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Clear View Anti Mist-Fog Visor Insert - By Ren Withnell
Anyone who's been riding for some time will likely be familiar with "Fog City" visor inserts. In case you don't know they're bits of flexible clear plastic cut to the shape of a visor. They have glue around the edge and you insert this plastic layer inside your current visor, creating a "double glazing" effect. The "Pinlock" system uses the same pricipal but rather than glue it uses pins to hold the extra layer in place.
Fog City inserts can be costly, as can Pinlock although there are indeed some bargains to be had I'm sure on fleabay I was talking to JA, a friend and fellow biker, and he sent me a link to fleabay and a product that is, as far as I can tell, a copy of the Fog City. For £7.99 (December 2012, search "Clear View Visor Insert") I thought it may be a cheap imitation but for £7.99 I thought it's got to be worth a shot.
My order arrived as promptly as can be expected and I took the time, for once in my life, to read the instructions. Fitting these things is never easy, I've made a mess of Fog Cities before now to my cost. However after struggling to figure out which side was which, trying to get the insert approximately central and trying to get a good seal around the glued areas I finally had it in. Sort of. I suspect the glue is supposed to make a good seal so the air trapped inbetween the visor and the insert acts as the insulation. I of course had gaps so I guess it's ruined. My fault...poor fitting...not the insert.
If you look closely around the visor you can see the glue that sticks the insert into place. Fiddly, but remarkably effective.
Thinking I've wasted my time and a little money I left it in there just to see. It works. In fact it works very well indeed. Even though it's not correctly sealed I can ride in almost any damp, cold, miserable and wet conditions and still not be misted up. Of course I can't see through the rain running down my visor or the salt that's drying into white crusty lumps, but there's no mist. In the very worst conditions I may get a few droplets at the bottom of the insert but never blocking my view.
So I am suitably impressed with my purchase. They're certainly not as easy to fit as Pinlock and unlike Pinlock my insert can't be removed in summer or to be cleaned. But for 8 quid I'm happy to see where I am going at this inclement time of year. Now, if I can invent windscreen wipers for a visor I'm going to be a millionaire...
Reader's Comments
Tom McQ said :-
Well that's a bargain compared to my recent purchase! I decided to dig out my Shoei Flip-Front because petrol stations are increasingly asking motorcyclists to remove their helmet (grrr). The Shoei has a Pinlock visor as standard, but considering my helmet is approaching 5 years old, it's time to replace the visor and insert.
A genuine Shoei visor is £40 and a Pinlock insert another £19, so as much as I hated to, I had to send 60 of my hard earned(?) pounds to the supplier. Ouch!!
In all fairness, I don't think anyone would complain at five years usage from a £19 product and especially when one considers just how effective and unobtrusive they are. It works out at £3.80 per annum.
I guess the question is then, how long will the bargain 'Clear View' insert last?
01/01/2000 00:00:00 UTC
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