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I cant wear anything but Shoei's as no others do them small enough for me and before you say a Caberg will fit, I wouldnt wear one doing the gardening, I would take my chances without. So if anyone knows where Arai do a XXS lid please let me know, I tell you which other helmets are fab are Simpson... Dont know any UK stockists tho....

I only mentioned "Caberg-sized heads" as a joke, as I knew you didn't think much of them. Are they really as bad as all that? Mine was a cheapie (99 sovs) to get me back on the road when I discovered that my Shoei was very uncomfortable after 12 years in a cupboard, but it isn't a bad lid by any means. The anti-fog didn't last long and the optical quality of the integral sun visor is poor, but it's comfy enough and seems to be lasting well. I haven't yet given it the ultimate trial of a high-speed get-off, but I'm happy with it at the price.

I know you have a lot of experience (down, Mazz, I meant in the bike accessories business), so what's so bad about them? If there is something critical I need to know, please fell free ...

RE: Tinted/reflective visors

lady p — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 21:57:43 GMT

RE: Tinted/reflective visors

Mazz — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 14:05:02 GMT

Black Dog (18/07/2007)

Would I be right in thinking that the fit of a helmet is a pretty personal thing? I know that the manufacturers use diffent-shaped moulds for the helmets, and I've heard from people that such-and-such a helmet brand fits them perfectly, but Brand X never does. In other words - some of us may have Shoei heads, others Arai heads (and maybe even Caberg heads), and the only way to be sure is to try a lot of different makes on before making a purchase.

Spot on that man! If a medium Shoei fits you, don't assume a medium Arai will. In fact, it probably wont! Also, there are subtle differences between certain models. For example an X-Spirit medium Shoei will have a different fit to a medium XR-1000 (like mine!)

[qoute]One thing's for sure - the next helmet will be purchased before winter, will have a Pinlock, and will be a premium brand. I'm quite happy to have last year's graphics if it makes it cheaper, as long as last year's graphics don't involve Tweety Pie or naked maidens with fiery spears emerging from the mouths of burning dragons.[/quote]

And what's wrong with the medievil vixens clad in bear skin and poised to strike the fatal blow to a Dragon? I happen to find those types of woman very appealing! Not for the fact their tough (let's face it, Dragon Slaying is pretty tough!) but their scantaly clad bodies... Xena the warrior princess anyone? drooooool............ ahem, ok, back on track! My Shoei is last years colours. Went to the Excel show in London last year and picked it up for £120 (£300+ off the shelf). Flippin' bargin seeing as it's Shoeis' best lid. Add a pinlock visor and a helmet bag (free with every purchase) and I think you can safely say that Shoei have covered all the angles.... and no, my helmet isn't adorned with the Dragon Slaying Vixens, sadly.

RE: Tinted/reflective visors

Black Dog — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 08:52:34 GMT

My two previous Shoeis were an excellent fit, but when I came to put on my latest Shoei after a few years away, it was bloody awful and gave me a headache. Perhaps my head has changed in the interim, and I need to start the try-before-you-buy process all over again.

Or is it a general thing - most people find Arai a good fit, and so on?

One thing's for sure - the next helmet will be purchased before winter, will have a Pinlock, and will be a premium brand. I'm quite happy to have last year's graphics if it makes it cheaper, as long as last year's graphics don't involve Tweety Pie or naked maidens with fiery spears emerging from the mouths of burning dragons.

RE: Tinted/reflective visors

roadhoover — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 08:35:44 GMT

The best fitting Shoei I've stuck on my bonce has been the X-spirit model. Mucho dough but great fit. Next lid I buy will have to be an Arai though. Fit superb, protection I believe second to none and winner of the recent JD Power survey for the ninth year in a row with Shoei second again. Last years graphics on these beauts are discounted, they also come with pinlocks and the quoted usable life is five years instead of the average three years. Used to sell both brands plus many others. Sold more Arai's than Shoei's, which isn't really a reflection of quality etc. Shoei's are a top lid.

RE: Tinted/reflective visors

Black Dog — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 17:55:45 GMT

Comments noted and credit card polished.

I don't need persuading to get a Shoei, mind. I've had two and they were both great. I've seen some on eBay that are a good £100 cheaper than RRP. Last year's graphics, that's all. Could be one of those with my name on it.

RE: Tinted/reflective visors

Mazz — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 11:30:57 GMT

I don't think it's legal (more of a grey area) to wear the mirrored visor, even if I have my clear one on me.

