Skunkhelm! Skunk Striped Motorcycle Helmet

Intro: Skunkhelm! Skunk Striped Motorcycle Helmet

Do you want your head to stand out in a crowd?
Enjoy making people go "What was that?"
Smell bad?
This one is for you!
I have seen motorcyclists with a "mohawk" stripe on their helmets, but I wanted a different one. My helmet is plain black, so what else to do but put a Skunk stripe on it!

STEP 1: Materials Needed

Black and White acrylic "fun" fur
Heavy Duty Velcro, adhesive backed
Hot glue gun
Utility knife
Helmet. Preferably not an expensive new one, the Velcro glue may not come off. This is my backup, and is due for retirement at the end of the summer. I replace my helmet about every 4 years, or when they start to feel loose.
You will need about 1/3 yard each of black and white fun fur. I also saw a nice, furry bath rug that would be neat, only I didn't want to spend $20 on it just to cut it up. Check thrift stores for rugs or old jackets. The fun fur is $12 a yard at JoAnn Craft Stores. Unfortunately, it has a "Grain" to it, and it runs across the fabric bolt, so if you buy an 8-inch, full-width strip, the grain runs perpendicular to the direction you need it. I simply cut the pieces short, then glued them together. It is much easier to cut the fur with a utility knife than with scissors- the scissors cut the long hairs off, while the blade only slices through the backing. The scissors are for cutting the Velcro.

STEP 2: Stripe

Measure a piece of white slightly wider than the stripe you want, with the grain if the fabric running away from the helmet visor. Most regular Striped Skunks actually have 2 stripes, which can vary in width from a thin "Pinstriping" to a nearly full white back. I folded the wide piece in two, then cut a piece out of the middle, making 2 stripes. I had to piece the stripes together out of shorter sections, because the fabric wasn't wide enough to have the grain run the right way. Simply cut some fur from the front edge of the rear piece, and glue it to the front piece. Make sure that the front end of the stripe is under the top edge of the face shield. This helps to keep the wind from pulling it off.

STEP 3: Tail

I made one tail, but didn't like it, so I made a second one that looked better.
Cut a rectangle of black fur that is 1 inch longer than your tail (without tip) and half as wide. Cut 2 notches in one end, and make 2 or 3 slits in the middle.
Cut 3-4 small rectangular white pieces. Roll one piece into a cone, and glue it together. Glue 1-2 more over this cone to give it bulk. With the last piece, cut a series of slits to make a "Fringe" of fur, then glue just the top edge to the cone. Now the tip has some feathery bits.
Cut a white rectangle big enough to cover the slits in the black piece. Lay it, fur side down, over the slits. Put glue on both side edges of the black piece, and along the bottom edge. fold the black sides over on top of the white piece, and stick the tip into the end. Fluff some of the white through the slits.

STEP 4: Velcro

Cut strips of Velcro long enough to reach all the way over the helmet. I used 2" stuff, so I had to cut it lengthwise. Adhere the hook side to the helmet, along where the stripe will be. It' s easier to stick the Velcro correctly if you remove the shield. I put the hook side on the helmet, that way if you miss the fuzzy side on the stripe, the Velcro will stick to the stripe itself. Put a wider strip crosswise on the back where the tail will attach.
Put a strip of fuzzy on the notch end of the tail, and strips on the stripes.
Stick 'Em on!

STEP 5: Riding

Take it for a ride! The stripe should be able to handle a LOT of wind (tested to 115 MPH), but I haven't tested it in very hot or cold weather. It may not handle rain well- my previous attempt blew off during a downpour. the stripe is easily removed from the Velcro, in case of rain. Above 30 MPH, the tail streams straight out behind you.
Have fun! People WILL stare.

Comments

[MillennialDIYer]

Must be a unique conversation starter at the bar!

