Exterior of faceshield in the rain

[BCKRider]

After experimenting with lots "magical" fluids to keep my fully closed face shield fog-free, I finally got a Pinlock for my Shoei helmet. While that extra layer is slightly annoying in non-fogging conditions, it is the ONLY thing that lets me see in bad fogging conditions and I use it always.

For years I've used "Nu Finish" (a car polish and preservative) on the outside of my shield. As you would expect, this causes rain to bead up and roll with pretty good vision. To clean off bugs, I use a spray bottle with water which includes a few drops of mild car cleaner.

Do any of you have experience with other products which DON'T cause water to bead up in the rain, and do they give you better vision than waxes which cause water to bead?

 

[David13]

I have the latest of the Shoei helmets, I have had many. And they all would repel water with nothing on them.
This new one, with the Pinlock, which I never used, gets water all over it, which sticks there. I have to use my glove as a windshield wiper.
So I need something.
I probably will try something like RainX or other repellent. Or try the Shoei website and forum to see what they recommend and use.
I never used the Pinlock, as for fogging, I don't have too much of a problem, and if I do have any, I just crank it open a tad. (That is a small space. Which word I don't know where it comes from. I heard a dentist use it 50 years ago, and so I repeat it?)
dc

 

[BCKRider]

I have the latest of the Shoei helmets, I have had many. And they all would repel water with nothing on them.
This new one, with the Pinlock, which I never used, gets water all over it, which sticks there. I have to use my glove as a windshield wiper.
So I need something.
I probably will try something like RainX or other repellent. Or try the Shoei website and forum to see what they recommend and use.
I never used the Pinlock, as for fogging, I don't have too much of a problem, and if I do have any, I just crank it open a tad. (That is a small space. Which word I don't know where it comes from. I heard a dentist use it 50 years ago, and so I repeat it?)
dc

Thank you for the quick reply, though I don't quite understand it. Could you explain how your previous helmets repelled water (moving droplets or a thin sheet of water, or...?) My experience with cranking
my Shoei face shield open a tad in heavy rain was that it indeed cleared the fog, but I now had water droplets on the inside of the shield. Better than thick fog, but not good.

Again, my question is how do you treat THE OUTSIDE OF YOUR FACE SHIELD for best vision in rain?

 

[Zygmund]

Doug,
I remove the shield and wash it in the sink with warm water and a drop of dish soap, dry with a cloth towel.
I then polish the outside with the Cee-Bailey windshield cleaner and a soft cloth.
The outside of the shield must be perfect with no scratches or pits! I'm anal.
This works for me but won't stop fogging and your comment on the pinlock is right on, I couldn't stand the distortion when dry, went back to a std shield.
I carry a small bottle of the CB polish and a cloth in the tank bag so when I take a break I clean the screen again! Like I said I'm anal.......

Ziggy

 

[akbeemer]

I use Pledge and a microfiber cloth when home. Just a wey microfiber cloth on the road. I don't think there is a magic bullet.

 

[royce]

... Again, my question is how do you treat THE OUTSIDE OF YOUR FACE SHIELD for best vision in rain?

I simply quit seeing it (stuff on the shield). For me, it really is a case of mind over matter. Once I quit thinking about it, I stopped noticing it. Now it's not there any more. YMMV.

 

[jeffd]

I have had good luck using Dawn dish soap. After cleaning the shield I put a few drops of soap on the shield and rub it in good with my fingers. Then I buff it with a micro-fiber. I do this on the inside and outside. I helps with the beading and the fogging. It only lasts for a few hours of rain though. I carry a small bottle of Dawn and reapply when I stop for fuel or whatever.
Jeff

 

[lmo1131]

a tad, is that like a scosh ... a hair less than a smidgeon? .

 

[marchyman]

Again, my question is how do you treat THE OUTSIDE OF YOUR FACE SHIELD for best vision in rain?

