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Helmets, fog and cash

I am currently doing some testing for the Fog Tech wipes. I took the Pinlock out of my X-11 helmet, that works fairly well. The Fog Tech wipes does work on the visor and the sunglasses, but not the prescription lenses. I was informed that that was due to a coating on the prescription lenses. It depends a lot the conditions that you ride in, how often you reapply treatment.... I have noticed that the pinlock really only last about a year, before you need to replace the shield and the pinlock (due to scratches and the pinlock no longer being firm). I have one more week of testing with the Fog Tech wipes, it seems to be the most cost efficient way to go....

Sign me up for a test too! I have a Shuberth and it fogs. I have tried the diving lens stuff but it doesn't last long. My pullout visor feature helps when the temp is right. What works best for me is my silk balaclava pulled over my mouth=I also have worn my bike helmet on a snowmobile with the same thing to good effect. Good for helmethead too.
 
Greetings
Even if the face did not fog. how can I stop my eyeglasses from fogging? And the fog coats both sides of the lens.
This is mine biggest problem in the rain.
Tony
 
Rain and Fog

New to this forum, so please indulge me as I try to get the correct question. I am wondering if using a rain X product on the face shield is a good idea to help shed rain and for better vision? Also, what about the same on the moto-shield? Suggestions are definitely appreciated, as it has been raining non-stop for days and I am going a little stir crazy wanting to ride.
 
Greetings
Even if the face did not fog. how can I stop my eyeglasses from fogging? And the fog coats both sides of the lens.
This is mine biggest problem in the rain.
Tony

Tony, that's why I ordered the Fog Tech product. I applied it to both sides of my glasses the other day and rode to work on a damp, 37?? morning.
They didn't fog at all.

Now, someone in the thread said it didn't work on their glasses, but it may be worth a try....
 
New to this forum, so please indulge me as I try to get the correct question. I am wondering if using a rain X product on the face shield is a good idea to help shed rain and for better vision? Also, what about the same on the moto-shield? Suggestions are definitely appreciated, as it has been raining non-stop for days and I am going a little stir crazy wanting to ride.

Rain X is for glass only. Nikki Wax people make something for plastic but cannot speak to how well it works. The Fog City inserts work.
 
Pinlock question

Based on the comments in this thread, I made the investment in the Pinlock system for my new Arai XD3. That is a great helmet, but it does have issues with fogging in the rain.

So, I've installed it, and will try it tomorrow for the first time. I did get no fog while breathing heavily inside the helmet after installing the shield.

My question is that it looks like the pinlock insert is sticking to the inside of the shield a bit... is this normal? In other words, it doesn't look like there is an airspace between much of the two surfaces. I was very careful to install, i believe there is a good seal all the way around, and it looks clear when wearing the helmet... but I can see what people are talking about regarding minor distortion.

Experienced advice appreciated.

Ian
 
My question is that it looks like the pinlock insert is sticking to the inside of the shield a bit... is this normal? In other words, it doesn't look like there is an airspace between much of the two surfaces. I was very careful to install, i believe there is a good seal all the way around, and it looks clear when wearing the helmet

Ian

The insert itself should not be touching the visor, just the urethane seal around it. They are very close together, however.
 
Note that the tension on the shield can be adjusted by rotating the pins. See http://pinlockusa.net/TensionAdjustment

You don't want the tension too loose (lets in moisture) nor too tight (shield can contact lens).

thanks marc.... i had looked at that page.

unfortunately, the pins i have in the pre-pinned Arai XD-3 shield i bought do not work as shown in these instructions. the pins do not push completely out of the shield and they are not 1-piece.

instead they are two pieces (unless I broke both of them trying to remove them as instructed) and the inner eccentric pin piece pushes into an external grommet with a snap fit.

once i figured this out, there was no way i could get the shield to fit the pins again. the pin & grommet halves kept popping apart, with the teeny tiny clear pin going flying somewhere randomly across the room. amazingly, i was able to find it three times before one of the pins went down the air conditioning duct.

oh well, they sell replacement pins.

do people actually do this on the side of the road or in camp? despite washing my hands and cleaning them again in alcohol to make sure i had no oils on my fingers, i was unable to get this inner piece mounted without fingerprinting it.

this is way WAY too fiddly for me. heck, i bought a dark and a clear shield because it looked like you could just snap things in and out. no way without removing the visor from the helmet, which in itself is somewhat of a PITA.

i can't believe i spent $120 on this. despite my friends and even myself often claiming to the contrary, my manual dexterity is pretty good. but from what i've experienced you have to have the skills of a brain surgeon to get this thing to fit right. :bluduh
 
oh well, they sell replacement pins.

well, amazingly enough, they do not sell replacement pins, only shields.

i can't believe that for a $60 face shield, and as fiddly as these pins are, that they don't provide extras in the package or replacement parts.

i just contacted the Pinlock folks through their site and they are going mail be some (nice to get a reply on a Sunday afternoon..... fwiw)

ian

fog city product = $17.95 :doh
 
My Shoei Multitec fogs up bad too. I'll get the pinlock system before next winter. but first I have to get through this winter. Had 6" of snow at my house in the CA foothills yeterday. It was almost 90 degrees less than two weeks ago.

