Riding in the rain - wet visor

[GSinUS]

Just wanted to revisit how people deal with a wet visor in the rain.  It rained yesterday, and I noticed that I can shake the drops off by jerking my head from side to side periodically or by wiping the water off with my glove.  All this is fine while travelling on small streets with noone in front of you.

Riding on the highway, I noticed that, even with a large following distance, a lot of dirt from other cars ended up on the visor.  In this case, shaking the water off no longer helps and neither wiping with a glove, because it just makes the screen dirtier.  Can you please share some of your experience with this?

[Egaeus]

My gloves have a squeegee on the thumb.  Haven't had to use it yet though.

[calamari]

go faster and leave the rain behind 

if I remember correctly, someone suggested rainex or something but I've never tried it (i just go faster  )

[TarzanBoy]

Luckily, I have only been caught out in the rain once or twice... and both times were very light drizzles.   The only thing you can really do is slow your speed (by at least half if it is regular rain... you should be getting passed by all the cars on the road), and either give your visor a wipe every now-and-again, or tuck below the air boundary layer created by the windshield.


Getting caught in the rain sucks... especially if you are on a cruiser with no windshield and a half-face helmet! 

[Alphamazing]

Luckily, I have only been caught out in the rain once or twice... and both times were very light drizzles.   The only thing you can really do is slow your speed (by at least half if it is regular rain... you should be getting passed by all the cars on the road), and either give your visor a wipe every now-and-again, or tuck below the air boundary layer created by the windshield.


Getting caught in the rain sucks... especially if you are on a cruiser with no windshield and a half-face helmet! 

He's got an '02 model: no windscreen.

Tuck, though, and get as much protection from that headlight and guage cluster as you can!

[JamesG]

Rain-X helps alot, especally in preventing fog (Fog-x?).  

At speed you can use the airflow to clear your screen. Turn you head left and right slowly to the edge of your periferial vision for a few seconds. The wind will blow the rain droplets away from the center of the visor.

[Alphamazing]

Rain-X helps alot, especally in preventing fog (Fog-x?). 

I used some of that anti-fog stuff and only noticed an increase in glare with no decrease in fog. Maybe I did it wrong, but still. Worth a shot for $5. It's summer now though, so who cares?

[Egaeus]

It's summer now though, o who cares?

It wasn't summer last night.  My neck was getting pretty cold at 65 mph.  Didn't stop me from riding though.

[Alphamazing]

It's summer now though, o who cares?

It wasn't summer last night.  My neck was getting pretty cold at 65 mph.  Didn't stop me from riding though.

I believe there are only two seasons in Texas: winter and summer. It's getting pretty warm here, so it's summer.

[Egaeus]

I believe there are only two seasons in Texas: winter and summer. It's getting pretty warm here, so it's summer.

It's similar here, we just get more rain.

[annguyen1981]

Rain-X helps alot, especally in preventing fog (Fog-x?).  

At speed you can use the airflow to clear your screen. Turn you head left and right slowly to the edge of your periferial vision for a few seconds. The wind will blow the rain droplets away from the center of the visor.

+1

I used rain-x on my modular helmet.  Worked WONDERS!

I don't plan on riding in the rain anymore tho, so I haven't put it on my new helmet.

[pandy]

I have the Cold Front gloves with the thumb squeegee, and I just used the squeegee last week (I've used it before in lighter rain, but this was a downpour).

It worked great! 

[secondgen7]

My gloves have a squeegee on the thumb.

My winter gloves do too.  In summer, I ...

... use the airflow to clear your screen. Turn you head left and right slowly to the edge of your periferial vision for a few seconds. The wind will blow the rain droplets away from the center of the visor.

It works well.  Especially when rain-x is also being used.

[skoebl]

I got the rain-x and fog-x...but was kind of scared to put them on the my visor when I read "IMPORTANT: Do not use on plastics...do not use on surfaces treated with anti-reflective, scratch resistant, or other coatings".

So I guess now that other people have...I just may as well 

[ajgs500]

At speed you can use the airflow to clear your screen. Turn you head left and right slowly to the edge of your periferial vision for a few seconds. The wind will blow the rain droplets away from the center of the visor.

This is what I do except I laugh when I am doing it cause I think it is funny!!!!

[scratch]

I got the rain-x and fog-x...but was kind of scared to put them on the my visor when I read "IMPORTANT: Do not use on plastics...do not use on surfaces treated with anti-reflective, scratch resistant, or other coatings".

So I guess now that other people have...I just may as well 

Yes, this is very true of Shoei helmet visors.  The hardening, or scratch-resistant, coating should be sufficient enough to turn your head left/right to clear the drops.  In heavier rain I just let it 'wash off' and look through, or between, the drops; my focus is beyond the shield, so I can't really say that I've had any problems.  When the roadgrime makes the rain stick, I wait long enough for a good amout of water to collect and then wipe it off with the squeegie on the thumb (TourMaster Carbon ColdFronts), or the chamois on the fingers of my 14year old TourMaster winter gloves.

[scratch]

Riding on the highway, I noticed that, even with a large following distance, a lot of dirt from other cars ended up on the visor.  In this case, shaking the water off no longer helps and neither wiping with a glove, because it just makes the screen dirtier.  Can you please share some of your experience with this?

I either try to stay ahead of traffic, or avoid the freeway.  I currently have the option of staying off the freeway.  If you don't have the option, I feel for you.  Sometimes what I do is ride with my head turned 45 degrees to the left or right, until that half of the visor becomes covered, and then switch, this helps keep the center less obscured for when you really need it.
Another thing is if you are in the far right or left lane ride in the farthest part of that lane, such that if you are in the right hand lane, ride in the right tracks of that lane, that way you are not getting the spray off of cars in both lanes.

[RVertigo]

I turn my head to one side, while turning my eye to still look forward, and let the wind rip the rain off...  Then I do the other side.  When that's not enough, I use the glove sqeegeeeee.

Keeping a clean visor helps the water roll off.

Tucking on a nekid GS doesn't really do anything.

[natedawg120]

I use rain-x and keep my visor clean.  When it is raining to hard for the tuck, fairings rick, I just untuck enough to get the wind to blow the rain off the visor.  No thumb squeegee here so if i need to wipe i just use my glove

[Tyson]

Living in Vancouver BC and riding through the winter i always have to ride in the rain. Looking left then right, as described earlier has always worked well enough for me. You also have to focus on looking through your visor past the drops and out onto the road. I don't use my gloves to wipe the visor because it makes my hands cold and wet. To tell you the truth i hardly notice the rain on my visor anymore.