HELP me out of the fog!!!

Discussion in 'The Perfect Line and Other Riding Myths' started by bess227, Nov 14, 2012.

  1. bess227

    bess227 Adventurer

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    My morning commute is averaging 34 degrees, couple 29 degree mornings........I am toasty, but my visor on my MSR full face dual sport helmet fogs in a hurry. I try to keep it clean, but at times it is almost dangerous.

    Besides dropping the coin for a pinlock.........any cheap (i ride a KLR) fixes for the visor?? Does Cat Crap really work?

    Thanks up front for the info.
    #1
  2. James Adams

    James Adams wut

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    Pinlock shields are worth it--they simply work. They aren't cheap, but it's a one-time cost (per shield) and takes just seconds to install.

    All of my street helmets are Pinlock-equipped and I recommend it to everyone looking for a permenant anti-fog solution. Anything else is just temporary at best.
    #2
  3. MikeJansen

    MikeJansen Lost

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    NikWax Visor Proof is a great hydrophobic coating for anti fog and anti rain. It is also the only product that is water and not alcohol based. Plexus is also a fantastic product for the misting but as it is solvent based might invalidate your visor warranty.

    I have also had great results using a cloth that I got at a ski shop made by Scott that is for glasses and goggles but I lost it about 2 years ago and have not found a replacement on this side of the pond.

    I also wear glasses at all times so in the city (below 50mph) I ride with the visor cracked just a bit.

    Other than that? Try a scuba shop for anti fog products. Also spit worked on my snorkeling equipment when I was a kid. . .
    #3
  4. motorat

    motorat Is it raining

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    if you want a really cheap solution then put a drop of dawn dish soap on the inside of the visor.
    wipe it all around and then wipe it off...don't use water you want to leave a light film but do wipe it all off
    so you can see clearly. down side is that you will probubly have to do this every other ride.
    or get a fog city....less than pin loc but scratches very easily.
    #4
  5. Too_Tall

    Too_Tall The Belgian

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    Another +1 for the pinlock. This is not something to save money on, your vision is VERY important in a car and even MORE important on a bike. While some methods do work, a pinlock takes no time in the morning, and it's not that expensive.
    #5
  6. Bill Harris

    Bill Harris Confirmed Curmudgeon

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  7. 74C5

    74C5 Long timer

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    Foggy Respro Mask. Works very well. It keeps your breath off of the inner side of the shield.
    #7
  8. Conedodger

    Conedodger Wanna Ride

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    Love my pinlock. Talked a buddy into one earlier this month. He says it is the best money he's spent on riding gear.
    #8
  9. daveinva

    daveinva Been here awhile

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    What I would like to know is why no (?) helmet manufacturers make a factory double-paned visor.

    I love the Pinlock as much as the next guy, but it seems to me that offering an entire visor double-paned would be a more elegant and robust solution (I find the the Pinlock shields end up getting warped out of shape and loosen over time, allowing crud and eventually fog to form underneath them. They're cheap enough to replace, but again, a proper double-pane visor would solve the problem permanently, no?).
    #9
  10. PT Rider

    PT Rider Been here awhile

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    ...Rub bar soap or any surfactant dry or very slightly moist on the inside, buff off.
    ...Use any of the commercial no fog products. I've used several, and they almost work.
    ...Pinlock or a similar product
    ...Deflect your breath away from the shield.
    ...Improve the ventilation up & past the inside of the shield.
    ...Wear a helmet that has a dual pane snowmobile shield available if you have one
    ...Buy a snowmobile helmet with a dual pane shield
    ...Buy a snowmobile helmet with an electric heated dual pane shield, essential for freezing rain.
    #10
  11. FlySniper

    FlySniper Bleh...

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    This is what I do.


    Front and back of my eyeglasses and inside of my visor. Lasts for a week or so ... works great.

    I apply a very thin coat of detergent, let it dry to a haze and buff until clear with an old t-shirt.
    #11
  12. PeterW

    PeterW Long timer

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    3M stainless steel polish (Spray can, non-abrasive) works like Dawn, but lasts quite a bit longer.

    Pete
    #12
  13. orangebear

    orangebear Long timer

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    just get a pinlock takes mins to fit and works well. or keep the visor open a bit to keep air flow in and it will not fog up plus open the vents to.
    #13
  14. James Adams

    James Adams wut

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    HJC does. :deal

    [​IMG]

    I have one on my coldest-weather helmet and it works great. It's heated and has extra venting so it does a good job keeping my nose warm and glasses clear, too.
    #14
  15. orangebear

    orangebear Long timer

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    i hope shoei sell one as i would buy it.

    its a shame hjc sell nice visors like that. after my one and only hjc lid had a visor that would open at speed and leak in the rain i have never gone near a hjc again.
    #15
  16. Ranger Ron

    Ranger Ron Been here awhile

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    Arai makes one for the RX-Q. I have one...

    Ron :D
    #16
  17. SloMo228

    SloMo228 World Class Cheapass

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    I have the HJC electric double-lens visor. Never fogs at all, no matter what. Even without the heating element on, it's good into the 20s without fogging. Of course, that doesn't help my glasses at all, so when it's cold I just wear contacts instead.
    #17
  18. Mat

    Mat Tosser

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    Warranty for a visor? That is one warranty worth voiding I'd say, if it is worth anything to begin with.

    Anyways, the only thing that worked for me was a mask isolating my nose and mouth completely from the rest of the helmet. Shoei makes them, I took the larger one. Now I can breathe as hard as I want and it doesn't affect the visor.

    Of course that doesn't help against fogging completely, so I also have a Pinlock, which in turn is almost useless on its own when we have our typical Autumn / Winter weather here. The combination of the two does the trick.

    Almost. I now added Cat Crap to the Pinlock insert and the visor, and it seems to help a little, just enough.
    #18
  19. anotherguy

    anotherguy Long timer

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    I have a 15 year old Scott's NoFog cloth. Works great.

    [​IMG]
    #19
  20. urbanXJ

    urbanXJ Long timer

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    I find if I keep it above 80mph the fog clears right up
    #20