Raincoat. http://www.motosolutions.com/raincoat.html
Review at http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-helmets/visors/raincoat-water-repellent/

 

[andreb]

I agree with Royce. I just ignore it because the only time it gets annoying is at a stop. At speeds over 30 mph, the rain drops fly off and I just put it out of my mind, although I admit a clean faceshield makes the drops fly faster. A few wipes with my rain glove finger (with the little squeegee) fixes that.

 

[beemeup]

Rain Protection Products

I've often thought that it would be good to put Rain-X on my face shield, but I haven't because everything I've
read says that it's bad for your bike's windshield, so therefore it's probably bad for your face shield as well. Rain-X
is great on automobile glass however. I have a recipe for a homemade cleaning solution that I got from Cal-Sci as I have one of their
windshields, it works great and I use it on my face shield when I'm on the road and haven't seen any ill effects yet.
I does nothing to increase water beading or having water roll off your shield faster though. I'm surprised someone
hasn't developed a product for this purpose. I'm aware of an anti-fog spray that you can purchase for the inside, but have never used it.

 

[marchyman]

I'm surprised someone hasn't developed a product for this purpose.

Someone has. See the link for "raincoat" posted two posts above yours. It works OK in the rain. Doesn't help as much as I'd like in a heavy fog, though -- the kind of fog that builds up very small droplets on the outside of your visor. When that happens I have to twist or lower my head to get the air flow right to knock the droplets off.

 

[t6pilot]

Very good experience with ceebaileys RAIN REPELLENT MAX, 8oz bottle, works on windshields as well
For visor fogging FOGTECH on inside, lasts for a couple days
I was advised by Schubert rep not to use dish washing liquid on visor as it contains mild abrasives. Best to use a drop of mild auto wash soap!

 

[David13]

I use mind over matter.
But I also like to be able to see in front of me, without my shield being all slopped up with beads or rivers of water on it.
Previously like, it all just seemed to roll off nicely, on it's own. No product on it.
With this new helmet and some rain in Montana and Idaho and Washington it didn't seem to do that.
I don't know whether the difference was atmospheric pressure, altitude, distance from the equator, or wind velocity, direction or turbulence.
It didn't seem to do it on this new Shoei RF1200.
From the Bureau of Standards in Washington:
1 tad = 2.5 skosh
1 smidgeon = .75 tad.
dc

 

[exgman]

Update On "raincoat PRO" - Water-repelling solution for helmet faceshields

I went looking for a product to make riding in the rain more pleasant since it seems that just about the time I ride more than 30 miles from home, I'm in rain. I found this somewhere (Amazon, I think) decided that for "safety reasons" I could spend $20 for it, and ordered. Perhaps some have had experience with this product, but the former product (mentioned two years ago in the thread) was a paste. This is a wax carried to the face shield by a spray. I have not used it yet and frankly, will put it on my shield and hope that it's never tested. Here are two photos...one of the front of the box in which it came, and one of the rear:

 

[daboo]

I've used RainX on my helmets for years now...about 110,000 miles. So I didn't put it on and leave the helmet on a shelf unused, but I rely on it enough that I have one bottle at home, and another at work just in case.

Water goes off so quickly that I don't even need to think about using a wiper on a glove.

The only time I've had an issue, was when I got caught one night in heavy wet snow. The snow stuck to the helmet, the windshield...everything. RainX didn't help then. But it has every other time.

FWIW, I haven't noticed any issues with any of my faceshields.

Chris

 

[John M]

Plexus for plastic

I've used Plexus to clean/polish my windshields and visors. Seems to work great, beads up well and lasts until I wash the whole bike with soap.

 

[greenwald]

I've used Plexus to clean/polish my windshields and visors. Seems to work great, beads up well and lasts until I wash the whole bike with soap.

PLEXUS!

 

[henzilla]

PLEXUS!

You don't need that riding that 'Wing do ya

 

[greenwald]

You don't need that riding that 'Wing do ya

Oh Yeah!

Given the 15-18k miles I put on touring each season, not every dawn is a fair weather day.