What can you suggest to help vision whilst riding in the dark and in the rain?

Im currently using Rainex Original outside and Anti fog inside, they work in normal daylight fairly well but its the Glare from on coming cars that creates the biggest issue.

Old Man

Almost impossible to avoid the glare from headlights and my personal hate, street lights (especially in misty rain). All I usually do is the old index finger wiper blade.

bettr to leave the rain-x crap alone.  The best thing you can do for your visibility is have a CLEAN face shield.  A flyscreen over the guages helps keep some of the water off your shield but, if it's clean, anything that lands on the shield should bead up and fall away in very short order.

Second best thing to do...HID lighting.  You can buy HID kits for $150 and have decent quality...but be forewarned: improper installation will irritate oncoming traffic.  Only buy a kit that is designed to work with a duel-filament housing otherwise you'll have an unshielded bulb blinding everyone who looks at it.

Ive had a suggestion: Wear Polaroid Sunnies? Might help in daylight, but at night! (dont suppose there are Clear Polaroids?)
Also wearing Amber Coloured sunnies, apparently helps with contrast at night?

Anyone tried the above?

OldMan

Not just amber...they have to be polarized.  Amber, polarized shooting glasses are the best and cheapest.  Get them in the sporting goods section in wal-mart for $8.  Great for all riding.

I've never worn them of a night, but I wear them shooting and they're really good in days of low light.

Yeah I hate the headlight glare on my visor when riding at night in the rain.

I often find I have to lift my visor up, tuck my head down inline with my front windscreen (I have an F model) and battle it out that way.

Stings the eyes but least I can see. I also hope there is a better way 



RainX on the visor is good at fast speeds, but not effective around town in 60 zones.

QuoteYeah I hate the headlight glare on my visor when riding at night in the rain.

I often find I have to lift my visor up, tuck my head down inline with my front windscreen (I have an F model) and battle it out that way.

Stings the eyes but least I can see. I also hope there is a better way

Yeah, Thats what im doing, ok on short runs to the shops but an hour ten, to and from work and your eyes are rats#*t.

Bubba: Any chance you could wear your ambers at night, and give us a report?

Cheers  :cheers:OldMan

I know how you feel mate. Road from Homebush, to Ashfield, then to Camden, at night in the rain back last in last June.


With the rain, fog from my breath, road mist, glare and cold... I was forced to ride with the visor up just so I could see the road markings. Concrete Roads (ie Paramatta Road) are terrible when wet. My eyes were red raw by the time I got home.

I too was hoping there was a better way. 

G'day Old Man

I have cataract's in both my eyes so I understand better than most about glare.  Glare to me is not just glare....Glare hurts my eyes as well as blinds me.  When car headlights glare gets too much I back off the gas a touch and look down to the left hand side of the road at the white line.  This will help you to not go off course for that 1 or 2 seconds you have to look down till the car passes.

Some people claim that these night driving yellow glasses called "Amber Vision", "Night Drivers" etc work.  What they DO is cut glare a treat at night time from street lights and cars etc.  The downside for me though was it did make things a little darker.  Give it a try if glare pisses you off too much.

Rain X - I am doing the same as you are with your visor, rain X on the outside and Antifog on the inside.  Another user said this does not work and to a point I would agree until I started to do this: (note works best on non damaged visors).  Poor visors and damaged visors you are wasting your time and money (to agree with other user)

* Purchase a good grade windex or glass cleaner
* Highly clean and polish inside and outside of visor using glass cleaner
* Apply Rain X and Antifog.

Also as a cheaper version to Rain X you can also use is a cut in half potato.  The starch in a potato fills the minor imperfections in the plastic once buffed (same principle as Rain X) and causes the rain to "Slide" off the surface instead of sticking to the minor imperfections.  When raining and doing under 60km/hr just turn your head a little and the rain will slide off.

VISION:
Try running brighter globe?  1 got rid of the stock 60/55 and am running a 100/55.  Don't piss off other drivers with that 100w Laser though.  A 100w high beam turns night into day and the low bean of 55w is same as stock.

Good Luck

use shampoo on the inside of your visor and wipe clean , will not fog , i do this with my helmet and my hockey visor

rain-x might degrade the visor

+1 on the shampoo.  Toothpaste, also.

Hey Ajaxgs,

Tried the Shampoo and it works a treat.  Smells great as well LOL

Wife gave me a strange look getting into her shampoo

Cheers mate 

Quote from: 08GSSteve on May 14, 2008, 04:17:06 AM
Hey Ajaxgs,

Tried the Shampoo and it works a treat.  Smells great as well LOL

Wife gave me a strange look getting into her shampoo

Cheers mate 

actualy i was at the local bike shop and the topic came up, some guy was trying to get a waranty face sheild for his helmet and the first thing that he had admited to was that he used rain-x and a stone shatered the sheild

On the Brighter Globe..... are there any issues with running a 'hotter'(temperature wise) globe?

Just changed mine for  Ice Blue  60/55 is better than i had but i was told that any higher and the heat could damage the Housing etc..

Old man

The colour temp isn't the problem, its the wattage.

If the wattage is the same as stock you'll be fine.

Also try getting an insert for you helmet. All Arai helmets now come with an insert, What you do is you clean the inside thoroughly, make sure there is absolutly nothing on the inside then you fit these insert on the inside of the visor which seals all the way round and effectivly makes your visor double glazed. I used to have fogging problems all the time, now with this new visor on a freezing night you can breath as much as you want and still dont get the fogging. Fantastic idea. As for bright lights at night on the rain i just make sure i have a clean visor and wipe with one finger.

What just did occur to me was on Grand Designs special ECO show a month or so ago they were demonstrating this special solution that they put on conservatory glass roofs to keep them from getting crap stuck to them. It basicly made them super slippy so anything would run off instantly. It was clever to watch they poured a small amount of these tiny gel crystal things then dripped a couple of drops of this solution on top. They guy rubbed his hands together like you would putting hand cream on then showed his hands. He said they just felt completely normal not coated or anything. Next they dropped some water on. Instead of soaking up and running through the tiny gaps on his hand it formed perfect water droplets, when he tipped his hand up it ran off. It was freaky to watch. But im thinking i wonder if you can get some of this same stuff and mix a solution to put on your visor.

Quote from: galahs on August 11, 2008, 04:31:58 AM
The colour temp isn't the problem, its the wattage.

If the wattage is the same as stock you'll be fine.

Didnt explain myself to well did i, Yes youre right, the wattage is the main factor that produces 'HEAT' what i heard was that higher wattage (Hotter) globes can damage the Plastic housing etc..Is this the case? what is the highest Wattage that is being run in a 'F' style setup?

Old Man

Now I understand.... good question..... I can't answer 


I got some Philips Extreme Power H4 globes for mine. Standard wattage but heaps brighter. 

Picked up a new helmet the other day as my HJC was written off by a car that pulled out in front of me.  Got a KBC "SPARK" simular in design to my older HJC.  The 7 year old HJC IMOP was a much better helmet fior keeping out the wind and rain etc but I LOVE the KBC for the antifog inner on the shield.  I have cleaned the inside several times now and the shield is still fog free.  No idea what the plastic is made up of but it works great on cold days.  Just a pitty the rubber seal round the visor is poor quality as it leaks when it rains and lets in draft.

Wife is happy as I am not raiding her expensive whale snot shampoo and coating the inside of my visor any more.