Kids' Motorcycle Helmets

Nowadays, when so many young people choose to experience life vicariously through an app or a game on a video screen, it’s comforting to know that there are still those who want to physically participate in an activity, especially one that’s as much fun as motorcycling. Whether it’s riding pillion behind an adult on a street bike or piloting their own dirt bike, few things can compare to the excitement they can have being up on a powered 2-wheeler. Non-riding parents have traditionally been reluctant to let their kids ride dirt bikes, fearing that they could be injured. But the risk of injury also exists riding a bicycle or playing sports. If a boy or girl is physically capable of handling a dirt bike and rides one that is appropriately sized for them, receives proper guidance and knows to ride responsibly, and is equipped with all the necessary safety gear, then riding a motorcycle can be both safe and fun. When it comes to safety gear, no piece of equipment is more important than a helmet, and you’ll find a large selection of helmets made just for kids right here on our digital shelves.

Head protection is always essential when riding a motorcycle but it’s especially important during a young person’s developing years. A helmet consists of an outer shell, an impact absorbing liner, and interior padding that all work together to provide protection and comfort. The outer shell is made of thermoplastic, fiberglass, or composite material, and designed to spread an impact over a broad area and prevent objects from piercing the helmet. The impact absorbing liner, made of Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) foam, decreases the amount of energy transmitted to the head in the event of an impact. The helmet’s comfort liner, the padded layer that contacts the head, is made of open cell foam covered with fabric. You can be confident that the helmets we offer meet government safety standards as all are DOT (Department of Transportation) certified and/or have ECE (Economic Commission for Europe) certification.

Most helmets are made of thermoplastics like ABS or polycarbonate. These helmets are strong and perfectly safe, but they must be made heavier with thicker EPS to achieve the proper level of safety. Some helmets are made of fiberglass, which is stronger and very good at distributing force upon impact and therefore fiberglass helmets can be made lighter. Top of the line composite helmets, which can be made of combinations of fiberglass, Kevlar, carbon fiber, and Aramid, are extremely strong and can be made even lighter in weight, but they’re generally the most expensive. Your child will be protected in a helmet made of any of these materials in the unfortunate event of a crash, but a lighter helmet is easier on neck muscles and less likely to be fatiguing. Some helmets have dual-density, or multi-layer density EPS foam that is designed to protect the rider from impacts that occur at high and low speeds. Some comfort liner fabrics are moisture wicking to absorb sweat and make the rider more comfortable and some liners are antimicrobial to keep odors at bay. However, any fabric that’s continually exposed to perspiration and oils from the hair and skin is going to get funky after a while, and one of our helmets with a removable, washable liner makes getting rid of dirt and odors easy.

To provide good protection the helmet must fit properly. Because kids are still growing you may be tempted to buy a larger size helmet, but this is a mistake. A helmet that is loose and moves around on the head won’t be able to protect adequately. The helmet should fit snugly but not be so tight that it’s uncomfortable. To get the right helmet size measure the circumference of your child’s head with a tape measure positioned just above the eyebrows in front and at the largest area in back, and then cross-reference the measurement with the helmet sizing chart provided at the product listing. Our kids’ helmets come in youth sizes X-small to X-large. You’ll see that some product listings indicate the helmet shape as well, with intermediate oval and round oval being the most common. This corresponds to the shape of the head. If your child’s head is somewhat longer front-to-back than side-to-side, then an intermediate oval helmet will most likely fit best, and if the front-to-back and side-to-side dimensions are about the same, a round oval helmet will be most comfortable.

We offer full face, off-road, and open face kids’ helmets. Full face helmets and off-road helmets both have integrated chin bars, and obviously provide the most protection. A street-oriented full face helmet is just right for a boy or girl riding on the passenger pillion on road-going adventures. In addition to the chin bar, full face helmets come with a pivoting, scratch and UV resistant clear face shield. Dark shields are generally available to make the rider’s eyes more comfortable in bright sun, and face shields are generally easy to remove and swap, but several of our kids’ full face helmets feature a convenient lever-operated internal sun visor that can be dropped down to cover the eyes when needed, making an additional shield unnecessary. An enclosed full face helmet will help keep your child’s head warm so he or she can be comfortable in colder weather, but kids’ full face helmets also have built-in intake and exhaust vents to provide cooling flow-through ventilation when it gets warm. These vents can be opened and closed on most full face helmets for temperature control.

Our kid’s off-road helmets, also known as motocross or dirt bike helmets, are modeled on the ones we offer in adult sizes and packed with features needed for safe and comfortable off-road riding. An off-road helmet is lighter than a full face helmet, because a heavy helmet would be even more fatiguing riding on rough terrain. Riding in dirt, mud and sand is more strenuous than riding on pavement, so an off-road helmet has increased ventilation and an elongated chin bar, to allow more cooling airflow around the rider’s face when exertion levels are high. The eye port is larger so goggles can be worn comfortably instead of the full face helmet’s face shield. Goggles won’t fog up like a face shield during heavy breathing and they can be fitted with “tear offs” for clear vision even when they get splattered with mud. Speaking of mud, an off-road helmet also has a pronounced peak, or visor, to help shield the rider’s eyes from the sun and provide some protection from “roost”, the mud and dirt that can sometimes be hurled up by riders up ahead.

Finally, we know that no matter how well a kids’ helmet protects or how comfortable it is, your child’s not going to want to wear it if he or she doesn’t like the way it looks. That’s why we offer such a wide range of unique helmet shell styles and distinctive colors, especially in our off-road collection. While we can supply you with solid color helmets including traditional white and black, most of our helmets come in eye-catching multi-color and stripe patterns, camo, and wild graphic displays, including many that look like the helmets worn by pro racers.