Visors That Fit Arai Helmets: 5 Fitment Groups

Visors that fit Arai helmets: the short answer

Visors that fit Arai helmets fall into five fitment groups in our catalogue, and once you know which group your lid belongs to the shopping part takes about a minute. One shield design usually serves a whole family of models, so the question is never really “what visor fits my helmet” but “which family is my helmet in”. The five groups below are ranked by how completely we can equip them: whether all three product types are available, then how many Arai models the group covers here, then how many tints the group’s widest replacement listing carries.

The top group is the modern full-face family built around the Corsair-X, RX-7V and RX-7X. It covers 25 Arai model categories in our catalogue, it has a replacement visor, a photochromic visor and an anti-fog insert, and its widest replacement listing carries 14 finishes. If you ride a recent Arai full-face, you are almost certainly in that group and you have the most choice of anyone reading this.

• Ranked on: product types available (3, 2 or 1), then Arai models covered, then tint count on one named replacement listing.
• Not ranked on: ratings, sales, popularity or road legality. We do not hold that data and we will not invent it.
• Every group has a clear option. All five have a clear replacement visor, so nobody is forced into a tint.
• Three groups are fully equipped with a replacement visor, a photochromic visor and an anti-fog insert. Two are not, and we say which.

How fitment works across the Arai range

Arai has never used one universal shield, and it has never used a different shield for every helmet either. The company groups models around a small number of shield-and-sidepod systems, and a helmet stays on the same system for years at a time. That is why a visor described for a Corsair-X will also be described for a Defiant-X, a Quantum-X and a QV-Pro, and why a visor for a Tour-X5 will not go anywhere near any of them.

The practical consequence is that model year matters far less than model family. A rider who knows their helmet is “an Arai” and nothing more has a hard shopping trip ahead. A rider who knows their helmet is in the RX-7V family can buy with confidence in two clicks.

Why one shield covers so many models

The shield does not attach to the shell. It attaches to a sidepod assembly that is common across a family, and the shell is designed around that assembly. Change the graphics, change the vents, change the name on the box, and the sidepod can stay exactly where it was. This is deliberate on the manufacturer’s part and it is good news for anyone buying aftermarket.

It also explains the odd-looking entries further down this page. Race-only variants such as the RX-7V RC and the RX-7X SRC sit in the same fitment group as the road models they are derived from, because the sidepod did not change. A helmet with a very different purpose can share a shield with one you would never park next to it.

How we built these five groups

Every group on this page comes from our own live catalogue, read this morning rather than remembered. For each product we took the helmet-model categories the listing is actually filed under, and a group is the union of those filings across every listing that shares them. That is a record of what we stock and how it is described, not a general compatibility chart, and it is worth being clear about the difference.

Where two listings serve one shield family we merged them and linked the more useful one. Where a listing carried only a single meaningless option we left it out of the tint count and used a different listing from the same family, so the numbers in the table all mean the same thing. You can check any row by opening the linked product and counting the swatches yourself.

The five Arai fitment groups compared

Read the table across, not down. The “Models covered” column is a count of Arai helmet-model categories in our catalogue, so a big number means the group serves a wide slice of the range rather than that it is better. The “Tints” column is the number of finish options on one named replacement visor listing per group, which keeps every row in the same unit.

Two things fall straight out of that table. Groups 1, 2 and 3 can be equipped end to end, which is why they take the top three places. Group 5 covers a lot of helmets but only offers one product type, and that gap is the most useful thing this page can tell a rider who owns one of those helmets.

1. Modern full-face: Corsair-X, RX-7V, RX-7X, Defiant-X and 21 more

This is the group most riders reading this will be in, and it is the one our catalogue serves best. It takes in the Corsair-X and Corsair-X RC, the RX-7V, RX-7V Evo, RX-7V Racing and RX-7V RC, the RX-7X and RX-7X SRC, the Defiant-X, Quantum-X, QV-Pro, Signet-X, Vector-X, Regent-X and XD, plus the newer Astro-GX, Astral-X, Chaser-X, Concept-X, Contour-X, Profile-V, Quantic, Rapide-Neo, Neo and Neo XD. That is 25 model categories filed against one broad shield family.

The reason it ranks first is not that it is the best shield. It ranks first because it is the only group where you can buy a replacement visor, a photochromic visor and an anti-fog insert and know all three are described for your helmet. Every other group on this page is missing at least one of those, and for a rider planning a winter that matters more than any single product does.

