New lid

[Horse]

Money no object I might get another Arai but I'm the reverse of KFB, I don't think I'd want to be without an internal drop down visor now. Just way more convenient. So I'd probably never buy another Arai again unless it was track only

I went on a hunt for a new lid recently and started with the same premise: internal drop-down visor, so not Arai.
After trying on 12-15 lids, I bought....an Arai Quantic. It was by far the best fit for me. Unfortunately the legal tint visor I bought as a not-very-satisfactory substitute for the drop-down has lost an eyebrow vent already and so has gone back to Sportsbikeshop. Hey ho. I still think I made the right choice, though, as fit matters to me more than most criteria.

Don't Arai do an external clip-on shade visor?

Edit: Pro Shade

[Mr Moofo]

Money no object I might get another Arai but I'm the reverse of KFB, I don't think I'd want to be without an internal drop down visor now. Just way more convenient. So I'd probably never buy another Arai again unless it was track only

I went on a hunt for a new lid recently and started with the same premise: internal drop-down visor, so not Arai.
After trying on 12-15 lids, I bought....an Arai Quantic. It was by far the best fit for me. Unfortunately the legal tint visor I bought as a not-very-satisfactory substitute for the drop-down has lost an eyebrow vent already and so has gone back to Sportsbikeshop. Hey ho. I still think I made the right choice, though, as fit matters to me more than most criteria.

Don't Arai do an external clip-on shade visor?

Edit: Pro Shade

I have one of those on one of the arais - and it actually works effectively, once you get used to it
The reason why I started looking at a new helmet is because the Retro fitted Pro-shade is about 100 quid
As I have a Chaser V and a Chaser X they had different visor fitments

[Rockburner]

Money no object I might get another Arai but I'm the reverse of KFB, I don't think I'd want to be without an internal drop down visor now. Just way more convenient. So I'd probably never buy another Arai again unless it was track only

I went on a hunt for a new lid recently and started with the same premise: internal drop-down visor, so not Arai.
After trying on 12-15 lids, I bought....an Arai Quantic. It was by far the best fit for me. Unfortunately the legal tint visor I bought as a not-very-satisfactory substitute for the drop-down has lost an eyebrow vent already and so has gone back to Sportsbikeshop. Hey ho. I still think I made the right choice, though, as fit matters to me more than most criteria.

Don't Arai do an external clip-on shade visor?

Edit: Pro Shade

I've seen them, tbh it looks a bit flimsy and a couple of strips of tape will do a far better job.

[Taipan]

I switched from aria to hjc some years ago now, albeit the cheaper ones. I find them a more comfortable fit for my head. Can’t comment too much about quality but they get worn 4 days a week no have held up well. Only downside now is the latest one I got has a stupid seat belt type clip in which I’m still finding fiddly and I’d prefer the double D rings.

Re: drop down visors, last year I discovered the joy of reactolite sunglasses which are brilliant!

[Mr Moofo]

I switched from aria to hjc some years ago now, albeit the cheaper ones. I find them a more comfortable fit for my head. Can’t comment too much about quality but they get worn 4 days a week no have held up well. Only downside now is the latest one I got has a stupid seat belt type clip in which I’m still finding fiddly and I’d prefer the double D rings.

Re: drop down visors, last year I discovered the joy of reactolite sunglasses which are brilliant!

TBH - I didn’t think reactolite worked once screened from UV. (Windscreen/ visor)

[Taipan]

I switched from aria to hjc some years ago now, albeit the cheaper ones. I find them a more comfortable fit for my head. Can’t comment too much about quality but they get worn 4 days a week no have held up well. Only downside now is the latest one I got has a stupid seat belt type clip in which I’m still finding fiddly and I’d prefer the double D rings.

Re: drop down visors, last year I discovered the joy of reactolite sunglasses which are brilliant!

TBH - I didn’t think reactolite worked once screened from UV. (Windscreen/ visor)

Specsavers told me car windscreens stop them working. but they seem to work fine behind my visor. WhenI’m riding through London they are great as they lighten well in the tunnels and shaded areas etc.

