[hanifcd]

In 2-3 weeks time I'll be receiving my new OMP Grand Prix helmet . If I do have some extra money(duit raya hehe) I'll would like to paint it. I did ask a shop in Sunway. He said the starting price would be RM1800 and it would be more should theres a special thing that I would specify like time,the paint itself or I don't know maybe how hard to paint it? Because of the expensive cost, I need to be aware which one should paint my helmet or choosing the designs. I have a couple of design that I did myself but how do you ask them to paint the way you wanted? Is it by sending them a couple of photographs or something? Can anyone tell me which shop would do a great paintjob with a reasonable cost?

Thanks.

[Mikko Nassi]

There are a few places in Sunway and then there's Taymen near Titiwangsa.

It's rare to see a very well painted-in-Malaysia helmet though. Sometimes the basic work looks very good but then the laquer used seems too soft or the paintwork has run somewhere. The prices though without fail are very high . Especially with Taymen it seems like down to luck if you get a good paintjob out of there. The most popular at the moment is BK in sunway.

To get the paintjob the way you want tell the painter you can come in to check on the work sometimes - before he applies the clear coat so that it is easy to sand down and fix any mistakes. You can have him change things before you accept the final product.

The helmets painted in Indonesia (usually by Artchie design) on the other hand always look very, very good. And the prices are at least 50% less than the Malaysian painters are charging - but you lose some of that on shipping charges and you risk losing your helmet in customs or on the way somewhere. He does chrome as well, which as far as I know no Malaysian painters do.

[Aaron]

Don't use taymen. My helmet took three months to paint. The quality and workmanship is pathetic. When you look closely, the lines are not straight, there is running and blotches in the paint and laquer, massive variations in paint thickness where colours meet and the consistency of colour varies. The flouro paint he uses is from a RM5 aerosol can so will fade very quickly in the sun.

The price was through the roof initailly for a very simple design with two colours; got it down a bit but the paint job i got was not worth what i paid. BK at Sunway has already quoted a much cheaper price using more colours and more professional design.

At Taymen you will have no idea what your helmet is going to look like until its finished. There is no CAD used to give you an idea of various designs and colours that will be used or what the final product will look like upon completion. At BK Sunway they will email you many different designs produced on their computer according to the info you give them. You can choose from and modify the designs they produced until you are happy with the final product.

Have seen a few jobs done at BK Sunway and was quite impressed. My helmet is now there getting put right

[BabyGodzillaGTi-R]

Not to mention the bubbles on Taymen's helmets....
I wonder when is the new Snell 2010 helmets will be out....
Then i've an excuse to paint a new helmet.

[Mikko Nassi]

I wonder when is the new Snell 2010 helmets will be out....

First helmets will probably be on the shelves in early 2011.

And yes look out for the bubbles!

[Alex Ritchie]

Just got Ryan's helmet back from Artchie Design. Very good quality work but had to wait a month because of his backlog of helmets. RM700 for a simple design.

Contact:

Bapak Uci
Artchie Design
Jalan Mega Asri II, No. C1
Gunung Batu
Bandung 40184

Tel: +62 22 7005 6589

[He also did the helmets for Mitch Gilbert and Senna SN...]

[sprayman]

The price for helmet paintjob in Artchie Design was usually starting from Rp. 3.000.000 or about RM 1000. Maybe for a very simple design can be cheaper. He also painted the helmets for Ananda Mikola, Narain Kartikeyan, Zahir Ali, Rifat Sungkar, Moreno Soeprapto, Alexandra.

[ivantankl]

Just got Ryan's helmet back from Artchie Design. Very good quality work but had to wait a month because of his backlog of helmets. RM700 for a simple design.

Contact:

Bapak Uci
Artchie Design
Jalan Mega Asri II, No. C1
Gunung Batu
Bandung 40184

Tel: +62 22 7005 6589

[He also did the helmets for Mitch Gilbert and Senna SN...]

did you have to travel there to give the helmet personally?
if you don't mind, explain the process you went through to get the helmet painted.
thanks

[Alex Ritchie]

I actually work in Jakarta, so it was easy for me. I brought the helmet in from KL, drove up to Bandung one Saturday and gave the helmet and design to Pak Uci. He painted it and sent it back to me in Jakarta by courier. As I said earlier it was a very simple design and I got a discount from the normal price.

Air Asia actually flies directly to Bandung from KL and it is a lovely city to visit - good climate, good food and great shopping. So one idea might be to combine a short holiday with the visit to Artchie. One of his specialities is chrome so if you want something unique...

Call Pak Uci. He does helmets for lots of drivers and I am sure that he'll have some good suggestions.