There's no such thing as women's motorbike helmets and here's why | Expert buying guide

Women’s helmets seems to be a frequently searched term, so I wanted to offer some guidance explaining motorcycle helmets from a female perspective . I spoke with the other ladies on the MCN team about what we think constitutes a women’s motorcycle helmet, and in all honesty, we were left scratching our heads. In reality there isn’t really such a thing as a helmet designed specifically for women.

Having come to this conclusion, we did think however that there may be some design features and specifications that perhaps would be important to a female rider. The main factors that we could think of that may differ slightly for a woman when choosing a helmet would be the sizes, weight and design choice.

What’s important to female riders when it comes to picking a motorcycle helmet?

Smaller sizes

On average, ladies generally tend to have a slightly smaller head size to the average man, so a helmet that offers smaller sizes may be beneficial, some will only offer a size small while others will offer an extra small. Be sure to check the size guide for each individual manufacturer, as they can vary, a small might not be the same head circumference across all brands.

Alison Silcox and Saffron Wilson both stated that since the new ECE 22.06 standard has come in , they find that they need to go up a size in helmets, so this is something to bear in mind if you have previously bought a helmet.

MCN Editor Emma Franklin‘s advice is “I’d say choose a brand and model of helmet that has the greatest number of shell sizes between sizes. Some only have two, but other brands have four shell sizes, even six. Having lots of shell sizes, you can get the best size shell for your body size.” The shell size is the overall size of the helmet, so the external size not the internal. By having more shell sizes you are less likely to end up wearing a size medium helmet that has the same overall size as an extra large for example. This means you will be less likely to have a ‘bobble head’ appearance, especially if you have a small frame.

Weight

Another factor that you may want to consider is the weight of the helmet that you choose, not to be stereotypical in any way but a petite lady rider may not feel comfortable in a big bulky helmet as this could result in neck pain if it’s heavy. There a number of helmet manufacturers that have helmets made from lightweight materials such as carbon fibre. The weight of the helmet is usually listed on the manufacturers website or if you are looking in a shop; which we do recommend you try helmets on to get a feel for the fit, it should be displayed on the box or in the information booklet.

Designs

There are a number of helmets out there that have design options that have quite obviously been aimed to appeal to women with feminine colour choices of pinks and purples or details like flowers, butterflies and Disney characters. Some riders might be really keen to add a girly touch to their motorcycle kit but others prefer to steer completely clear of the pink gear.

Already know what sort of thing you are looking for? Jump straight to the relevant section below:

• Sports helmets
• Touring and flip front helmets
• Adventure helmets
• Open face helmets
• Retro helmets
• Budget helmets
• Safety standards
• What to consider
• How we test helmets

How to choose the right women’s helmet

Having established that there isn’t really such a thing as a women’s helmet, it’s probably more useful to go through a more general overview of the different types of helmet and things to consider when looking at buying a new lid. More of a helmet buying guide.

The core elements of the different types of helmet stay pretty much the same – a hard outer shell with a softer impact-absorbing liner, a chin strap and some kind of viewport – but there are some differing elements and accessories that make some helmets better for specific types of riding or suit the style of the bike you own or are looking to buy.

The most important thing is to go into a store and try on a selection of helmets. Make sure if fits nicely, feels comfortable and doesn’t move around on your head. A helmet should be a slightly tighter than perfect fit to begin with because the padding will settle down a little after a short amount of use and if it isn’t snug enough to begin with it will become too loose.

Some brands have different shell shapes and fit some people better than others, personally I find that AGV and Shuberth fit my head really well whereas Shark and HJC leave too much room at the top of my head and end up moving around.

A little tip if you have piercings in your ears like I do, especially cartilage piercings, pull the chinstraps out as far as you can to open up the entry space as much as possible, this will help them to not catch. Alternatively wearing a silk balaclava will help the protect your earrings and hair when putting helmets on or off, it also helps to keep your helmet clean if you are a make up wearer, especially if your helmet doesn’t feature a washable liner.