[Horse]

e double D rings.
Re: drop down visors, last year I discovered the joy of reactolite sunglasses which are brilliant!

TBH - I didn’t think reactolite worked once screened from UV. (Windscreen/ visor)

Specsavers told me car windscreens stop them working. but they seem to work fine behind my visor. WhenI’m riding through London they are great as they lighten well in the tunnels and shaded areas etc.

But they'll never clear as quickly as flipping up a built-in visor.

And the great things about strips of insulation or masking tape across the top of the visor (as per Ricey's post) are that they can be 'personalised' to your eyeline and its height can be 'adjusted' by dipping your head.


Using sunnies (of any sort) will darken the entire field of view. Additional visors or sunstrips block the sun but keep the rest of your view clear.

[Scootabout]

I had the Arai Pro Shade on my previous helmet. It works OK-ish, but I didn't go for it again because:
- it's pretty expensive
- it's vulnerable to damage (I broke the last one's fitment by dropping the helmet on long grass on a campsite)
- it gets dirty easily - you have to clean both the visor and the flip-up, and it's not easy to remove, so fiddly to clean
- it's not very aerodynamic when flipped up, and can occasionally flip itself down
- it creates some unwanted reflections.

So I now manage with a clear visor, Horse's electrical tape, and yellow polarising clip-ons when needed.

[Wossname]

I have a Pro shade on my current Arai - it was on a last year’s model I bought at the NEC a few years ago. I used it a couple of times at the start, because it was there. But: if you don’t clip it back in place firmly when it’s up, it’ll flip down again with a shoulder check, not ideal in the dark. And if you do clip it back, then it’s a bugger to un clip when you’re wearing gloves, which you are. It’s also just as vulnerable to micro scratching as the visor itself, and that makes 2 layers of micro scratches to look through.

I think it’s one of those clever ideas which don’t actually work in practice. Black insulation tape across the top of the visor is still the answer, but Arai don’t do it. B and Q do.

[Taipan]

TBH - I didn’t think reactolite worked once screened from UV. (Windscreen/ visor)

Specsavers told me car windscreens stop them working. but they seem to work fine behind my visor. WhenI’m riding through London they are great as they lighten well in the tunnels and shaded areas etc.

But they'll never clear as quickly as flipping up a built-in visor.

And the great things about strips of insulation or masking tape across the top of the visor (as per Ricey's post) are that they can be 'personalised' to your eyeline and its height can be 'adjusted' by dipping your head.


Using sunnies (of any sort) will darken the entire field of view. Additional visors or sunstrips block the sun but keep the rest of your view clear.

Rather depends on if you're in a position to flip up the visor. In traffic, you don't want to lift your hand off the bar to start raising visors, and I've certainly never felt damn these glasses don't react quickly enough! There is noticeable darkening or lightening effect. Its pretty seamless. I can walk out of the sunshine into a dark room without waiting for them to catch up and I never fumble around trying to put lights on. They barely retain any tint when indoors, so I could wear them for working in if i wanted.

I think we've all moved on from tape on the visors, although I did that for years. I am fortunate to ride in and out of work with the sun behind me too, so it's just everyone else's blindness i have to look out for!

Normal glasses and reactolites

[Horse]

I've been using light reactive specs for about 40 years. I have a fair idea of how quickly - or slowly, it's certainly not immediate - they change.

You really can't take one hand off the bars for the few moments it takes to nudge the lift button?

[Taipan]

I've been using light reactive specs for about 40 years. I have a fair idea of how quickly - or slowly, it's certainly not immediate - they change.

You really can't take one hand off the bars for the few moments it takes to nudge the lift button?

How old are yours then? Mine work just fine and i've never felt endangered by the transition speed. I can't imagine there is ever a time when that would be an issue!

No, there are lots of times on my commute I certainly wouldn't take my hand off the bars, not with lane changing vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians all around me, and now, with reaction lenses, I don't even have to consider that risk.

[Horse]

How old are yours then?

Current set, no more than18 months. Zeus lenses.

