I'm a new Harley owner, and when I was getting the bike at the store I wanted to purchase both a full face helmet for myself (which I did) and a bucket that potential passengers could use. I don't have a girlfriend currently, so I didn't have anyone really to get the helmet fitted for.

The sales clerk wouldn't sell me a second helmet unless she fit it for me, claiming that if she were to just sell me a generic small or medium, that the helmet, even if tightened down, would not fit right and could possibly kill a rider in an accident. She demonstrated that for me by showing how a helmet that was too loose could rotate and grab a head snapping the neck, or how one that was too tight might not absorb the proper amount of impact and transfer too much to the rider.

I understand where she's coming from, but I also realize there's gotta be a lot of people out there like myself (single guys mostly) that have passenger set ups on their bikes and certainly don't go and buy a new helmet for every girl they meet or give a ride to for that matter. What's the best advice when trying to get a helmet for a passenger? Just get it fit for you and then whatever helmet fits your passenger best is what you go with? Or just buy a small or medium because it'll fit your typical passengers better? Will making sure it's tight on them be good enough? Or will you be ultimately liable since you didn't take them to get a proper helmet fitted for them?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

I take it this was at a Harley dealership? Sounds pretty wierd about "fitting" the helmet. Just go to some other store and buy what you want for half the price. I don't buy HD helmets.

 

I've thought about the same thing, thinking of getting a small or medium half helmet that would fit in the saddlebag, maybe a do-rag to help take up the slop if they have a small head. It's only a temporary thing anyhow. Something is better than nothing.

 

Most buy too large a helmet anyway. Unless an amazon decides to grace your pillion, a small size should work for most.

 

HD's women helmets run smaller than the male ones. With long thick hair I fit in a med/lg sized one but I just use my bf's old helmet which is a half bucket men's size small and it fits fine. So, if your helmet size is a small or medium i'd just buy another extra one for yourself and when u have a passenger let them use the spare.

 

let your passenger get their own helmet.

 

i keep a small, medium on my shelf, usualy its the medium i take out for passengers, unless its my kids they have there own fitted ones. and yes even though i wear a novelty beanie my passengers get a DOT half helmet unless they provide there own, and my kids get a full face DOT

 

Shop somewhere else, buy a medium and hope you get lucky withit.
Enjoy your new bike

 

Thanks for all the advice, I was only asking about HD helmets since I have some money on my account there after purchasing my used bike from them. I might go with AshMac's idea, since if the women's sizes are smaller than men's, a medium men's (which is what I wear) should be fine for a woman too. Might as well have a bucket helmet I can wear too if I want to rather than some small helmet that won't fit me. Thanks everyone! And I agree, something is better than nothing.