Shoei are the best. I can't sing their praises enough. The Pinlock visor is fantastic and never, ever mists up. However, once you've removed it for cleaning then it can start to wear and mist creeps up the inside. But it's less than £20 for a new one... no brainer really!

RE: Tinted/reflective visors

Black Dog — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 12:06:52 GMT

lady p (06/07/2007)

What are you doing in your sunglasses to make them mist up? Mine never mist up in any weather

Heh. Not what you're thinking, anyway! I think what I was trying to say was - sunglasses don't often mist up under your helmet, but if they do you're going to have a short but interesting time sorting it out.

lady p (06/07/2007)

......Shoei do a pinlock visor for your helmet best bit of kit I have ever used it actually works no matter how hard you pant not alot of things work but this actually does....

Mine's a Caberg (remember you told me in another forum how crappy they were?) but a Shoei is on the shopping list for later this year. I need to know what you are doing on your XT to make you pant. It has an electric start, so it can't be that ...

RE: Tinted/reflective visors

lady p — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 06:38:54 GMT

Black Dog (23/05/2007)

Clear visor + shades is good, as Lady P says, although for me that's dry sunny days only, as if you get shades misting up it is not something you can fix while riding along, and for that reason could be dangerous in the wrong conditions. A couple of alternatives:

What are you doing in your sunglasses to make them mist up? Mine never mist up in any weather......Shoei do a pinlock visor for your helmet best bit of kit I have ever used it actually works no matter how hard you pant not alot of things work but this actually does....

RE: Tinted/reflective visors

Ems — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 16:46:45 GMT

I'll be getting a tinted one soon, simply because i won't want to wear sunnies under my lid. Could be dangerous anyway unless their the sports ones that have a band all the way round the head!

RE: Tinted/reflective visors

Black Dog — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 15:55:08 GMT

As I understand it, you can wear a tinted visor quite legally if you are carrying a clear one.

RE: Tinted/reflective visors

Mazz — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 09:54:39 GMT

Yellow visors are slightly strnge. Back in the day when I was a pro Paintballer (Oh yes... I was!) a yellow visor in the woodland was a godsend! It makes all the green colours stand out a bit more so you can differentiate between all the foliage and your targets. Plus on a dark day, it did brighten things up a little. Certainly couldn't be used as night vision, but did brighten things up.

I used my Gold tinted visor for the first time yesterday. I was getting my bike out and looked up a very wet road with masses of glare coming off it. "Sod it' I thought, "just wear it and see what happens". Now, I know that the Police frown on these tinted/blacked out visors and can pull you over for it. So, to be on the safe side, I put my clear visor in a visor bag and clipped round my waist. That way, if the Police did pull me over, or I go home late, then I can change it.

I have to say, it worked well! It's not really dark in there, but it does reduce the sun glare and helped me to see where I was going.

RE: Tinted/reflective visors

Ems — Fri, 25 May 2007 12:23:45 GMT

I agree they're very odd!! You can get diff colours though so i wonder what they do!! They were popular (from what i remember) 10 years ago, but you don't see them around so much now!!

RE: Tinted/reflective visors

Black Dog — Fri, 25 May 2007 09:53:45 GMT

Curious things, yellow visors! They are supposed to improve your vision in poor conditions (you see a lot of yellow sunglasses sold as "driving glasses"). I don't know if this is true, but they have a rather odd effect.

In my early biking days, I used to wear a pisspot helmet with a flip-up visor (yeah, I know). I bought a yellow visor and used it for about 6 months. Whenever I got on the bike, I had the impression that it was about to rain. Apparently, when the air is laden with moisture (as it is when rain is imminent), the light is refracted by the water vapour (or something) and moves towards the yellow end of the spectrum. A yellow lens over the eyes gives the same effect and fools the brain into thinking it's going to rain. (Mind you, I was living in North Wales at the time, and so it probably WAS about to rain.)

One of the many benefits of sharing a house with a Physics undergraduate. The home brew was another.

RE: Tinted/reflective visors

Ems — Thu, 24 May 2007 12:27:09 GMT

Well obviously everyone will have their diff views. I have yet to decide what i'll be doing to get round this problem. Personally i wouldn't feel safe wearing sunglasses under my lid, but we'll see what happens! My dad actually has some yellow sunglasses he used to wear under hit flying helmet, maybe i'll give them a go!!!

