Winter Riding - Visor Gunk and Glare Problems

[Owenski]

This year how ever my lid is a bit better than the P.O.S. I had last year, coupled with the magic stick stuff they sell at the bike show I no longer have any misting problems.

I do still have the gunk and glare problem though, people sat on the brake lights filling my visor with red glare does not for safe filtering make.
Just wondered what anti-gunk&glare tactics you guys use, Ive got a flannel in my pocket to wipe the visor at a stationary point but in all honesty I rarely stop on the route home its all stop start traffic so I mainly switch between lane riding and filtering so the flannel is pretty useless + when I do use it whilst on the move it tends to smear making the glare even worse.

Willing to trail any suggestions as I had to choose to ride with the visor up for a period last night an managed to get some nasty salt in the mush for my troubles.

[dizzyblonde]

Wear sunglasses. Stops the glare.

[Owenski]

lol...
I mean in the dark, day time isnt a problem. Sorry should have specified, I switch visors to the irridium one for daytime use anyway.

[andrewsmith]

Run a road legal tint or a tinted pinlock

[Owenski]

the problems at night, what good would a tint be?
Im not arguning I just dont understand.

[andrewsmith]

I've found the tint doesn't cure it but takes the edge off it.
It like wearing lightly tinted sunglasses TBH

[Owenski]

I've got the pinlock tabs my clear visor so it might be worth a shot.
Are pinlock inserts specific to your helmet or are they generic?

[andrewsmith]

what lids it?

and at about £22 its cheaper than swapping the visor

[Owenski]

never mind ebay gave me the answer I wanted;
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ARAI-CHASER-HELMET-LARGE-PINLOCK-ANTIFOG-VISOR-INSERT-/230559495452?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Helmets&hash=item35ae6ab51c

Just bought one of those, pops straight in :D

Cheers andrew if that works you can print off an "OWENSKI OWES ME A BEER" token.

[andrewsmith]

Bargin for a Arai!!

[Reeder]

The pinlock will solve the misting problem which you mentioned too (even though you said it's solved now). They're really brilliant!

[AndyBrad]

pink stick i found didnt work after a bit. think its more of a placebo effect tbh.

pinlock does work for misting. i flip the visor up when it gets glairy (is that a word) taste the salt :)

[Owenski]

pink stick i found didnt work after a bit. think its more of a placebo effect tbh.

pinlock does work for misting. i flip the visor up when it gets glairy (is that a word) taste the salt :)

did u forget to reapply it though andy?

to ensure the pink stick worked I found I need to reapply every 3 days, thats with the current 70miles Im doing each day.
15 to work, 20 to site, 20 to work, 15 to home - if bike doesnt sell on ebay ill be buying hand guards for that too.

[Fruity-ya-ya]

pink stick i found didnt work after a bit.
I too, despite reapplication, found it less than perfect.
I've invested in a foggy mask & contact lenses as my glasses (pinked also) were a nightmare.

[AndyBrad]

aye to be fair most of my issues come from wearing glasses which it doesnt work on :(

[Stu]

never mind ebay gave me the answer I wanted;
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ARAI-CHASER-HELMET-LARGE-PINLOCK-ANTIFOG-VISOR-INSERT-/230559495452?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Helmets&hash=item35ae6ab51c

Just bought one of those, pops straight in :D

Cheers andrew if that works you can print off an "OWENSKI OWES ME A BEER" token.
Which one did you get? becasue I can't see a clear one helping at all with your problem - the yellow one might - I know soulkiss uses it.

Edit to add: I changed from a helmet with respro foggy mask (Shoei, but that's not relevant) with no fogging problems to a pinlock (Arai, but that's not relevant) which got completely covered in condensation in the inside.

[Bibio]

what you will need:

sticky velcro
plastic lid
sponge

its not pretty but it works. get a large'ish plastic lid (wd40 etc.etc) then attach the velcro to the underside then attach the other mating pice of velcro to somewhere conveinent on the bike (so you can get to it) then cut a pice of foam big enough to fit in the lid 'snugly' with extra sticking out of the lid. put some washer fluid mix (strong enough so it dont freeze) in the lid and put sponge in lid. hey presto a nice sponge to wash all the crap off your visor while you are riding.

[Fruity-ya-ya]

what you will need:

sticky velcro
plastic lid
sponge

I like it, you must be from Yorkshire using such money saving genius.

[AndyBrad]

what you will need:

sticky velcro
plastic lid
sponge

its not pretty but it works. get a large'ish plastic lid (wd40 etc.etc) then attach the velcro to the underside then attach the other mating pice of velcro to somewhere conveinent on the bike (so you can get to it) then cut a pice of foam big enough to fit in the lid 'snugly' with extra sticking out of the lid. put some washer fluid mix (strong enough so it dont freeze) in the lid and put sponge in lid. hey presto a nice sponge to wash all the crap off your visor while you are riding.

genious!

