Made to be different

Motorcycle Gear & Helmets

HellForge Motorcycle Co. (HMC) was born from the desire to provide bold new designs and further innovation which has been severely lacking across the motorcycle helmet market and a stark contrast to the general motorcycle scene that is filled with individuality and customisation.

Motorcycle helmets don’t need to have the same look from brand to brand and innovation doesn’t revolve around adding ‘smart’ functionality to every conceivable device. Bold helmet designs that don’t compromise on safety or comfort can reflect your personality or passion for motorcycles. We also aim to expand to other motorcycle safety gear and accessories with the same aesthetic flair and unconventional approach in due course.

Development

Taking a fresh approach and designing a motorcycle helmet from the ground up has not been without its challenges. As with all good things, it takes time. Our aim is to take a progressive approach and introduce more bold ideas as we release newer models. Whilst our first model will not be tame, we certainly have increasingly bold ideas for future models.

Technical design of new motorcycle helmets can often be a balance of safety, comfort, usability and styling. Historically, manufactures have often been very conservative and cautious in straying away from the norm – hence, we have seen the market stagnate for some time. Introducing new materials and revisiting traditional approaches to helmet shapes we can push the boundaries of comfort and styling without compromising safety or usability.

In 2020 the company was officially founded, and we started to lay the groundwork for early concepts. We have continued to refine these concepts, perform early testing and preparation for small-scale production. Some of our more ambitious ambition plans have been shelved for later models to keep the initial launch simpler, however, the initial release will certainly still turn a few heads. We have been exploring areas in new helmet latching methods, noise reduction, improved in-helmet air quality and alternative material construction.

For 2021, our aims are to continue testing and refinement with safety testing planned for Australian and New Zealand as proof of concept, then later expand to meet European ECE22.5/22.6 and US Dot standards for increased usability across further global marketplaces.

Challenges

A core part of all our helmet designs will be to push the aesthetic shape and construction. Our first release will be no exception which will have a demonic, skull-type appearance which we hope will appeal to a broad range of customers. One of our initial challenges faced was the balance of menacing twin eye socket appearance with good visibility but won’t look too alien-like in proportion to the remainder of the helmet. Along with consideration for ventilation and usability of a non-traditional non-flip-up visor approach.

Other challenges included building an alternative chin latching mechanism that is intuitive to use, not overly bulky, accommodating to longer facial hear (ie. Something that won’t mess with a wizard-level beard!), whilst providing a solution that is easier to secure, and reduce air turbulence brought up through the bottom of the helmet. No easy feat!

Testing facilities have also been limited in Australia, which typically cater towards Australia/New Zealand standards (AS/NZS 1698). This is a primary reason why initially testing and approval will cater towards that first with later broad range testing to be completed overseas.