Drop-down helmet sun visors

[maxtog]

I am pulling this topic from another thread, since I have never seen one about the drop-down visor feature, and this would be a great resource for others.  I have a helmet with a drop-down sunscreen visor, and I find the feature so useful that I will NEVER own another helmet without it!   Share your experiences and ask your questions about them in this thread.

[maxtog]

These look to be a great idea and might eliminate the need to carry two visors when on a trip (even though changing them out on my RF1100 is quick and easy).

Exactly.  Plus you can even pop it down or up WHILE RIDING.  For example, when going into a tunnel, or suddenly heading into the sun.  And it rarely needs cleaning, so you only have to "maintain" one shield.  Also, you don't have to remember to carry another.

Plus- when riding slowly or at a light, etc, you can open the main clear shield while still leaving the tinted one down!

I'm not sure how well they'll work with glasses. Can anyone comment?

Should work OK.  I don't find there to be a clearance issue on mine.  I don't wear glasses while riding, but there looks to be enough space.

Does having a hollow space in the crown of the helmet (where the retracted visor resides), and the accompanying mechanisms, have any adverse effect on the helmets ability to protect you in a crash?

I don't believe so.  I have the Scorpion EXO-1000 and it is SNELL 2005 rated.  That would be REALLY hard to get on an unsafe helmet design.  SNELL is extremely strict.

I have three issues with the EXO-1000's sun visor feature.  Would be interesting to hear from those with other manufacturers' implementations to see if they have similar experiences-

1) They include a lightly tinted one which is useless.  So I immediately had to replace it with a dark tint.  It is nice that you CAN replace them and that darker ones are made, but it is an extra expense (probably part of their plan) and they can be a BI*** to physically replace.

2) The sun visor doesn't extend down quite far enough for me.  It needs to be about another 1cm longer (further down) for best coverage.  Plus the nose cutout is just silly- nobody's nose is that long!

3) The mechanism is a bit hard to operate and sometimes it is hard to get it to go up all the way up.

[VirginiaJim]

+1

[Joncon11]

Kind of like my flight helmet from my military days, very handy to have both in one helmet. I have a modular now and I love it, I have always been a "sunglasses under a clear shield" kind of guy.

[maxtog]

Here is a picture I took that you will never see online when looking at the design.  You can see where the slot for the visor on the EXO-1000 is located in relation to the outside shell and the inside rigid foam.  I am guessing the other manufacturers do something very similar.   It is quite possible the shell is several mm bigger to accommodate the space for the slot/pocket so the amount of inside foam remains the same.

[Jeremy Mitchell]

+1 on the EXO-1000

I have owned four of them and haven't paid over $120 for any of them.  Good value for so many features.

[wally_games]

Anyone know the physical differences in the EXO-1100 and the EXO-1000? Prices?

[Jeremy Mitchell]

Anyone know the physical differences in the EXO-1100 and the EXO-1000? Prices?

I checked those before I bought my last EXO-1000 and I didn't see anything that justified an extra $160 over what I paid for my helmet.  I would rather have two helmets that are nice rather than one helmet that is the latest and greatest.

[OregonLAN]

If you think the flip down visors are nice, give one of these a try:

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/1/69/17680/ITEM/Bell-Star-Vortex-RS-1-and-Revolver-Helmet-Transitions-Photochromatic-Shield.aspx?WT.ac=SLIsearch

I haven't worn my EXO-1000 since I purchased this shield for my RS-1.

Here's a video of it
Bell-Transitions SOLFX Shield
Bell Vortex/Star Transitions Shield

[maxtog]

If you think the flip down visors are nice, give one of these a try:

That is a neat idea and application!  But I fear that like transitions-style glasses, they will either neither get fully clear nor go dark enough.  That is one reason I stopped wearing that type of glasses.  The main reasons were because they don't work in cars and they take so long to go from dark back to light.  Neither of those reasons matter with a motorcycle shield, though.

I wonder why it is not more widely available?

[Jeremy Mitchell]

I wonder why it is not more widely available?

$120 is pretty pricey for a shield IMO.  I will continue to buy EXO-1000's on sale for around $100.

[DannyL]

$120 is pretty pricey for a shield IMO.  I will continue to buy EXO-1000's on sale for around $100.

Where did you see them so cheap? I just googled and found them around the $200 mark minimum.

[maxtog]

$120 is pretty pricey for a shield IMO.  I will continue to buy EXO-1000's on sale for around $100.

