Tagger Designs Product Review

Product Review: Tagger Designs Helmet Painting

Style is everything. Well, just about everything. In the two-wheeled world safety is paramount, but is closely followed by style. Just look around at your local sportbike night, trackday or cruiser rally. Everyone has their own individual look –their signature style so to speak. Thus, it is no surprise that it’s the most unique, one-off stuff that really gets us excited. That is why when I opened the box containing my latest custom-painted Shoei X-11 crash helmet it was like being an eight-year-old on Christmas Eve. I couldn’t wait.

And just like the Honda CR80 dirt bike I got when I was 10 years old, this one didn’t disappoint. Tagger Designs has painted helmets for me for going on a year now, and so far owner Tag Gasparian has delivered some of the coolest, most original work I have ever seen. This time he took it one step further. I gave him a general outline. I wanted it to be inspired by Top Gun, war planes and Maverick, then let him do the rest. As always, he came through with shining colors.

The attention to detail is top-of-the line. Literally, it looks as if the helmet is made from metal, fully detailed with rivets and rust – not to mention a WWII-style pin-up girl modeled after my lovely girlfriend sitting atop a giant bomb. Paying full homage to the troops is a U.S. war plane insignia on the back, kill-marking bombs on the side, bullet holes on the front, and stencil-style lettering with my name on the front and “Maverick” on the chin-bar. Just looking at the lid makes me feel like I’m 10years old watching Top Gun all over again. And the fact that he was able to do it all on the round surface of a Shoei helmet is all that much more impressive.

The best part of the whole deal? Unlike painters I have dealt with in the past, there were no repeated phone calls to bug or nag to get it done. It’s a pretty well known fact that you can't count on painters time-wise (must be the paint fumes?). Not here folks. Tag personally called me with updates as the project was progressing and delivered the beauty right on time. My guess is he must be one of the few sprayers to actually use a mask. Quite refreshing, really; he told me a date I would have the helmet and that’s the date it showed up.

While It may not be cheap, with a retail of around $1200 (prices start at $650) for this masterpiece, the individually, insane quality and attention to detail, plus the punctually (most helmets done within six weeks time depending on workload) are well worth the price alone. Tag is a former surfboard painter and has turned his creativeness and attention to detail into being one of the top motorsports helmet and motorcycle painters in the business.

While he may not be nearly as well know in the street world as he is on the motocross side of things (painting helmets for the likes of Ricky Carmichael and James Stewart regularly), no doubt he will be soon. The proof is in the pudding, as they say, and Tagger Designs produces some of the best work I have ever seen. Trust me when I say Gasparian will have a new helmet from me to start working on in no time. It’s like an addiction – once you go custom you never go back.

If you are looking for some awesome custom work, contact Tagger Designs at: (951) 674-8000, taggerdesigns@yahoo.com, www.myspace.com/taggerdesigns.