Guest bravnik Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 I picked up this Bell the other day at Road Rider in San Jose, CA. I was looking for a new helmet with a drop down tinted shield on the inside as I'm tired of getting caught at night with my Shoei on and not being able to see a damn thing or forgetting my sunglasses with my clear shield on. Basically I'm just tired of swapping out shields. I took a look at some other helmets but didn't really care for the quality of those that had the drop down tinted visor. I had remembered reading an article about Bell having this Photochromatic Shields and said WTF. The helmet was on sale for $448 and was a deal too good to pass up. The only problem is they didn't have the shields they said. As I was paying another guy came from the back and said "Is this the shield you were asking about?". Low and behold it was so at $120 I picked up the shield as well. Let me tell you guys. The Helmet is nice, light, looks and fits amazingly well and does not want to rip off your ears putting it on or pulling it off, but the most impressive thing is the shield. I will never not have a shield like this ever again. It is simply perfect and if Bell has all the rights to this shield and no other maker can use them then I will never not have a Bell Helmet. The Shield works just like Transition lenses for Glasses. As soon as you step into the sun the shield gets dark. It goes medium smoke to dark smoke. It's not any thicker or different that I can tell from other shields. The price is high but I would pay $200 for it, I don't care. It's also Fog Free which is nice (at that price point it better be). I hate the Pin-lock system for the Shoei and as we all know the Shoei will fog up in 100 deg weather. The only thing I don't care for is that the helmet is noisy compared to my Shoei. However, I will now wear plugs as the shield is simply too amazing to give up. I highly highly recommend one to anyone that is sick and tired of swapping out shields or forgetting their shades. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
V4 Rosso Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 Sounds good Nice helmet too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Dutchy Posted August 10, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted August 10, 2011 Looks great indeed How quickly does it change from dark dark to clear? For when you go into a dark tunnel.......... Or are all tunnels lit in your area? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer BCmcrider Posted August 10, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted August 10, 2011 As I use prescription glasses, I got photochromic prescription sunglasses for riding. Work great but look a little odd when I need them in a store or something and they're totally clear. They work much better than my standard glasses for riding as they have fuller coverage and are closer to my face and as such, rarely fog up because my breath doesn't get behind them. I've read about some people not liking photochromic for riding due to light dark transitions but as far as I can tell, it can't possibly be any worse than regular sunglasses/tinted visor. At least mine lighten up after a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Rice Posted August 10, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted August 10, 2011 I like the idea and it certainly looks good. Enjoy! Me, I'll stick to a clear shield and wrap-around sun glasses. I found it to be the best combination for my needs - Cheap and effective. Plus, I like to ride with open shield and still have the benefit of eye protection - Some bugs taste pretty good Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Switchblade Posted August 10, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted August 10, 2011 Looks like my next helmet . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Africord Posted August 10, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted August 10, 2011 Good report. I found that my current Shark RSR2 has a UV filter in the clear shield which keeps my Transitions lenses in my glasses from working. This would solve the problem completely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 When I purchased my Scorpion Exo400 I also bought the Photochromatic visor... It should be standard!! I love it... It doesn't seem to tint quite as dark after a couple years of use but it still does the trick and has a lifetime warranty if it stops tinting. They are fantastic visors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 Looks great indeed How quickly does it change from dark dark to clear? For when you go into a dark tunnel.......... Or are all tunnels lit in your area? I don't drive through any tunnels so I guess that could be a slight issue. The shield takes about 90 secs or so to transition so unless the tunnel is long its probably not going too in time. However, that seems a small price to pay. Glad you guys like the review. The helmet is just as good, it fits very well and does not want to rip my ears off every time I put it on or take it off. On top of that its ventilation is amazing. I had the Shoei RF1000 before this and thought it was quite as hell, it fogged like crazy and was very hot except at speed. With the Bell I can keep my shield down at stop lights and not cook like I did in the Shoei. At speed I swear it almost feels like I'm not wearing nothing. Also the helmet is really good when looking right and left at 80mph. The Shoei would almost feel like it wanted to snap my neck when I looked left and right at speed, the Bell actually just turns with no head snap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmythecop Posted August 10, 2011 Share Posted August 10, 2011 I have only heard good things about this set up. both the helm and the visor are getting great marks all around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Mac Posted August 10, 2011 Member Contributer Share Posted August 10, 2011 Howdy, I have been using a Bell Star, with the Photocromatic shield, since spring as my commuter helmet. The shield works great for me in the mornings, as the sun rises. The photocromatic shield is, by far, the helmets best feature. To sum it up I ended up buying a Shoei X-12. The Bell is better than most lids, but could not replace my X-11, thus the X-12. Mac Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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