Take the gloss off the Blank decor and the shape reads differently: a matte finish flattens reflections and lets the spoiler, the vent openings and the panel gaps read as shadow and edge rather than as highlights sliding across curved gloss. Blank Mat is the same engineering as Blank Black under a finish that a lot of riders simply prefer for day-to-day wear, because it shows fingerprints and light scuffs less than gloss does over months of use.

The spoiler underneath the matte

A matte topcoat changes nothing about what the spoiler does. Shark developed and wind-tunnel tested this fin for the Jet Cup shell specifically, to manage the airflow spilling off the back of an open-face helmet — a harder aerodynamic problem than on a full-face, because there is no sealed front end containing the air in the first place. The fin gives that air a controlled exit instead of letting it separate and buffet, and it does that identically whether the shell underneath is gloss or matte.

Shell, shell sizes and closure

The shell material is Lexan polycarbonate, built in two separate shell sizes (XS-M and L-XXL) rather than one mould padded out across the range — confirmed independently of Shark's own marketing copy by motorcycle press coverage of this model. Closure is a micrometric buckle: a ratchet strap adjusted in fine steps and released with one motion, quicker to use one-handed at a standstill than a threaded double-D ring, which is what the full-face Skwal Cup uses instead.

What ECE 22.06 actually tests, on an open face

Start with the number on the certificate: 2206, no FIM suffix. That is ECE 22.06, mandatory across the EU for newly homologated helmets since January 2024 and a genuinely different test from the 22.05 standard it replaced, not just a version bump. Where 22.05 hit a shell at five points, 22.06 hits eighteen, at multiple speeds, and adds an oblique-impact test against an abrasive anvil that twists the shell rather than dropping it straight down — closer to how a helmet actually contacts asphalt in a slide. Rotational energy now gets its own score, the Brain Injury Criterion, on top of the older linear-deceleration measurement. The whole test runs with the visor, Pinlock and any comms unit already fitted.

1,430 grams, carried by your neck

Shark's own figure for this helmet is 1,430 g (+/-50 g), quoted for the smaller of its two shell sizes. That number is not decorative: a helmet rides above the head's own centre of gravity, so every gram of it multiplies into neck load with every turn of the head, all day, not just in a single hard stop. A jet shell's lack of chin bar is most of the reason this figure sits comfortably inside typical road-helmet weight bands rather than at the heavy end of them.

Ventilation

Airflow moves through two front intakes and out through two rear extractors, a straightforward path made possible by the open front — no chin bar routing the air sideways before it reaches the rider's forehead. Shark keeps this simple by design rather than by omission; a jet helmet's whole appeal is the open face doing the cooling work a sealed system would otherwise have to manage.

Visor and Pinlock

Optical Class 1, side-locking rather than centrally locking, with anti-scratch treatment and a vortex generator worked into the visor's edge: that is the VZ670 visor this helmet shares with the plain Skwal Jet and the LED-equipped Skwal i3 Jet. A Max Vision Pinlock 70 insert comes pre-fitted, tension adjustable, not sold as an accessory. The clear tint is the only one road-legal for all riders — Shark's iridium and dark-smoke options for this shell are racing use only, a deliberate second purchase rather than a casual swap.

Sun visor and everyday use

A drop-down internal sun visor operates on its own mechanism, separate from the main visor, and the interior padding is cut to leave room for glasses arms rather than pressing them into the temple. SENA intercom compatibility is specified directly for this helmet.

Fit: what six sizes across two shells means

Sizes run XS to XXL across two separate shells — XS-M in the smaller mould, L-XXL in the larger. Building two shells rather than one padded-out mould is what keeps the fit, and the weight figure quoted above, honest at both ends of the size range rather than only at the middle.

Wind noise, honestly

Wind noise on any jet helmet, this one included, is higher at speed than on a full-face by simple construction — no chin bar, and a visor edge that sits nearer the jaw. The spoiler and the visor's vortex generator both reduce turbulence, but they do not close that basic gap. No decibel rating has been published by Shark for this model, so none is claimed here.

Price ladder

Blank Mat sits at the same 239.99 EUR as the gloss Blank — the finish is a preference, not a price tier, within this line.

Spares

Replacement visors for this model sit in Shark's shared spares collection alongside the plain Skwal Jet and the Skwal i3 Jet, all using the VZ67005PINCTU Pinlock 70 insert — readily available rather than a one-off part.

What this helmet does not protect

No chin bar exists on this shell, and nothing above changes that — not the certification, not the spoiler, not the visor. In the kind of impact that would load a full-face helmet's chin section, this shape has no equivalent structure over the jaw. ECE 22.06 covers what the shell physically has; it says nothing about what an open face leaves uncovered by design. That trade-off is the whole premise of a jet helmet and is worth weighing honestly before buying one.

About the matte finish

The matte coat on this decor is even across every panel, without the slightly plasticky sheen a cheaper matte can have, and it hides small scuffs from gloves and visor straps better than gloss over a season of regular use. Combined with Blank's absence of any graphic, it is the quietest possible expression of the Jet Cup's shape — all the engineering, none of the decoration.

Who this decor suits

Matte finishes wear differently over a season than gloss does, and riders who commute daily or leave a helmet on a bike rack rather than in a bag tend to prefer the way matte hides handling marks. Blank Mat suits exactly that kind of rider: someone who wants the Jet Cup's shape and spoiler without either a graphic or the upkeep gloss paint asks for.