“Established 1954, proven ever since.” Founded by renowned hot rodder Roy Richter in Bell, California, Bell Helmets was an early pioneer in drag racing and motorcycle helmet development. In 1968 Bell created the first full face helmet, the original Bell Star for auto racing. 3 years later they introduced the first full face motorcycle helmet and the first full face off-road motorcycle helmet for dirt bike racing.
Bell has never stopped innovating, and has recently been among the first to implement technology to combat the rotational forces associated with impacts at-speed in many of their helmets – features such as MIPS and the proprietary Flex technology used in the Moto-9 Flex series. Bell was also one of the first to use photochromic faceshields that react to light to darken the tint in bright sunlight.
Although Bell has always stayed at the forefront of motorcycle helmet technology, they also never lost sight of their roots – Bell is unique in their ability to juxtapose their storied history seamlessly with modern design. Bell offers several retro throwback models such as the Custom 500 that pays homage to the first open face Bell helmet, the 500-TX, the recent reissue of the Moto-3 vintage motocross helmet, as well as the resurrection of the Bell Star line as the current Street Star, Race Star, and the flagship Pro Star.
Bell also has a knack for keeping a finger on the pulse of their target customer, continually ahead of the curve in their helmet design and graphic styles. Working with some of the best artists in the biz such as Roland Sands, Tagger Gasparian, and Skratch, Bell continues to create the trends rather than react to them – just as they have for 60 years.
