet pristine inside

I just thought I'd mention after junking the helmet liners a year ago, the only discomfort I've had since then is a bit of pressure on my forehead from wearing my Scorpion EXO 900 for long periods on my recent trip to the Harz. It wasn't as bad as the niggling ache from the seams of a helmet liner either

My usual go to helmet is a Schuberth J1 open face, but as I'd fitted an amber drip down visor, SuperVisor peak and an Interphone headset to the Scorpion I chose to use it instead. All the kit worked fine and by the time I rode back home the helmet had finally bedded in.

Meldrew wrote:

as I'd fitted an amber drip down visor, SuperVisor peak and an Interphone headset to the Scorpion I chose to use it instead.

What, no Grip Puppies to make your helmet more functional and comfortable?

bigbird wrote:

What, no Grip Puppies to make your helmet more functional and comfortable?

What did make my helmet quieter and more functional was fitting a Wunderlich adjustable wind deflector to the top of the Airflow. I haven't played with the multiple heights and angles it can be adjusted to, but in the random position it's enabled me to...

Ride with the top screen about 3 inches lower that I used to, reduce the volume of "Mavis" the sat nav voice coming into the Interphone speakers in my helmet even through custom fit earplugs. It also deflects rain off my helmet visor, stopped most of the condensation droplets forming on it riding in heavy fog at Torfhaus in the Harz, and collects splattered insects resembling egg yolks!  

My Grip Puppies are now in a landfill somewhere in Cumbria, their rightful home IMHO.