[The_Beast]

My cousin has a green fabric frog cover for his helmet. it covers the whole thing except the visor and it has little white eyes sticking up It's pretty sweet

[roswell7594]

Awesome, have you seen the motorcycle helmet ponytails yet? Mi wife just got them up to 100 mph

[ccsinspirations]

Very nice! But then I'm kinda partial to the little stinkers...

[Phoghat]

Really like your idea and will try it. Do you know anything about those faux "roman" full face helmets in picture 2 step 1?

[laernmoer]

you can buy just the strip for your helmet - they attach with little suction cups.

[FireBAT]

SUCTION CUPS? I never thought of that! Thanks for the assist! Maybe I'll modify this one. The problem with the Velcro is the one side has to stay attached to the helmet, so you can't remove the whole thing cleanly- the glue on Industrial Velcro is really sticky!

[Rishnai]

I'm a little worried about suction cups staying attached at 115 mile an hour. velcro seems more tenacious.

[FireBAT]

The pic was found on a Yahoo Images search- they are from a website called www.thehelmetsource.com . They sell for $19.95. That's for just the Centurion "Brush", not the helmet.

[Rishnai]

Aww, is that your neighborhood skunk pictured with his tail in the air? I think we need to make one of these and ship it to Skunkbait. I saw actual skunk hats (like a coonskin cap only cooler) in a magazine just the other day. I think it was at the Love Ride. Had the head attached and everything. I'm going to have to get me a skunk skin and put it on my helmet.

[FireBAT]

My dad used to have a skunk hat. We were in a rifle club that did French and Indian war- Era reenactments. My mom used to carry the hat around, and move her hand under it so it looked alive. She had a woman talk to her about her childhood pet skunk, take pictures, and pet the thing, until Mom finally said, "I hate to do this to you, but..." and lifted her arm. The woman said "I've been here for 20 minutes, petting a HAT?!?" They BOTH thought it was quite funny! I caught a baby skunk at Scout camp, but the other guys in the troop made me let it go, because they were afraid it would spray. Wimps. They're quite placid, sweet little critters, as long as you don't hurt or frighten them. Even then, they WARN you!

[Rishnai]

I've got a few fox tails around here that I keep misplacing. Every now and then I'll be looking for something and find one. Every time, my reaction is the same... jump a little, wonder how a weasel got in the house, remember it's a fox tail, go scare someone else with the "weasel." Rinse, repeat.

[FireBAT]

UPDATE: I wore this helmet to AMA Vintage Motorcycle Days in Lexington, OH last weekend. I got quite a lot of positive comments on it! I noticed that, although I'm 6'4" tall, and my Triumph is bright orange, I don't get seen in traffic, but when I'm wearing this thing, people notice! Kind of an extra safety feature.

[skunkbait]

I hate wearing helmets, but I now I should. You've shown me a way to protect my few remaining brain cells AND protect my dignity!!

[JerryMopar]

If I ever get a black cycle helmet, I will do this!!! Right now I have a HJC CS12 (in white)

[FireBAT]

The first one I tried this on was the HJC CL-12. This is the HJC CL-MAX Modular that I got at a fire sale. 75% off because the box got wet? No problem!

[Handsome-Ryan]

Absolutely awesome. I added some silicone "devil horns" to my MC helmet and it always got a great response but this is something completely unique and hilarious. Thanks for sharing!

[FireBAT]

If you don't want the tail lying on the back of your neck in the summer heat, it still looks neat and skunklike to just have the stripe. I always wanted a pet skunk. Actually, I think there is one living in our barn now. Very faint skunky smell! I actually tried this stripe last year. My dad and I were riding to Vintage Motorcycle Days in Ohio. I only had a few small squares of Velcro holding the stripe on. We got caught in a downpour just as we entered Pittsburgh, and the stripe blew off. Tail stayed on, but it was soaked, so I took it off. Will try it again this year!

[Sunkicked]

My girlfriend has a pet skunk and is buying a motorcycle this summer (can I pick 'em or what?) so this will be a great gift for her. Perfect timing!

[TheCheese9921]

This is awesome 4.5