Choice is the other reason. The replacement visor listing for the Corsair-X, Defiant-X, Quantum-X and QV-Pro group carries 14 finishes, from plain clear through light and deep smoke to the full range of mirrored and rainbow treatments. No other group here comes close to that. If you want a specific look, this is the group that will have it.

What to buy first in this group

Start with a clear visor if you do not already have a spare. It is the option that works at every hour of every day, it is the one you will fall back on when the weather turns, and it is the cheapest way to find out whether an aftermarket shield seats properly on your sidepods before you commit to a tint. Our clear visor range is the place to start that.

After that, the photochromic visor for the Astro-GX, Chaser-X and Concept-X side of this family is the single most useful upgrade for UK riding, because it darkens in sunlight and clears again when the light drops. It is one visor instead of two and no roadside swap. We have written separately on how photochromic visors work and where they fall short, including the cold-weather behaviour that surprises people in January.

For fogging, the anti-fog insert for the Astral-X, Astro-GX and Corsair-X group is the fix that works at a standstill, which sprays and coatings generally do not. It is a second lens that sits inside the visor and traps a thin layer of air behind it. Fitting takes a few minutes and our guide to fitting a pin-style anti-fog insert walks through it.

Where this group stops working

Breadth has a cost. Because the group spans a decade of models and several race-only variants, a listing that names your helmet is telling you the sidepod matches, not that the shield is identical to the one that came in the box. Check the fitment list on the listing against the model name printed inside your helmet before you order, and if your model is not named, do not assume.

The other limit is finish. Most of those 14 options are mirrored or iridium, and those are not road legal in the UK, day or night. If you are buying for the road rather than for a track day, the honest working set inside this group is clear, light smoke and photochromic. Browse the Corsair-X fitment page or the RX-7X fitment page to see what is filed against your exact model.

2. Open-face and street: RAM-X, SZ-R, SZ-R Evo, SZ-R VAS, SZ-Ram X and VZ-Ram

The open-face family is the second most complete group in our catalogue and, for a certain kind of rider, the most interesting one on this page. It covers the RAM-X, SZ-R, SZ-R Evo, SZ-R VAS, SZ-Ram X and VZ-Ram: six model categories, all sharing a shield that is shorter and shallower than the full-face shields above because it has no chin bar to reach around.

It places second rather than first purely on breadth. Like group 1 it has all three product types, so a rider here can equip completely. It simply covers six models rather than 25, which is a fact about how many open-face models exist, not a judgement about the shield.

The replacement visor for the RAM-X, SZ-R and SZ-R Evo group carries 10 finishes including clear, black, gold, silver and the mirrored treatments. There is a second listing serving the same family with a different spread, the SZ-R Evo, SZ-R VAS and VZ-Ram smoke and clear listing, which is worth opening if the first one does not have the depth of tint you want.

The open-face fogging problem

Open-face helmets fog differently from full-face helmets and usually worse at low speed, because there is no chin bar to route breath away from the shield and the shield sits closer to your face. A rider stopped at lights in November will often see an open-face shield go opaque in seconds while a full-face rider next to them is fine. This is the single most common complaint about open-face riding in a British winter.

The answer is the same as it is anywhere else: a second lens. The anti-fog insert for the RAM-X, SZ-R Evo and SZ-R VAS group is the product that does that job for this family, and it works stationary, which is the condition that matters. If you ride an open-face through the winter and buy one thing from this page, buy that.

There is also a photochromic visor for the RAM-X, SZ-R and SZ-R Evo group, which matters more on an open-face than it does on a full-face. Open-face riders get more direct low sun in the eyes and fewer places to stash a spare visor. One shield that handles both ends of the day removes a genuine inconvenience. Our SZ-R Evo fitment page lists everything filed against that model.

3. Adventure, current: Tour-X5, Tour-Cross V, TX5 and XD-5

The current adventure family is small but fully equipped. It covers the Tour-X5, Tour-Cross V, TX5 and XD-5, which are regional names for closely related helmets, and all four are filed together in our catalogue. Four model categories is the narrowest group with all three product types, which is exactly why it sits third rather than higher.

Adventure helmets are a distinct fitment problem because the shield has to coexist with a peak. The shield is deeper, the mounting is different, and nothing from the full-face groups above will fit even though several of those helmets are made by the same manufacturer in the same factory. If you have arrived here from a search that mixed adventure and road models together, this is the split that matters.

