This matte Carbon Skin colourway shows the same bare carbon weave as its glossy sibling, but under a satin clear coat that mutes the sheen rather than letting it shift and flash with the light. Like the glossy version, it ships as a 'Visor In The Box' decor with an extra visor included, and it costs slightly more than the glossy Carbon Skin — the second cheapest way into the carbon Spartan RS, not the cheapest. A rider choosing between the two Carbon Skin finishes is really deciding how much shell sheen they want on show, not choosing between two different levels of protection — both share the identical carbon layup and certification described below.

The matte finish over bare carbon

A matte clear coat sits over the exposed carbon weave, muting the directional sheen the glossy version shows and giving the texture a flatter, more understated read. The trade-off shared by every matte finish applies here too: fingerprints and light surface marks show more readily than on a gloss coat, worth a microfibre cloth in the tank bag.

About this Carbon Skin colourway and its extra visor

This is the matte half of the Carbon Skin pairing in this line, sharing the bare-weave concept and the extra 'Visor In The Box' inclusion with the glossy HE8159DAD decor above but costing slightly more for the satin rather than gloss finish. Both remain the two least expensive decors in the carbon Spartan RS range.

ECE 22.06 under the matte weave

This decor carries the same ECE 22.06 certification as every Spartan RS colourway, mandatory across the EU since January 2024 for newly homologated helmets. The protocol tests eighteen impact points across several speeds rather than the old standard's five points at one speed, adds an oblique-impact test against a rough anvil that twists the shell, and scores rotational-impact energy for the first time via a Brain Injury Criterion. The complete assembled helmet is what gets tested.

Carbon shell, matte finish: what changes, what doesn't

The shell here is carbon, identical in material and construction to the glossy Carbon Skin above, just finished differently. Set against the fibre Spartan RS, the certification, Double-D closure, multi-density EPS and VZ300 visor are unchanged; carbon's real advantage is a lighter first-shell-size weight (1455 g against the fibre shell's 1500 g) and a different surface texture, not a second safety tier.

What the weight figure means here

Shark's figure for this decor is 1455 g at the first shell size, the same as the glossy Carbon Skin since both share an identical shell; an independent carbon test unit for the range came in at 1485 g. Either number is carried entirely by the neck through the whole ride, loaded dynamically by every brake and lean rather than sitting there passively — the more useful frame for reading any weight spec.

Ventilation on this decor

The carbon shell's ventilation was independently scored 3.0 out of 5: a chin vent that works well leaning forward but struggles in hot weather, and a top vent rated merely adequate. This applies to the shell construction shared by every carbon Spartan RS decor, this matte Carbon Skin included, rather than varying by colourway.

Sun visor and outer visor

A drop-down sun visor is fitted as standard, praised in independent testing for its incremental adjustment and the outer visor's seal against rain. The outer visor is the VZ300 family: optical class 1, 2.8 mm to 2.2 mm thickness, four anchor points, central lock, anti-scratch coating, and a Pinlock 120 insert pre-fitted rather than sold separately.

What ships in the box

The 'Visor In The Box' naming confirms an extra visor is included, and independent testing of this carbon range separately documents a helmet bag and reflective bands as standard. The outer visor is tool-free to remove, and the removable chin flap can be taken off for a cleaner look or extra airflow.

Intercom compatibility

A cheek-pad recess sized for Shark's Sharktooth intercom or a SENA For SHARK unit sits flush against the shell, the same mounting shared across the whole Spartan RS range regardless of shell material. No comms hardware is included with the helmet.

Fit and sizing

The XS-to-XXL size run spans two shell sizes, matching the fibre Spartan RS. The carbon-specific interior — brushed suede-effect Alveotech, praised by independent testers as feeling luxurious, plus a tight neck roll for wind isolation and a glasses-friendly design — is shared across every decor in this carbon line, this matte Carbon Skin included.

Wind noise, honestly

No manufacturer decibel figure exists. The independent noise score for the carbon shell generally is 4.0 out of 5, with 'slight buffeting sound' reported at motorway speeds and good ambient awareness at town speeds — a qualitative and semi-numeric assessment, not a lab dB reading, presented as given rather than upgraded into something more precise than it is.

Spare parts

This decor's VZ300 visor is covered by Shark's standing spare-visor listing for the Spartan RS family, shared with the fibre Spartan RS and the Spartan GT Pro Carbon — a broader pool of stock and tints than a helmet-specific visor would offer.

Where this sits in Shark's own range

Set against Shark's own current 2027 lineup rather than a competitor's:

Limitations, honestly

Like its glossy sibling, this decor shows bare weave rather than a printed graphic, which will read as plain to riders shopping specifically for a bold pattern — a deliberate design choice for the second-cheapest decor in this carbon line, not a shortcoming. The same 3.0-out-of-5 ventilation score and the reported Pinlock-fitting hiccup on an early test unit apply to the shared carbon shell construction, this colourway included; matte also shows fingerprints more readily than a gloss coat would. This is also the more expensive of the two Carbon Skin colourways, slightly above its glossy sibling for the satin coat alone — a price difference in finish, not in protection or included accessories.