Shoei > light or dark shield for sun protection?

[eakins]

which shield is more effective?

[kudzu]

My favorite all-around choice is a clear shield with a SunBlocker (sp?) strip across the top.

[TonyS]

I use the blue Spectra shield (see Rusty Wallace) and rate it right up there with electric gear as a must have. The plain tints aren't as effective with blocking UV and Infared (heat) rays. When you look out the tint is medium brown, not blue whatsoever. I usually wear sunglasses as well as it's not a real dark tint. With this combination I can ride directly into the sun.

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

Depends what you mean by protection. They're all polycarbonate, so they all block 100% of UV.

 

A smoked or mirrored shield will block more of the IR rays than a clear shield, and so will definitely keep your face cooler.

 

I run a blue spectra most of the time, but keep a clear shield in one of Fernando's protective covers in case I'm out at night or in crummy weather.

[Mike O]

Dark allows me to wear my glasses as well.

 

I still keep a clear shield with a sunblocker strip on top secured in visor carrier for dusk and night use.

 

Regards,

 

Mike O

[ChrisNYC]

It took me a while to figure out what works best for me, but I've settled on the Dark tint shield and sunglasses. When it gets cloudy or dark I swap the sunglasses for clear specs, and then if I continue riding into the dark, I swap the tinted shield for clear.

 

Another thing I did as an experiment was to trim approx 1/2" off the bottom of the tinted shield so that in hot weather I could get a little more air inside the helmet, while still having the shield in the "closed" position so the the brow vents would work with the rest of the helmet's venting. Works well, but an unforseen benefit was that looking down at gauges and maps was easier because I wasn't looking through the tinted shield. That 1/2" gap turned out to be well-placed for reading the speedo etc ...

 

------------------

Chris (aka Tender Vittles )

Little '77 KZ400 in the Big Apple

Black '99 RT for Everywhere Else, such as ...

[jrbldr]

I use the dark tint - the light tint is pretty worthless. Clear glasses underneath, both have UV protection. I also sometimes use my gold tinted shield (not sure what it is called), but it reflects in the instruments on the RT and can be annoying at times. I also have a clear shield in one of the saddlebags in case I get cuaght out after dark or late day in the shade.

[eakins]

Depends what you mean by protection. They're all polycarbonate, so they all block 100% of UV.

 

A smoked or mirrored shield will block more of the IR rays than a clear shield, and so will definitely keep your face cooler.

 

I run a blue spectra most of the time, but keep a clear shield in one of Fernando's protective covers in case I'm out at night or in crummy weather.

let me expand. i wear clear correcttive eyeglases (most of the time) so adding sunglasses to the mix is out. with that i also have fernando's face shield hold for the clear shield at night. now with that i'm looking for the best daytime shoei shield option to keep the sunglare down but still give good definiton to the road. the sun can be harsh in colorado. in the sunglass world that would be a pair of revos. so is it blue spectra or dark tint?

[eakins]

I use the dark tint - the light tint is pretty worthless. Clear glasses underneath, both have UV protection. I also sometimes use my gold tinted shield (not sure what it is called), but it reflects in the instruments on the RT and can be annoying at times. I also have a clear shield in one of the saddlebags in case I get cuaght out after dark or late day in the shade.

does the blue tint have the reflective instrument problem.

if the sun is directly in my eyes is the blue tint enough? what about the dark? maybe a combo with the sunstrip added to the top.

[jrbldr]

I use the dark tint - the light tint is pretty worthless. Clear glasses underneath, both have UV protection. I also sometimes use my gold tinted shield (not sure what it is called), but it reflects in the instruments on the RT and can be annoying at times. I also have a clear shield in one of the saddlebags in case I get cuaght out after dark or late day in the shade.

does the blue tint have the reflective instrument problem.

if the sun is directly in my eyes is the blue tint enough? what about the dark? maybe a combo with the sunstrip added to the top.

The dark tint is enough for me in all conditions - I also wear clear eyeglasses underneath. It is as dark, if not slightly darker, than the gold one I have also, when I compare them side to side. I think that the mirrored ones are a light tint with the colored mirror coating added, but it may be more refined than that.

 

FWIW, in June I was in the hot, dry part of Colorado, Utah, Nevada, etc and it was extremely bright. I was using the gold shield and it really wasn't quite enough midday, so I had to use the clip ons on my glasses (behind the shield) a couple of days for added relief. That trip is also when I really noticed and became annoyed at the gold reflections in my instruments. I would assume the blue will be noticeable also, although perhaps not quite as bad. Since then I have mainly used the dark tinted shield and I like it better now.

[Couchrocket]

I use the blue Spectra

ABSOLUTELY a requirement for me. If you've not tried one of Shoei's "mirrored" shields, try the gold and blue. They are more spendy, but very much worth the money. I don't even wear sunglasses while riding any more.

[eakins]

so can anyone compare a blue spectra to a dark tint?

sounds like those are the viable options.

[TonyS]

The dark tint is darker than the blue specta, but they have the same color when viewed from the inside. The spectra did seem to reduce glare better. I took the different shields outside the dealer to check the differences in the tints. One big benefit to the spectra is the infared reflection really makes it cooler when riding in hot sun. Some people have mentioned the spectra coating scratches easily. I've ridden over 18k miles with mine and clean it often, with Plexus. No scratches yet. I rode home yesterday right into the setting sun. With the spectra and sunglasses there was no problem at all.