Helmet Paint

[Kris V]

I will post a picture of mine next week when I get it back,it is a simpson and it looks crazy cool and it is a fiberglass helmet\\/

[Steve]

...the colour (metallic silver) is not visible enough for me...

Sometimes I am rather fascinated by the logic that makes one think that a brightly-colored helmet makes them more visible. 8-[

Way back when, when Dr. Harry Hurt did his rather extensive study on motorcycle crashes, he found that in an overwhelming majority (I think it was about 70%?) of two-vehicle crashes that involved motorcycles, the other vehicle came from the front of the bike. Take a good look at your helmet. Even a full-face helmet does not show much color to the front. How does a bright color help in that situation?

I have worn silver 3/4 and full-face helmets, white full-face, and now a black full-face, and have not noticed any difference in apparent visiblity to others. Maybe it's because I am also riding a bike that is almost as big as a small car. Maybe the headlight modulator I have been using for the last 6 years helps. Maybe it's because the color really does not matter. :shock:

Just to break up the monotony of an all-black helmet, I have installed two stripes around the bottom edge, one is reflective white, the other is reflective blue. They really show up at night, just in case you can't see all the lights on the Wing.


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[salty_monk]

I read a report in a UK magazine where they tested visibility at different distances etc.

Compared against a bright bike, bright clothing or bright colour anywhere else a solid yellow or orange helmet provided the best visibility by far in all situations. It made the difference between being seen or not in a lot of the tests. A friend of mine commutes in London & says he noticed the difference when changing from a Yellow AGV to a silver one...

I would think your modulator makes a big difference too....

Every little helps... I saw a guy with bright LEDs as running lights front & back the other day, they really stood out too.

[jbs80106]

A couple of thoughts...

1) in the back section of my motorcycle mag there's an ad for a place that sells helmet 'skins', not sure what these are but they look interesting.

2) As for night visibility, I bought reflective flame stickers that light up bright white when hit with headlights. They're black/grey in day light so not too visible on my black helmet....