The replacement visor for the MAX-V, Tour-Cross V, Tour-X5 and XD-5 group carries 8 finishes spanning clear, deep black and the mirrored range. There is a second route in through the Tour-X5 replacement visor listing, which carries its own set of 8 and is worth comparing before you decide.

Adventure riding and light

Adventure riders change light conditions more than anyone else. A green lane under trees at ten in the morning and an open A-road at four in the afternoon are different visual worlds, and stopping to swap a visor with gloves on and a peak in the way is nobody’s idea of a good time. This is the use case photochromic was invented for.

The photochromic visor for the MAX-V, Tour-Cross V, Tour-X5 and XD-5 group is the one product in this family we would push hardest, for that reason. Pair it with the Tour-X5 anti-fog insert and the helmet handles most of a British year without a change of shield. The Tour-X5 fitment page collects everything we file against it.

4. Adventure, previous: Tour Cross 3, TX-3 and XD-4

The previous-generation adventure family covers the Tour Cross 3, TX-3 and XD-4. Three model categories, two product types, and no photochromic option. That gap is the whole reason it ranks below the current adventure group despite being a perfectly good helmet family that plenty of people are still riding.

What you can get is solid. The replacement visor for the Tour Cross 3 and XD-4 carries 6 finishes including clear, and the anti-fog insert for the TX-3, Tour Cross 3 and XD-4 covers the fogging problem. For a helmet family this far into its life, having both a fresh shield and a fog fix available is more than many riders expect to find.

What to do about the missing photochromic option

If you own one of these and want auto-tinting, the honest answer is that we cannot sell you one for this shield today and you should not buy a shield from another group hoping it will fit. It will not. The sidepod geometry changed between this family and the Tour-X5 family, and forcing a shield that was not designed for your helmet is the one thing you must not do with a piece of protective equipment.

The workable approach is two shields. Keep a clear one on the helmet for everything except bright summer riding, and keep a light smoke one for the handful of days that need it. Between them they cover more of the year than a single compromise tint does, and swapping a shield on this family is a two-minute job in a car park. Our XD-4 fitment page shows what is currently filed against the model.

5. Legacy full-face: Astro-IQ, Quantum-J, RX-7, Axces II, Axces III and more

The legacy full-face group is the biggest surprise on this page. It covers 12 model categories, more than any group except the first, taking in the Astro-IQ, Quantum-J, Quantum-ST, Rapide-IR, Rebel, RX-7, RX-7 GP, RX-7 RV, RXQ, Vector 2, Axces II and Axces III. Yet it ranks last, because we have exactly one product type for it: replacement visors.

No photochromic option and no anti-fog insert is a real limitation and it is the most useful thing this page can hand a rider who owns one of these helmets. Rather than search the site hoping something turns up, you now know the shape of what exists. That is worth more than a rank.

What we do have is decent. The replacement visor for the Astro-IQ, Axces II and Axces III group carries 9 finishes, which is more than groups 3 and 4 offer, and there is a second listing serving the Astro-IQ, Quantum-J, Rapide-IR and RX-7 RV combination for models the first one does not name.

Getting a fog fix onto a legacy helmet

With no insert available for this shield, fogging has to be managed rather than engineered away. Crack the visor to its first detent at low speed so air moves across the inside surface. Close the chin vent’s recirculation path if your helmet has one, and route your breath downwards rather than straight ahead. None of that is as good as a second lens, and we are not going to pretend otherwise.

Cleaning matters more on an older shield than a new one, because a surface with fine scratches and old polish residue holds condensation far more readily than a clean one. A shield that fogs “suddenly” after three years usually just needs proper cleaning. Our guide to cleaning a helmet visor without scratching it covers what to use and, more importantly, what to keep away from it. The Astro-IQ fitment page lists what is filed against that model.

What is deliberately not in this list

Five is the honest number of fitment groups our Arai catalogue supports, so five is what this page carries. Padding it to seven or ten would mean splitting the modern full-face family into sub-lists that share a shield, and presenting the same product twice under different headings helps nobody. Where several listings serve one shield family we merged them and linked more than one.

We also left out one listing that looks like a replacement visor but currently offers a single option reading “No Photochromic”, which is not a usable choice of finish. It is filed in the modern full-face family and it is not the listing we linked, precisely so the tint counts in the table all mean the same thing. If you land on it from a search, use one of the listings linked in section 1 instead.

Cross-brand inserts are the other omission. Several anti-fog inserts in our range are filed against Arai models alongside helmets from other manufacturers, because the insert’s pin spacing suits more than one shield. Those are genuine products and they are worth a look, but they belong in a fitment guide organised by insert rather than by helmet family, and putting them here would have muddled the model counts.

