Helmet Painting - Pros/Cons/Barriers to Entry?

I would guess cost would be the biggest issue, have had several painted in the past and even then it was expensive . Along with the cost of helmets and the frequency i swap them out its just not cost effective 

What Monkeybutt said. I had two painted in the late 90s and even back then the paint (not including the cost of the helmet) was 5-600. I’ve heard 1200 or more now, not counting anything really unique, cartoons, etc. 

My second (and last) painted helmet lasted exactly one 10-minute practice and the distance between the gate and first turn…ended in a pileup and got run over by pretty much everyone. Expensive helmet for 10:30 of riding…

Agreed . Had Troy supply & paint an Arai in ‘91. Was $500.00 back then . 

I've had three helmets painted. The first was an Axo that I had painted by a friend. He was a legit helmet guy, so it was a nice lid. I got knocked out in that one, so for the superstitious among us, there's that.
My second and 3rd ones were done by AP designs. This was in the late '90s and early '00s, and I "knew" Alex at the time (friend of a friend). Like PNWMXer, one of these got ruined in a crash very early on (although at least I got a few races out of it). 

The sole benefit is the cool factor. Man, it was cool to roll up in a custom helmet. 

Not "Art" but about half of my helmets from six decades of riding. I also have a Rossi Replica signed, but not shown... There is a "troy lee original" (top right) Shoei and another custom a friend painted

I had a couple done in the early 90's. They were definitely really cool, but they seemed to take forever to do and they definitely weren't cheap. Nowadays the wraps are so good it's hard to not go that route if you want a custom lid.  Don't let me talk you out of it if that's what you really want... but you may want to look into that first.

Not mine- just an example.

Need a picture of that rossi please

Somewhat but i'm getting older and can't keep everything cool i've ever had  , already feel like a hoarder > I think I still have an Arai Hellion painted for me in the ealry 2000's 

Just went down and dug this out , can't believe how heavy it feels , this is from late 90's early 2000 (pretty sure its obvious ) 

Anyone paint helmets around North Carolina that could help us out with a project? Need it done quick, by Nov 7th.

Nice interflect pinstriping. If I ever do another paintjob, I'm going all-in with the '98 glitter job. 

Here ya go... I keep it in my Oakley case at home.

Off Axis is in Charlotte and does a ton of stuff in the nascar world and has painted for Reed. Indocil Art is in Rock Hill. Both great companies and great work. Rush job would likely add to price tho. 

Cool thread.  I am visiting my hometown and had a few beers with an old friend that still has a Shoei that I painted for him in the late 90’s. Was cool, really cool to see and know how much of a better job I could do some 30 yrs later.  Cool to know I still have a few pieces of art hanging around as I haven’t painted in atleast 15 years and it was a good 10 years before that. 

I’m curious what is a “Barrier to Entry?” 

Some of the upsides/downsides to a custom painted helmet VS stock, or VS a wrap.

Cost, the amount of time it takes to have a quality paintjob done and that often means a long wait until a painter gets to start too. 

A wrap will be more durable than paint in many cases. You can replace a damaged wrap much quicker and often can do it Yourself. Wraps can be reversed to stock and protect the stock paint. If You damage a visor and need a replacement, You can have the piece for the visor printed up without the company needing to have Your helmet as long as they did the original wrap. Wraps can be both lighter or heavier than paint depending on the materials used for either. You can use photos and get phot quality images in a wrap. Wraps can be installed in as little as an hour by an experienced installer using a well-fitting template. Digital mock ups and proofs are possible with a wrap. With Paint You can still see a proof, but with the wraps You will see the exact images that will be printed. A proof for a paint job will still need to be interpreted by the painter and put onto the helmet so the artwork could be slightly different. While with the digital printed wrap, You know exactly what to expect. Sometimes surprises are good and fun, sometimes they are not. 

A custom painted helmet can sometimes be heavier if You have chrome, or a  heavy metalflake . 

The finish on a quality custom paintjob will be better than any wraps that I've done or seen.  A painted helmet is much more of a one off thing, and there is much less of a chance You will see another exactly like Yours.  Stock paint has come a long way. But there are always still areas that are not as clean as a good custom paintjob. Most stock paint is a mix of paint and "decals" . So some spots like around vents and on visors, You will have areas they do not carry the design through the lines of the helmet and across the vents , because of the limits of decals and the ways a stock helmet design is done.

I've painted helmets in the past, and I want  to do them again at some point. I think a good paintjob is cooler than a stock helmet or wrap. I like to change the looks often, and its so much easier and faster for me to rewrap a helmet than it was to repaint one.  

One thing I would suggest is to get multiple visors painted when You have a helmet painted .  That way You'll have a spare ready to go , its much easier to paint an extra visor or 2 while painting the original paintjob, than to go back and do one a year or more later. The extra paint needed is minimal since its going to be made up for the helmet already. And any computer cut masks, or decals can be cut at the same time so they are identical. Its a lot more work to go back and paint another visor  a few months or years later.    I would get at least 1 extra visor minimum.  

Even if You are getting a wrap for a helmet, have an extra visor or more  printed off at the same time. Especially if You have a metallic ,chrome, holographic, or other specialty color/material.  You can hold onto the extra  visor wraps until You need them . Sometimes You can just remove the old wrap and rewrap a visor after a crash or after roost or tree damage.  

 I noticed that tree branches were harder on the painted visors than roost was. I haven't painted a helmet in a longtime now. But I remember the visors taking more of a beating from trail riding and the constant slapping of branches, than they did getting roosted on a sandy or rocky track. So even if You don't crash often, if You trail ride An extra visor will come in handy. 

 And with some paints its going to be very difficult to near impossible to get a perfect match years later.  Metallics and metal flake,   neon colors , pearls . I mixed some colors up myself sometimes by eye  , and might never have the same exact color again.  A good painter would be able to mix up and test spray, etc and get very very close. But it can be a lot more work to go back and do one. So chances are it would cost a lot more to have a visor painted after the helmet. And You would most likely have to send the helmet back to the painter so everything would line up.  

Probably that the helmet has to be new and solid white in color. 

It would be super elitist if it was anything beyond that. Can you imagine if it was like the high-end Ferraris where you have to get an invitation to be able to purchase?