RE: Tinted/reflective visors

Black Dog — Thu, 24 May 2007 10:07:00 GMT

roadhoover (24/05/2007)

The only reasonable argument I can think of is the journey east early and return west late, especially in winter.

Not sure I agree with you there. If you're facing low, bright sun, the last thing you want is something in front of your eyes that interferes with your eyes' ability to pick out detail. The problem is that if the sun is directly in your eyes, your pupils contract and the shadows get even darker in comparison. If you look away from the sun, even slightly, your eyes are actually pretty good at re-adjusting and seeing the detail. If you wear shades/tints, the overall level of light is reduced, and although the sun seems less bright, the shadows get darker too. The addition of a lens in front of your eyes tends to reduce contrast as well, which makes things even worse - and worse again if it's scratched or hazed. The only time I wear shades is when the overall lighting level is too high (like a bright cloudy day) and it stops me wrinkling my brows and getting a headache.

At one point on my morning commute, I go up a slight rise and go through a double blind S-bend where there is a farm on one side (open gates, animals, farm vehicles, mud on the road) and a care home on the other (vehicles in and out, residents wandering in the road). In December, just as you are 200m from this comedy collection of hazards, the sun appears between the hedges exactly at road level as you crest the hill. You cannot avoid looking directly at it. I've tried it all ways, both car and bike, shades, sun-visor, squinting, shutting eyes, doing nothing. The only way to see anything at all is to slow down to ~10 mph, use the naked eye, get the car's sun-visor as low as possible and stare straight at the shadows. Tints, shades etc. all make it worse, not better. Your idea of a bit of tape across the top of the visor is one I will try.

On another point, although I reckon black visors look cool, I wonder if they are a problem in another way, by preventing eye-contact with car drivers and therefore making the rider seem anonymous and perhaps hostile (a bit like those foreign policemen who wear mirror shades). I find eye contact with cagers and as much of a smile as you can transmit in a full-face lid work wonders in traffic.

RE: Tinted/reflective visors

roadhoover — Thu, 24 May 2007 09:19:58 GMT

Hi peeps, Tinted visors, personally not a fan, I feel that it reduces my vision, you are vulnerable on a bike as it is without reducing your chances further in my opinion. Iridium visors are effectively a tinted visor with a micro iridium coating that look flash, but you have to treat them with kid gloves 'cos they scratch really easily. If you get caught out at night that presents a problem also. Granted most new helmets have a quick release visor but that means carrying a spare with you which is agg in my opinion. I don't like being encumbered when riding.

Yes they are illegal, but so are small number plates, race pipes, speeding pulling wheelies etc. Personally if you want one I think you should be allowed to have one, most people wearing them want them for style over function anyway. I don't like wearing sunnies either, I just find them bloody uncomfortable.

The only reasonable argument I can think of is the journey east early and return west late, especially in winter.

Bob Heath used to offer visors with a graded tint, but alas Old Bobs visors are definitely inferior to an OE visor. Also a strip of leccy tape across the top of the visor helps alot, (bit like a car flip down visor).

RE: Tinted/reflective visors

Mazz — Thu, 24 May 2007 09:13:57 GMT

Yeah, they didn't have tinted lenses in a Spitfire did they Grandad?

RE: Tinted/reflective visors

Ems — Wed, 23 May 2007 19:55:14 GMT

Lol! Well i would ask my grandad if i knew i wouldn't get into a major convo with him about stuff i've heard countless times. He has a habit of linking all conversations to the war or similar! Bless him

RE: Tinted/reflective visors

Black Dog — Wed, 23 May 2007 16:35:21 GMT

It's quite a simple idea. It's a clear (or tinted, or whatever) panel which fits to the inside of the visor, creating an air gap which prevents misting - a bit like double glazing in your house. You sound too young to remember, but they used to sell them for the rear windows of cars in the days before heated windows. Ask your grandad! They are pushed into position and held firm and airtight by two pins which are fitted to the visor. At the moment, only the more expensive lids have them - Arai, Shoei etc.

Anything has to be better than daily applications of the old Bob Heath spray!

RE: Tinted/reflective visors

Ems — Wed, 23 May 2007 16:17:24 GMT

Pinlock?!!!! Looks like i need to do some learning lol!! I'll have a look at the expensive helmets and try and make sense of all the err, high tech bits!!

