Photochromic Visor Fitment: Which Helmets Take One

Photochromic visor fitment: the short answer

Photochromic visor fitment is decided by the shield your helmet takes, not by the badge on the front of it. A photochromic visor is a replacement visor with a light-reactive layer, so it has to match the same mechanism, the same curvature and the same locking geometry as the clear visor that came off. Get that part right and the auto-tint behaviour takes care of itself.

Counted from our live catalogue on 13 August 2026, we stock at least one photochromic visor for 181 distinct helmet ranges, spread across 100 separate photochromic listings. Those 181 ranges are not evenly distributed. Seven helmet makers account for 141 of them, and everything else put together accounts for the remaining 40.

The top pick for sheer coverage is Shoei. We can fit a photochromic visor to 26 Shoei ranges, more than any other maker in our catalogue, and one single listing covers 14 of those ranges on its own. If you ride a Shoei, the odds that we hold something for it are the best on this page.

The ranking below is built on one stated criterion and nothing else: how many distinct helmet ranges in our catalogue have at least one photochromic visor filed against them. Where two makers tie, the tie-break is the number of separate photochromic listings we hold for them. There are no ratings here, no sales figures and no price column, because none of those would tell you whether a visor fits your helmet.

What actually decides whether a photochromic visor fits

Helmet makers reuse a shield across a whole family of models, often for years and across several generations. That is why one listing in our catalogue can be filed against fourteen different helmet ranges without any of it being a stretch. The shield is genuinely the same part; only the badge and the shell around it changed.

It also cuts the other way. Two helmets from the same maker, sold in the same year, at similar money, can take completely different shields. A flip-front and a racing full-face from one range rarely share anything, so “it is the same brand” is never enough on its own.

What we publish is our catalogue’s own fitment record: the list of helmet ranges each listing is filed against. That is a record of what we hold and what it is sold to fit. It is not a universal compatibility chart, and where a helmet is missing from a listing, the honest reading is that we have not filed it there rather than that it definitely will not fit.

Three practical consequences follow from that, and they shape every entry below.

• Match the range name, not the brand. The range is the unit that shares a shield.
• Check the generation. Where a maker has run the same name across two shield designs, we file them as separate ranges, and the listings do not overlap.
• A wide listing is a good sign, not a guarantee. It tells you the shield is common, which usually means better availability in more tints.

One more thing worth knowing before the table. A photochromic visor reacts to ultraviolet light, so it darkens outdoors and stays much clearer behind glass, and its speed of change depends on temperature. We have covered that behaviour separately in how photochromic visors work, in why one is slow to clear in the cold, and in why one darkens less in summer heat. This page is only about whether one fits.

The eight fitment groups compared

Every number in this table was read off the live catalogue on the date above. “Helmet ranges we can fit” counts distinct helmet ranges with at least one photochromic visor filed against them. “Separate listings” counts distinct photochromic products, and “widest single listing” is the largest number of ranges any one of those products covers.

Read the third column as reach and the fifth column as convenience. A maker can score well on reach through one very wide shield family, as Shoei does, or through a large number of narrow ones, as LS2 does. Those two situations feel completely different when you are actually trying to buy, which is what the entries below are for.

1. Shoei — 26 helmet ranges, the widest reach in our catalogue

Shoei tops this list on the stated criterion and it is not close. We hold 15 separate photochromic listings filed against 26 distinct Shoei ranges, from the current full-face and sport-touring helmets through to open-face and jet models that have been in production for years.

What makes Shoei unusually easy to buy for is shield reuse at scale. A single listing in our catalogue is filed against 14 Shoei ranges on its own — the GT-Air, Glamster and J-Cruise photochromic visor spans the GT-Air, Glamster, J-Cruise, J-O, NXR2, RF-1400, X-14, X-15, X-Fifteen, X-Fourteen, X-Spirit III, X-SPR Pro, Z-7 and Z-8. That is the widest single-maker listing anywhere on this page.

The practical effect is that a Shoei rider usually has more than one route to the same shield. Several of our listings overlap heavily, so if one is out of stock in the finish you want, another filed against your range often carries it. That redundancy is the real benefit of a common shield family, and it is worth more day to day than the raw range count.

