Life Helmet Adverts from the 70’s (yes… those girls with the bodypaint…)

Who remembers those iconic full colour ads from the motorcycle press in the 70’s?

I had an A1-sized poster on my wall at Uni that I picked up from one of the bikes shows of the time (probably the Racing & Sporting Show at the Victoria Horticultural Halls – now that’s another “Anyone remember…” thread!). That one had two of the girls on a sidecar outfit, full “kitted out” in Life helmets and bodypaint.

I recently found a pile of old bike papers in the back of a cupboard:

This is from Motorcycle Weekly of 25/3/78 and features a Suzuki GS (by the looks of it), oh…  and some bodypaint.

If anyone out there has any more of these I’d be delighted to put them up here! [I have Google-imaged “Life Helmet Advert Bodypaint] to no avail – there’s some interesting bodypaint out there (just make sure you have safesearch turned off!

Update:

Various bike forums have responded to my challenge and have dug up the picture that I remember as the poster on my wall:

The model “Tula”, was famous later in the 80’s as she was “outed” by the tabloids as a transexual…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caroline_Cossey

Plus – found a magazine version (as opposed to the newspaper print above):

Note the different helmet…

6 thoughts on “Life Helmet Adverts from the 70’s (yes… those girls with the bodypaint…)

  1. Mike Wimbury

    I bought one of these posters at the Earl’s Court motorcycle show, in London about 1979. Tula was handing them out on the stand, and I got a kiss at the time! So I can genuinely say that I have been kissed by a Bond girl.

  2. Paolo Toti

    The farm of Life Helmets is closed since the end of the ’70s. I keep one Life helmet that my father gave me with my first motorcycle. I destroyed two other helmets in bike accidents and always thank my father for that first helmet and the habit to use it !
    Thanks to Graham Captain and to you to talk about Life Helmets

    (Paulo’s English is just fine – I’ve just fixed a few of the typos…[admin])

  3. Graham Captain

    the helmets were actually painted at Berwick on Tweed, near t Scottish border.

  4. ed

    Glad to see someone after my own heart… I’ve been searching for months to find anything on Life helmets and the models, been after a Life helmet for years now..eBay, Google,. there isn’t any info on the helmets whatsoever..anywhere…take care and keep up the good work..Ed.
    PS: I have a couple of framed ads that I can scan and email to you…just email me your address and I’ll get a mate to scan them for you.. these are different to the ones you have posted… cheers.

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