The Bell Qualifier doesn’t come with a pinlock as it has its anti-fogging system. This is probably the best thing about this helmet, and if that sounds like a criticism of the rest of the lid, then I don’t mean it to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At night this visor is perfectly clear as it is when you are indoors. But if you take it out in the daylight, it reacts straight away to UV light tinting to the point where it goes as dark as a race visor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It doesn’t have to be bright sunshine outside for it to react; even on cloudy days, there’s enough UV light to make it go dark. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If there is even mild criticism from me, it can go a little darker than I would have liked for some conditions. But, not once in my time with this helmet did I find my vision to be a problem because of the level of tint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Having a visor like this does away with the need for an internal sun visor. It’s slightly less flexible than having a sun visor, as you can lift one of those out of the way, but personally, I would rather have a light reactive visor than deal with the extra weight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is the best solution to riding in differing light conditions, and I hope it’s not too long before all helmets come with light reactive visors like this.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nThis one is also anti-fog coated, which does away with the need for a pin lock insert on the inside. However, I found this one wasn’t quite perfect with all the fog-coated visors I’ve ever used. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It doesn’t fog as such, but if I leave it without airflow for long enough, the moisture from my breath will capture in the coating, creating a muscled effect on the inside of the visor that makes things look a little bit blurry. Lifting the visor will get some air on it, soon clearing that moisture away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nothing is perfect for preventing visor fogging, even a pin lock. A pin lock is more effective than a coating like this one. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It will be better when the weather gets nasty, but the only time I found this one to struggle was when I was riding slowly around town in the rain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So if you want something for all-year riding and all-weather, then I think a pinlock-protected visor will be better for you, but I would expect this to work well for most riding conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This helmet isn’t trying to be an all-weather, all-year riding helmet, so I’m not criticizing it. I’m just pointing out what I would expect from it and what I wouldn’t expect from it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The lifting and lowering mechanism for the visor are very simple, and there are only really three stages. So first, you’ve got fully open, fully closed, and then a visor clearing position.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nA smaller cracked position to stop it from fogging up would be handy, but you can’t have everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It’s really simple to change the visor; it takes about 10 seconds, and that’s without even rushing. So there’s one thing that I will say about this visor: there’s a massive financial incentive to look after it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you need a new visor, it will cost you over $200. At that price, sometimes it’s cheaper to buy a whole helmet in a clearance sale than it is to buy just the new visor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Keep it clean using only water and clean dust-free cloths to wipe it down. Never use any form of cleaner on the coated inner surface, as you will probably wreck that coating and make the visor unusable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If I had one of these lids, I’d consider keeping it in the bag when I’m not using it to ensure it doesn’t gather a load of dust on the surface that can scratch it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Interior<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The foam lining is fully removable, and it’s covered with nice brushed material. I think of that as being a bit more road-friendly, and I would expect it to get a bit warm inside if I was using it for intense track riding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n