Helmet Mod help, how to make BATMAN ears?

[Anonymous]

Im tryin to turn my bike into a batcycle of sorts I know I'll be the laughing stock of the town but hey, maybe no one will try and steal my bike anymore.

So I have this retarded idea of putting batman ears on my helmet and I'm not too sure how to go about doing it. All I can figgure is some sort of bondo any ideas?

 

[Anonymous]

All I can figgure is some sort of bondo any ideas?

It depends on your helmet shell. If it is a fibreglass shell, use fibreglass and resin. Perhaps Earl or someone else can be more specific on the type of resin with any compatability issues. My first choice would be a polyester resin myself, but epoxy may be a better choice here. You will need to scuff the paint off where you want to bond to, then form some ears from cloth and resin, then stick them on. I would make some kind of form for the ears and pre-make them, then attach them when they harden. It's not really that hard to do with a simple shape like this. The toughest part will be refinishing your helmet and making that look good.

If it's a plastic shell, I am not sure what the best choice will be.


Mark

 

[Jethro]

Might not be the most areodynamic, but I'd love to see how it comes out!

 

[bwringer]

Personally, I would stay far, far away from actually altering the shell of my helmet or adding anything permanent or substantial to it.

You could go with suction cups like this:
http://aerostitch.com/product.php?productid=16678&cat=0&page=1

I'd love to have a set of those bunny ears. You could easily make some furry bat ears and attach them in the same way.

You could also vacuum-form a very light structure out of thin plastic and attach it with double-sided tape. It would crush easily in a crash, so it wouldn't pose a safety problem.

Here's a helmet fin made out of thin plastic that illustrates this:
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/item.aspx?style=5506&department=601&division=6&WT.MC_ID=80003

 

[Evil Hobbit]

Might not be the most areodynamic, but I'd love to see how it comes out!

Angle the ears back. You'll look fast sitting at a light. HAR!

 

[Anonymous]

Find out what material your helmet is made out of. Then choose the appropriate solvent and fixative arangement for that material. Then construct your ears out of the same material as your helmet, or another material that works with said solvent and fixative arrangement, and bond the fabricated ears to your helmet.

Be aware that using solvents on helmets tends to weaken them and exposes you to additional risk for your skull being split open when your silly looking helmet fails.