Check it out Speed Freaks! The boys at Bell Helmets hooked up the DCC Crew with some fully custom, one-off, hand-paint 500 Series 3/4 helmets that Skratch, the man, painted. That’s right, these are one-of-a-kind!
How do you win them? You ask? Easy…
Come hang out with us in The Cafe Racer Village at Road Atlanta next weekend. We’ll be raffling them off to a couple of lucky winners! Just be sure to head over to Bell Powersports on Facebook and LIKE their page and thank them for hooking us up!
Here’s the skinny on The Big Kahuna, be there or be square, Ace!
Winter time is upon folks…a time to drink hot cocoa, sit around a fire with friends and curse the gods of speed when you nick your knuckles on an engine case and it hurts so freaking bad from the cold! Are we right, or are we right?
Although we can’t help you heat your shop or change the fact that your a nancy when it comes to pain, we can however help you keep a little warmer on the road during the cold season by sharing with you these priceless little gems we now have in stock from Bell Helmets. The universal 3 button snap faceshields.
Perfect for warm weather riding in dusty climates, these little numbers are also your secret weapon when fighting off cold weather Kung-Fu style. They easily snap onto just about any 3/4 open face helmet be it a Bell, Biltwell, Fulmer, Licks or just about anything else and will cut 95% of the wind from hitting your little TON-UP smiling mug while you’re piloting your speed machine down the winding roads or city streets you call home.
What about that other 5% though you say, well- we’ve got that covered too! Grab your trusty old bandana, wrap it around your head bandit style, tuck it in to your jacket and viola! You’re 100% wind blocked! And for those of you looking for something a bit more refined, checkout the leather wraped Davida Mask’s we offer by [CLICKING HERE.] For really cold weather we recommend that as the leather will actually stop the wind where as the Bandana just helps cut down on the breeze.
They currently come in four different styles being clear, amber gradient, pink gradient (for the ladies) and full tint for the hard-core TON-UP boys! But wait…there’s more! In addition to cutting the wind we’ll also note they really make a dent in the noise created as well as the wind drag when wearing a 3/4 helmet. How great is that? They really a really are (along with Bubble Shields) the best solution to cold weather riding! Aside from sharing your leathers with a super model, of course.
Snag yours today by [CLICKING HERE] and spend less than you would on Chapstick and hot showers and actually enjoy your cold weather riding!
Now we know what you’re thinking – “Bell Helmets isn’t a boutique manufacturer.” And although you’re correct, they DO produce top-shelf products for a boutique market, vintage motorcycling. In particular, their Custom 500 line of vintage styled 3/4 open face helmets. In their marketing campaigns they note that they’re not “Retro, they’re original.” And folks, we have to agree.
Without getting into specific dates it’s pretty easy to say Bell helmets is one of the oldest helmet manufacturers around and the Custom 500 line is based rightly upon the orignal 500. You see, back in 1954 Bell founder Roy Richter formed his first helmet out of fiberglass and named it the “500.” Bell’s new Custom 500 pays homage to Richter’s original design while adding modern protective technology and DOT certification to bring the design up-to-date. Digg it.
[Bell Custom 500 Silver Metal-flake, shot at The Bonneville Salt Flats by: Brandon Schrichten]
Surely it was only a matter of time before The Crew @ Dime City Cycles picked up a few of these Custom 500′s and put them through the ringer and we have to say, the results are fantastic! After testing them on the Bonneville Salt Flats, wide open spaces of the South Western and South Eastern US and the tight city streets of St. Petersburg, FL in both the hot and cold we can tell you, these are the real deal genuine article folks! The Custom 500 Series fits like a glove and the level of quality is bar-none best in class. Whether it be the silk quilted woven interior padding or anodized ultra-durable snaps ready and willing to accept vintage or new Bubble shields, you’d be hard pressed to find a better choice when it comes to protecting your noggin for the money.
[Bell Custom 500 Silver Metal-flake, shot at The Bonneville Salt Flats by: Brandon Schrichten]
With 12 models to choose from ranging from simple and classic like Black or White to a bit more dramatic in the Metal-flake region the Custom 500 line has a helmet for everyone. Tipping their hats to the custom world, Bell even offers custom models designed by Roland Sans or Skratch, the world famous pin-striper. Every 500 helmet leaves the line inspected and test for safety guaranteeing it’s DOT approval and ability to protect you when it counts the most.
And how about the prices? Ranging from $99.95 to $139.95 you’d be crazy to pickup an off brand knock-off 3/4 helmet from eBay or some old helmet someone died in at a swap meet. Don’t get us wrong, those true-grit authentic old helmets are nice, but have you ever thought about what happens when 30+ year old fiberglass hits the pavement? Yeah…POOF! Not good, Ace! Better leave those on the shop wall for display..
Staying true to grassroots style, here’s a fun little video clip of Skratch and Cherry Dollface working together to create some of the authentic marketing materials that go along with the authentic Custom 500 line of helmets. Kudo’s to Bell for producing some fun-loving video that showcases the classic art of speed!
How great was that? Golden Girls aside though, we know there is one major determining factor when buying a vintage style 3/4 helmet. How big is it on my head? Everyone seems to be concerned with the “giant beacon” that their head becomes when a 3/4 lid is thrown on top. There are dozens of other companies out there who’ve come to the rescue over the years and have produced a lower profile version of the famous 3/4 helmet with great success and because Dime City is always looking out for you, we compared a few of them below in bright and shiny color so you can see for yourself.
Pictured from left to right: 1) Joe King JK Mini, the smallest helmet you can purchase today, Non-DOT approved. 2) Joe King JK400, slightly larger than the mini but has snaps for Bubbleshields, Non-DOT approved. 3) The DOT approved Silver metal flake Custom 500. 4) The Biltwell Hustler DOT approved 3/4 helmet and 5) The Biltwell Mega-flake Non-DOT approved. helmet. In looking at the comparison you can see it’s really not that much bigger than the Biltwell Mega-flake which has become the defacto industry standard for 3/4 open faced helmets. Not too shabby on Bell’s part, eh? And we can confirm, you don’t look like a bobble head with a Custom 500 on. Trust us, we’re just a conscious as you are.
Oh and by the way, did we mention that Dime City Cycles now has the entire Custom 500 line available along with Bell’s retro 3 button shields? That’s right, who loves you? Checkout Bell Helmets boutique section today by [CLICKING HERE] and snag a new lid to add to your collection. If you’re like us, we bet you’ll have a hard time taking it off. And stay tuned, there’s a full in depth review of the Custom 500 on it’s way too!
This September part of the Dime City Cycles crew made the long journey to Bonneville Utah to experience Bub’s Speed Week. Here’s a short film by Brandon Schrichten depicting the free unbridled spirit the salt inspires. Stay tuned, we’ve got a full report to post up with with a ton of great photos we know you’ll enjoy!
A special thanks goes out to REV’IT, Bell Helmets and Vitesse Moto. In the film you’ll get a glimpse REV’IT’s CR race suit and gauntlet gloves; Bell’s Custom 500 3/4 DOT approved helmet and their Star Race helmet; along with Vitesse Moto’s “Glove” race boots. These are three fine vendors who understand the need for function while at the same time, the importance of blending it with timeless styling. We’ll be doing full detailed reviews on these products in the months to come, so stay plugged into the DCC Diatribe for access to those.
Ride Fast. Live Well. – The Crew @ Dime City Cycles
