Arai and ProtecTINT UV sensitive Pinlock announced

RIDING in the UK can be challenging; one minute you can be riding in bright sunshine, and the next it’ll be sideways rain and miserable gloom. It can make picking a visor for your motorcycle helmet quite a tricky task.

And there is always that miserable ride back from the airport, the one when your flight gets delayed by six hours, forcing you to hit the road with your (one and only tinted) visor in the fully open position… I’m talking from experience here.

Now, Arai and visor insert experts Pinlock are reported to have come up with a genuine solution, and it might not cost as much as some other options. It is, as you’ve probably guessed, a Pinlock device that reacts to UV light levels, tinting to protect your peepers when the conditions are bright, and clearing when it becomes gloomy or dark.

The system will be of particular interest to Arai users, as the firm shuns traditional, interior-mounted drop-down sun visors. The firm does of course have the Pro Shade system, which is an exterior tinted visor, although it isn’t the most elegant design solution.

So far, it looks as though the ProtecTINT system is only available on helmets that utilise the SAI shield type, not the newer VAS visor as found on the Quantic, ChaserX, and RX-7V Evo. Given the simplicity of the design, we don’t really see a reason why it wouldn’t land here in the UK at some point. It’d also be good to see Arai expand the range of lids the system fits to include some of the later VAS-type helmets.

The Pinlock ProtecTINT has an RRP of $65USD, more information can be found on the official website.