Helmet

[elixermixer]

How many of you have had a helmet custom painted/airbrushed? did you do it yourself? how did you prep it? did it come out like dog ____? thanks

 

[bone crusher]

nope...helmets are expensive enough!

 

[elixermixer]

nope...helmets are expensive enough!

so are our spyders... plenty of those get a splash of paint or more... :dontknow:

 

[Raptor]

There was one gentleman, Venom I believe his handle is, that did a custom paint job on his lid. Came out really nice. I can't remember if he did it himself or if he had it done. But it looked really cool. I personally have not, but I've thought about it...

 

[Riot]

I had my full face custom painted, used a local artist. I know he stripped it down to bare nothin, then repainted it b4 doing the airbrushing and gold leaf and clear coats, think he used like 11 coats of clear. It was my avatar, but thats not working atm, and i aint smart enuff to know how to post pictures. But i tell it did cost more then what i paid for the helmet:yikes:..........ok i posted and the avatar came back..hehe. under what you see is script, Sept 11th 2001

 

[Bob Denman]

I spend too much time dropping and scratching mine to waste money trying to make them look pretty... pps:
But I've always wanted to get one done... :thumbup:

 

[Y Rider]

The bugs give my helmet a new custom design coating each time I go out on a ride.

 

[Leslee]

We bought helmet decals from www.reflectivedecals.com and put them on ourselves. They look nice with low expense. Since they are new, don't know how well they will hold up. I agree with the comment that an expensive paint job runs the risk of damage--at least from our experience.

 

[boborgera]

I think before painting a helmet you should be careful it [paint] doesn't compromise the safety of the helmet, ie, Read the warning labels.

 

[GARSMOTORWORKS]

repaint

From my Schuberth C3 manual Warning: Do not repaint the helmet ! Repainting of your helmet is not recommended. Paint and thinner can damage the helmet and reduce its ability to provide head protection in an accident.
Many years ago I painted a few to match the motorcycles I painted for customers .The poly base helmets had THE WARNING so I did not paint any of them .The ones I did were fiberglass and I quit doing them just incase of chemical damage .I always used white helmets untill I bought this HIGH VIS color .I use a helmet for safety and visibility .Paint the bike for style .

 

[Bob Denman]

(My ignorance is hangin out like a bad pair of shorts here... :shocked
If the helmet is clearcoated, could you just paint over the top of that? Would it act as a barrier to prevent whatever ugliness could occur if certain chemical interacted?

 

[bone crusher]

so are our spyders... plenty of those get a splash of paint or more... :dontknow:

That's true...my helmet already has a nice pattern, so I'm set...I guess if you have a plain helmet, spicing it up a bit is nice...

 

[BajaRon]

(My ignorance is hangin out like a bad pair of shorts here... :shocked
If the helmet is clearcoated, could you just paint over the top of that? Would it act as a barrier to prevent whatever ugliness could occur if certain chemical interacted?

A painter is going to want to get the original paint off as one paint can react with another. Without knowing exactly what paint was used there is no way to know without painting over it. It's better to start with a fresh canvas.

Painting a helmet is not all that risky and is done all the time with no problem. Afterall, what does your helmet have on it when you buy it? DUH! Paint!

It is possible to use chemicals/paints that will damage helmet integrity. But a decent painter (especially one who paints helmets) is going to use products that are compatible just like the helmet manufacturers do.

The warning is CYA for the manufacturer to people who do not understand what they are doing. Can you imagine the lawsuit from someone who sprayed their helmet out of a can (beleive me, it's been done) if they didn't have this warning?

Painters like solid matte (Flat) painted helmets as they are quick and easy to prep. I sell brand new helmets to customers who intend to have them custom painted before they ever wear them. Matte helmets are also about the least expensive, model for model.

I've always wanted to have a helmet custom painted but just never have. It certainly would not be of any concern to me.

 

[Bob Denman]

Thanks! Lots of good logic in there! :thumbup:

 

[clueless]

other thing to remember is the useable lifespan of your helmet. to spend that much to toss out or sit on a shelf after 3 to 5 years is tough.

i hate throwing out the Shoei stock helmets when their end of life.

 

[bone crusher]

other thing to remember is the useable lifespan of your helmet. to spend that much to toss out or sit on a shelf after 3 to 5 years is tough.

i hate throwing out the Shoei stock helmets when their end of life.

