This second Dark Shadow colourway is where the supplier's own wording and the product photography disagree: Shark's price list names it Bleu Steel Mat, but the manufacturer photograph shows a matte graphite grey shell with no visible blue cast in any panel. Rather than repeat the supplier's colour name uncorrected, this listing follows the photograph — a steel-toned matte grey, close to gunmetal, carrying the same understated tonal Dark Shadow texture as the black version rather than a separate graphic. Against the pure black Dark Shadow decor documented separately, this steel-grey version gives the same understated tonal texture a cooler, lighter base to work from — a genuinely different shelf option once the naming discrepancy noted above is accounted for.

The matte grey finish

A single matte coat in a mid-grey steel tone, with the tonal Dark Shadow pattern worked into the same colour rather than printed in contrast — visible mainly as a texture shift under angled light, the same effect as the black Dark Shadow decor on a lighter base shade. Matte finishes generally show fingerprints and light surface marks more readily than gloss.

About this Dark Shadow colourway specifically

This is the second of two Dark Shadow colourways in the Spartan RS fibre range, sharing the tonal-texture treatment described above with the black version (HE8109KMA) but on a different base shade. Dark Shadow itself is a recurring Shark family name used across several helmet lines, each with its own dedicated colour options rather than a single fixed look.

The standard behind this grey shell

This particular Dark Shadow decor is certified, like every Spartan RS, to ECE 22.06 — the standard that replaced 22.05 as EU-mandatory for new homologations from January 2024. Eighteen impact points at multiple speeds replace the old five-point, single-speed protocol, an oblique test against a rough anvil adds a twisting load the older standard never tested for, and a Brain Injury Criterion for rotational impact is scored for the first time. Testing covers the assembled helmet, not a bare shell.

Shell material on this grey Dark Shadow decor

This helmet's shell is multiaxial composite fibre — glass fibre cross-laid for strength — the same construction across every decor in this line and distinct from the carbon shell Shark sells as the pricier Spartan RS Carbon. Both shells meet the identical ECE 22.06 protocol, share the Double-D closure and multi-density EPS, and take the same VZ300 visor family; carbon's real advantage is weight and finish, not a different crash-test result.

Neck load on this grey Dark Shadow decor

At 1500 g for the first shell size (Shark's figure; one independent test unit read 1530 g), this sits in normal territory for a fibre full-face helmet. The number matters less in isolation than as a running total across a ride — the neck carries it through every dynamic movement of the day, not just while parked at a red light, which is the more honest way to read any helmet's weight spec.

Ventilation on this grey Dark Shadow decor

The same two-intake, one-exhaust layout runs through every decor in this line: a chin-bar vent aimed up at the visor, a forehead vent, and a rear-spoiler exhaust that stays open rather than needing to be switched. Reviewers like that the sliders work with gloves on but note they lack detent clicks. The result is adequate everyday airflow rather than a stand-out feature.

Visor system on this grey Dark Shadow decor

A drop-down sun visor with its own detente stops sits behind the standard VZ300 outer visor — optical class 1, 2.8 mm to 2.2 mm variable thickness, four-point anchoring, central lock, anti-scratch finish, Pinlock 120 pre-fitted. Iridium blue, pink and red tints are approved for daytime road use; a smoked tint elsewhere in the family is racing-use-only.

Visor handling on this grey Dark Shadow decor

Like every Spartan RS decor, this helmet's visor detaches without tools through the four-point lock, making a swap to a spare or tinted visor quick rather than a dealer visit. Anti-scratch coating is fitted as standard, not optional, across the whole line.

Comms compatibility, this grey Dark Shadow decor

The cheek-pad cavity built into this shell, unchanged across every colourway in the line, is sized for Shark's own Sharktooth intercom or a SENA For SHARK unit, fitting flush rather than needing an external mount. No comms hardware is included.

Fit on this grey Dark Shadow decor

Two shell sizes cover the XS-to-XXL run, a genuine limitation next to helmets built on three, but the internal shape earns praise for being noticeably round rather than oval — a specific advantage for riders who find Shoei or Arai models too narrow. Cheek pads swap independently of the shell for a closer or looser fit.

Wind noise, this grey Dark Shadow decor

No manufacturer decibel figure exists for this colourway or any other in the line. One tester found the noise appropriate and unremarkable at legal road speeds; another raised a concern, without a measurement, about the absence of the predecessor Spartan GT's tighter neck roll and what that might mean for motorway wind noise. Neither claim is treated as settled here.

Spare parts on this grey Dark Shadow decor

This decor's VZ300 visor is covered by the same standing spare-parts listing as the rest of the Spartan RS range, and because that visor family is shared with the Spartan RS Carbon and the Spartan GT Pro Carbon, replacement stock is spread across three current lines rather than tied to this one alone.

Where this sits in Shark's own range

This grey Dark Shadow colourway is priced at 389.99 EUR, the same top tier as the black version of the same decor. Set against Shark's own 2027 range rather than an outside competitor:

Limitations, honestly

The supplier's own colour name for this decor, Bleu Steel Mat, does not match what the manufacturer photograph shows: a grey shell, not a blue one. This listing follows the photograph rather than the name; buyers relying on Shark's own documentation should expect grey on arrival. The usual two-shell sizing and unmeasured wind-noise caveats for this line apply here too.