Best motorcycle helmets for women

Sporty helmets

If you ride a sportsbike on road you will probably be looking at buying a sporty helmet with the aerodynamic shape for stability at high speed and higher visor aperture so that you can see while bent ride over the low bars. If you ride your sportsbike on track you may want to look for a FIM homologated helmet to provide yourself with a higher level of track focused safety.

Touring and flip front helmets

If you enjoy touring you might want a touring focused lid or a modular flip front helmet. These helmets are more comfort focused than speed focused often providing drop down sun visors, integrated intercom options and tend to not have such large aerodynamic spoilers. Flip front helmets are useful if you need to talk to people frequently and many will have the added benefit of being able to be used as an open face helmet as well as in the closed full face position. Saffron Wilson says “I like a flip front as constantly taking helmets on and off has led to me having numerous earring backs in my purse just in case”

Adventure helmets

Adventure helmets is similar to an off-road helmet but they offer more comfort features with ventilation and sun visors. But probably most noticeable is the the peaks that are fitted to the front, these are to deflect branches away from the face when riding on trails.

Open face helmets

Open face urban helmets are popular among cruiser and scooter riders who strive for that ‘Wild Hogs’ or ‘Sons of Anarchy’ look. Great in hot weather for city riding however the main drawback of these helmets is that if you were to have an accident, your face is unprotected, which could end very ugly.

Retro helmets

Retro helmets these days usually tend to offer most of the modern features that you will see with any other full face helmet, just wrapped up in a nice old school looking outer so that you won’t look out of place on your vintage or retro motorcycle.

Budget friendly helmets

How much we have to spend on a new helmet plays a large role in the decision making process for most riders, especially these days with us all having to tighten our purse strings. There are budget helmet options out there and you don’t have to spend a fortune to get a good quality, safe helmet, the main thing is to check the manufacturer is legitimate and look out for the safety ratings.

Helmet accessories

Safety information you should know

The current safety standard that helmets in the UK must meet is European standard of ECE 22.06, you may still find some old stock clearance of the previous standard ECE 22.05 though. Another way to check the safety level that a helmet offers is to check the Safety Helmet Assessment and Rating Programme (SHARP) website. This will give a star rating of safety to a helmet giving you a better idea of how it compares to others that you may be considering. Oh, and don’t forget to buy yourself a good set of earplugs, because as you may already be aware, the wind noise while riding can permanently damage your hearing.

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What to consider when buying a helmet

Is it Sharp rated?

SHARP’s five-star safety rating is an independent helmet testing scheme ran by the Department of Transport. You can see which lids have been tested at SHARP’s website.

Is it ACU gold-approved?

An ‘ACU Gold or Silver’ sticker means that the lid is approved for use in motorcycle sport by the Auto Cycle Union in the UK. Some trackday organisers insist on you wearing an ACU Gold-approved helmet.

Does it have a Pinlock insert?

One of the best anti-fog inserts on the market, many lids come with a Pinlock included in the box while others simply have its fixings and you need to purchase the Pinlock itself separately. If you need to buy it, factor this extra expense into your buying decision.

How much does it weigh?

A heavy lid can put extra strain on your neck, leading to fatigue when worn for a long period of time, so a lightweight lid can be an advantage when it comes to touring.

Is the lining removable?

Helmets get sweaty and removing the lining and cleaning it thoroughly is the best way of reducing smells and keeping it nice to wear. If you cover a lot of miles in all weather conditions it is a good idea to get a lid with a removable lining.

Is the visor easy to remove?

A fiddly visor removal system can be very annoying when it comes to removing the visor to give it a good clean and remove and stuck on flies. Look for a well-designed system that will allow you to quickly remove the visor with minimal effort or use of tools. Some overly-complicated visor release systems result in broken side-pods or a damaged mechanism and that could mean a lengthy delay while you await spare parts.

Does it have an integrated sun visor?

A ‘flip-down’ sun visor is a really handy addition for when the sun is out as it means you can simply flip it down while on the go rather than stopping to fit a pair of sunglases.

