Dark + Rain + Glare - What do you do?

[Jefr0]

Hi all

I've always had problems with my vision when it's dark and raining because water droplets stay on my visor. With lights it just causes glare and becomes quite hard to see.

If you try and wipe it with your glove just seems to cause more problems

I've got a pinlock visor so I don't have to worry about it steaming up.

I've seen some people have yellow/orange tinted visors, does this combat glare?

I tried the pink visor stick you can get at bike shows and that doesn't seem to be very good.

What do you use on your visor?
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Rides: Honda XR 125 ('03) Honda CBR 600F ('91), Ducati 916 Biposto ('95)

[bikertomm]

Swear




Get in car





Think pits is coming up with something for visors... scrounge a sample of that?
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07' Honda Hornet now full powaah! My guide on performing an oil change!

[Turkish]

Clean the visor with fairy liquid, the water will form into beads and will run off to the sides at speed, or if you turn your head slightly.
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ZX-6R G2
CBR125R RW6

[stinkwheel]

I long ago accepted that I can see very little when it's dark and raining and there's oncoming traffic just carry on regardless. The track of the oncoming headlights gives me a direction to head in.

I comfort myself by giving short shrift to any design students who come on here wanting to fit a head up display or other equally fuckwitted nonsense to motorbike helmets. I request that each one designs a visor that can be actually seen through under all road conditions before they start embellishing it.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[cagiva gezzer]

Rain-x or rain wizard used to work, but some people are against putting this on plastic visors.

Polarized glasses (fishing shop) can help.
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"because one stroke isnt enough and four strokes waste two"

[Spudly]

Experiencing this properly for the first time myself, with it being pretty much dark as soon as work has finished.

Personally, I'm finding the combination of wet roads, dark, drizzle and fuckwit knobjockey car drivers pissing around on high beam to be utterly terrifying.

Add to that that I suspect the tyres on the bike may be anything up to four or years old, with all the attendant evidence of old, age hardened rubber and you have 24 stone of terrified Australian on the verge of going tharn on a motorbike.

In before "well sort the tires", They are on the list, that neverending bastard list which can only be whittled away via the copious application of money.
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The Old Apprentice

[Kradmelder]

I lift my visor and suffer the pins and needles on my face.

Being a whiny sissy doesnt work if you want to be a full time biker. Sometimes there is discomfort.
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2011 KTM 990 Dakar
2009 BMW 1200 GS

[Killer Rat]

bob heath anti-mist.
some cheap silicon type rain-away from poundland.
a piece of old car windscreen wiper, cable tied to my thumb as a visor wiper.
polarised glasses.
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No! No more talk! We go in! We kill! Kill! We kill 'em! They kill us, we kill them! Kill 'em! Kill 'em! Kill! Kill!
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cbf125 09', cbt passed 4/6/2010 - 28k miles - 1 major breakdown (stator)

[barrkel]

Experience. The longer you've been on the road, the fewer visual clues you need to figure what's going on.

If it's really bad, I make sure I stay on busy roads / motorways so I can follow car tail lights. This presumes you can keep up - I wouldn't do this on a 125. Also, my rain gear is fluorescent yellow, after dark I'd also consider hi-vis on top.

My wet weather glove also has a built-in wiper thing, but you can't be wiping your visor every few seconds; it will also gradually destroy the visor surface from grit thrown up by cars. I try to get a new visor every year because of this.
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Bikes: S1000R, SH350; Exes: Vity 125, PS125, YBR125, ER6f, VFR800, Brutale 920, CB600F, SH300x4
Best road ever ridden: www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2MhNxUEYtQ

[sidewinder]

Anti glare glasses help alot with this problem
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"Nitrous is like a cheap hooker, you want to hit it but are scared of the consequences

[magpiemale]

I think some have the wrong thinking here he hasn't a problem with steaming up but water on the outside lingering on the visor !
Nikwax visor wax or cleaner is your friend it'll bead the water up and turning your helmet to the side shifts excess water off its about £6 and a bottle will last a year or two maybe more.so make sure the use by date is good for a few years.
Apply it often prior to going out in the rain on a run it will last an hour or 2 in heavy rain.
Magpiemale
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NSR125 1992 (sold) kawasaki Z750S,fazer FZ1 07 now gone present bike 2012 fz1s Fazer,beowulf rad protector,heated grips,sw motech gps holder,power socket.

[Jefr0]

Thanks all for the replies.

These anti glare glasses are they like the ones you use for shooting? (orange) as they do a visor insert for this which could be an option rather than glasses.

I should have mentioned I've been riding on the road for 9 years now and commute 5 days a week all year round.

I'm aware of turning your head to remove the beads off the visor but not good for town riding only any good when you can get a bit of speed.

I had thought about the car wind wiper on the glove but as mentioned can scratch the visor :/

I'll have to consider the options above, sprays etc. although would like to hear if anyone uses the yellow/orange insert.
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Rides: Honda XR 125 ('03) Honda CBR 600F ('91), Ducati 916 Biposto ('95)

[yaigi]

[Rogerborg]

Bob Heath Vee Wipe.

Bit expensive for a piece of rubber, but it works well.
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Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[Pete.]

[Pol Anorl]

[Flatbadger]

[Nope.]

Whip the visor up and have some fun

Love riding in the rain at night, although it gets a bit painful at 80mph+.

If I do have the visor down (Usually due to my face feeling like its freezing off) my winter gloves have a wiper blade on the thumbs so I can wipe away the rain from the visor.
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Former: Derbi GP1 50, Sachs XTC 125, Suzuki GSXR 400 GK73A, Kawasaki ZX7R, Suzuki DR250, Yamaha RD350
Current: 2011 Yamaha XT660Z Ténéré, 2003 Yamaha YZR-R1 5PW (In Build), 2009 Kawasaki ZZR1400

[Walloper]

Tints (amber or woteva) and anti glare do not do Hee-haw for glare. Tints actually reduce the amount of light so you will see less.
The Friggin Frogs had a Hardon for Yellow lamps for fog years ago. It was studied scientifically and found it does nothing.... (The idea must have been some 60s LSD trip thing.)

The anti mist products work but the effects are limited and rather dispointingly temporary. Maybe after 1hr in the pishin' rain it has been wiped off. Possibly due to the plastic on visors not bonding or something.

Keep a wee bit of microfiber stuffed into the clutch cable or the screen (somewhere it's easy to grab and stow on the move). Use this for wiping wetness/brow.

Or get one of them littl rubber wipers for going over the thumb. (But ghey as...)

Another thing you can do which helps is SLOW THE FCUK DOWN when you can't see.
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W-ireless A-rtificial L-ifeform L-imited to O-bservation P-eacekeeping and E-fficient R-epair

[SamWise72]

1) Aim to the left of the oncoming lights.

B) Hope for the best.

[Amnesty]

ACF-50 on visor, may sound dumb, but makes rain sod right off ;D
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I ride a scoot, so what? >_>

[stinkwheel]

Goggles/protective galsses do not suffer as badly from surface rain. They are so close to your eyes, you can't focus on the droplets even if you wanted to making them less of a distraction. Makes things blurry rather than obscured.

Not so good if you're wanting to do 100mph on a long motorway trip though, I find I can'ty cope with the pain of rain hitting my face at anything much over 55-60mph.
____________________
“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[j00pY]

[Walloper]

[Rogerborg]