There is a second route worth knowing about. One of our widest photochromic listings is not a Shoei-only product at all: a cross-brand photochromic visor is filed against 13 Shoei ranges alongside several AGV and Arai ones. Shared tooling across makers is normal in this part of the market, and it is a legitimate fitment record rather than a filing error.

Where it gets harder is the older and more specialised end of the range. Some legacy models appear on only one listing, so there is no fallback if that one is unavailable. Start at our range of visors for Shoei helmets and match on the range name printed in your helmet, not on the model year you bought it.

2. LS2 — 24 helmet ranges, but spread across 19 narrow listings

LS2 comes second on reach with 24 ranges covered, and it is the most interesting entry on this page because of how that reach is built. We hold 19 separate photochromic listings for LS2 — more than for any other maker, including Shoei — yet the widest single one covers just four ranges.

That is close to the opposite of the Shoei pattern. LS2 runs a large number of distinct shield designs across a broad model range, so instead of one big family there are many small ones. Reach is high because the catalogue is deep, not because the shields are shared.

The consequence for a buyer is direct: picking the correct listing matters more here than anywhere else on this page. With four-range listings, being one model out is far more likely than it is on a fourteen-range shield family, and the near-identical naming across the LS2 line does not help. A good example of the shape is the FF397, FF801, FT2 and Vector photochromic visor, which is one of the broader ones and still only spans four.

The upside of that structure is coverage of unusual helmets. LS2’s 24 ranges include flip-fronts, adventure models, open-face and off-road shells that other makers in this list simply do not have a photochromic option for in our catalogue. If you ride something less mainstream, LS2 is the maker most likely to be covered.

Work from our range of visors for LS2 helmets and read the full model code, including any suffix. FF811 and FF811 Vector II are filed separately for a reason.

3. Scorpion — 23 helmet ranges from a small number of shared shields

Scorpion covers 23 ranges from only nine photochromic listings, which is the most efficient ratio in the top half of this table. The EXO line reuses shields heavily across both its road and its touring helmets, so a handful of products reaches a long list of models.

The widest of them, the EXO-1200, EXO-2000 and EXO-390 photochromic visor, is filed against seven ranges and is available in three variations. Between that listing and one other of the same width, most of the mainstream EXO range is covered twice over.

Scorpion’s naming is the thing to watch. The catalogue holds EXO-390, EXO-391, EXO-410, EXO-R410, EXO-491, EXO-510, EXO-R520, EXO-T510 and EXO-T520 as separate ranges, and the R and T prefixes are not decorative. They mark genuinely different helmets, and the photochromic listings treat them separately.

Because the shields are shared so widely, availability tends to be good and substitution is usually possible. Nine listings across 23 ranges means most Scorpion owners have a viable option even when one product is unavailable. Start at our range of visors for Scorpion helmets.

4. HJC — 22 helmet ranges, strongest on flip-front and open-face

HJC covers 22 ranges across 10 photochromic listings, and its widest single listing reaches nine of them. That listing is squarely aimed at the flip-front and open-face side of the range rather than the racing helmets, which is unusual on this page.

The C90, C91 and C91N photochromic visor is filed against the C90, C91, C91N, CL-Max 2, CL-Max 3, HJ17, IS-Max 2, IS-Max BT and SY-Max 3. If you ride a flip-front HJC, that single product very likely covers you, and a photochromic visor is arguably at its most useful on exactly that kind of helmet.

The racing and sport end is covered too, through the RPHA line, but with narrower listings. RPHA-11, RPHA-12, RPHA-1N and RPHA-70 appear across several products rather than one wide one, so match the exact designation rather than assuming the RPHA family shares a shield throughout.

HJC is also the maker we have written about most on fitment generally. If you want the wider picture beyond auto-tint visors, our guide to visors that fit HJC helmets breaks the whole range into shield groups, and our range of visors for HJC helmets is the place to start shopping.

5. Arai — 19 helmet ranges, cleanly split between road and adventure

Arai covers 19 ranges from eight listings, and the structure is the tidiest on this page. There is a large road-helmet family and a separate, smaller adventure family, and they do not mix.

On the road side, the Corsair-X, Defiant-X and QV-Pro photochromic visor is filed against nine ranges: Corsair-X, Defiant-X, Quantum-X, QV-Pro, RX-7V, RX-7V Evo, RX-7X, Signet-X and Vector-X. That is one product covering most of Arai’s modern full-face line.

