If you’re into the open-face helmet aesthetic—especially if you like BMX as much as motorcycles—there’s a new Bell helmet you might want to check out. The gear manufacturer teamed up with artist Bob Haro for a special edition Custom 500 SE but you’ll have to act fast if you want to get your hands on one: only 250 will be available worldwide.
Power To The Lids:
Bob Haro is a former motocross and freestyle BMX rider turned artist and businessman. Nicknamed the “Father of Freestyle”, Haro acted as a stunt rider for E.T. the Extraterrestrial and even choreographed a segment of the 2012 Olympic Games opening ceremony. He is now running Haro Design, a brand that focuses on apparel, bags, and prints that showcase Haro’s BMX-inspired cartoons.
Haro now joins lid-maker Bell to design a new—and very limited— special edition motorcycle helmet, the Custom 500 SE Haro. Bell also makes bicycle helmets—including BMX models—something Haro illustrated countless times in his cartoons so this is a pairing made in design heaven. He explains in an interview that growing up, he perceived Bell as the best lid out there, the one all the cool guys wore.
The Haro edition helmet is based on Bell’s existing Custom 500 SE 3/4 lid, wrapped in a special blue-stripe livery complete with a Haro-branded sun visor. The outer shell is made of a fiberglass composite. There are five shell sizes available. The interior liner is antibacterial and features contrasting quilted stitching. The sun visor is snapped into place at the front of the shell and can be removed if desired for a more minimalistic look. The lid is DOT certified and comes in a special edition bag featuring Haro’s cartoons.
The helmet is now available for $189.95 (a reasonable $30 premium over the standard Custom 500 SE) and can only be purchased online, on the Bell Helmets website.