Foggy Visors

[phoenix63]

Ok... my first ride in chilly weather. I already know that I can't wear my summer weight gloves in the evening now (wow... I am such a wimp! My hands were cold. I am seriously considering Gerbings gloves).

But, I didn't realize how quickly and how much much my, ummmm.... "frugal" helmet would start fogging up. What's the best way to deal with this, given that I don't plan to replace my helmet until Spring?

Anything I can do?

[Astir]

Fogtech - works wonders!! I have seen little packets at Cycle World. Not sure if they are still offering a discount for online orders - but here is the thread.

http://www.twowheelfemales.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1576&highlight=fogtech

Raincoat works wonders too! In the rain - just beads off. In the summer those bugs wash off really easy with it as well.

[phoenix63]

Awesome!!! Thanks, Astir... and the code still works, BTW. That's fantastic!

I just got the Fogtech and Raincoat products. Woooo Hooooo!! I love a good deal!

:wootrock:

[Luna Tique]

And they are both excellent products.:pompom:
Did the code work for our discount?

[zukilady]

:yahoo:

[Follow]

Looks like I should get some of the raincoat to help with the rain, as for fog my shield has a a fog liner in it which works pretty good.:thumbup:

[phoenix63]

Yes! The discount code still works! Awesome!

[Luna Tique]

Good to know :thumbup:

[KansasKawboy]

Good stuff!!!

[opaque_machete]

As a cheapskate and notorious penny pincher, I have discovered that a very thin coat of ordinary dish soap, let it dry thoroughly, and buff it our works wonders not only for fogging, but for rain as well. Works for me. :lol:

[Astir]

:thumbsup: I will have to give that a try!

:chin: maybe on my windscreen. It sure gets bugged up and is hard to clean.

[KansasKawboy]

Every time I see the title of this thread I think it's a motorcycle riding blue grass band. :lol:

[opaque_machete]

:roflmao: :roflmao: :roflmao:

[ImaSoftT]

:rofl:

[phoenix63]

Heyyyyy... now, there's an idea, KK. Any musical TWFers out there?

The TWF Foggy Visors... has a nice ring to it.

:D:

[KellyVA]

We were riding with friends not too long ago and he is an airline pilot. At a pit stop he pulled out a can of Pledge dusting stuff and sprayed it on my windshield and visor. Said it cleans well, rain beads up and runs off and it fills in cracks so makes it clearer. Apparently that is what they use on the airplane windshields too.

[ImaSoftT]

:chin: May just have to try both the dish liquid and the Pledge, one on windshield and one on face shield of course. A little scientific experiment, where is my 9 year old grandchild when I need him?

[KellyVA]

:chin: A little scientific experiment, where is my 9 year old grandchild when I need him?

:lol:

[opaque_machete]

:lol: They love that sorta thing, don't they?

[adelgadorey]

I bought a Fog City visor insert (about $18) a while back and it works pretty well. The issue I run into, which I completely didn't consider, is that my glasses fog up too! Oh well. Here in SF the fog gets out of control and the guys at my shop all recommend the Fog City products. My only gripe is that it's not too attractive. Here's a photo of my helmet with the insert. the gluey part where it attaches just doesn't look that great.

[ImaSoftT]

There is a bright side Adel...

When you're moving at 70 mph NO ONE will notice. http://www.twowheelfemales.com/forum/images/smilies/Big%20Grin2.gif

[opaque_machete]

What a beautiful and comfy cat you have, adel. :lol:

[adelgadorey]

hehe yeah, sometimes I wish I had his life. Must be nice to just sleep all day :)

[opaque_machete]

:lol: tell me about it.

[sweptwingnut]

We were riding with friends not too long ago and he is an airline pilot. At a pit stop he pulled out a can of Pledge dusting stuff and sprayed it on my windshield and visor. Said it cleans well, rain beads up and runs off and it fills in cracks so makes it clearer. Apparently that is what they use on the airplane windshields too.

