View Full Version : legal tinted visors
has anybody got the legal tinted visors (50%) for their lids if so are they any good and could you put a pic up with your clear visor next to it for comparison.
I would go down the dark tint route but I have heard they can now give you points for this, I know most coppers would just give you a b*******g for it providing you had your clear with you and it was not being used stupidly but I only takes one having a bad day who don't like bikes.
Spiderman
30-08-09, 04:27 PM
has anybody got the legal tinted visors (50%) for their lids if so are they any good and could you put a pic up with your clear visor next to it for comparison.
I would go down the dark tint route but I have heard they can now give you points for this, I know most coppers would just give you a b*******g for it providing you had your clear with you and it was not being used stupidly but I only takes one having a bad day who don't like bikes.
TBH if you're going somewhere with a dark visor on then its a good idea to take you clear visor too, in case you ride back when its dark.
I have a very dark visor for one of my lids and on many, many more than 1 occasion have i ended up riding home in the dark with it.
A couple of times this has involved being led home by someone as the lights on my old curvey were about as good as holding a canlde in front of me and on other occasions i've just had to open the visor and keep the speed low to stop my eyes from streaming too much.
I had a tinted visor for my old suomy and ALWAYS carried my clear one in the oxford bum bag
Dave20046
30-08-09, 04:40 PM
I didn't think any tinted visor was legal. I thought you could only get away with flip down ones and insets as legal.
Don't think you can get points for it either. Someone in the know would be useful to pop up right now....
there is a % of tint (certain amount of light transmitted available through),
as for the points I remember watching a traffic cops programme last year (I think) and the traffic cop pulled a woman over in a range rover with tinted front side windows and was going to give her points and a fine if she did not rip them off
Spiderman
30-08-09, 04:52 PM
Ah thats tints for car windows etc. I think Daveynumbers is right that there is no legal tint allowed for visors mate and only a fine for not having a clear one.
I'm sure this has come up before numerous times so if you do a little searchy poos you may find the definative answer from one of our resident boys or girls in blue.
Dave20046
30-08-09, 04:52 PM
there is a % of tint (certain amount of light transmitted available through),
as for the points I remember watching a traffic cops programme last year (I think) and the traffic cop pulled a woman over in a range rover with tinted front side windows and was going to give her points and a fine if she did not rip them off
that's a car not a helmet, I have a feeling it's a different kettle of....
To elaborate; On a car window It's an actual defect with the vehicle - far more likely to carry points as if you had bald tyres etc.
there is no legal tint allowed for visors
Yes there is. Light smoke and the rainbow iridium types are road legal as are blue and amber tints (according the racevisors.co.uk)
7755matt
30-08-09, 05:05 PM
I was told by my riding instructor that 50% tint was legal provided you had a clear one with you if needed. This is massively different to cars, maximum 25% tint on windscreen and 30% tint on front side windows.
As far as I'm aware it's not worth points but is a fixer.
Spiderman
30-08-09, 05:11 PM
Ah good to know, i guess the light smoke/silver tint on my Spidey lid is legal then since its a genuine HJC item too.
Jeez look at me, i got legal stuff. Who'd have thought it.
if it has got a BS or E mark on it it is legal if not it's illegal, most helmet manufactures have dark tinted visors because they are legal is most countries but ours thinks it knows better.
Graciepants
30-08-09, 05:15 PM
actually....i was told on my CBT that 18% is the legal percentage, not 50. she showed it to me and it was ridiculous, lol. have also been told that you are meant to carry your clear one with you all the time too
Milky Bar Kid
30-08-09, 05:26 PM
TBH, I am not sure on the legal tint however, AFAIK it only carries a £30 non endorsable, no points. Car windscreens etc do not carry points either, also a £30 non endorsable.
sv-robo
31-08-09, 03:15 PM
Clear visors look carp..........that is all:)
christopher
31-08-09, 04:25 PM
The legal aspect on tinted visors is that they must transmit 50% or more of visible (natural) light, and even then this is only before lighting up time (i.e. it's illegal to use a visor with any tint once the streetlights come on).
I'm not sure what the law says about if it's daytime but with poor visibility such as heavy rain or fog, but I'd guess they could do for your driving without due care or whatever they wanted even if the law doesn't specifically mention anything.
Personally I use a Dark Tint (http://www.racevisors.co.uk/categories.php?c=103&p=331) on my visor but carry a spare clear one as well. Wouldn't ever not wear a visor that didn't have a decent amount of tint to it in good conditions, I find it so much safer as it reduces the glare from objects.
Von Teese
31-08-09, 05:10 PM
If you have a race visor, you can legally use it during daylight hours, but not after lighting up time.
We always swap our visors when we ride after dark, wouldnt be able to see a thing if we didnt anyway!
Dave20046
31-08-09, 05:12 PM
If you have a race visor, you can legally use it during daylight hours, but not after lighting up time.
We always swap our visors when we ride after dark, wouldnt be able to see a thing if we didnt anyway!
Sounds about right a lot of coppers round here use really dark ones in the day time....and I imagine this means the risk of them doing you for it is probably slimmer anyway!
Von Teese
31-08-09, 08:32 PM
TBH you would really have to be really really unlucky and have a cop who is either very anally retentive or one with a probationer...sorry cant say that anymore...I mean a STUDENT OFFICER...god forbid!
I never bother with that kind of thing, nor numberplates, cans etc, neither do any of the others on the response team, we have more important things to go to like couples beating each other's heads in, fights, robberies etc.
Traffic might prosecute you if they felt like it but I would say that most of them ride or turn a blind eye, or couldnt be bothered.
I find the dark tint and mirror visors much safer, they take the glare off and I can see better using them, I used my clear visor recently during day and nearly went blind with it.
Horrible and yes they look a bit naff on my lids.
Best thing to do is to plead ignorance because to be honest it doesnt seem like anyone knows the real limitations of what is legal and not.
Most of these visors state 'Daytime use only' not 'Not road legal' like some of the cans have on them, therefore there is definately room for debate.
Dave20046
01-09-09, 08:02 AM
Most of these visors state 'Daytime use only' not 'Not road legal' like some of the cans have on them, therefore there is definately room for debate.
debate/a sticker ..... tomato/tomato :p
I know there are certain types of sunglasses for mountaineering which the manufacturer states "cannot be worn whilst driving" - the reason given is very technical.
At the likes of the NW200, how many bikers that go to watch have tinted visors on their lids? How many end up getting fined for it? I haven't heard of anyone being fined for wearing a tinted visor on a sunny day.
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