Yikes, I never followed the link to see the price.  Yes, $120 for just a shield- and one that only fits on one brand helmet, is super pricey.

Not sure where you are getting $100 for an EXO-1000.  My Sublim model was $300 but now on sale for $230 from most places and with only a few sizes, since it is discontinued.  Plus you have to add another $20 for the dark sun shield.  Maybe they are just desperate to dump old stock.  The EXO-1100 replaces the 1000, and it is not SNELL certified, but ECE 22.05 instead.  Seems to be otherwise all the same identical features, although some people report it is a different shape.

WARNING:  Anyone looking at EXO-1000/1100 helmets- they run MUCH smaller than HJC and other helmets I have owned and I had to jump TWO sizes larger to get one that would fit.

[Jeremy Mitchell]

Yikes, I never followed the link to see the price.  Yes, $120 for just a shield- and one that only fits on one brand helmet, is super pricey.

Not sure where you are getting $100 for an EXO-1000.  My Sublim model was $300 but now on sale for $230 from most places and with only a few sizes, since it is discontinued.  Plus you have to add another $20 for the dark sun shield.  Maybe they are just desperate to dump old stock.  The EXO-1100 replaces the 1000, and it is not SNELL certified, but ECE 22.05 instead.  Seems to be otherwise all the same identical features, although some people report it is a different shape.

WARNING:  Anyone looking at EXO-1000/1100 helmets- they run MUCH smaller than HJC and other helmets I have owned and I had to jump TWO sizes larger to get one that would fit.

I got my first couple of EXO-1000's from Sportbiketrackgear.com when they had a sale for $109 shipped.  I bought two and since then I have bought two more for about $120 shipped off ebay from bike shops that were closing them out.  I think I have been lucky finding sales but if you look hard enough and are patient you should be able to come up with some deals like I did.  And you are right on the money about jumping one and maybe even two sizes with the EXO-1000. 

[4cedars]

I also will not own a helmet without the flip down. The convenience of it is priceless. I have the Scorpion 900 and am looking to get a second flip up, Caberg Sintesi or Schuberth C3, both have the flip down also

[sherob]

I also will not own a helmet without the flip down. The convenience of it is priceless. I have the Scorpion 900 and am looking to get a second flip up, Caberg Sintesi or Schuberth C3, both have the flip down also

I didn't know Caberg was imported again.  I would be a bit cautious with them, since they seem to come and go in the US.  I had Justissimio years ago... you couldn't get parts for it after they disappeared form the US market.

[lemosley01]

My WileyX sunglasses fit fine under my drop-down visor - there is quite a bit of space between the tinted visor and my eyes, and wind still gets in them without sunglasses.

One complain I've heard of is that the visors sometimes don't come down far enough, and cut across your vision.

[GaryW]

My Shark Evoline I, a couple years old, has a drop down sun shield that barely covers the bottom of the eyes.  Love the versatility of the helmet but the sun shield is a drawback.  The Evoline II has a more useful drop down.

My Bell Revolver, a month old, has a fantastic sun shield, drops down to bottom of nose, with a notch for the nose.  Fills entire view on all axis, look like Darth Rider.

Both helmets easily accommodate glasses.  Shark I does not easily accept earphones ( no ear cutout), mic no problem.  Shark II has ear cutouts,  plenty of room for mic with sun shield/ chin bar.  Bell easily accommodates earphones, using open face mic with foam, no interference from helmet chin bar and sun shield mechanism.  Some folks might find the mic a little close to lips, when directly centered, very slight offset to left/right fixes that issue if you get tired of kissing the foam.

[Mister Tee]

A drop down feature would be nice but I probably wouldn't use it that much.  During the Summer months I just go with a medium smoke visor, and it's still light enough to see well enough in the dark.  In the Winter months, 90% of my riding is in the dark anyway so I just go with a clear (I ride to work and go home in the dark.)  I just put sunglasses on for the occasional daytime ride.

[lemosley01]

I wear a dark smoke visor and sunglasses during full daylight, otherwise, I feel like I am getting too much brightness. I go to work at 8:30, so even when the days are getting shorter, it is full light out when I ride in. I also go to the gym over mid-afternoon.

It is dark when I come home in the winter, so I have switch to a clear shield and only wear sunglasses, or ride home with the visor up and some clear glasses. The drop down visor + sunglasses functions as well as the smoke shield + glasses on my old helmet, and I can ride home with the visor down, and no sunglasses in the dark.