I don't know which of these three types.
https://www.zeiss.co.uk/vision-care/eye ... enses.html

Can't find times specified for them. Here:
https://www.onlineopticiansuk.com/photo ... ained-i149#
Says:
"How Long Do Transitions Lenses Take To React?
"They typically take around 30 seconds to fully darken and between two to five minutes to return to a clear state."

[Taipan]

How old are yours then?

Current set, no more than18 months. Zeus lenses.

I don't know which of these three types.
https://www.zeiss.co.uk/vision-care/eye ... enses.html

Can't find times specified for them. Here:
https://www.onlineopticiansuk.com/photo ... ained-i149#
Says:
"How Long Do Transitions Lenses Take To React?
"They typically take around 30 seconds to fully darken and between two to five minutes to return to a clear state."

But you're never in a total dark to light situation. Outside has constantly varying levels of light so the reaction lenses are constantly reacting! So that is a pointless comparison to a permanently dark visor.

[Horse]

"How Long Do Transitions Lenses Take To React?
"They typically take around 30 seconds to fully darken and between two to five minutes to return to a clear state."

But you're never in a total dark to light situation. Outside has constantly varying levels of light so the reaction lenses are constantly reacting! So that is a pointless comparison to a permanently dark visor.

You will be in situations where you're riding towards low sun?

In those, the complete light block of tape is unbeatable. A drop-down internal tinted visor will reduce light but allow you to see the road surface.

Both better than tinted glasses.

What about situations such as riding under tree cover, through tunnels, etc.? Immediate light to dark and back.

WhenI’m riding through London they are great as they lighten well in the tunnels and shaded areas etc.

[Mr Moofo]

What about my question about HJC lids?

[Taipan]

"How Long Do Transitions Lenses Take To React?
"They typically take around 30 seconds to fully darken and between two to five minutes to return to a clear state."

But you're never in a total dark to light situation. Outside has constantly varying levels of light so the reaction lenses are constantly reacting! So that is a pointless comparison to a permanently dark visor.

You will be in situations where you're riding towards low sun?

In those, the complete light block of tape is unbeatable. A drop-down internal tinted visor will reduce light but allow you to see the road surface.

Both better than tinted glasses.

What about situations such as riding under tree cover, through tunnels, etc.? Immediate light to dark and back.

WhenI’m riding through London they are great as they lighten well in the tunnels and shaded areas etc.

It isn't immediate light to dark and back at all. It's just varying levels of light and depending on speed you'd be past it before you noticed or had time to flip up and back down a visor or nod your head to the right angle.

Oh yeah, HJC, very nice and comfortable! No drop down internal visor but I have reaction lenses so dont need one, or tape...

[Horse]

No drop down internal visor but I have reaction lenses so dont need one, or tape...

You do, but just won't admit it

[Supermofo]

What about my question about HJC lids?

Never owned one, but my brother did for a while. He moaned a lot about the visor ratcheting system. On the Shark and Arai you could have the visor where you wanted it but on his HJC it only had a few set positions none of which he liked so he bought a Shark in the end. Not sure that's all HJC's though so might not be an issue.

[Whysub]

I am fortunate to ride in and out of work with the sun behind me.

I had this too. Got offered a move out of London (1 to 1½ hours each way commute) to Ipwich (30 minutes each way).

Didn't take it as riding into the sun both ways never appealed.

Work used to buy me a new helmet every 18 months, so I always chose top of the range Arai's, Schuberth's and Shoei's before finding out that some other (cheaper) brands were more comfortable to wear.

Had a few HJC's, as they fitted my head better than Arai's did and so were more comfortable. Important if you are wearing it 10 plus hours a day.

Only downside of the HJC,'s I had was that the liner was poorer quality, so some were well worn out by replacement time.

Main helmet now is a Nolan X70 ADV type. Great peripheral vision, plenty of room for goggles, inbuilt headset, and, importantly as the road to my house goes west, a peak as well as an internal sunvisor. The peak is adjustable and removable for long distance/ fast road riding.