mine was pure black,pudding type helmet old british TT style, I got some inch and a half checkered tape and placed it on for and aft
with two british union jacks eather side,I liked it.

If I was gonna paint a helmet, Id go with a solid, hi visibility color. Cool lookin is cool, no doubt, but seen by drivers?

Priceless.

When I paint, I do it outside. When I weld, I put a fan blowing across me & I only drag a bead for a minute or so, then walk away & exhale hard & get some fresh air. That stuff will give ya one heck of a headache.

Check to see what the shell is made of before you start. Many of the new helmets are made of materials that can't be painted without causing damage.
No point in doing all the work if it ends up sitting on a shelf.

Stimpy -

That's a debate without end, whether black or gray cars have more accidents.  Of course, lots has to do with the type of car, or better put, the driver driving it.  Point is still that vibrant colors like red, royal blue, orange (who wants an orange car?), yellow, etc. are far more visible.

Same for your motorcycle attire.

When did you ever see a black or gray fire truck or ambulance?  Lots of cop cars are gray (Ohio's Highway Patrol, for example), or black (all Ohio Sheriff's cruisers) because they want to be able to hide in median strips, or sneak up on you from behind.

Mick -

First, and most importantly, my sympathies on the loss of your dad.  I know how close you were from all of your posts about him over the years.  My dad died when I was 16 - you are so fortunate to have had so many years with yours.

You are right about orange - remember in the 1950s and 1960s when the Air Force pilot flight suits were orange?  My first one was.  Problem is, if you punched out, the bad guys could easily find you.  So, they went to sage green so you can hide in the woods from the bad guys and use your "Prick 9", or whatever they call the modern version, to talk the rescue helo into your position.

Wing tips and tails of Air Froce airplanes were orange too then.  Then the idiots in the Puzzle Palace (Pentagon) finally realized how inviting a target you were to ground fire.  The orange was supposedly to help avoid mid-air collisions while flying formation - bullcrap.

I wonder how Schneider's accident rate is compared to the other nationwide trucking companies.  Would be interesting to know if it really saves accidents.

Take care, my Friend.