Arai Shield Question - Smoked vs. Iridium

What? You giving up on your Virgil Ward Bass Angler Fishin' Glasses?

I am not going to be a major help...but with the AGV helmets I have owned, the Smoke is better than the Iridium for sun blocking. Also, not too sure if you have ever done this...but run a strip of black electrician's tape along the top of your visor, it helps quite a bit!

showmethebombs said:

I am not going to be a major help...but with the AGV helmets I have owned, the Smoke is better than the Iridium for sun blocking. Also, not too sure if you have ever done this...but run a strip of black electrician's tape along the top of your visor, it helps quite a bit!

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The AGV shields I have owned have sucked so far. My old ones had scratches all along the top of them from opening and closing it. My new one had a tab break off and now it won't snap into place :banghead:
That said...I like the iridium better.

As an owner of many Arai's with both light and dark smoked, as well as Iridium shields, I must say stick with the dark smoke. The iridium is kinda odd, with the shield down you can see yourself in it. The coating blocks the sun very well but the reflection on the inside is kind of annoying.


Dano

Damn...I wish they made a "darker" smoke... :crying:

:thumb: on the electrical tape, I have been doing this for years and always keep a short roll in my tankbag. Works great!

I've also heard that the iridium scratches easily.

Baketech said:

Damn...I wish they made a "darker" smoke... :crying:

:thumb: on the electrical tape, I have been doing this for years and always keep a short roll in my tankbag. Works great!

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:huh: please help me understand. I do not know the purpose of the black tape. :idunno: Exactly how does it help?

colryn said:

:huh: please help me understand. I do not know the purpose of the black tape. :idunno: Exactly how does it help?

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If you put a band or two at the top of your shield (brow area) it's like a sun visor. You can ride directly into the sun with ease....works great in the morning or the evening...

Leave a half inch or so of "doubled-back" tape at the very edge, and it becomes a "tear-off". When the sun goes down, you can easily peel it off while riding and stick it into your tankbag...

:thumb:

sounds like you people need a Suomy. they have light smoke, dark smoke, iriduim, iridium blue, iridium gold, iridium mirror (just got mine the other day, only rode with it a couple miles but does seem to block heat like I've heard) and an amber shield. and I believe the iridiums are high definition visors, not sure what that really means cause a see through piece of plastic is a see through piece of plastic (as long as its optically correct) but it does seem to make stuff look more "hi-def" I can't really describe it, its kinda like those allergy commercials where stuff looks all crappy then you take the pill and everything becomes nice and clear.

One major issue with the irdium shields is that they filter interference (the rainbow effect you see in oil on the road). It makes all spots look pretty much the same and several racers have run right through fresh oil (with dire consequences) without seeing it while using iridium shields.

Yes they scratch very, very easily. And they look like shit.

Baketech get yourself and iridium shield and a pair of those gold bling ICON gloves and you can take Pete's position

HondaGalToo said:

I've also heard that the iridium scratches easily.

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I have an iridium shield on my Arai, and I have found that it scratches VERY easily. :thumbd: It's not even from mishandling when it's not in use, but rather from normal road debris and really big bugs. The problem is that even a scratch that's barely noticeable from the outside looks like flourescent paint from the inside.

It does a good job blocking the sun, as I have no problems at all with glare, but they're kind of expensive considering how long they last. I've had my iridium shield on for about 1500 miles now, and I'm already considering replacing it due to the scratches.

Just my :twocents:

Amber Fog City insert. I love it, and put one in each of my helmets now, regardless of visor tint. The contrast is amazing and it actually cuts down glare, believe it or not. :thumb:

HondaGalToo said:

I've also heard that the iridium scratches easily.

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Soei iridium shields scratch if you look at them wrong. My Arai iridium shield has yet to scratch and has endured many bug scrubbings.

My Arai iridium visor was nice while it stayed scratch free, though still not as good as a tinted visor. Scratches if you just think about a set of keys or sharp stick... not worth the expense IMHO, mine has a nice scratch dead centre of the shield... and as Beach Guy says... it is bright as hell through the scratch inside the helmet.

My Dark Smoke AGV is 3 years old...no scratches still...and it does not get babied.

Hey if you choose the Iridium don't put that Oxy-Clean stuff on it. I usedthe oxy stuff that came in a blue spray bottle on my Iridium and it ate part of the finish away!

Anyone use a high definition (yellow) visor?