From one airline pilot to another (your friend), I believe this to be a bit of a controversial suggestion. I personally would NOT recommend pledge on clear plastics. At least not ones that I rely on to see through for driving and flying. It is not designed for those types of plastics.

And especially not for aircraft windshields. :eek: Doing so, you run the risk of 'crazing' (http://aviationwindows.com/faqs.html#10) clear plastic with exposure to the the elements over time. Definitely not good for an aircraft windshield. More good information at this link link (http://www.lpaero.com/CAREINS.html)

We need to step back here and take a look at cleaner/polishes. Everybody seems to have a favorite, from great and proper to poor and very dangerous. The good ones, at least those that are safe to use on acrylic plastics, tend to be the commercial ones, intended to be used on this specific material. The bad ones, including the very dangerous, tend to be materials never intended to be used as an aircraft window cleaner/polish, such as glass cleaners and furniture polish. Glass cleaners invariably contain ammonia, a killer of acrylics. DO NOT use anything containing ammonia on acrylic plastics. It will cause crazing (thousands of microscopic cracks) in short order. Furniture polish seems to be safer, but its long term use is undocumented and reports indicate it builds up and produces smears that are hard to polish off. Something to consider about furniture polish - it is intended to be used indoors, not outdoors, and on furniture, not aircraft windows. Furthermore, it's not much less expensive than many aircraft window products.

Instead, I recommend PLEXUS (http://www.plexusplasticcleaner.com/frames.html) for your helmet shield as well as any other clear plastics. It was developed specifically for the Aviation industry. "Plexus protects plastic more effectively than ordinary cleaners. Because Plexus seals the pores in plastic surfaces with a micro-thin layer of shiny, protective wax, plastic becomes resistant to debris, oil, scratches, and eventual yellowing. And its anti-static properties repel dust and lint."

If anyone wants to experiment, I am more on board with the dish soap method. That is the safer bet than pledge. :riding:

[Cyclone67]

Thanks for the info Nut!! I thought I remembered my paperwork on my helmet saying NOT to use products like Pledge.

[Flight49]

Nut - thanks for the info about Pledge. I too had been told that it was great for shields and visors. Used it on my old bike and I had noticed a sort of build up and streaking that I couldn't get off so have not used it on my new bike. Glad I didn't. I have used Windex though and I think that has ammonia in it so I will have to quit and just use water to get the bugs off and find a cleaner with no ammonia in it.

[sweptwingnut]

Sprayway foaming glass cleaner from costco is ammonia free and economical for costco members.

An aside, I used Plexus on the front of the car to loosen the bugger remains. Sprayed it on and let it set a few minutes. Followed it with Sprayway Foaming glass cleaner to set for a few moments. Everything rinsed off with the water hose and zero scrubbing.


These days, I am sticking with Plexus for my Shoei helmet. You can most likely find it at walmart or auto zone.

[Astir]

Plexus is great stuff - we use it on our glider canopies, since they cost anywhere from 3-6000 each we are VERY careful with them. I use it on my helmet and bike. I like to shine the paint with it. :D:

Never use the water from gas stations either - it could have ammonia in it. A friend used it on his front windscreen and it had what looked like horrible scratches from where the ammonia softened the plastic and the scrubber side of the squeegie scored it terribly. I ruined a face shield once (in 1986 or so) using Windex on it. It melted horribly. Ammonia is nasty stuff for plastic.

[opaque_machete]

Wow, Thanks for all the info. I tried the Pledge on my eyeglasses since they are scratched in places. It didn't work very well. Just smeared everything around, so I had to wash them with dish soap and hot water to get it off. Then reapplied the dish soap. Seems to work well for me and hubby. He's used it for years without problems on his face shields and goggles both.

Plexus sounds great, but...well....ummm...where can I buy just ONE can at??? :lol:

[KellyVA]

Thanks for the info. on Pledge, I'll have to ask my friend where he got his info. Will be looking for Sprayway and Plexus for sure.

