rokit
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- First reviewAugust 16, 2012
- Last reviewAugust 16, 2012
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- First questionMay 20, 2012
- Last questionSeptember 6, 2012
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- First answerAugust 8, 2012
- Last answerAugust 16, 2012
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rokit's Reviews
HJC HJ-V5 SyMax 3 Replacement Sun Visor Replacement drop-down sunshields for HJC Sy-Max III helmets. SyMax 3 helmets ship with the Smoke tint stock. Shields may look slightly different from images.
Overall rating
Stock Smoke vs Dark Smoke Replacement Sun Visor
PostedAugust 16, 2012
rokit
From Honolulu
State:HI
Rider Type:Commuter
Age:35-44
Gender:male
Bang for the Buck
4
/
5
Style
4
/
5
Comfort
4
/
5
Protection & Durability
3
/
5
Features
3
/
5
Weight
Light
Heavy
Vision
Narrow
Wide
I've been using a SY-MAX III helmet since the middle of March. Upon first use of the SY-MAX III, I felt that the stock (smoke) sun visor was inadequate for use during the brightest daylight hours. I could get away with the stock sun visor during early to mid morning and late afternoon/early evening. For the hours in between, I needed to wear sunglasses. I knew that HJC had a dark smoke sun visor replacement, but just dealt with putting on sunglasses for past several months. I'd been meaning meaning to pick up the dark smoke replacement, but never got around to it. Well, fast forward five months later, my dark smoke replacement sun visor came in today and have just finished installing the sun visor and here is my initial impressions. I have two minor quibbles. The first relates to visor construction and durability. The second applies to the effectiveness of the 'darker' sun visor. I'll discuss these caveats below.
I saw a review on another website where the user removed the sun visor for thorough cleaning and broke the the retention clip that secures the sun visor to the operating mechanism. As of the writing of that review, he went through 3 replacement visors. The little tabs/fingers of the retention clip do look fragile and look like they well bend and/or break easily if you are not careful. It would be best to remove the sun visor gingerly as it is easy to break the little tabs/retention clip that secures the visor to the operating mechanism. I would imagine this would be more of an issue in colder climates where the plastic retention clips may harden. As a precaution, one could try lightly warming the retention point with a hair dryer to soften the plastic a bit if you are removing the installed sun visor. I did not encounter any difficulty removing the stock smoke sun visor. I gently pulled on the sun visor to disengage the retention clip and from there lifted the visor away from sun visor hinges. Removal and installation was quite easy and only took a couple of minutes to do, seconds really. But if you rush it and are not careful, I can see those little mounting tabs breaking off if you man handle the sun visor too much.
The other quibble I want to address is that the dark smoke sun visor isn't that much darker than the stock smoke sun visor. In photography terms, the dark smoke sun visor is about 1 to 1.5 stops darker than the stock smoke sun visor (see attached pictures). As I mentioned earlier, the stock (smoke) sun visor tint isn't sufficient for the brightest hours of daylight approximately between the hours of 10:30am - 5:00pm here in Hawaii. While the stock sun visor is better than nothing, I prefer wearing sunglasses otherwise I'll be squinting during my ride if I were to rely solely on the stock smoke sun visor. For reference, my sunglasses are about 1.5 to 2 stops darker than the smoke sun screen. Even though the dark smoke sun visor is only slightly darker, I would say that the dark smoke is an improvement over the stock sun visor.
I have not gone riding with the dark smoke replacement sun visor yet, but I did perform a quick test - I put on my helmet and lowered the sun visor and took a look outside from my front door at 1:30pm. I raised the sun visor and quickly put on my sunglasses and what I found was that the degree of darkening was pretty close. However, the optical quality of the sunglasses were better and is a half shade/stop darker. My sunglasses get the extra edge as well because they are polarized. Mind you I paid $20 for my sunglasses from outdoor outfitters retail store, so I consider them cheap sunglasses. Now, how much better is the dark smoke replacement sun visor than the stock smoke sun screen? It is definitely a lot better. We'll see if I still need to wear sunglasses. I know that I won't be squinting with the dark smoke sun visor if I were to be riding mid day like I did with smoke sun visor. I'll post a followup after I've ridden with the new visor.