The adventure helmets sit on their own shield entirely. Tour-Cross V, Tour-X5, TX5 and XD-5 are grouped together and share nothing with the road family, which is exactly what you would expect from a peak-equipped helmet with a different aperture.

Arai’s older naming is the trap here. Several ranges use very similar names across different generations, and our listings distinguish them, so read the label inside the helmet rather than going by memory. Our range of visors for Arai helmets lists them by range.

6. AGV — 14 helmet ranges across two clear families

AGV covers 14 ranges from 11 listings. The reach is lower than the makers above it, but the structure is simple: a sport-touring and street family, and a racing family, each with its own shield.

On the street side, the Compact ST, GT4 and K1 photochromic visor covers the Compact ST, GT4, K1, K3 SV and K5, and is stocked in three variations. On the racing side, a separate listing groups the Corsa R, Pista GP R, Pista GP RR, Race 2 and Race 3. Five ranges each, with no crossover between them.

That clean split makes AGV one of the easier makers to buy for correctly, provided you know which side of the line your helmet sits on. The K-series and the Pista series are not interchangeable, and no listing in our catalogue suggests otherwise.

AGV also appears on the cross-brand listing mentioned in the Shoei entry, which gives some models a second route to an auto-tint visor. Start from our range of visors for AGV helmets.

7. Shark — 13 helmet ranges, race and street on separate shields

Shark closes the individual entries with 13 ranges across 10 listings. Like AGV it splits into two groups, but the split runs between the race helmets and the street ones rather than by generation.

The race group is the wider of the two. The Aeron-GP and Race-R Pro photochromic visor is filed against the Aeron-GP, Race-R Pro, Race-R Pro GP, Race-R Pro GP 06 and Speed-R — five ranges on one shield.

The street side is more fragmented. D-Skwal, D-Skwal 2, D-Skwal 3, Ridill 2, Skwal, Skwal 2, Spartan and VZ-400 are spread across several narrower listings, usually two or three ranges at a time. Shark has changed shield designs across those generations more than most, so the numbered suffix is load-bearing.

Thirteen ranges is the lowest count of any individual entry here, and that is a fact about how many of Shark’s helmets we hold an auto-tint option for rather than a judgement on the helmets. Our range of visors for Shark helmets shows what is filed against each one.

8. All other makers combined — 40 helmet ranges you might not expect

The eighth entry is deliberately a group rather than a single maker. Eleven further makers each cover between one and seven ranges, and individually none of them would earn a place on this list. Together they account for 40 helmet ranges and 22 separate listings, which is more reach than any single maker above except Shoei and LS2.

These are the three worth calling out. Nolan covers seven ranges across the X-603, X-661, X-702, X-802, X-802R, X-803 and X802-RR, with one listing reaching six of them. MT also covers seven, through a Blade 2, KRE Carbon and Rapid listing plus one other. Bell covers six across the Qualifier DLX, Revolver, Revolver Evo, RS-1, RS-2 and Vortex, most of it on a single five-range listing.

Below those, KYT covers five ranges but does it across five separate listings, which is the narrowest structure on this page — one shield family per product, including the R2R and R2R PRO photochromic visor. X-Lite covers four, sharing shield designs with Nolan as you would expect from ranges built alongside each other.

The tail is genuinely small and we are not going to inflate it. ILM covers three ranges, Ruroc two, Sedici two and Axxis two, while Klim and Alpinestars have a single range each. If you ride one of those, there is exactly one option and no substitute, so check the listing carefully before ordering.

What is deliberately not in this list

There is no price column. This store prices in US dollars at base with a currency switcher in the header, and most of these are variable products that publish a range rather than a single figure, so a price column would be misleading in at least two ways before you started comparing.

There are no ratings and no popularity figures either. The reviews on our product pages come from the supplier rather than from ClearLine customers, so using them to rank anything here would be dishonest. Fitment breadth is something we can count and verify, which is why it is the only thing the ranking uses.

Helmets with an internal drop-down sun visor are also out of scope. That is a second, separate shield inside the shell and it is not a photochromic visor, even though it solves a related problem.

Tint, light and UK road use

A photochromic visor changes how much light it lets through as ultraviolet levels change, which is the whole point of it. That also means its light transmission is not a single fixed number, and any statement about road use has to be handled carefully rather than waved through.

