FASHION : Hard Heads
Bikers unhappy with the state’s new mandatory helmet law are keeping covered--but with a playful thumb to the nose.
Barbara Epstein of Simi Valley looks as if she’s got a silver fox sitting on her head: Her helmet has a full pelt, complete with bushy tail, glued over it. She bought the helmet, manufactured by Full Moon Crazy, at a motorcycle swap meet in Ventura for $200.
Christopher Alexander, dressed like a reptilian road warrior, hangs out at bike night, Mondays at Rick’s Drive-In & Out burger stand in Van Nuys. Other bikers have shown up in a Brunnhilde helmet, which has wig hair glued to the top and back, or a neo-Viking, which has bull horns on the sides.
Some bikers buy their protest helmets ready-made, below left. A menacing, Darth Vader-inspired “chopper” style made by Monarch is the favorite, says Rick Adair at Harley-Davidson, Glendale. Plain models cost about $100. Called a “half shell,” the helmet is the smallest one that’s legal.
Upscale bikers prefer a customized chopper with something ferocious air-brushed on the front. The $250 helmets are made by Wild Leopard of Agoura Hills. Men prefer an American Eagle, while women are partial to a flaming red rose.
On the silly side, one biker rides around with a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle helmet made with stickers from his daughter’s bicycle.
Standard, non-protest helmets generally start at about $70. Riders who want something cheaper often try military surplus stores. But buyers beware. Some models do not meet state safety standards. If the police catch you wearing one, it will cost $100.
