Two words for today: Fog City.
No, I’m not talking about London, but more rainy weather gear.
Those who know me know I HATE wearing a full face helmet. Growing up and riding back in the “early” days, helmets were not required by law (yeah, I know---I’m old as dirt!). My preferred headgear is a half helmet that, thanks to the State of Washington, IS DOT legal. However, due to age and crappy eyesight, I have to wear glasses when I ride, otherwise everything more than 20 feet in front of me is a blur (which, I admit, could make for some very interesting rides!). And, since I ride year-round in the Pacific Northwest, riding in the rain happens more frequently than I care to admit—especially THIS year, where our May was one of the wettest on record.
In the rain, wearing half helmet and a set of goggles over my glasses, the rain gets in. Not to mention how the goggles will cause my glasses to dig into my head, and after about 20 minutes, I just want to throw them both in the trash. So, about 6 or 7 months ago, I went looking for, and found, a full-face helmet that I can actually wear. It’s a modular style, which means not only the face shield lifts up, but the entire face section opens as well. I still would prefer to not wear it, and stick to my “regular” helmet; however, I can wear my glasses and have no problem with water intrusion.
One of the biggest things I have always hated about a full-face, is that the inside of the face shield fogs up at slow speeds or stops, even with the vents open. Crack open the face shield a bit to vent it, and the water runs down the inside of the shield. Not acceptable. Thanks to a friend of mine, I have a solution for fogging up. Having been a street rider all my life, this product is not news to any of you former dirt bike or motocross riders; and some of you street riders who love your full faces probably already know about it as well.
But, that’s where we come to Fog City. Fog City is a visor insert that, when installed on the inside of your visor, will keep the face shield from fogging up. After so many years of anti-fog cloths, sprays, cleaners, etc., I was skeptical. But, fed up with the constant haze of fog in my vision, I tried it. It works. Even at stop lights, there is no significant fogging up of my shield. Even when I am riding at night with it, there are no significant “halos” around lights or decrease in my nighttime vision. For about $20, you can’t go wrong. ProGrip also makes a similar product, but I have no personal experience with it, and I understand it is not as easy to find in the US.
One final note: rain on the outside of your visor or faceshield can be annoying as well. There are a ton of products on the market to help clear your field of vision: RainX, Nano Safeguard, Diamon-Fusion, etc. The one I use, and swear by, is Aquapel. I first came across Aquapel years ago when I was working in the automotive industry. Once applied, rain just runs off the glass (or faceshield), and leaves no visible residue like I have encountered with RainX. I use Aquapel on my cage’s windshield, and half the time never need to use my wipers! I have even applied it to my riding glasses for those times I get caught in an unexpected rain, and don’t have my full-face helmet. I typically apply it twice a year, each applicator is about $10.
No, I’m not talking about London, but more rainy weather gear.
Those who know me know I HATE wearing a full face helmet. Growing up and riding back in the “early” days, helmets were not required by law (yeah, I know---I’m old as dirt!). My preferred headgear is a half helmet that, thanks to the State of Washington, IS DOT legal. However, due to age and crappy eyesight, I have to wear glasses when I ride, otherwise everything more than 20 feet in front of me is a blur (which, I admit, could make for some very interesting rides!). And, since I ride year-round in the Pacific Northwest, riding in the rain happens more frequently than I care to admit—especially THIS year, where our May was one of the wettest on record.
In the rain, wearing half helmet and a set of goggles over my glasses, the rain gets in. Not to mention how the goggles will cause my glasses to dig into my head, and after about 20 minutes, I just want to throw them both in the trash. So, about 6 or 7 months ago, I went looking for, and found, a full-face helmet that I can actually wear. It’s a modular style, which means not only the face shield lifts up, but the entire face section opens as well. I still would prefer to not wear it, and stick to my “regular” helmet; however, I can wear my glasses and have no problem with water intrusion.
One of the biggest things I have always hated about a full-face, is that the inside of the face shield fogs up at slow speeds or stops, even with the vents open. Crack open the face shield a bit to vent it, and the water runs down the inside of the shield. Not acceptable. Thanks to a friend of mine, I have a solution for fogging up. Having been a street rider all my life, this product is not news to any of you former dirt bike or motocross riders; and some of you street riders who love your full faces probably already know about it as well.
But, that’s where we come to Fog City. Fog City is a visor insert that, when installed on the inside of your visor, will keep the face shield from fogging up. After so many years of anti-fog cloths, sprays, cleaners, etc., I was skeptical. But, fed up with the constant haze of fog in my vision, I tried it. It works. Even at stop lights, there is no significant fogging up of my shield. Even when I am riding at night with it, there are no significant “halos” around lights or decrease in my nighttime vision. For about $20, you can’t go wrong. ProGrip also makes a similar product, but I have no personal experience with it, and I understand it is not as easy to find in the US.
One final note: rain on the outside of your visor or faceshield can be annoying as well. There are a ton of products on the market to help clear your field of vision: RainX, Nano Safeguard, Diamon-Fusion, etc. The one I use, and swear by, is Aquapel. I first came across Aquapel years ago when I was working in the automotive industry. Once applied, rain just runs off the glass (or faceshield), and leaves no visible residue like I have encountered with RainX. I use Aquapel on my cage’s windshield, and half the time never need to use my wipers! I have even applied it to my riding glasses for those times I get caught in an unexpected rain, and don’t have my full-face helmet. I typically apply it twice a year, each applicator is about $10.