Vintage motorcycle helmets are a highly collectible and fun item of motorcycle memorabilia for bike enthusiasts and collectors of vintage items alike. One of the most popular manufacturers of vintage helmets was a company called Buco. Vintage Buco motorcycle helmets date back to the year 1933 when the company was founded in Detroit, Michigan, and the company sported the slogan of “Look better, feel better, are better.” Buco motorcycle helmets were very popular helmets in the 1950s and 1960s and were sold by all Harley Davidson and Indian Motorcycle dealers during those time periods.
Buco was the trade name for the Joseph Buegeleisen Company and was synonymous with the motorcycling industry and recognized as the largest cycling accessory and safety helmet manufacturer of the time period. The company also produced motorcycle jackets and accessories for Harley Davidson, as well as for police departments and divisions of the military. In the year 1966, the company was acquired by the American Safety Equipment Corporation of New York. The company continued to operate and progress on a larger scale, now operating under the name of Buco Products, A Division of American Safety Equipment Corporation. The Buco division of ASEC failed to exist after the year 1970 due to the oil crisis that put a crunch on the automotive industry of which the ASEC was a part. Therefore, the true vintage motorcycle helmets manufactured before the year 1966 are likely to be more valuable to collectors of Buco helmets than those manufactured at later dates.
