A nod to skateboarding and chopper culture’s shared roots, the new Independent x Biltwell Inc. Lane Splitter helmet celebrates an iconic brand in style.
There are undeniable parallels between skateboarding and motorcycling. They live at the intersection of transportation and rebellion, serving as creative outlets for the fiercely independent. How many of us spent our youth with grip tape underfoot, graduating to two wheels and a throttle the minute we were old enough to ride?
If you share that sentiment, we’ve just found your next helmet. Say hello to the new Independent x Biltwell Inc. Lane Splitter.
Based in Temecula, California, USA, Biltwell Inc. makes stylish, no-nonsense products. Plenty of gear crosses the desks of Bike EXIF staffers each season, but you’ll always find a handful of Biltwell pieces in constant rotation—from their helmets, gloves, and packs to their omnipresent grips. We’re especially fond of Biltwell’s seasonal helmet colorways, with highlights like ‘Mint Julep’ and ‘Lake Tahoe Blue.’
“Skateboarding for me as a kid in the late 70s and through the 880s was probably like a lot of people’s experience at that time,” says Biltwell’s Bill Bryant. “The board itself was a freedom machine, but what really made it special was that it didn’t require much money, zero parental involvement, coaches, or outside input.”
Like Biltwell, the Independent Truck Company has its roots in the sun-kissed Californian soil, although it’s much older. Founded in 1978 in Newark, California, the company quickly established itself as a benchmark for skateboard hardware. Independent’s ticket to fame was designing skateboard trucks that could turn and grind, without disintegrating.
The Independent Lane Splitter is the second helmet that Biltwell has collaborated on with a skate brand, after their Santa Cruz x Biltwell Inc. Gringo lid. The seed for both projects was planted years ago at Biltwell’s second annual El Diablo Run. There, they met the crew from NHS, Inc.—Santa Cruz and Independent’s parent company.
“They were the real deal—the kind of people we instantly felt comfortable with,” says Bill. “We became tight with Holly and Burt up in Santa Cruz, and one day at a swap meet, Holly asked if we’d ever thought about collaborating. We took it from there.”
“Santa Cruz started in 1973 and Independent in 1978, and both are still going strong. The iconic art they’ve created along the way has had a cultural impact around the world. When we started Biltwell, we leaned more into our action sports experience rather than the fake tough guy aesthetic that has always been so popular in the Harley world. I wanted to do surf trips on motorcycles, not bike nights at casinos.”
The Independent collaboration uses Biltwell’s popular Lane Splitter helmet as its canvas. Biltwell recently redesigned it from the ground up to comply with the stringent ECE22.06 standard, which meant retooling it, adding an extra shell size to the XS-XXL range, and changing the EPS liner’s thickness and density. They also took the opportunity to add an anti-scratch coating to the shield—and they reengineered the detent system in the shield hinge, which was one aspect of the Lane Splitter that was lacking when we originally tested it.
In designing the Independent x Biltwell Lane Splitter, Bill says the team focused on subtle details rather than loud graphics. The base finish is gloss black, with bold gray sections along the sides of the chin bar bearing Independent branding.
Biltwell opted for red on the chin strap and the perforated sections of the helmet’s moisture-wicking comfort liner. The Biltwell logo on the brow is red too, as is the mesh that lines the three front chin vents, and the hinge washers. “These touches felt right for the Indy brand—nothing flashy or over the top, just tough, purposeful, and detail-oriented,” says Bill.
As with their Santa Cruz collaboration, the Independent version of the Lane Splitter comes in a collectible box, slathered in classic Independent Truck Company logos. Biltwell is only producing one batch—when they’re gone, they’re gone.
“Skateboarding, art, and custom motorcycles are all related,” Bill adds. “All are individual pursuits—you can’t rely on a team to carry you, and there’s no absolute right or wrong way to enjoy them. Sure, there are levels of style and talent, but at the end of the day, if you love it and actually do it, you’re winning.”
“We’ve got a lot of friends and customers who have very similar backgrounds to us—skate, BMX, surf, etcetera. And a motorcycle, especially one they’ve built, is just a logical extension in that lifetime pursuit of personal freedom.”
“Our in-house photographer, Geoff Kowalchuk, still skates daily and pretty much only works for us so he can have health insurance for his heavily abused joints and cadaver tendons. Skating is his true passion and, at nearly 40 years old, he still rips.”
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