Final note, in the product description it says that, "Shields may look slightly different from images." I would say that the dark smoke replacement sun visor is quite different from what is pictured and is inaccurately represented. Prospective buyers will be disappointed if they are hoping for a sun visor as dark as what is pictured above. I was aware of this occurrence prior to buying my dark smoke sun visor after reading reviews. I hope that the images I provided are helpful to those wanting to know how much darker the dark smoke sun visor is in comparison to the smoke.
PROS:
• Dark Smoke is darker than smoke (but not much more darker as depicted in the official product photos)
• Easy and quick to install
• Cheaper than buying a full face shield
• Eliminates need to change out shields (inherent feature of helmet), possibly eliminates need for sunglasses
• Dark Smoke is darker than smoke (but not much more darker as depicted in the official product photos)
• Easy and quick to install
• Cheaper than buying a full face shield
• Eliminates need to change out shields (inherent feature of helmet), possibly eliminates need for sunglasses
CONS:
• Optical quality could be better, a polarized coating would be awesome
• Fragile connecting mechanism
• Optical quality could be better, a polarized coating would be awesome
• Fragile connecting mechanism
Yes, I recommend this product.
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rokit's Questions
Dainese TRQ Race Out Air Boots D-Axial jointed anti-ankle twist back system in TPU Nylon toe TPU rear shinguard's TPU heelcounter Nylon heel Shock absorption insert on the heel Lorica uppers D-Stone fabric Elasticated bellows Internal regulation with Velcro Closing with the zipper at the back Double jersey airgap liner Perforated leather High grip TPU inserts Padded insert for gear shifter guard Setscrew wrench supplied Non-slip sole with differentiated design
Fit of TRQ Race Out Air vs TRQ-Tour Gore-Tex
I own a pair of TRQ-Tour Gore-Tex boots. Is the fit of the Race Out Air boots exactly the same? If not, will I need to size up or down? I wear a size 9.5/10 and the size 43 TRQ-Tour Gore-Tex boots fit me perfectly.
8 months ago
by
rokit
State: HI
Rider Type: Commuter
Age: 35-44
Gender: male
Honolulu
REV'IT! Airwave Pants The perfect match for the REV'IT! Airwave jacket, these trousers are also great over-pants to wear on top of your jeans during summer commutes. The large air mesh panels allow for maximum cooling, but that's not all they're on and off in seconds, thanks to the long side zippers, which go all the way up to the hip. Reflective panels at the lower legs ensure great visibility at all times. Even more, the Knox Flexiform CE-approved armor is located in height adjustable pockets, allowing you to position the armour just the way you like it. Available in classic black or fresh silver. PROTECTION FEATURES Outer shell polyester 600D , PWRshell 500D stretch , PWRshell mesh , polyester rib Visibility laminated reflection at calf Protection fully perforated EVA foam at hips , Knox Flexiform CE protection at knees ERGONOMIC FEATURES Fit tour fit , regular Adjustability adjustment straps at waist , adjustment tab at ankles Ventilation ventilation panels at legs Features easy entrance zipper at calf , adjustable protector pockets , short connection zipper , elastic at waistband Pockets slit pockets
Hip and knee armor upgrade?
Is it possible to upgrade to upgrade the hip and knee armor in the Rev'it! Airwave pants? If so, are there any armor upgrades are available for purchase, including modifying other brands to allow fitting?
1 year ago
by
rokit
State: HI
Rider Type: Commuter
Age: 35-44
Gender: male
Honolulu
rokit's Answers
REV'IT! Airwave Pants The perfect match for the REV'IT! Airwave jacket, these trousers are also great over-pants to wear on top of your jeans during summer commutes. The large air mesh panels allow for maximum cooling, but that's not all they're on and off in seconds, thanks to the long side zippers, which go all the way up to the hip. Reflective panels at the lower legs ensure great visibility at all times. Even more, the Knox Flexiform CE-approved armor is located in height adjustable pockets, allowing you to position the armour just the way you like it. Available in classic black or fresh silver. PROTECTION FEATURES Outer shell polyester 600D , PWRshell 500D stretch , PWRshell mesh , polyester rib Visibility laminated reflection at calf Protection fully perforated EVA foam at hips , Knox Flexiform CE protection at knees ERGONOMIC FEATURES Fit tour fit , regular Adjustability adjustment straps at waist , adjustment tab at ankles Ventilation ventilation panels at legs Features easy entrance zipper at calf , adjustable protector pockets , short connection zipper , elastic at waistband Pockets slit pockets
Hip and knee armor upgrade?
