• Welcome, Guest! We hope you enjoy the excellent technical knowledge, event information and discussions that the BMW MOA forum provides. Some forum content will be hidden from you if you remain logged out. If you want to view all content, please click the 'Log in' button above and enter your BMW MOA username and password.

    If you are not an MOA member, why not take the time to join the club, so you can enjoy posting on the forum, the BMW Owners News magazine, and all of the discounts and benefits the BMW MOA offers?

How often one replace faceshield

bob814u

New member
Never!

I haven't replaced the visor due to need. I replaced one for a tinted one as the sun is in my eyes when I got off work. I figure when it is time to replace the visor it is time to replace the helmet. I haven't spent alot on a helmet but the ones that I have had kept me injury free for the life of the helmet.
 
I don't replace a faceshield unless it's damaged. I usually clean it before a ride with-

2669604.jpg


After an application of Plexus, it's like a new shield has seen installed. I've had great luck with it.
 
I get about 40,000 miles out of mine. I'm carefull not to store anything inside the helmet that can scratch the visor.
 
+1 on the Plexus. I clean my face shields with it after every ride. Typically they last the life of the helmet and look like new after 4-5 years.
 
When it cracked or scratched.

Ditto.

Helmet gets replaced every 5 years (by then, the foam is either getting too hard to be of any protection anyways, or starting to powder), but often the shield has lasted that long with TLC, aka Plexus. :thumb
 
I can't stand a dirty shield so I pull it off my RF1100 and wash it in warm water with a small dab of dish soap, dry with a clean dish towel.
Shield will last until I want something different or a new helmet comes along.
:groovy
 
I get about 40,000 miles out of mine. I'm carefull not to store anything inside the helmet that can scratch the visor.

Store stuff inside the helmet?

Why would you store stuff inside a helmet. After riding I leave the visor open or if its a flipfront I leave it open so it can breath and dry out if its sweaty. No way I would use the helmet as a storage space that would just be icky.

My last helmet I retired after 5 years, still had the original shield on it.
 
Can't remember when it wasn't the case that the faceshield lasted the life of the helmet.

At least that's been the case for my System 1, System 2, System 3, System 4, and System 5.
 
Store stuff inside the helmet?

Why would you store stuff inside a helmet. After riding I leave the visor open or if its a flipfront I leave it open so it can breath and dry out if its sweaty. No way I would use the helmet as a storage space that would just be icky..
I've seen riders put all kinds of stuff in the helmet to make enough room to fit it in the top case. Sometimes I'll put my gloves in the helmet. My head has never sweated in any of my helmets even in over 100 degree days.
 
How Often to Replace Faceshield

This is not a direct answer to your question of faceshield longevity, but my personal preferences. If you do not wish to purchase multiple faceshields, it may not work for you. I like to have multiple facehields for my helmet, so I can switch shields, depending upon weather conditions. Therefore, my faceshields get more length of service, because no one shield "lives" on the helmet. Here are my preferences:

Cloudy with no direct sun/night riding - I use the clear shield that comes with the helmet

Partly sunny - I use a dark smoke shield. This prevents "squinting," when I pass through areas of sunlight.

Bright sunny day, with no clouds - I use an iridium coated (mirror) shield. This gives my eyes the protection from the bright sunlight, as well as preventing the strange sunburn patterns that develop from the sun shining through a clear shield.

I use Plexus to remove bugs and road grime whenever I stop for gas on a touring trip or at the end of a ride when I am just motoring around town.

Your tolerance for less than perfect shields may be different than mine, but I seem to be prone to rock strikes at eye level on my shields. If I was thrifty (cheap), I would keep the damaged shield, but I find that I soon tire of "crossing my eyes" in an attempt to look around the defective portion. That is when I purchase a new shield. I figure it is cheaper to buy a new faceshield that to develop some strange opthalmologic disorder that requires corrective glasses.

Bill
 
Back
Top