How to keep the face shield cear in the rain, help!

Hi,

I'm new to riding in the rain, and recently got caught in a down pour with no place to hide. I put
on my rain suit and continued on through highway and city riding. My only problem was trying to
keep my full-face helmet shield clear. At one point it got dark and the glare of the head lights
and tail lights of other cars was very troublesome.

I wore gloves with a built-in rubber sqeegee in the thumb, but this did nothing to improve
visibility. Also I applied the 'Rain X' on the shield a few months ago, it didn't appear to be of
any benefit, (it works great on car windshields).

Any suggestions on how to improve visibility the rain?

Thanks,

 

I find Rain-X to be helpful, but it needs to be reapplied about
once a month.

 

If your squeegee isn't doing anything at all, I'd suggest getting a
different one. I know that add-on ones are available (slip on over the
thumb or 1st finger). The squeegee on my new gloves isn't nearly as good
as the one on my old ones, but it does make some difference.

It's also worth checking to see whether any of the water is getting onto
the _inside_ of the visor. Your squeegee can't get that stuff off. If it
is, you may have to either close the visor completely, or re-adjust your
visor so that it seals better.

Finally, if you're having problems with fogging you can try one of any
number of anti-fog products out there, from wipe-on liquids to the
venerable Fog-City (DON'T use this product at night! It causes multiple
reflections of lights.), a breath mask, or even a different combination
of vents in use.

HTH.

--
Later,
John



'indiana' is a noun. Leave only the noun between @ and .edu to reply

 

Keep the visor open just a tad to keep air moving across the inside, and the
fogging may not be a problem. You don't say if you have a windscreen, or
not, but if so, poke your face out into the wind to let the air blow the
water off. The biggest thing is to stay focused on the road, not the
droplets on your visor. Keep looking for what you need to see to stay on
course, and don't focus on things you don't want to ride over.

HTH

 

Honestly, faceshields need to be replaced so often anyway, due to
normal wear and tear, that I find any effects that Rain-X might
have to be negligible. Can't speak for windshields -- never had
one.

GB

 

Throw away the windshield. With enough wind blast, a face shield will
stay pretty much water free. If you turn your head slightly to one side
the wind blast will do a pretty good job of clearing that side. Now
turn your head to the other side.

You also want to keep the face shield clean and free of scratches.
Tap plastics sell some OK cleaners and scratch removers. I'll
also use Rainex.

Fogging can be prevented by allowing extra air circulation inside
the helmet.

 

I've ruined a plastic windshield with Rain-X. Never again on anything
other than glass.


Matt

 

Matt Whiting wrote:

What does it do?

 

It probably causes 'crazing' or 'fogging' of the plastic.

http://www.rainx.com/frame_faq.htm

2). Can I Use Rain-X® Glass Treatment and/or Rain-X® Anti-Fog®
on plastics?

Consult the manufacturer of the plastic prior to use.

http://www.memphisshades.com/instructions/9957INSTRUCTIONS.htm
[care instructions for Memphis Shades plastic windshields]

"Never use any glass products, petroleum based chemicals, or
cleaning agents with ammonia, bleach or any harsh chemicals.
This includes Rain-X, brake fluid, acetone, and gasoline."

 

It gave mine an orange peel like look. Hard to describe, but sure made
it hard to see through at night.


Matt

 

Tough to argue with your evidence. So I'll amend my
recommendation to say, "Use at your own risk."

GB

 

A spray with furniture wax polish (eg unsnted pledge) helps fill in
the small scratches and makes the water run off.
Geoff