Is it possible to upgrade to upgrade the hip and knee armor in the Rev'it! Airwave pants? If so, are there any armor upgrades are available for purchase, including modifying other brands to allow fitting?
Thanks for the feedback everyone! I was mostly interested in a hip armor upgrade. I just wanted to know what options were out there. I went with the SAS-TEC replacement hip armor. I ended up purchasing Tornado pants, but from what I understand after speaking to customer reps, the internal pockets on the Airwave and Tornado pants are identical. I think it's a strange design, but I guess that design serves it purpose. Having said that, I removed the stock hip pads (think thin yoga mat foam) and replaced them with the SAS-TEC's and found they sat low on the hip. They're shorter in length and narrower in width than the stock hip pad foam. I then put the stock foam pad back in and put the SAS-TEC on top of the foam pad. It fit in there with minimal effort. It was much more difficult to put the stock hip pad back in place because of the notched design and flimsy foam material. I reckon it was designed that way to keep the pad in place. So rather than replacing the stock hip pad, I augmented it. I'm on the skinny side (small rear, thin legs), and the extra padding made the pants fit better. I bought the smallest size available - 46. But my intention was to have the option to use these as over pants and the larger fit of the Tornado suited my needs perfectly. I plan on getting Airwave pants as well. If I get a pair as a standalone riding pants as they were intended, I'd get a size small, but for overpants, I'd get a medium.
On a side note, I think that the SAS-TEC Replacement Hip Armor would be the best fit while offering the most coverage and CE Level 2 protection (when used in combination with the stock pad). It's a couple inches shorter and narrower than the stock hip armor. So for those of you are wondering, you can drop the SAS-TEC's in without any modification. I was considering the new Klim D30 T5 Pro Replacement Hip Pads as well and looked up the measurements for the two and they are as follows: SAS-TEC (L/W/H) 190/140/10 mm. The Klim D30 T5 Pro dimensions are (L/W/H) 178/130/14. From what I gather, the D30 armor has a slightly higher impact rating, I'm guessing because it's thicker, but it doesn't cover as much as the SAS-TEC. Both are CE Level 2 and fall under 20(kN) for impact tests vs the CE Level 1 Klim Hip Pads. I couldn't find any specs/measurements on the Klim Hip Pads, but they resemble a beefier version of the stock hip pads on my Tornado pants.
On a side note, I think that the SAS-TEC Replacement Hip Armor would be the best fit while offering the most coverage and CE Level 2 protection (when used in combination with the stock pad). It's a couple inches shorter and narrower than the stock hip armor. So for those of you are wondering, you can drop the SAS-TEC's in without any modification. I was considering the new Klim D30 T5 Pro Replacement Hip Pads as well and looked up the measurements for the two and they are as follows: SAS-TEC (L/W/H) 190/140/10 mm. The Klim D30 T5 Pro dimensions are (L/W/H) 178/130/14. From what I gather, the D30 armor has a slightly higher impact rating, I'm guessing because it's thicker, but it doesn't cover as much as the SAS-TEC. Both are CE Level 2 and fall under 20(kN) for impact tests vs the CE Level 1 Klim Hip Pads. I couldn't find any specs/measurements on the Klim Hip Pads, but they resemble a beefier version of the stock hip pads on my Tornado pants.
Products from my answer
9 months ago
by
rokit
Age: 35-44
Gender: male
Honolulu
Klim T5 Pro D3O Hip Pads
Klim T5 Pro D30 Hip Pads Replacement T5 Pro D3O hip armor for Klim Pants. Sold as set of 2 pieces of armor.
Will this hip armor fit into my Rev"It Tornado pants?
Will the D30 T5 Pro replacement hip pads need to be modified/cut to be able to inserted in the hip pockets of the Tornado pants? Or can they just be squeezed in?
9 months ago
by
rokit
Age: 35-44
Gender: male
Honolulu