[Venom]

I like it, you must be from Yorkshire using such money saving genius.

Nah, he's a tight Scot.

V Sponges are a good visor sponge, expensive though.

[Fruity-ya-ya]

Nah, he's a tight Scot.

V Sponges are a good visor sponge, expensive though.
That explains it, we learned much from those resourceful folk.

[Bibio]

hahaaaaa. yup i'm tight scotsman and having to live in fife makes me even more so.

[davepreston]

wear spada enforcer gloves come with handy thumb wiper blade ,always did the job for me

[Owenski]

Just smears it though, it was just like using the car wipers without using the water jets.

To combine the spone idea with the spada idea would be good but I've just spent £50 on some winter mitts so Im not about to spend even more on another set of gloves.

[keith_d]

1) Buy a cheapo flannel and a decent magnet.
2) Cut the flannel into a convenient size then fold one corner over and sew the magnet inside.
3) Rinse the flannel before you set out, leave it damp and stick it on your tank in the lee of the fairing
4) When the visor is covered in crap use the flannel to wipe it clean, then stick back on the tank.
5) Take the flannel inside when you get home and clean it properly so it doesn't collect grit and scratch your visor

[Dicky Ticker]

And use cold water to rinse as heat will destroy the magnet.



Had this on previous bikes but I have a plastic tank now

[fastdruid]

I just stuck a wodge of tissue[1] in my pocket, whipped it out and gave my visor a wipe as needed.

Never had any scratches from doing it dry either, I found the only problem with 'scratches' were where the visor rubs against the seal, after 20-30k it gets a bit scratched.

Druid

[1] I used the hand drying tissue from the toilets but kitchen roll would probably work too.

[Owenski]

i use a flannel at the moment the problem is I dont get to stop much on the journey so i'll wipe whilst filtering but I find that often makes the halo effect worse.

[fastdruid]

I didn't stop, just popped some tissue out of my pocket, wiped and replaced.

Druid

[Owenski]

I didn't stop, just popped some tissue out of my pocket, wiped and replaced.

Druid

maybe its the flannel/tissue then, maybe im better off with a wrap of tissue in my pocket. ill give that a go on the route home tonigiht.

cheers.

[AndyBrad]

hook some washer jets up to your fairing :)

[fastdruid]

Needs to be heavy duty tissue, bog wipe is just going to fall apart and leave loads of little bits everywhere if there is any damp.

Druid

[fastdruid]

hook some washer jets up to your fairing :)

Have to not use screen-wash (poisonous) or plain water (risk of legionnaires disease) though.

Maybe neat vodka would work, although then the next traffic stop may be rather more interesting. ;-)

Druid

[AndyBrad]

only got to hit the visor not his mouth :) just wait till you see it on dragons den :)

[fastdruid]

Er yes, because water doesn't form an easily breathable mist when blown at your visor at 70mph+.

Druid

[AndyBrad]

it'll be fiiiiine :) simple dont breath when cleaning your visor

[fastdruid]

Rather you than me then.

Druid

[Reeder]

Im totally up for being the ginea pig for this windscreen washer idea :D

[andrewsmith]

Im totally up for being the ginea pig for this windscreen washer idea :D

How many points you got on ur licence mate?

[Reeder]

9...?

[Stu]

Just smears it though, it was just like using the car wipers without using the water jets.

To combine the spone idea with the spada idea would be good but I've just spent £50 on some winter mitts so Im not about to spend even more on another set of gloves.
Don't need specific gloves - http://www.getgeared.co.uk/Glove_Rain_Wiper

[Bibio]

rain wipers are all fine if its raining, but when you have got traffic film that has dried you need something wet.

[Owenski]

pinlock arrived today,
I shall be testing it out on this evenings commute. A little concerned that I took someones advice and went for the light tint - turns out its not so light after all.
Not so much that its worth worrying about on lit roads, but on unlit ones where i'd be relying on the SV standard headlights... then I may have some issues.

[tactcom7]

Matt when I bought me arai a few years ago it came with a free fog city reactive pinlock insert. Like the posh sunglasses it reacted to the light and changed colour accordingly. Worked a treat in bright sunlight down to night time riding. I know you already bought an insert but worth considering for the future.
Hth.

[hongman]

MotoX style "rip off" tabs

[fastdruid]

My AGV X-Vent came with a pack of 5 tear-offs, I think my Ti-Tech did as well. Certainly has the mounts for them.

Druid

[hongman]

Ah yes that's the name, tear off's. Rip off's LOL.