Airbrush customised helmet

[Gecko]

How much should I expect to pay for an airbrush custom painted helmet , excluding the price of the helmet ? I have been quoted Euro 250 (GBP 180) for a fairly complex paint job of my own design. Is this good ? Anyone done this themselves ?

 

[Ming]

It is only good value based on a few things
the quality of the workmanship (try to see some of there other work) look for runs and poor finnish in the laquer
the price of the helmet they are painting .
and quite often you will find that the artist is not very good at rebuilding the helmet (just in case check that the helmet supplier
will supply items like trim for the aperture, side pods,trims for the base .lots of them dont and if they get damaged or put back poorly it will detract from the paint job no matter how good.
and most important of all will the paint used attack the structure of the shell??

 

[RussellAisbitt]

and most important of all will the paint used attack the structure of the shell??

Even more important is what steps will the painter use to ensure that no solvents or vapour from solvents come in contact with the foam liner.

 

[Gecko]

most important of all will the paint used attack the structure of the shell??

Ming
This was one of my worries but how the heck can I know the answer to this. Some lids , like the Arai Tour X are sold with the foornote that they can be painted so I guess I need to get a suitable starting point but thereafter I am in the hands of the artist. The guy I have been speaking to has done some excellent work - I have seen some of the bikes he has done and they are really awesome Airbrush Perre He has some lids on his website but it's a bit hard to see how the finish is but it sure looks like he's good at what he does.

 

[Ming]

Gecko

arai is probably your best choice to paint especially since the importer for europe is in belgium

the only part you cant replace is the the trim on the bottom of the shell and the polystyrene inside the foam which is multi density in an arai is actually replacable.its gonna have to be a trust thing that the guy painting it does his job well. and has a good reputation
the shell is the best you can get !

 

[Gecko]

Well I have taken the advice on board and opted for an Arai Maverick. Next stop the paint shop. It' s going to be a while because the guy is stacked up with work (which I take it is a good sign) so hopefully by the Hog Roast I will have my new lid in it's new livery

 

[Gecko]

Job done, here's the end result. I think it looks the dogs bollox The pics don't really do justice the colours and detail is great in real life.

 

[Gecko]

more

 

[Gecko]

Last one

 

[Gecko]

sorry this is the last one...

 

[Commuter]

Very cool

Like it Gecko, looks very good and well finished.

I remember seeing a guy at the Daytona bike week painting lids and wondering whether it would damage the helmet.

respect for the workmanship aqnd design

 

[Gecko]

I know what you mean - it worried me but having talked to lots of people includingt a specialist air brush shop I am confident that the special paint is really no different to that used by the likes of Arai and Shoei . If you think about it the tope riders in Motor GP and Superbikes all have customised lids - they are all airbrushed in the same way so I am pretty comfortable with that side of the workmanship. Only problem is now I am shit scared of scratching it.....but I guess like everything , after a while the novelty will wear off and it will get kicked around like all the other expensive toys we buy and abuse

 

[mikyh]

Nice!

Hey, you got geckos all over you helmet!!

Miky

 

[Gecko]

Re: Nice!

Hey, you got geckos all over you helmet!!

Miky

Yep...damn things run wild all over Belgium and when the guy was spraying they just got stuck there