A little history of Bell Helmets!
Do
you know that the company that makes Bell motorcycle helmets did not start
out making helmets? It was a company that sold auto parts -- Bell
Auto Parts -- started by George Wight in Bell, California, in
1923. In 1933, Rogy Richter went to work for Wight. Richter was
a car racer who built the Bell Special from parts found in the
company's junk yard. This was not a helmet, but rather, a midget
race car. Richter had a racing career where he won numerous championships
and set several records. In the course of his racing career, he
saw a number of friends die in car race crashes.
In 1945, Richter purchases Bell Autoparts. In 1954, the first
Bell helmet is manufactured: the "500." It was a car
racing helmet, used in races including the Indianapolis 500. Cal
Niday was the first to use it in the Indy 500, and he credits
it with keeping him from serious injury when he crashed hard into
a wall. In 1955, the Los Angeles police required helmets for its
motorcycle officers. Bell eventually supplied motorcycle helmets
to more than 800 police departments. In 1961, more types of Bell
helmets came out. From auto racing helmets, to helmets for sports
like hockey, skiing, skydiving, baseball, football, to helmets
for police and firemen.
The
ski helmet was adapted for bicycle racing. In 1970, standards
were set for bicycle helmets. And in 1975, the Bell Biker is introduced.
And as they say, the rest is history. In 1983, the first Bell
bicycle helmet developed for racing is introduced: the VI Pro.
The company continues to produce bicycle helmets using available
technologies, like the Microshell technology (1989), and the in-mold
bonding process (1990). When mountain biking became popular, helmets
for this were also made. Bell Helmets, Inc. -- a company with
an interesting history.
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About
the Author of A little history of Bell
Motorcycle Helmets!
Mike
Yeager is a successful author and publisher of several different
web-sites covering a variety of topics. More Details at: http://www.my-helmet-4me.com/
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