Tint, light and UK road use

Most of the finishes in the table are mirrored, iridium or deep smoke, and it is worth being blunt about where those can be used. Iridium and mirrored shields transmit far too little light to be legal for road use in Great Britain, and that does not change after dark or in the rain. They are track and off-road items, and every retailer that tells you otherwise is doing you a disservice.

The legal test in Great Britain is not the colour of the shield but whether the individual eye protector is of a prescribed type, carrying the appropriate marking. Selling an eye protector as authorised for road use when it is not of a prescribed type is an offence on the seller’s part under section 18 of the Road Traffic Act 1988, which is why we describe finishes by what they do to light rather than labelling anything approved. It is not an endorsable offence and it carries no penalty points, but it is a real one.

We do not verify markings on individual items and we do not claim any product on this site is road legal. What we can tell you is what a finish does. Clear passes essentially all available light, light smoke takes the edge off bright conditions, and photochromic sits between the two and moves with the sun. The Highway Code rules for motorcyclists point riders at the Motor Cycles (Eye Protectors) Regulations and note that eye protectors can limit your view when riding, particularly in bright sunshine and the hours of darkness.

The same source makes a point riders skip: keep the visor clean and in good condition. A scratched or hazed shield scatters light at night far more than a slightly darker clean one does. If you want the detail, we have covered tinted visors and UK law and whether iridium and mirrored visors are road legal separately.

How to choose, and what to do first

Find the model name inside your helmet before you do anything else. It is usually printed on the label under the comfort liner or moulded into the sidepod cover, and it is the only piece of information that reliably places you in a group. “It is a black Arai” is not enough to buy from, and neither is the year you bought it.

Then match the model to a row in the table and open the linked listing for that group. Check that the fitment list on the listing names your exact model, not merely something that sounds like it. Corsair-X and Corsair-X RC are in the same group; Tour-X5 and TX-3 are not, despite both being adventure helmets from the same manufacturer.

Buy in this order if you are starting from nothing. A clear replacement visor first, because it works everywhere and proves the fitment. An anti-fog insert second if you ride between October and March, because standstill fogging is the failure that actually stops you riding. A tinted or photochromic shield third, when you know the fit is right.

If you cannot find the model label, the visor finder will narrow it down from the details you do have, and the full Arai fitment index lists every model category we file products against. Shipping is free on every order and delivery takes 5–10 business days, so order a shield before the season needs it rather than the week it does.

Frequently asked questions

Will a visor from one Arai model fit another?

Only if both models are in the same fitment group. Within a group the sidepod assembly is common, so the shield swaps directly. Across groups it does not, and the gap is not something you can close by pressing harder or trimming anything. The table above is arranged so you can check this in one glance.

Which fitment group has the most tint choice?

The modern full-face group, by a clear margin. Its widest replacement listing carries 14 finishes against 10 for the open-face group, 9 for the legacy full-face group, 8 for the current adventure group and 6 for the previous adventure group. Those numbers all come from one named listing per group, so they are directly comparable.

Can I get a photochromic visor for any Arai helmet?

No. Three of the five groups have one: the modern full-face family, the open-face family and the current adventure family. The previous-generation adventure family and the legacy full-face family do not, and no shield from another group will fit them. If you own one of those helmets, two shields is the workable answer.

Are mirrored and iridium finishes legal on UK roads?

No. Mirrored and iridium shields transmit far too little light to be legal for road use in Great Britain, and that applies during the day as much as at night. They are for track and closed-course use. Clear, light smoke and photochromic are the finishes riders use on the road.

Do I need an anti-fog insert if I already have a photochromic visor?

They solve different problems, so yes, often. A photochromic shield changes how much light reaches your eyes and does nothing about condensation on the inside surface. An insert creates a trapped air layer that keeps the inner surface above the temperature at which your breath condenses, and it keeps working when you are stationary.

Where to start

Check the label inside your helmet, find your row in the table, and open the linked listing for that group. If you are in groups 1, 2 or 3 you can equip the helmet completely for the whole year. If you are in group 4 or 5, this page has told you exactly what does not exist so you can stop looking for it.

Browse the Arai fitment index to see every model we file products against, or go straight to the photochromic visor range if you already know your group has one. If you ride something else as well, we have built the same guide for visors that fit Shark helmets, and the iridium range is there for track days.