I agree 100% here. Also have a Multitec and was ready to rag the lid UNTIL I decided to email Shoei. They were very gracious enough to send me a pin lock visor and the insert for FREE. It cured the fogging issue. I only wish the helmet already came with them as it is rather on the high end side to begin with.
 
do people actually do this on the side of the road or in camp? despite washing my hands and cleaning them again in alcohol to make sure i had no oils on my fingers, i was unable to get this inner piece mounted without fingerprinting it.

:dunno I've never removed the pinlock lens any place other than my garage. Can't see why I'd ever want to change it on the side of the road... but then I only use a clear lens in a clear visor. I've sun/safety glasses with various lenses for day, for, and night.

And I've never needed to touch the inner surface on the lens save when washing. On my XD3 I remove the visor from the helmet, hold the dry lens by the edge, and use my forearms to hold the visor almost flat while fitting the edge of the lens under the pins. The lens almost snaps to the visor. I then let up the pressure on the visor, letting it resume it's normal shape. The key is holding the visor near flat when fitting the pinlock lens.

It takes less time to do the job than it does to read the above paragraph. It takes much longer to remove and replace the shield from the helmet. Also, I only need to do that maybe once a month unless riding in really dusty conditions.
 
i can't believe that for a $60 face shield, and as fiddly as these pins are, that they don't provide extras in the package or replacement parts.

Strange. I got my visor directly from Arai when their on-line store was working and it came with a zip-lock bag containing 3 pins and a pinlock decal. That was several years ago.
 
:dunno I've never removed the pinlock lens any place other than my garage. Can't see why I'd ever want to change it on the side of the road... but then I only use a clear lens in a clear visor. I've sun/safety glasses with various lenses for day, for, and night.

well, i wanted to have a darkened one for day, and clear for night.... of course, this was before I saw "Daytime use only" stamped into the clear shield. :bluduh i sincerely doubt i would die a horrible death if i were to use the clear shield at night (unless there are serious issues with reflections/glare) and it would be much easier to do if you didn't need to remove the faceshield from the helmet.

i use safety sunglasses, too, but a little extra tint is always nice. sorta like flipping down the dark half-lens on the Schuberth or Nolan model helmets. When riding into the sunrise or sunset, it's nice.

marchyman said:
On my XD3 I remove the visor from the helmet, hold the dry lens by the edge, and use my forearms to hold the visor almost flat while fitting the edge of the lens under the pins. The lens almost snaps to the visor.

i am doing almost exactly the same thing except i can't get enough purchase on the edge of the lens when snapping it into the second pin. i have to squeeze the lens between my fingers and that's when it gets fingerprinted. no doubt it takes practice.

on a high note, my wife (ol' Eagle Eye) spotted the missing pin that went flying...it had landed in the carpet. so, i will try yet again.
 
I live in Seattle, so I know wet riding

About three months ago, I replaced my four year old after-market Pinlock-equipped Shoei Multitech with a Shuberth C3, which comes with the Pinlock already installed.

Where the Shoei fogged up all around the Pinlock, there is virtually no fogging whatsoever with the C3 - the difference being that the C3 is far better vented than the Shoei. I can feel air moving across my face when the vent on the chin bar is open. When the vent on the top of the helmet is also opened, there is a virtual wind tunnel as the air enters at the chin, moves up the face, and exits out the top/back of the helmet.

So - even more important than the presence of a Pinlock is the amount of airflow through the helmet - something the C3 excels at.

I also love having the built-in sun shade. Rode almost 800 miles this weekend, seemingly always heading east in the mornings and west in the afternoons. Pairing the built-in sun visor with sunglasses really cuts down on the amount of solar radiation that enters your eyes - and the helmet - keeping it cooler and more comfortable inside.

The C3 feels as if it weighs half what the Shoei did. A few fewer pounds buffeting around atop your shoulders all day really makes a difference at the end of the day.

Regarding adjusting the fit of the Pinlock to the visor, my Shoei pre-drilled for Pinlock visors came with adjustable Pinlock pins - you can rotate them to make the Pinlock fit snugly against the shield. The C3 visor does not come with these adjustable pins, but the Pinlock fits against the shield perfectly. Let's hope it stays that way, and that replacement Pinlocks fit equally well.
 
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Got caught in the bad storms in ATL last weekend.....hot steamy rain....my scorpion exo900 did not fog up!

You'll get much greater fogging when the temperature outside the helmet is much less than the temperature inside your helmet as your breath condenses on the plastic being chilled by the colder air outside.

High heat and high humidity don't produce as much condensation inside the helmet as low temps with high humidity (i.e. "Seattle").
 
A follow up on my saga...

The Pinlock people sent me new pins... and they are different than those that came on my Arai shield. These are a single casting, as opposed to the Arai pins which, as noted above, came apart in two halves.

The pins snapped right in, adjusted correctly and the Pinlock shield fit perfectly. Well, all except for one tiny little area where it still contacts the Arai shield. It's out of my line of sight, I can live with it.

if i were designing this, i'd go with small knurled brass pins that thread together. i'd add a screwdriver slot so that they could be adjusted very accurately and then tightened on the shield so that they can't move. These pins are almost completely out of your peripheral vision and it seems a little more rugged than tiny plastic boogers that you can barely hang on to.

jmo :D

ian
 
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