Custom Helmets

Holigan
Profile picture for user Holigan
Posts
1444
Joined
6/18/2008
Location
Dallas, TX US
Holigan
Edited Date/Time 12/14/2018 4:33pm
In my 40 years of riding, racing, owning teams, collecting memorabilia, etc., I have never had my own custom painted helmet.  So in May I went overboard and lined up five helmet painters to knock me out a helmet.  I have no artistic ability whatsoever, so I only told them to use the Merge logo and colors somewhere on the helmet.  Otherwise do whatever they think looks best, just make it awesome.  None of the painters knew about the other four.  They each thought they were doing a custom helmet for me.  My hope was they would go in five different directions and I would end up with five unique looks.  Mission accomplished.

  Hellion


 




Axcel







Airtrix







Tagger







The Image One








Things learned in the process:
1. The artists ask for direction, don't give them any. They are more talented than you could ever be. Let them do their thing.
2. Prices are reasonable. I paid between $500 to $1200. Well worth it for the creativity, detail and quality of work.
3. Custom helmet painters do not believe in the concept of time. They will tell you 5 to 6 weeks. Not happening. Jim at Merge says it is because of the paint fumes. You will get your helmet at some point, but no one knows when that will be.

15
|
Topher674
Profile picture for user Topher674
Posts
23
Joined
5/17/2008
Location
Dallas, TX US
Fantasy
1530th
Topher674 12/14/2018 8:06am
12/14/2018 8:06am
Wow, they all look awesome! I'd say you satisfied that itch for a custom helmet and then some!
1
Kenny Lingus
Profile picture for user Kenny Lingus
Posts
1022
Joined
9/9/2016
Location
Watkins Glen, NY US
Kenny Lingus 12/14/2018 8:21am
12/14/2018 8:21am
Axcel for the win. I really like that one. Please tell me it was the $500 one.
1
wideopen198 12/14/2018 8:28am
12/14/2018 8:28am
I like the Tagger helmet the most. But only on one side lol. The flo checkers don't do it for me. Other side looks clean though.
3
1
dboivin
Profile picture for user dboivin
Posts
2943
Joined
5/19/2010
Location
Saginaw, MI US
dboivin 12/14/2018 8:33am
12/14/2018 8:33am
actually really like the Image1. well done and very cool idea/post.
1

The Shop

See All »
JWACK
Profile picture for user JWACK
Posts
2485
Joined
8/7/2009
Location
NM US
JWACK 12/14/2018 8:36am
12/14/2018 8:36am
Never had a custom painted helmet.. So I got 5. Good times!
9
Falcon
Profile picture for user Falcon
Posts
10123
Joined
11/16/2011
Location
Menifee, CA US
Fantasy
856th
Falcon 12/14/2018 8:38am
12/14/2018 8:38am
I like the Hellion one the best. The ice treatment in the white/blue is really nice.
4
Holigan
Profile picture for user Holigan
Posts
1444
Joined
6/18/2008
Location
Dallas, TX US
Holigan 12/14/2018 8:47am
12/14/2018 8:47am
JWACK wrote:
Never had a custom painted helmet.. So I got 5. Good times!
I might have a problem
2
newmann
Profile picture for user newmann
Posts
24444
Joined
4/1/2008
Location
US
newmann 12/14/2018 8:50am
12/14/2018 8:50am
As someone who can paint but lacks any creativity whatsoever, I like them all. Hellion has a great mix of designs and colors and the finished product looks slick as can be. Axcel made great use of your logo incorporating it into the graphics. Airtrix mixing flat and gloss finishes with machine turned highlights had to have been pretty damn time consuming, not to mention making it all symmetrical. Tagger gave you a different custom job on each side. No way could I ever come up with something like that that actually works...lol. Creative, he is.

And did I mention symmetrical earlier? That Image One helmet is laid out to perfection. Pretty simple graphics, great color choices and clean as can be. Someone there must have a touch of the OCD...I can appreciate that.Smile Looks great with the flat finish.

