Helmet Mod - Reflective Tape, 3M 1/4 Inch

[sxty8goats]

I ordered some 3M reflective tape from amazon. It is black that reflects white. The tape was surprisingly flexible at 1/4 inch wide. A 100 ft x 1/4" roll cost around $15. I had hoped to be able to put a stripe or two around the helmet in fairly non-conspicuous (when not reflecting) pattern so as not to ruin the graphics. I experimented with the flexibility and was pleasantly surprised..

Back of the helmet. The strip across the back is the only place that the tape is noticeable if there is no reflection. The rest of the tape blends into the patterns nicely.

Detail shot to show how nicely the tape works around curves. The curve in the front is pretty much the limit of the tape. I'm guessing @ a 2" radius. The sharp bits were cut in at an angle to fit. Two pieces of tape meet at the corner/sharp bit.

 

[jstoof]

Wow very nice i just might do this with mine

 

[sxty8goats]

Thanks man. The tape laid in and worked around corners nicely. It has a protective layer on top so you can work it without worrying about scratching it. It lookes flat until you peal the protective layer off and you end up with a nice gloss that blends in to the helmet well. If you've ever done any pin striping you will have no problems.

If you haven't done pin striping let me know and I'll do a write up over the weekend.

 

[Hutchmaster34]

Very sick looking :thumbup:

 

[texcollect]

Looks good. Also if you talk really nicely to Shoei customer service they will send you reflective versions of the SHOEI decals.

 

[sxty8goats]

Looks good. Also if you talk really nicely to Shoei customer service they will send you reflective versions of the SHOEI decals.

Ohh, that would be sweet...

 

[Mancolt]

This looks great! Very functional mod!

I've never done pin striping, only seen it on TV. It looks pretty difficult. If this is on par with that, then it's definitely out of my league. But I'm sure alot of people would still appreciate that writeup!

 

[J-Speed Inc.]

Kudos to sxty8goats for this awesome idea! I will be purchasing this tape to install on my helmet. I do a fair amount of night riding, anything to increase visibility is a good mod in my book!

 

[sxty8goats]

This looks great! Very functional mod!

I've never done pin striping, only seen it on TV. It looks pretty difficult. If this is on par with that, then it's definitely out of my league. But I'm sure alot of people would still appreciate that writeup!

it is pretty easy. I'll try to do a quick write up later on over the weekend.

 

[Falcon1220]

Well done. I tried to do the same with my helmit, but the tape I have is silver in color. My helmit is blue, so I did not want to place the silver tape on. Now I will go and look for the tape you showed.

Thanks

 

[sxty8goats]

Well done. I tried to do the same with my helmit, but the tape I have is silver in color. My helmit is blue, so I did not want to place the silver tape on. Now I will go and look for the tape you showed.

Thanks

They make the tape in a lot of colors. The colors reflect back the same color as the tape except for the black which reflects white. So if you bought blue, the reflection would be blue.

I picked mine up from amazon. Not sure if I mentioned that already or not. Just search 3m reflective tape there.

 

[ELIZABETH]

You did an awesome job on this!! Kudos to you!
And thanks for posting the pics.

 

[AngelFZ]

Thank you very much, nice graphics...

I was actually looking for something like this and was not able to find it in that size. I found thicker tapes, but only white and red.

 

[nimzotech]

Initially when I read the title I thought it would look cheesy :spank:.
My bad it looks awesome, nice handy work there :rockon:

 

[sxty8goats]

Thanks everyone.

 

[SANGER_A2]

You can also do the same quite easily if you buy the rim tape that isn't precurved and just comes on a roll. I used white on my helmet about a year ago and it still reflects just as well.

Sorry about the horrible pics. I couldn't be bothered to take one specially, so just cropped it from other pics. The Bournemouth image is how it looked before.

 

[sxty8goats]

Nice job. I wouldn't be surprised if the rim tape that you used was the same tape I bought but re-packaged. I am considering doing my rims with the black tape but I have silver wheels and a blue bike. The black rims with colored tape look slick but I haven't seen a silver rim taped and I don't think it would look as cool.

 

[Bikebiz]

Really great application there, looks fantastic.

I'm just mindful that some adhesives can be very damaging to a helmet's integrity. Over time the epoxy, especially in when hot in the sun, will degrade the surface and can cause the helmet structural damage.

That's why I only installed my reflective tape on the rubber trim strip at the base.

 

[Wh0M3]

I'm just mindful that some adhesives can be very damaging to a helmet's integrity. Over time the epoxy, especially in when hot in the sun, will degrade the surface and can cause the helmet structural damage.

I've always heard that too about putting stuff on helmets. I've kinda wondered about this because I see so many who have 'bumper stickers' on their helmets.

I like the idea because I ride at night and low light, I've wondered about ways to make myself more visible.

 

[Bikebiz]

I think it's one of those things where it's hard to really know. Like....is it manufacturers being overly cautious about litigation? Without doing a test with two identical helmets, one stckered, and crack testing in 5 years' time, it's a contentious issue.

I'm going to take the side of caution and assume it's a true concern, thus not applying the tape. I'm sure there are adhesives that are the exception, such as on the helmet safety labels.