What a Newbie Learned tonight.....

[southerngent]

Howdy everyone, just wanted to let ya'll know I've put about 1000 miles on the new ride and have loved EVERY minute of it. Everytime I get on I learn something new about riding. Had my first night ride last night. WOW it was great!!! Clear night, 1/2 interstate, 1/2 backroads, not alot of traffic just awesome!! During this refreshing jaunt I learned 2 things!!!

1st of all if the temp is in the lower 60's, with about 40% humidity at speed that translates into -30 on a bike!! LOL!!!! Being part of the learning curve I will have a liner in the leather tonight.

2nd thing learned shield fogs when stopped at a stop sign or red light, easy remedy crack shield a little and when cruising again it will clear right up. However, mental note to self is don't forget to close it.Because there are bugs out there who are not happy and would rather end it all on MY face shield than go on living their lives. Problem here is when the shield is up and you have no eye wear....ouch!! Good news is it only stings for a minute or so. LOL

Anyway as I said I'm still learning EVERY day. But maybe for some of the other newbies out there I thought I would share and hopefully help them skip a bump on their learning curve as well..

Stay safe out there....

[Rockhead]

It's funny riding with the unprepared tough guy, as the night goes they’re hunting for a 24hr Wal-Mart to buy cloths.

[Clint]

Two good lessons there. Not quite -30, but yes, you do have to wear more than you might think on a bike. The key is windproofing. You could wear 4 layers of fleece, but the wind will cut right through it. You need that windproof outer layer.

I've been cracking my shield, too, but the bugs are gone here and I only crack it a quarter inch. That's all it really takes.

[jgreth]

I plan to buy a fog guard and keep it in my bag for when it rains. When it's raining if I raise my visor even a little then the water will drop on the inside a bit.

A fog guard is like a ... I guess the closest thing would be like the mask your dentist wears while they work on you. Except it's made of good material and attaches to the inside of your helmet ( doesn't work on modular helmets, only full-face ). You can remove it with ease and you can breathe hard all you want and it never fogs up ( supposedly ). Personally, I've just ordered a very high quality balaclava and hope it will do the fog guard at the same time as keeping my neck/lower face warm when it's chilly outside.

[Suzkuz]

Originally Posted by jgreth

I plan to buy a fog guard and keep it in my bag for when it rains. When it's raining if I raise my visor even a little then the water will drop on the inside a bit.

A fog guard is like a ... I guess the closest thing would be like the mask your dentist wears while they work on you. Except it's made of good material and attaches to the inside of your helmet ( doesn't work on modular helmets, only full-face ). You can remove it with ease and you can breathe hard all you want and it never fogs up ( supposedly ). Personally, I've just ordered a very high quality balaclava and hope it will do the fog guard at the same time as keeping my neck/lower face warm when it's chilly outside.

Whatever the treatment HJC used on my AC-12 stock visor is awesome. I can't get it to fog up no matter how hard I breath on it.

[womper]

Originally Posted by Suzkuz

Whatever the treatment HJC used on my AC-12 stock visor is awesome. I can't get it to fog up no matter how hard I breath on it.

this is true... for a short while... i had to clean mine a few times due to rain, bugs and dust/dirt from back roads...

after a while, the coating on the inside wears off and near the bottom i get some fogging. not nearly as much as my smoked visor though.

[Ext1jdh]

Originally Posted by Suzkuz

Whatever the treatment HJC used on my AC-12 stock visor is awesome. I can't get it to fog up no matter how hard I breath on it.

Same thing on my Scorpion.

[kay]

I use fog guards too and it seems to work. I dunno about the Shoei X-11 I use now since this will be the first winter with that helmet. I'm hoping I may not even need a fog guard but let's see.

[nateW]

I just treat my screen with rain x to stop fogging and let the water run off faster. Seems to work well for me.

[Barbarian]

Wait... Rain X on the inside?

[nateW]

Originally Posted by Barbarian

Wait... Rain X on the inside?

Why not. It helps prevent fogging. But. And it's a Big Butt. Make sure your screen won't be damaged. I know alot of the harley wind shields say no rain x period. So check first. Helmet screens are cheaper but it still ain't free.

[southerngent]

Never even thought of Rain-X. have to try that one..

[nateW]

Originally Posted by southerngent

Never even thought of Rain-X. have to try that one..

You can also get the anti fog stuff that the eye dr's sell for Glasses. It does work. But it cost more.

[DaveAlvarado]

A good fog guard is the Respro Foggy. It's made of neoprene and makes a really good seal around your nose and cheeks and the helmet so you're always breathing out the bottom of the helmet. I don't like wearing it though, it personally makes me feel claustrophobic in my helmet. I'm sure if I wore it enough I'd get used to it though. It's probably just the clip that holds it to the bridge of your nose.

[jgreth]

Yeah I've heard good things about it. ( for those wondering what it is, check this link )

Though, during the colder months here I'll be wearing my balaclava, I wonder how well that will work with it.

[themeatmanlandry]

Originally Posted by Barbarian

Wait... Rain X on the inside?

They make Rain-X Anti-Fog.

[nateW]

Originally Posted by themeatmanlandry

They make Rain-X Anti-Fog.

yup

[Rockhead]

We talked about this last year and someone hinted on buffing dish detergent like Dawn into the visor. It works but didn’t last very long before a pretreatment was needed. The little Anti-Fog bottles, they sell at the dealers work about the same so save your money.

My stock clear with the HJC works very well. You get a little condensation at stop lights in the middle where your nose is steaming but it's not too bad.

I have a blue visor also, it’s not as good as the stock but it’s nothing that hinders my vision excessively.

[Fishpart]

Good lessons, thanks for sharing, each persons experience helps the new and old riders.

[diamond_jim]

A funny story about anti-fog products. Back in maybe 1989-90 when anti-fog products were in their infancy and were just making their way from aircraft applications to a handful of specialty markets like for skiers and motorcyclists, I had used some to play a trick on my friend's wife. I was stationed at Ft. Stewart, Georgia at the time. I was living with my buddy and his wife. She always took those really hot showers, you know the ones where when you get out of the shower you can't see anything cause your suddenly inside of a rain cloud. Well she always got up after my buddy and I left for work and then showered. Well one morning I got some of my anti-fog liquid and, dabbing my finger in it, wrote some really scary stuff on the bathroom mirror. Then we left for work. About 8:30am, my buddy gets a call from his wife and she's all hysterical. She asked if either him or I had come back home. He said no. She swore someone had entered the house and wrote that stuff on the mirror while she was in the shower. I had to have him tell her it was me before she called the police!