The second Mekarium colourway swaps red for a deep blue base with chrome-effect panelling and thin orange accent lines, but the mechanism underneath doesn't change with the paint. Two catches release the chin bar, which swings up and back to sit flat against the crown — the same motion, the same certified positions, whether the shell in front of you is this one or the plainest Blank in the range.

What the paint actually does

Photographed against the manufacturer's own renders, the base reads as a rich, fairly dark blue rather than a bright or pastel tone, which is why it's listed as Dark Blue and not Light Blue — a distinction this shop treats carefully, because a supplier's plain "Blue" has been wrong before. The chrome panelling carries the same brushed-metal sheen as the red Mekarium, justified as Silver, and the orange sits as a narrow, genuinely orange accent line rather than a red one mislabelled.

Two states, one shell

Shark engineers the OXO to work as two different helmets without being two different helmets. Undo the pair of catches at the chin, rotate the bar up and back until it locks against the crown, and the transition from full-face to open is done — no separate piece to store, nothing left over. That single-shell approach is the whole point of calling this a Flip-Back or Flip-Up design rather than a jet helmet: a jet shell was never built with a chin bar to move in the first place.

Two approvals in one certificate

Shark's own documentation states the OXO is approved in both full-face and jet configurations under ECE 22.06 — the P/J distinction that separates a flip-up merely capable of riding open from one actually certified to. 22.06 replaced 22.05 across the EU from 2024 and tests harder throughout: eighteen impact points rather than five, several impact speeds instead of one, an oblique-impact test on an abrasive anvil, and a rotational-energy score the previous standard never included.

Small shell, large shell, and the visor that follows

The OXO isn't a single moulded shape stretched across six sizes — Shark builds it on two distinct shells, and the VZ390 visor range is specified accordingly: a small-shell version and a large-shell version of every tint, each with its own part number. It's a detail that only matters once, at the point of ordering a spare, but it matters completely then.

Neck load, not a marketing number

1,660 g looks light on a spec sheet, but it's Shark's figure for the OXO's first, smallest shell only. Weighed independently, the picture shifts: SHARP records roughly 1.7 kg, and MotorcycleNews's own test unit came in at 1,880 g — over 200 g heavier than the manufacturer's headline number. On a multi-hour ride, that's the difference that shows up as neck fatigue, not as a line in a spec table.

What this costs, next to what else is available

Set against real Shark 2027 stablemates rather than a generic price bracket, this OXO's position looks like this:

Two vents, no dB figure

Chin and brow each carry a vent on the OXO, both open-or-closed rather than adjustable; how the air actually leaves the shell isn't documented, so no exhaust-vent count is claimed. On noise, one independent reviewer reports no issues riding open around town, and another generally expects the OXO to be quiet, with the caveat that earlier Shark modulars weren't always calm at higher speed. No source publishes a decibel measurement in either configuration, so none appears here.

From clear to Iridium: what's actually road-legal

The clear VZ390 visor every OXO ships with is approved for all users and comes with a Pinlock 70 already fitted, adjustable central locking, and anti-scratch protection. A TE50 light tint extends that to daytime-only road use; the five-colour Iridium range beyond it — blue, gold, silver, red, rainbow — is marked racing use only, meaning it belongs on a track day, not a commute. No optical class is stated for VZ390, unlike Shark's other, shared visor family.

What SHARP and Shark agree on

Both SHARP's independent listing and Shark's own product page confirm the same everyday features on the OXO: a built-in drop-down sun visor, intercom-ready construction, tool-free visor removal, and a glasses groove. The removable liner's washability, and any pad-size options beyond the standard one, aren't documented anywhere used for this listing — left open rather than guessed at. SHARP rated the helmet four stars in May 2025.

Who this decor suits

The blue-and-orange Mekarium carries the same Sport and Street classification as its red sibling: a graphic bold enough to suit committed road riding, on a mechanism built for practicality rather than track use. Riders who want the OXO's flip-back trick but also want a helmet that looks the part on a quick road ride, not just a commute, are the target here.

Fit isn't one number across six sizes

Splitting six sizes across two shells means the OXO's fit character can genuinely shift once you cross from the smaller shell into the larger one. An independent review found the internal shape leaning oval, and specifically too oval for that tester's own head — a subjective, first-hand account rather than a manufacturer spec, but a fair warning to try the helmet against your own head shape rather than assume.

The parts bin, correctly read

Sixteen official visors cover the OXO — clear, a TE50 daytime tint, and five Iridium colours reserved for racing — priced roughly EUR 31 to EUR 85, and each one comes as a small-shell and a large-shell part. The Pinlock insert has its own equivalent split, confirmed separately in the range book's own cross-reference. Shell size decides the part number as much as colour does.

What's missing, stated plainly

The OXO carries no MIPS rotational-impact layer and no EQRS emergency-release cheek pads. No independent source has published a noise measurement for it in either configuration. SHARP's four stars, from a May 2025 test, are a genuine independent result but describe one test, not a permanent rating. Exhaust ventilation isn't documented. And fit, per one reviewer, ran oval enough to not suit their own head shape.

What's included, and the warranty behind it

Every OXO comes with the clear VZ390 visor fitted, a Pinlock 70 insert included, and the internal sun visor built in and working from the first ride. Behind all of it sits a five-year warranty, with genuine spare-parts availability rather than a promise on paper alone.