Guides
Plain-English explainers for the things that actually matter — safety certifications, sizing, head shape and when to replace a helmet.
Most helmet-buying mistakes come from not understanding four things: what the safety certifications actually test, how to get the size and shape right, when a helmet is done, and what “all the gear” really covers. These guides exist to fix that—plainly, with the standards bodies cited so you can check the claims yourself. They’re also the reference we lean on across the rest of the site: every roundup links back here rather than re-explaining ECE 22.06 for the tenth time.
Safety ratings: read the label before the marketing
DOT, ECE and Snell are the three certifications you’ll see on motorcycle helmets, and they are not interchangeable. DOT (FMVSS 218) is the US legal minimum and is largely self-certified by the manufacturer. ECE 22.06is the current European standard, independently tested, and—crucially—the 2022 revision added rotational and multi-point impact testing that the old 22.05 didn’t require. Snell M2025is a stricter, independent protocol that the maker pays to have verified. More certifications isn’t automatically “safer for you,” but it tells you how thoroughly a shell has been vetted and by whom. Our DOT vs ECE vs Snell guide lays it out in a one-glance table—which standard, what it tests, and who verifies it.
Sizing and head shape: the fit that makes or breaks a helmet
A helmet only protects if it fits, and fit is two separate things: size and head shape. Size comes from measuring the circumference of your head and matching it to the maker’s chart—and the charts differ between brands, so a “Large” in one is not a “Large” in another. Head shape is whether your skull is rounder or more oval front-to-back; most Western heads are intermediate oval, but some brands (notably Arai) run rounder, and a mismatch creates pressure points however “correct” the size. A helmet should be snug enough that it moves your scalp, not slides on it. Our helmet sizing guide walks through measuring, reading the chart, and checking head shape so you order right the first time.
When a helmet is done
Helmets don’t last forever, and the two rules are simple. Replace a helmet after any significant impact, even if it looks fine—the energy-absorbing foam liner crushes once, by design, and a crushed liner can’t protect you a second time. And replace it on a roughly five-year cycle from the manufacture date, because the liner and glues degrade with sweat, UV and time. Our when-to-replace guide explains both rules, plus how to read the manufacture date stamped inside your own helmet.
ATGATT: the gear philosophy in one acronym
“All The Gear, All The Time” is the habit of wearing full protective gear on every ride, short or long. Our ATGATT guidecovers what each piece does and the CE armor levels worth understanding, so “get good gear” turns into a specific, checkable standard rather than a vibe.
None of these guides tries to sell you something—they exist to make you a sharper buyer. When you’re ready to actually choose a product, each one links out to the relevant roundup, where the picks carry live prices. Read the guide first; you’ll spend your money better for it.
Five of the guides below answer the questions riders ask with a wallet open. On helmets: whether cheap helmets are safe, what ECE 22.06 changed over 22.05, and whether to buy a used helmet at all. On gear, the two seasons that defeat a single-layer setup: how to stay warm and what to wear in summer.
Everything in Guides
DOT vs ECE vs Snell: Helmet Safety Ratings Explained
What each certification tests, who verifies it, and why ECE 22.06 raised the bar — with a one-glance comparison table.
How to Measure Your Motorcycle Helmet Size
Measure, chart and try-on — plus how to tell an intermediate-oval head from a round one, so the helmet actually fits.
When Should You Replace a Motorcycle Helmet?
The five-year rule, the after-any-crash rule, and how to read your helmet's manufacture date.
What Is ATGATT? All The Gear, All The Time
The philosophy behind full protective gear, what each piece does, and the CE armor levels worth understanding.
Types of Motorcycle Helmets Explained
Full-face, modular, adventure, open-face and half — what each type protects, what it trades away, and which suits your riding.
What Is MIPS? Rotational Protection Explained
What the yellow low-friction layer inside some helmets does, the science it's built on, and whether it's worth paying for.
How to Wear a Motorcycle Helmet Correctly
How a helmet should sit, how tight the strap should be, the common mistakes that leave it useless in a crash, and how to break one in.
CE Armor and Garment Ratings Explained (EN 1621 & EN 17092)
What Level 1 vs Level 2 armor means, what the AAA-to-A garment classes rate, and how to read the labels in a jacket, gloves or boots.