In Great Britain the legal test is the marking on the individual eye protector, not its colour and not the technology behind it. Section 18 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 makes it an offence to sell or offer an eye protector for road use when it is not of a type prescribed under that section as authorised for such use. That is a duty on the seller, and it turns on what is marked on the specific visor in front of you.

We do not verify the markings on individual items, so we do not describe any visor we sell as road legal, approved or certified. What we can tell you is what a finish does to light and where the hard limits sit. Iridium, mirrored and dark-smoke visors are not road legal in the UK — not in daylight, not at night, and not as a “daytime only” compromise.

The offence is not an endorsable one, so it does not carry penalty points. Everything on this page describes the position in Great Britain, and it is the marking that decides it rather than the technology. Our fuller treatment is in are tinted motorcycle visors legal in the UK and in whether iridium and mirrored visors are road legal.

The Highway Code is worth reading alongside that. Rules 83 to 88 advise wearing eye protectors that comply with the Regulations, note that eye protectors can limit your view when riding, particularly in bright sunshine and in darkness, and ask riders to check the visor is clean and in good condition before setting off. A scratched visor scatters light badly at night whatever its tint, which is a good reason to replace one rather than live with it.

How to choose, and what to check first

Start with the helmet, not the visor. Find the range name — it is usually moulded or printed inside the shell or on the chin strap label — and match that exact name against the listing. The brand alone will not get you there, and the model year usually will not either.

Then check the generation. Where a maker has run one name across two shield designs, we file them separately, and the numbered or lettered suffix is the thing that distinguishes them. EXO-410 and EXO-R410 are different helmets, as are D-Skwal and D-Skwal 2.

If your helmet appears on a wide listing, that is good news beyond the fit itself. Common shields are usually stocked in more finishes and are easier to replace later, so a fourteen-range family is a more comfortable place to be than a single-range one.

If you are not sure what you have, the visor finder works from your helmet range rather than from a part number. It is the fastest route when the label inside the helmet has worn off, which happens more often than you would think.

One decision is worth making before you buy rather than after. A photochromic visor and a pin-style anti-fog insert solve different problems, and running both is usually the right answer for year-round riding. Our guide to fitting a pin-style anti-fog insert covers whether your visor is drilled for one.

Delivery is free on everything here and takes 5–10 business days, so order slightly ahead of the season you are buying for rather than the week you need it.

Frequently asked questions

Will a photochromic visor fit any helmet of the same brand?

No, and this is the single most common fitment mistake. Helmet makers run several different shield designs at once, so two helmets from the same maker can take completely different visors. Match the helmet range name against the listing rather than the brand.

How many helmets can you actually fit a photochromic visor to?

Counted from the live catalogue on 13 August 2026, 181 distinct helmet ranges have at least one photochromic visor filed against them, across 100 separate listings. Shoei accounts for 26 of those ranges, LS2 for 24 and Scorpion for 23. The eleven smaller makers account for 40 between them.

Why does one listing cover fourteen helmets and another only cover two?

Because shield reuse varies enormously between makers and between ranges. Shoei reuses one shield across a very large family, so a single listing reaches 14 ranges. LS2 runs many distinct shield designs instead, so its widest photochromic listing reaches only four despite covering 24 ranges in total.

Is a photochromic visor legal for road use in the UK?

That depends on the marking on the individual visor, which is the legal test in Great Britain, and we do not verify markings on individual items — so we do not describe anything we sell as road legal or approved. What is clear is that iridium, mirrored and dark-smoke finishes are not road legal in the UK at any time of day. The seller-side offence under the Road Traffic Act is not endorsable and carries no penalty points.

Can I run a pin-style anti-fog insert on a photochromic visor?

Only if that particular visor is drilled for the pins, which varies by listing rather than by maker. Check the product page for your range before assuming it. A photochromic layer handles light, not moisture, so an insert is still the right tool for fogging.

Where to start

If you know your helmet range, go straight to the maker’s section and match the name: KYT, Nolan, MT and Bell are all covered alongside the seven larger makers above.

If you would rather browse by what the visor does, our photochromic visors is the place to begin, and it is the page every entry on this list ultimately points back to. For a fixed tint instead of a reactive one, clear visors and iridium visors sit alongside it.