Yeah, but unfortunately, I'll bet most people don't cycle helmets as they should...for me, I'd rather spend the money on a mod...I have an HJC IS-16 Scratch...it comes with a very cool pattern and it matches the bike...besides not being able to justify getting it painted, I don't think I am creative enough to come up with a better design anyway...:doorag:

 

[Bob Denman]

:agree: Most of us probably hang onto helmets longer than is suggested... My Missis had a BMW modular that she kept using until the foam started crumbling out of it! :yikes:... after 25 years! :gaah: I couldn't talk her into a replacement until what was left of the foam messed up her hairdo...
I try to move them out after about 5 or 6 years...

 

[NancysToy]

I sometimes have to grit my teeth to do it, but I toss them five years after first use, or seven from the date of manufacture...whichever comes first. I already have minor brain damage from a crash...I don't need to chance scrambling what is left of my limited neurons. It was easier when I was racing. The sanctioning bodies insist on helmets bearing a recent Snell certification. That still allows a helmet to be a bit out of date, but I always used the very latest certification, so mine were never more than five years old, not up to ten as mandated. New Snell...new helmet.

 

[BajaRon]

other thing to remember is the useable lifespan of your helmet. to spend that much to toss out or sit on a shelf after 3 to 5 years is tough.

i hate throwing out the Shoei stock helmets when their end of life.

The servicable life of a helmet depends on many factors. It is not always necessary to toss a helmet after 5 years. A sound helmet is critical. Because of this, the industry goes way over to the conservative side. Helmet manufacturer's have no way of knowing how each individual treats their helmet (and the spectrim is very wide here). The generally accepted formula is 5 years from date placed into service or 7 years from date of manufacture (unless you are racing, then you go by the 5 year rule only).

It used to be true with most helmet shells that they deteriorated over time. But this is no longer true with most helmets and modern materials, at least in a reasonable time span. Todays helmet shells acutally get stronger with time.This is very slight and not really a factor other than to state that they arenot getting weaker.

What ruins a helmets interior is our sweat, oils and (ugh!) dead skin. With most well made helmets you can replace all of the interior padding.

What ruins the shell is hitting it on things. Small cosmetic scratches or nicks are not an issue. Bigger hits can be. If you crash and hit the helmet at all it is a good idea to replace it. Even if it seems ok to you. In a crash where the helmet takes a hit it is easy to cause damage that you can't see.

If you take good care of a well made helmet and replace the interior at reasonable intervals it can easily give you great service for 10-15 years.

One thing that you have to take into consideration here is the technical advances made over time. Todays helmets are better at protecting you than they were even 5years ago. And Much Better than 10 years ago. This is a factor that only replacement can resolve.

 

[bone crusher]

The servicable life of a helmet depends on many factors. It is not always necessary to toss a helmet after 5 years. A sound helmet is critical. Because of this, the industry goes way over to the conservative side. Helmet manufacturer's have no way of knowing how each individual treats their helmet (and the spectrim is very wide here). The generally accepted formula is 5 years from date placed into service or 7 years from date of manufacture (unless you are racing, then you go by the 5 year rule only).

It used to be true with most helmet shells that they deteriorated over time. But this is no longer true with most helmets and modern materials, at least in a reasonable time span. Todays helmet shells acutally get stronger with time.This is very slight and not really a factor other than to state that they arenot getting weaker.

What ruins a helmets interior is our sweat, oils and (ugh!) dead skin. With most well made helmets you can replace all of the interior padding.

What ruins the shell is hitting it on things. Small cosmetic scratches or nicks are not an issue. Bigger hits can be. If you crash and hit the helmet at all it is a good idea to replace it. Even if it seems ok to you. In a crash where the helmet takes a hit it is easy to cause damage that you can't see.

If you take good care of a well made helmet and replace the interior at reasonable intervals it can easily give you great service for 10-15 years.

One thing that you have to take into consideration here is the technical advances made over time. Todays helmets are better at protecting you than they were even 5years ago. And Much Better than 10 years ago. This is a factor that only replacement can resolve.

Good points as the inside foam breaks down and loses its resiliency after a period of time. 5-7 years is a fair amount of time. Of course, if you replace the entire padding/protection system of the helmet, you can probably keep doing this every few years as the outside shell is probably rated for a long amount of time...