Photochromic Pinlock – worth it?

Photochromic Pinlock – worth it?

Author
Discussion

Salted_Peanut

Original Poster:

1,510 posts

60 months

Thursday 28th April 2022
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Has anyone seen or used a photochromic (a.k.a. ProtecTINT) Pinlock? Are they worth it?

dibblecorse

6,943 posts

198 months

Thursday 28th April 2022
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No but my Bell RaceStar has the equivalent visor and its awesome.

Biker 1

7,859 posts

125 months

Thursday 28th April 2022
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I too am thinking about taking the plunge. If it was available with a brightness control, I would buy one right now!

trickywoo

12,216 posts

236 months

Friday 29th April 2022
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Visor option is great. Pinlock option is compromised by UV blockers which most visors have as standard even if they are untinted.

hiccy18

2,946 posts

73 months

Friday 29th April 2022
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trickywoo said:
Visor option is great. Pinlock option is compromised by UV blockers which most visors have as standard even if they are untinted.
That might explain why I read that it takes about a minute to change tint completely.

Jazoli

9,199 posts

256 months

Friday 29th April 2022
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anonymous said:
[redacted]
Me too, they are brilliant.

cannedheat

952 posts

281 months

Friday 29th April 2022
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I was told by Motolegends that a photochromatic pinlock wouldn’t work on my new Arai as the visor blocks a very high percentage of UV.

airsafari87

2,813 posts

188 months

Friday 29th April 2022
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Never tried the pinlocks, but I've had photochromic visors in on my Shoei helmets for about 6 years now and they are mega, I'll never go back to a clear / tinted visor combo again.

The only downside to them is that they get confused on foggy days and the visor darkens.

cpszx

141 posts

163 months

Friday 29th April 2022
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trickywoo said:
Visor option is great. Pinlock option is compromised by UV blockers which most visors have as standard even if they are untinted.
Exactly this.
I had a ProtecTint pinlock and it would only go to half the tint due to the UV blocking on visor, but worked fine when separate.

wa16

2,240 posts

227 months

Friday 29th April 2022
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it worked to a point and is better in the winter when the sun visor in the neotec keeps misting up and you cannot crack the visor to allow air to demist it as it does not have the appropiate setting

but its not worth the money in the long run - expensive for what it is. i have not bought a second one when it needed repalcing


klootzak

653 posts

222 months

Friday 29th April 2022
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trickywoo said:
Visor option is great. Pinlock option is compromised by UV blockers which most visors have as standard even if they are untinted.
This.

The photochromic pinlock I have is okay(ish), but never gets properly dark unless directly exposed to the sun, which isn't all that likely unless I'm doing a handstand with my visor open.

k

HughiusMaximus

703 posts

132 months

Friday 29th April 2022
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Any recommendations from people on the makes / suppliers of the visor option please?


littleredrooster

5,666 posts

202 months

Friday 29th April 2022
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The latest ones may work OK, but I had one years ago and found a major problem with it.

Although it darkened very quickly, it did not clear quickly enough when light was lost. This was discovered for the first time entering a tunnel cranked over (long corner all through the tunnel) and realised that I could suddenly see absolutely f-all! I had a frantic one-handed scrabble to get the visor up!

trickywoo

12,216 posts

236 months

Friday 29th April 2022
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HughiusMaximus said:
Any recommendations from people on the makes / suppliers of the visor option please?
Transitions make the Shoei visors as far as I can tell - the packaging is equally branded though so its hard to say but I'd guess there is a very close tie up between Transitions and the helmet manufacturers who provide a photochromic option.

Blippy

1,554 posts

220 months

Friday 29th April 2022
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I've tried the photochromic pinlock and it never worked well; I didn't realise at the time but other posts might be right about the UV blocking qualities of some visors.

My Mrs has the Shoei Transitions visor and it's fantastic - adjusts itself very quickly.

Jazoli

9,199 posts

256 months

Friday 29th April 2022
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HughiusMaximus said:
Any recommendations from people on the makes / suppliers of the visor option please?
I have a Shoei, I did buy a Bell one but sent it back as the helmet felt really poor quality in comparison to my AGV/HJC and Shoei lids.

SteveKTMer

980 posts

37 months

Friday 29th April 2022
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I tried one in a shop last year for my Shoei helmet, probably not a good test but I wasn't convinced. I use a a Shoei gold visor which reduces the amount of light entering but also keeps the colour pleasant, keeps the sky looking light blue. Some dark tinted visors change the colour to look more red or green and it's a bit depressing, looks like a cloudy day.

airsafari87

2,813 posts

188 months

Friday 29th April 2022
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anonymous said:
[redacted]
Or Bell. The Bell ones are on a par with Shoei.

trickywoo

12,216 posts

236 months

Saturday 30th April 2022
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SteveKTMer said:
I tried one in a shop last year for my Shoei helmet, probably not a good test but I wasn't convinced. I use a a Shoei gold visor which reduces the amount of light entering but also keeps the colour pleasant, keeps the sky looking light blue. Some dark tinted visors change the colour to look more red or green and it's a bit depressing, looks like a cloudy day.
The Shoei Transitions visor makes the sky look bluer if anything but keeps colours true.

On a hazy day when a clear sky can look a bit white, the visor as dark as it goes, makes the sky look bluer.

SteveKTMer

980 posts

37 months

Saturday 30th April 2022
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trickywoo said:
SteveKTMer said:
I tried one in a shop last year for my Shoei helmet, probably not a good test but I wasn't convinced. I use a a Shoei gold visor which reduces the amount of light entering but also keeps the colour pleasant, keeps the sky looking light blue. Some dark tinted visors change the colour to look more red or green and it's a bit depressing, looks like a cloudy day.
The Shoei Transitions visor makes the sky look bluer if anything but keeps colours true.

On a hazy day when a clear sky can look a bit white, the visor as dark as it goes, makes the sky look bluer.
Oh thanks, that sounds like a very useful visor then, worth a try.