I had no idea how much difference helmet color made until I was with a buch of guys on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Their white helmets GRABBED my eyes. Extremely visible.
If you want a cool looking bright yellow/green helmet, get one of Valentino Rossi’s AGV XVent replicas…there are a few different models, but a couple of them are neon green/yellow.
Most people either have a “Shoei head” or an “Arai head”, and trying to wear the opposite helmet from your head type usually results in painful spots. Arai heads are a little rounder, while Shoei heads are more elongated front to back. My spousal unit and I both have Arai heads, and Shoei helmets cause us identical painful red spots on the fronts of our foreheads whenever we try them on. Many helmet manufacturers use either the Shoei or Arai design, so after trying on several helmets you’ll get a feel for which brands fit you well and which don’t.
The helmet should fit you very snugly, but it shouldn’t hurt.
Arai and Shoei are my favorites, with Simpson in the running. (Simpson used to make great helmets for motorcycle riding, but have leaned heavily towards car guys lately)
Make sure it is tight.
If you have a problem with fogging, you may want to look at a helmet maker who offers a snowmobile shield to fit your model (many are interchangable) that feature a double-pane, and resist fogging.
Ride safe!
Aw, screw the sig!
Here’s a good link on the TeamOregon motrcycle safety training site that gives a good rundown of how to fit a helmet.
Personally, I use a Shoei RF-900. I bought mine online for a good $200 less than the local shops after spending a day and a half AT the local shops trying on almost every helmet sold. I have a big head and it’s not easy for me to find a comfortable fit - for instance, I cant get the biggest Bell helmet on my head without ripping my ears off - and then, it’s so tight front-to-back that it causes my vision to blur.
Arai’s fit me OK, but there are some very uncomfortable tight spots around my forehead and cheekbones.
So, like others have said, the only good way to fit a helmet properly is to try on lots of them, make sure it’s tight but not cutting off circulation or causing pain, and make a choice based on the shape of your head.
As far as fogging, it’s tough to TOTALLY elimnate fogging with a full-face helmet. There’s all sorts of gadgets, films, cleaners, coatings and stuff out there to help with the situation and some of them even sort of work. But when you’re sitting at a traffic light on a damp 40 degree morning, NOTHING will prevent fogging other than cracking open the face shield. Otherwise, look for a helmet with a good ventilation system to keep air moving over the inside of the face shield while you’re moving.