Polycarbonate vs Fiberglass vs Carbon Fiber Helmets
What each helmet shell material is, what it costs, and how it changes weight and price — so you know what you're paying for when a lid is 'composite' or 'carbon'.
Helmet Head Shapes: Round, Intermediate Oval and Long Oval
Why a correctly-sized helmet can still hurt — head shape. How to tell yours, and which brands fit round, intermediate-oval and long-oval heads best.
How to Reduce Wind Noise in a Motorcycle Helmet
Wind noise damages hearing and tires you out. The fixes that actually work — earplugs, fit, a wind collar and shield seals — ranked by how much difference each makes.
How to Stop a Motorcycle Helmet Fogging Up
A fogged visor is a safety problem you can fix. Pinlock inserts, breath guards, cracking the shield and anti-fog coatings — what works, what doesn't, and why.
How to Clean a Motorcycle Helmet
The right way to clean the shell, visor and liner without wrecking them — the products to avoid, and a simple routine that keeps a helmet fresh and clear.
How to Check a Motorcycle Helmet's Age
Every helmet carries its birthday stamped inside it. Where to find the date label, how to read the two formats makers use, and what the age actually tells you.
SHARP Helmet Ratings Explained
The UK government's five-star crash-test program is the only public body that ranks helmets against each other — how it tests, what the stars mean, and the fair criticisms of it.
Are Modular Helmets as Safe as Full-Face?
The chin bar is a hinge, and a hinge is a question. What ECE 22.06 actually tests on a flip-up, what the P/J marking means, and an honest answer to the safety trade-off.
Do You Need a Snell Helmet for the Street?
Snell is the strictest certification you can buy and the one most street riders do not need. What M2025 actually tests, where the hard-shell argument comes from, and when the sticker is worth paying for.
You Dropped Your Helmet. Is It Still Safe?
Not every drop writes off a helmet, and no drop can be cleared by looking at the shell. The honest decision tree — what the EPS liner does, which drops matter, and what the makers themselves say.
How Tight Should a Motorcycle Helmet Be?
A new helmet is supposed to feel too tight, and there is a line where it stops being break-in and becomes the wrong helmet. Cheek pads, forehead pressure points, the 30-minute test and the fixes that work.
Are Kevlar Motorcycle Jeans Actually Protective?
Yes, the certified ones — and the word Kevlar is not what makes them protective. How EN 17092 abrasion classes work on denim, why a lining panel is not a class, and how to tell a riding jean from a marketing claim.
Are Cheap Motorcycle Helmets Safe?
A $150 helmet from a real maker clears the same legal test as a $900 one, and that is the surprising part. What the money actually buys above the certification floor, and the three budget helmets whose paperwork holds up.
ECE 22.06 vs 22.05: What Actually Changed
The first real rewrite of the European helmet standard in two decades — oblique rotational impacts, more impact points, visors and accessories tested with the helmet, and what a 22.05 sticker means now.
Should You Buy a Used Motorcycle Helmet?
The honest answer is almost never, and the reason is not snobbery — it is that the one thing you need to know about a used helmet is the one thing no inspection can tell you. Plus what to do if you have already bought one.
How to Stay Warm on a Motorcycle
Cold on a bike is a wind problem before it is a temperature problem, which is why another sweater does not fix it. The layering order that works, the zones that fail first, and the gear that solves each one.
What to Wear on a Motorcycle in Summer
Riding in a t-shirt is cooler for about four minutes and then it is not. Why mesh beats bare skin on a 95-degree day, how airflow and abrasion class coexist, and the hot-weather kit that keeps its certification.
Motorcycle Helmet Shell Sizes Explained
No, the shells are not all the same size — and how many a maker tools is the single spec that decides whether a small or a 2XL fits properly. Which helmets we list publish four, and which publish none.
How to Choose Motorcycle Gloves
Six decisions, in the order they actually matter: the printed EN 13594 clause, cuff length, chassis material, the knuckle, the season you are buying for, and fit. Then four gloves that each answer one of them.
How Much Does a Motorcycle Helmet Cost?
What each price band actually buys, read off the specs rather than guessed — and the uncomfortable finding that the strictest certification on this site sits on a helmet under $200.
Are Motorcycle Boots Necessary?
There is a standard for motorcycle boots, EN 13634, and it tests four things a work boot or a sneaker is never tested for. What those four are, and what the certified boots we list actually carry.