RE: Tinted/reflective visors

Black Dog — Wed, 23 May 2007 16:06:26 GMT

I'm thinking of a Pinlock for next winter. You can't get them for Cabergs, but you can get a universal kit which is supposed to fit most visors. Road Hoover says they are a b*gger to fit, though. By next winter I hope to have a decent helmet anyways (I've had two Shoeis in the past, both excellent) and a Pinlock facility is No 1 on the must-have list. I've probably said it before on here, but I can stand cold, wet, snow, the lot - but not being able to see where I am going panics me every time. For this reason, heavy rain and light rain if it is "clean" are fine. Get up to 50, turn your head, and you've got a clear visor again. Road spray, light "dirty" rain and mist, and I'm stopping to clean it every 200 yards.

Let us know how you get on with the Pinlock. I want to know if it's the solution that people say it is.

RE: Tinted/reflective visors

Mazz — Wed, 23 May 2007 13:50:36 GMT

I made a small purchase the other day of a mirrored gold iridium lens for my Shoei. Got it with Pinlock and bought a tinted pinlock too. I'm going to swap out the clear pinlock to the mirrored one and put the tinted pinlock on the clear. That way I've always got something. I'll be carrying my clear visor with me too, just in case. But like Ems, I see them on the roads all the time! My Dad claims he's never seen one person with them on the roads... makes me think what he's been looking at all ths time!

The way the law works (I believe) is that your primary lens (the big one you flip up and down) has to let in at least 50% of light... which isn't great but can take the glare off the surface of things. It is illegal, but the Police are being told to use 'Common sense' (Pahahahahahahaha!!!! ) when seeing Blacked out/mirrored lenses. If it's a blazing hot day and it's blinding bright then the Police can (if they're feeling pedantic) pull you over and ask you to change it, although they can now let it go. If it's at night, well you deserve everything you get!!

Your secondary lens (Pinlock, sunglasses, tinted lens inside the lid) hasn't got any resrictions. You can block everything out if you want, though I wouldn't advise that. The law only stipulates the Primary, not the secondary... mainly because you can take the secondary off without touching the primary.

****DISCLAIMER**** Ask a copper, they'll know! Please don't take what I have said as the law. I don't know, I'm only passing on what I've heard through word of mouth and magazines.

RE: Tinted/reflective visors

Ems — Wed, 23 May 2007 12:33:47 GMT

glad i have that effect!!

Going from what you've said though, i got my lid from www.getgeared.com and they do tinted or reflective replacements for your specific lid. I was thinking of getting one but thought i'd ask first as it does state about the tinted visors being illegal on the roads. Maybe they're just under the legal limit, i dunno!

RE: Tinted/reflective visors

Black Dog — Wed, 23 May 2007 10:56:08 GMT

You've got me thinking now! (It takes a lot.) If you look at the road testers in the mags, most of them seem to be wearing totally blacked-out visors, which would certainly be illegal in the UK. I believe that the law says the tint must be 50% or less, which in reality is not very much tint at all, since even clear perspex only transmits about 80% (or so I am told). I've looked all over, but I haven't been able to find a properly tinted visor anywhere, even marked "off-road use only" :-)

My Caberg lid has a tinted second visor which comes down inside the main visor (makes you look like Buzz Aldrin, way cool). The two visors together are not optically perfect, and it takes a bit of getting used to. Also, the dark visor mists up at the first opportunity, despite copious applications of anti-mist fluid, so it's only of any use on a warm and dry day. I thought it would be a great idea, but in actual fact I have hardly used it.

I've also fitted a anti-fog lens, which fits on the inside of the visor and is slightly tinted (darker and other colours are available). This works well to prevent misting, and the light tint is welcome, but it's basically a cheap item and I can't see it lasting long.

You used to be able to buy replacement visors (helmet-specific) which were tinted to a greater or lesser degree (including illegal black) but I haven't seen any in the shops recently.

Road Hoover is the expert in this kind of stuff. I'm sure he'll be along any minute now.

RE: Tinted/reflective visors

Ems — Tue, 22 May 2007 21:54:57 GMT

okies I have a clear one on my new lid so i'll see how it goes!

RE: Tinted/reflective visors

lady p — Tue, 22 May 2007 19:55:16 GMT

I dont, dont believe in them, stick to clear visor and some good sunglasses...

Tinted/reflective visors

Ems — Tue, 22 May 2007 16:20:38 GMT

So who has one of these?. I see endless riders with them but apparently they're illegal! It's not like we can pull a sun visor down is it!!!