Can You Paint a Motorcycle Helmet? What You Need To Know!

A lot of men and women like to paint their motorbike helmets to match their bikes or to make a personalized statement, but is it legal to do so? The limited reply is of course, you can legally paint your motorbike helmet, but there are many factors to consider ahead of you do so, so preserve looking through as we search at the execs and cons of helmet painting and what variety of paint you need to use.

Is Painting a Helmet Legal?

Numerous states in The us only demand you to put on a helmet till you are 18 or 21. A handful of states, like New York, New Jersey, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington, among other individuals, call for grownup riders to use helmets. There really do not appear to be any legal guidelines prohibiting applying paint or stickers to your helmet, but that’s not to say that you will not get pulled in excess of if you place anything offensive or distracting on the helmet, which might lead to a wonderful. If the painted helmet appears unsafe or do-it-yourself, you may also get pulled more than, specially in states that demand you to wear a helmet.

Can You Paint a Motorcycle Helmet? What You Need To Know!
Image Credit: HELMEnt, Pixabay

When Should I Avoid Painting?

To Make It Look New

Motorcycle helmets expire following 3 to 5 years below the ideal conditions. If your helmet seems so damaged that it demands paint, it is time to get a new one particular. Bike helmets dress in out due to the fact the dense foam inside compresses and deteriorates, offering considerably less security in an accident. Resins and glues can also deteriorate from warmth, sweat, and other chemical substances, and the challenging outdoors shell can turn into compromised from reflecting airborne particles.

If There Is Damage

If you notice any chips or scratches in the helmet further than the paint, the area is compromised, and it is greater to get a new helmet to protect your safety. These kinds of harm would incorporate accidentally sanding as well deep when making ready the surface, so you have to be extra cautious. Just before portray a helmet, ensure that all interior foam padding is accounted for and in excellent shape.

What Kind of Paint Should I Use?

Drinking water-dependent acrylic paints are the very best types to use with your helmet because they are tough and do not contain the solvents and substances that you may well uncover in oil-based paints. These not only odor poor and make cleanup more challenging but also soften the plastics in the helmet, which can drastically minimize its basic safety ranking. Another kind of paint to avoid when portray a bike helmet is spray paint. Many have chemicals that can injury the foam in your helmet, and considering that the aerosol particles are so small, it’s hard to avoid them from doing damage.

Water-based mostly acrylic paints give a enormous variety of colours with out the chance of harm.

Can You Paint a Motorcycle Helmet? What You Need To Know!
Image Credit: Alexnewworld, Pixabay

How Do I Paint My Helmet?

If you are a great artist, it is not hard to set images, designs, styles, and so forth. onto a helmet with acrylic paints and a brush. If you are a novice, we recommend likely with a reliable coloration that matches your bicycle.

  1. Start by cleaning the helmet with a mild detergent, like Dawn dishwashing liquid or a commercial helmet cleaner.
  2. Remove any removable parts, like the visor and removable internal padding, so you don’t accidentally get paint on them.
  3. If you are going to paint the design, sketch it out with a pencil. You can also use newspaper, masking tape, and painter’s tape to create edges and protect parts of the helmet that you don’t want to paint.
  4. Start painting by applying a base coat and then letting the base coat dry before adding detailed color and accents.
  5. When your painting is finished and dry, you can add a clear coat to help protect it.

Summary

There does not look to be any regulations avoiding you from portray your helmet numerous areas would likely just be glad to see you wearing one particular. Only use water-based mostly acrylic paints on new helmets with no injury. Never ever consider to use paint to mend or make an old helmet look new.


Highlighted Picture Credit score: HELMEnt, Pixabay

Contents