You did good, Michael, as did they all.
4
Superdave19
Profile picture for user Superdave19
Posts
1102
Joined
10/10/2012
Location
Spring, TX US
Superdave19 12/14/2018 8:58am
12/14/2018 8:58am
-Always have wondered, how does the paint on the visors hold up??
Holigan
Profile picture for user Holigan
Posts
1444
Joined
6/18/2008
Location
Dallas, TX US
Holigan 12/14/2018 9:32am
12/14/2018 9:32am
newmann wrote:
As someone who can paint but lacks any creativity whatsoever, I like them all. Hellion has a great mix of designs and colors and the finished...
As someone who can paint but lacks any creativity whatsoever, I like them all. Hellion has a great mix of designs and colors and the finished product looks slick as can be. Axcel made great use of your logo incorporating it into the graphics. Airtrix mixing flat and gloss finishes with machine turned highlights had to have been pretty damn time consuming, not to mention making it all symmetrical. Tagger gave you a different custom job on each side. No way could I ever come up with something like that that actually works...lol. Creative, he is.

And did I mention symmetrical earlier? That Image One helmet is laid out to perfection. Pretty simple graphics, great color choices and clean as can be. Someone there must have a touch of the OCD...I can appreciate that.Smile Looks great with the flat finish.

You did good, Michael, as did they all.
Thanks Joe. And yes, Jeff at Image 1 is OCD, and a procrastinator. He came over the other night to deliver the helmet and spent an hour talking about the same points you covered on the other four helmets. Jeff was very impressed with what the others had created.
SKIDLID
Profile picture for user SKIDLID
Posts
980
Joined
4/9/2013
Location
Fairmont, MN US
Fantasy
805th
SKIDLID 12/14/2018 10:33am
12/14/2018 10:33am
I love all five of the helmets. Now be sure to get the first scratch in each helmet out of the way!
1
Grimace
Profile picture for user Grimace
Posts
22
Joined
10/4/2017
Location
Orange County, CA US
Grimace 12/14/2018 10:59am
12/14/2018 10:59am
All five of these are amazing and I'd be beyond proud to own any of them. If I had to choose one of the five as a favorite, I'd go with the ice blue Hellion.

1
Holigan
Profile picture for user Holigan
Posts
1444
Joined
6/18/2008
Location
Dallas, TX US
Holigan 12/14/2018 11:45am
12/14/2018 11:45am
SKIDLID wrote:
I love all five of the helmets. Now be sure to get the first scratch in each helmet out of the way!
I am going to look silly riding around with bubble wrap on my helmet.
Xeno
Profile picture for user Xeno
Posts
3635
Joined
12/30/2010
Location
San Clemente, CA US
Xeno 12/14/2018 11:58am
12/14/2018 11:58am
Brushed gold leaf accents are timeless!
1
ocscottie
Profile picture for user ocscottie
Posts
69108
Joined
8/16/2006
Location
Redding, CA US
ocscottie 12/14/2018 1:09pm
12/14/2018 1:09pm
Those look really really good Michael!!! Well done to the artist and i like how you went about it. Well done all around! ?
1
moore433
Profile picture for user moore433
Posts
525
Joined
11/2/2011
Location
Denton, TX US
moore433 12/14/2018 2:22pm
12/14/2018 2:22pm
SKIDLID wrote:
I love all five of the helmets. Now be sure to get the first scratch in each helmet out of the way!
Holigan wrote:
I am going to look silly riding around with bubble wrap on my helmet.
Back in 89 I had Troy Lee paint a helmet for me. Got it in and wore my old helmet during practice at the next race. Put on my new one for my first moto. Got knocked down in the first turn and as you can guess, a bike went right over my head and ripped my visor clean off....
I was pissed to say the least....
1
JamesOliver 12/14/2018 2:47pm
12/14/2018 2:47pm
The thought of giving the artist free reign gives me anxiety, that's a good recipe to end up with a $1200 paintjob that you don't like. Fair play to you though.
1

