Where the Steel colourway of this same Dark Shadow decor reads as a cool grey, this version is a straightforward flat matte black — the same name, the same price tier, a genuinely different colour rather than two listings for the same shell. Shark's manufacturer photography for this specific colour code is limited to a single studio shot rather than the fuller set available for most decors in this range, so this listing is built on that one confirmed image rather than assumptions carried over from its Steel sibling.

Plain, and described as plain

As with every Skwal Jet decor, Shark's own marketing for this model stays in everyday language — simplicity, mobility, clean lines — with no spoiler and no aerodynamic claim anywhere in its materials, in direct contrast to the Jet Cup sibling built around a wind-tunnel-tested rear fin. Dark Shadow here describes a colour treatment, not a different level of engineering. Positioned at the same price as its Steel sibling, this colourway occupies the same middle tier of the Skwal Jet range — between the plain Blank decors and the pricier Venum graphic.

Shell and closure

Lexan polycarbonate, the same material used across the rest of the 2027 Skwal range, closed with a micrometric buckle — fine-step adjustment, released in one motion.

What ECE 22.06 actually tests

ECE 22.06 became mandatory for newly homologated EU-market helmets in January 2024, and this helmet is certified to it. The practical change from 22.05 is substantial: eighteen impact points tested at a range of speeds rather than five points at one speed, a new oblique-impact test against an abrasive anvil loading the shell with twisting force, and a Brain Injury Criterion scoring rotational energy for the first time. Testing includes the visor, Pinlock insert and any fitted comms unit, not a bare shell. The Norme code reads 2206 here, with no FIM suffix — road homologation.

Weight and neck load

Shark's figure is 1,395 g (+/-50 g) for the smaller of the possible shell sizes, unaffected by which Dark Shadow colourway is chosen. That weight is carried through every head movement across a ride, not absorbed once in an impact, which is why it is worth stating plainly rather than treating as a footnote. That figure holds regardless of which Dark Shadow colourway is chosen, since the paint and finish process add a negligible, unmeasured amount of weight either way.

Ventilation

Two front intakes, two rear extractors, and a straight path between them because there is no chin bar for the airflow to negotiate. It is uncomplicated by design, and it is Shark's own published figure for this specific helmet.

Visor and Pinlock

The visor is VZ670, the same family used on the Skwal Jet Cup and the LED-equipped Skwal i3 Jet: anti-scratch treated, side-locking, with an edge-mounted vortex generator. A Max Vision Pinlock 70 insert is pre-fitted with adjustable tension, included rather than sold as an accessory. Clear is the only tint road-legal for every rider; Shark's iridium and dark-smoke tints for this shell are racing use only.

Sun visor and everyday use

An internal drop-down sun visor and a glasses-friendly interior cut come as standard. Both SENA and Sharktooth intercom systems are listed as compatible with this model, a broader pairing than some other Skwal helmets in the range.

Fit

XS to XXL, six sizes total. This model's own materials do not state a shell-size count, and no figure is invented here to match the two-shell confirmation that exists for the pricier Skwal Jet Cup — that is a fact about that helmet, not this one.

Wind noise, honestly

Every open-face helmet, this one included, runs louder at speed than a full-face by simple construction: no chin bar, and a visor edge closer to the jaw. The vortex generator at the visor's edge works against turbulence but does not turn an open face into a sealed one. No decibel number has been published for this model, and none appears here.

Where this sits on Shark's own price ladder

219.99 EUR, matching the Steel colourway of the same Dark Shadow decor — the two are priced identically, the choice between them is purely which colour is preferred.

Spare parts

Visors are shared across the whole Jet family: this helmet, the Skwal Jet Cup and the Skwal i3 Jet all draw from the same Shark spares collection and the VZ67005PINCTU Pinlock 70 part.

What this helmet does not protect

An open face means no chin bar, on this helmet as on any other jet design. Impacts that would load a full-face's chin section meet nothing equivalent here. ECE 22.06 tests what the shell does have, not what it deliberately lacks. That is worth understanding before buying an entry-priced jet helmet as much as an expensive one.

The black finish itself

A flat, even matte black with no colour cast, distinct from the cooler grey of the Steel colourway sharing this decor name. It is the more conventional of the two Dark Shadow options, closer in mood to the plain Blank Matte decor than to its own Steel sibling. The single manufacturer photo available for this colour code shows the finish evenly applied with no visible texture variation across the crown or side panels, consistent with the matte treatment used elsewhere in this line.

Who this suits

Riders who specifically want a matte black jet helmet but find the plain Blank Matte decor too bare, without wanting a full printed graphic either, land here — the Dark Shadow name and finish treatment add a little character to a black shell without a single line of artwork on it. It is a straightforward option for a rider who has already decided on black and does not need the Steel colourway's slightly cooler read to make that decision. For a rider comparing the two Dark Shadow colourways side by side, this is simply the more conventional choice of the pair, and the one that will match the widest range of jacket and bike colours without any clash. It is a dependable, uncomplicated choice.