What is its ventilation like?

A hot head is an uncomfortable head, so see if the helmet has vents and if they are easily operated by a gloved hand. The more vents, the cooler your head will be, however they can create extra wind noise.

Is it ready for a communications system?

Many helmets are ‘communications ready,’ which means they are designed with extra recesses around the ear areas so that you can insert headphones for a communications system. Without these recesses, the headphones can press irritatingly on your ears.

Is it designed for glasses?

If you wear glasses, a lot of helmets have special areas in them to allow the glasses’ arms to sit comfortably between the lining and your face, stopping them pressing on you or getting deformed and also making them easy to remove and put on.

What kind of strap fastener does it have?

There are two general types of helmet strap fastener – a D-Ring and a ratchet-style. The D-Ring requires manually threading and then tightening the strap where a ratchet-style system is a simple push-fit. It is a matter of choice with some riders preferring the ease of the ratchet-style and other opting for the secure feeling offered by a D-Ring.

Can I buy a dark visor?

Legally a visor must allow a light transmission of 50%, which means most dark visors are ‘for non-road use only.’ This doesn’t stop riders wearing them and if you want to have a dark visor, always check that one is readily available for the helmet you are looking at.

Is your helmet road legal?

To conform to UK law a helmet must either: Reach British Standard BS 6658:1985 and also carry the BSI Kitemark. Meet UNECE Regulation 22.05 Meet a European Economic Area member standard equivalent of BS 6658:1985 and also carry a mark equivalent to the BSI Kitemark. Most lids will have ECE 22-05 printed on them, usually at the back of the lid.

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How MCN tested women’s helmets

At MCN, our team of expert journalists have decades of experience gained over hundreds of thousands of miles in order to provide you with opinions and evaluations you can trust, alongside news of the most significant developments in motorcycling safety gear. We want you to stay safe, enjoy your riding and hopefully look great while doing so! 

We don’t test our kit to destruction; we use it exactly how you do, in the real world and in all conditions.

That means we can deliver impartial buying advice you can rely on. To make it onto this list, adventure helmets must have been worn for thousands of miles by our team of experienced testers, show no major flaws, and meet modern safety standards as well as offering decent value for money. 

Each of our expert reviewers tests their lids for a variety of things, both subjective and objective. Factors assessed include the helmet’s conformity to the latest ECE 22.06 safety regulations, whether comms systems can be installed, what type of chin strap fixture they have, how heavy they are and if they include details such as a drop-down sun visor, removable peak or any additional aerodynamic properties.

However, we also assess how they fit, their perceived build quality, how quickly we’re able to swap the visor out, what the venting feels like and how comfortable/adjustable the liner is during daily use.

We cover thousands of miles in these lids and regularly compare them with one another in the office, so collectively we’ve built the sort of knowledge base you can trust.

If you can’t see a review against a helmet on this page, it’s because we haven’t tested it yet. These helmets will only be included if we think they’re important and relevant in the market, and rest assured, we will be working on bringing you a review as soon as we’ve done the miles.

Here’s a brief run-down of the star rating system we use, and what each score means:

• 1 star – Poor performance in this category or overall. A helmet with a single star rating has fallen below the expected standard and should be avoided.
• 2 stars – Basic performance in this area or overall. A helmet with a two-star rating has managed to perform to a barely acceptable level and there is room for improvement. It might be lacking safety features, be poorly built or far too expensive to recommend.
• 3 stars – An average performance in this area or overall. A helmet with a three-star rating has achieved a basic level of performance and is deemed adequate.
• 4 stars – A product has performed over and above the accepted averaged in this category or overall. A helmet with a four-star rating has surpassed expectation and delivered in a particularly impressive way.
• 5 stars – A helmet has performed at the highest possible level in a particular category or overall. A product with a five-star rating has delivered to the highest possible level, impressing the tester with its performance. We would happily spend our own money on it.

To find out more about our kit testing, head to our dedicated page explaining how we test motorcycle products.

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