Pit Row

See All »
Holigan
Profile picture for user Holigan
Posts
1444
Joined
6/18/2008
Location
Dallas, TX US
Holigan 12/14/2018 3:13pm
12/14/2018 3:13pm
SKIDLID wrote:
I love all five of the helmets. Now be sure to get the first scratch in each helmet out of the way!
Holigan wrote:
I am going to look silly riding around with bubble wrap on my helmet.
moore433 wrote:
Back in 89 I had Troy Lee paint a helmet for me. Got it in and wore my old helmet during practice at the next race...
Back in 89 I had Troy Lee paint a helmet for me. Got it in and wore my old helmet during practice at the next race. Put on my new one for my first moto. Got knocked down in the first turn and as you can guess, a bike went right over my head and ripped my visor clean off....
I was pissed to say the least....
Back in '85 the same happened to me at a Mike Kidd AX in Lubbock with a new JT helmet
loftyair
Profile picture for user loftyair
Posts
2769
Joined
7/3/2009
Location
riverside, CA US
loftyair 12/14/2018 3:24pm
12/14/2018 3:24pm
Wow, great stuff! If i had to, id go with Airtrix, then helion. But, the white face frame just doesn't do it for me.
Andy7
Profile picture for user Andy7
Posts
312
Joined
2/24/2017
Location
Venado Tuerto AR
Fantasy
1312th
Andy7 12/14/2018 3:43pm
12/14/2018 3:43pm
Tagger design´s are usually eye catching, but that Hellion one is awesome.
OldPro277
Profile picture for user OldPro277
Posts
1616
Joined
11/9/2009
Location
Avonmore, PA US
OldPro277 12/14/2018 3:43pm
12/14/2018 3:43pm
WOW !! Well Michael, if you're going in, go in BIG !!!!They all look great ,but probably like the Hellion and Airtrix the best. Love the colors ,etc on the Hellion, and the combo of flat,gloss and machine turned gold on the Airtrix is just sick. The Image one is certainly a very clean,sharp design. My least favorite is probably the Tagger,which is odd because I just got one a few months back ,lol. Anyway great job to all the artists and congratulations to you Michael for having the extra large balls to go about it the way that you did. By the way ,hows the restaurant project going ?
Holigan
Profile picture for user Holigan
Posts
1444
Joined
6/18/2008
Location
Dallas, TX US
Holigan 12/14/2018 4:33pm
12/14/2018 4:33pm
OldPro277 wrote:
WOW !! Well Michael, if you're going in, go in BIG !!!!They all look great ,but probably like the Hellion and Airtrix the best. Love the...
WOW !! Well Michael, if you're going in, go in BIG !!!!They all look great ,but probably like the Hellion and Airtrix the best. Love the colors ,etc on the Hellion, and the combo of flat,gloss and machine turned gold on the Airtrix is just sick. The Image one is certainly a very clean,sharp design. My least favorite is probably the Tagger,which is odd because I just got one a few months back ,lol. Anyway great job to all the artists and congratulations to you Michael for having the extra large balls to go about it the way that you did. By the way ,hows the restaurant project going ?
You probably are going to find this hard to believe, but I went too big on the restaurant design. Not enough room between the restaurant and the pond for the fire department, not enough parking for that size building, etc. This week I changed the design and both the architect and the civil engineer think it will work. Hopefully turn in plans to the city next month and start a couple months later. Mecum Auction in January for a few more bikes
starchild
Profile picture for user starchild
Posts
340
Joined
3/8/2012
Location
Johnston, RI US
starchild 12/14/2018 6:47pm
12/14/2018 6:47pm Edited Date/Time 12/14/2018 6:47pm
Hi Michael, I really love the Hellion helmet. The contrast of the colors works great and the ghosted images look awesome! He does amazing work.

If you ever want to do anything in the future with the Bradshaw helmet I have, let me know. I’d still be interested in the Stanton helmet.

Post a reply to: Custom Helmets