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New Helmet or new shield with pin lock?

boxerkuh

New member
Greeting, BMW riders. Today I come to you for your feedback or opinion. I am currently riding with Shoei X-11 helmet for 1 1/2 years. The visor needs to get replaced, due to scratches, but I am thinking about spending money on a pin-lock visor with the new incert (about $80 for the set-up). I have also read some good reviews on the new Scorpion 700 helmet for $210 brand new that is suppose to have a "no-fog" visor.
I am a rounder and I need to do something about the shield fogging up. Do the pin-lock visors work? Do they scatch the original shield? Are the "no-fog" shields hold true? As always, money plays a part, but I also want something that works, and if the pin-lock does not work, then I could save me $80 and put it toward a new helmet (if te no-fog stuff works).
Your opinions, feedback and thoughts or for that matter your jokes are greatly appreciated. :brad
 
I have an X-11 with a pinlock visor. It works great! Just like the Fog City, it adds a second layer to the visor, which is essentially fog proof. But better than the FC, it doesn't create the "prismatic" effect with point light sources at night and is easily removable for cleaning. I've never used any other anti-fog technology that was much good. The anti-fog coatings don't work that well, and eventually wash off or scratch.

The only downside I can say about the pinlock arrangement is that it doesn't cover as much of the visor as a FC, and the parts that are not covered will fog up, so you can lose some peripheral vision. Also, they offer a smoked version, but it's kind of odd to have the smoke film in front of your eyes, yet have clear visor letting the full sun in around the edges.
 
I'm about 50/50 pro/con on the fog shield on my Nolan. For the most part, it works well to prevent fogging. However, several times on extended ride in cold, damp conditions (like a couple hundred fall foggy miles on the Blue Ridge Parkway), condensation would form between the visor and the fog shield. This is very detrimental to visibility and very hard to remove. I would have to take the visor off, take the fog shield off of the visor, and dry everything off - not an easy task in a foggy drizzle. It is also necessary to take the visor and fog shield apart fairly often and clean the surfaces. Not hard, just a pain.

But, a couple of times it was self cleaning. Riding along with the visor cracked open for some ventilation, I would turn my head, and the fog shield would slide out of the opening and vacate the helmet. After this happened a couple of times, and I could not find the fog shield, I gave up on it at $20 apiece. (Finding a small, very clear piece of plastic along a few hundred feet of roadway and shoulder is NOT easy!)

Regards,

Roy F
 
Coming to think of it, on my Nolan N102, I had a pin lock and I did not like it. The second shield ended up scratching the main shield so much that I needed to replace the main shield. I have heard some riders replace their shield every year anyway, just a matter of "course", which I don't. I only replace it if the vision is poor due to scratches. Anybody have any experience between the Nolan and the Shoei pin lock systems? Are the same, simular (how), or different all together.
I guess that is why I am hesitant to invest in another pin-lock system. :dunno
 
I'm not familiar with the Nolan system, but I don't see how you could possibly scratch the main visor with the pinlock insert. My pinlock visor is going on 3 years old and it must have somewhere in the 75-100,000 miles range on it. The pinlock insert has a bead of silicon around the edge, and this is what contacts the inside of the main visor (and seals the gap between the two).
 
I'm currently using an Arai Quantum II with a Pinlock visor and insert. Assuming the other Pinlock shields are like the Arai, I can't really see why it should scratch the main visor - the pinlock insert has a thin silicone-ish seal around the outer edge, which is what keeps moisture from getting between the insert and the visor (when it's installed right), and also should keep the insert from rubbing against the visor.

The main trick was to turn the pins to adjust the tension the insert is held down with properly so that there were no gaps in the seal but not so tight that it deformed the insert further.
 
I have a Shoei RF-1000 and have been using the PinLocks for a few years now with total satisfaction. As stated before, the PinLock doesn't cover the entire inside of the shield, so you'll get some fogging on the perimeter, but not enough to be concerned. I bought several different PinLock tints for various situations, and they all work fine. It doesn't and can't scratch the inside of the shield, as it does rest on a small bead of silicone which creates an air gap and thus no fogging. You have to be careful cleaning the inside as the PinLock lens material is pretty soft. Usually I remove the entire shield off the helmet, take the PinLock off the inside of the shield, lightly wash it with warm water and dishwashing liquid, and let it air dry. No problems in many years. Best of luck.
 
I have a Shoei Multi-tec with a Pin-Lock insert.

It is an almost perfect fix to fogging visors.

I ride year-round in the cold rain in Seattle. It was 36 degrees this morning. The visor fogged up all around the insert, but the insert remained perfectly clear.

If you hate fogging visors, get a Pin-Lock. Then you'll have to find something else to hate :)
 
You made all the difference - Thank you!!

You all sold me on the pin-lock. I will be ordering a pinlock visor and a clear incert, since I ride with sunglasses or yellow glasses anyway. That way I don't have to mess around with the different incerts, and I believe if I ride without glasses I would feel like riding naked. It seems like that is the way to go. I wish it would have been 38 F this morning, it was 28 F here in "balmy" South Carolina. :thumb
 
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