Motorcycle Helmet Liner

by R.K. for webBikeWorld

wBW Reviews Home  |  Comments From Visitors (Below)

Several emails arrived recently from webBikeWorld visitors asking about helmet liners.  We've often referred to this simple piece of equipment in our motorcycle helmet reviews, and I suddenly realized that an article on this topic was way overdue.

I started wearing a helmet liner many years ago to help keep the inside of my motorcycle helmet clean and fresh.  I won't get into the gory details, but let's just say that the inside of a motorcycle helmet can get rather dirty in short order, especially during the summer.

During a typical webBikeWorld motorcycle helmet evaluation, the helmet may be passed around among two or more riders so they can provide feedback.  Wearing a helmet liner then becomes essential for obvious reasons.

I've since got into the habit of wearing one on every ride, summer or winter.  If you want to keep your helmet looking and feeling fresh, a helmet liner is the only way to go.

Motorcycle helmets are expensive, and a helmet liner can really keep the inside looking brand-new for many years.  Yep, I realize that many of the motorcycle helmets sold today have removable and washable liners, but really now -- have you ever really heard of anyone taking apart their helmet to throw the liner in the wash?

Which brings to mind the biggest problem with helmet liners: what to call them.  Skullcaps?  Do-rags?  We're sticking with helmet liner for now and I hope that the context of the reference will determine whether we're referring to the helmet's own liner or the clothing accessory shown here.

I've worn a Sliks "Original" helmet liner for many years; that's the one shown in Photo 2.  The Original has remained virtually unchanged for years, and with good reason.  It's simple and it works.

The Sliks Original is satin lined, so it feels slippery against your head, which is a good feeling under a motorcycle helmet.  I usually wear the Sliks liner in cooler weather or under tight-fitting helmets, where its satin lining seems to help prevent the pressure points from becoming too painful.

Sliks has a variety of colors and styles and they come in sizes S to XL to fit just about everyone, and the liner shown here retails for $14.95 at Cyclegadgets.

The other helmet liner I've come to depend on is the HJC Coolmax liner shown in Photo 1.  Coolmax is a specialty "performance" knit fabric that is designed to breathe and to transport moisture away from the body; you may already own a Coolmax T-shirt or other apparel item.

HJC just happens to market this helmet liner; my guess is that they don't actually make it but purchase it from a supplier.  But the HJC liner can readily be found in motorcycle shops or through online motorcycle helmet retailers.  Try our friends over at New Enough; they're selling the HJC Coolmax for $10.99.

The HJC Coolmax liner is a tight fit and I'm assuming the fabric includes some stretchy material, at least in this application.  The fabric is not "slippery" like satin, and sometimes it scrunches up under a tight-fitting helmet.  But it definitely seems to breathe better than the Sliks Original and is better for riding in hot weather (although the seams can cause problems with bald owners, see below).

See the "Comments From Visitors" section at the bottom of this page for comments from visitors regarding more choices for helmet liners.

Now you may be asking yourself why the model in these photos has his back to the camera.  That's because no one wanted to volunteer to have their photo taken in a front view while wearing a helmet liner! 

The major drawback of these things is that they basically make the wearer look like a dork.  If I'm about to put on my helmet in front of a motorcycle shop surrounded by the local Harley club -- well, let's just say that I've become rather creative in getting on my liner and helmet as fast as possible.  Take it from me: you don't want to be standing around wearing one of these things when other human beings can see you!