[sweptwingnut]

Wow, Thanks for all the info. I tried the Pledge on my eyeglasses since they are scratched in places. It didn't work very well. Just smeared everything around, so I had to wash them with dish soap and hot water to get it off. Then reapplied the dish soap. Seems to work well for me and hubby. He's used it for years without problems on his face shields and goggles both.

Plexus sounds great, but...well....ummm...where can I buy just ONE can at??? :lol:

Most motorcycle dealers and marine dealers have it in their parts department somewhere. All aircraft / avionics shops. Probably any place that you can buy plexiglass will have it. Then there are various places online but then you get into shipping.

Another product worth considering is Sumner Laboratories 210 plastic cleaner. http://sumnerlabs.com/ Although it may be a bit harder to find than Plexus.

Here is another great article on cleaning windscreens. http://allamericanprod.com/hints.html

I use dish soap also to clean my eyeglasses. Haven't figured out how to use that to keep them from fogging. That was rAK and my biggest problem this last week. The Pin-Lock anti fog visors worked great but we forgot to treat our glasses and they kept fogging up. :lol:

[adelgadorey]

Bikebandit sells individual cans of plexus! :)

[opaque_machete]

:eek: Wow! I'll stick to my dish liquid. Too rich for my blood. I don't even spend that much on my cell phone. :lol:

I did find that Motorcycle-Superstore is $3 cheaper. ;):

[GraeBird]

Hi P63- Just an inexpensive suggestion. When we were snorkeling - our Captian used any type of sprayer with baby wash and water to deter the fog... it'd be cheap enough to give it a try - and if it doesn't work - you'll have baby-smooth skin for awhile. :) Just spray and wipe off. Don't rinse.

[phoenix63]

Thanks, GraeBird! What ratio baby wash to water do you use? Does it make a difference?

[GraeBird]

It's not very much. He had a medium sized sprayer and said he used a couple of teaspoons of the baby wash. Maybe 1:10 ratio???? Good Luck! What an awesome cheap way to defog - if it works! I, unfortunately, got sick on the boat so never really got to use my goggles much. He resprayed numerous times when we were on the boat, but we (or should I say "they") were in the water for three hours or so.

[phoenix63]

Fantastic! Thanks, GraeBird.

Hey, you're relatively close to me... just a couple hours away. I'm up in the NW suburbs of Chicago now.

[GraeBird]

I saw that and hope we can go riding someday! Meet in the middle. When I know what I'm doing and have a bike...haha... are you anywhere near Ravinia? I took three 14-year old boys this summer to see Robert Plant.

[phoenix63]

I'm about 40 minutes southwest of Ravinia. I love that place.

Funny story. Years ago, when I was out with a bunch of friends at Ravinia (outdoor concert venue... awesome place for music!), there was a young, 20-something guy and girl who brought a sleeping bag with them. Well, since there's a beautiful lawn seating area, people bring blankets and chairs anyway, so we didn't think anything about it.

UNTIL... they both climbed into the sleeping bag and zipped it all the way around them. We couldn't "see" what they were doing in there, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't wrestling.

:omg:

Seriously... about 15 minutes later, they emerged... covered in sweat and smiling from ear-to-ear.

[cynner]

I bought a Fog City visor insert (about $18) a while back and it works pretty well. The issue I run into, which I completely didn't consider, is that my glasses fog up too! Oh well. Here in SF the fog gets out of control and the guys at my shop all recommend the Fog City products.

I have the eyeglass problem too. The Fog City insert works well, but they don't recommend using it at night. I rode at night a couple of times with it and the glare from oncoming car headlights was horrendous. These days I just keep my face shield cracked open a bit at lower speeds. must....buy.....pinlock......

I treat the outside of my face shields with Rain-X and the water sheets right off.....as long as it's raining. In the SF fog, the wetness just sits there and I'm constantly wiping it away with my gloves. Those little rubber wiper blades for your gloves, made by Aerostitch, work well.