MC Tested: Arai Pro Shade Tinted Helmet Shield System

As a year-round rider, I've come to appreciate helmets that free me from the tyranny of shield swapping—whether that's from an internal flip-down shield or through something like the Transitions auto-darkening shield. Either way, not having to worry if I'm carrying the alternate shield is a genuine convenience.

Arai’s solution is the PSS (Pro Shade System), a replacement visor for the Corsair-V, RX-Q, Signet-Q, Defiant, and Vector-2 helmets. It is, simply, a second dark shield overlaid upon a clear one using a clever, very low-profile pivot mechanism. The dark portion is tapered to cover more than two-thirds of the shield at the center, angling up at the edges.

Both visors live outside the helmet, and that’s where the Pro Shade’s troubles start. For one, road grime easily finds its way between the two surfaces, resulting in muck that you have to look through and compromised optics. To open the dark visor, it’s best to grasp it from both sides near the outboard edges, which is fine when you’re not moving but near impossible on a bike. So, instead, you’re inclined to lift it from the center, which then puts a blemish right in your field of view.

Speaking of which, because the dark shield isn’t full coverage, you’re left with a strip of un-dimmed light hitting your eyes from below, a tough thing if your eyes are at all sensitive. Finally, the Pro Shade is demonstrably noisier than a regular single-element shield, especially so with the tinted portion raised. I get that Arai is historically fixated on safety and that it feels the pocket needed for an internal shield compromises crashworthiness, but the Pro Shade solution makes the inconvenience of carrying a second shield seem not so bad.

Arai Pro Shade System
Price $87
Contact: araiamericas.com

MC Grade: D
Verdict: A stopgap solution that's not very practical in the real world and not amazingly cheap.