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Fog... WTF?!?!?!?!?!?!

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Old 01-20-2008, 04:25 AM
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Default Fog... WTF?!?!?!?!?!?!

I planned to take my bike and ride to the shooting range, this morning. Weather is good, just some fog, but not so thick. Visibility is over 300 yards, dropping to 150-200 in the worst banks. Nothing to worry about. Or so I thought. I've driven in such weather many times without a problem.
I started the engine, got out to the parking... and didn't even make it out of f.ckin' town. In perhaps 2 miles had to turn back and hope I got home all in one piece: I couldn't see a thing.
My glasses and visor are properly treated with anti-fog, and anyway I was riding with the visor slightly open to let air circulate.
But it was not the inside of the visor that fogged, but the OUTSIDE. At above, perhaps, 30 MPH minuscule droplets of water covered it and streamed with the flow of air making impossible to discern anything at all. What worst, with the water on the outside the visor cooled abruptly and fogged badly on the inside as well, even if I was riding with the visor partially lifted (about one-inch slot): anti fog is not a miracle, and can't do much in this case.
I rised my visor and rode that way but soon my glasses too were totally covered in water.
Luckily the roads were deserted...
There were at least another couple of guys on bikes out there, who didn't seem to have a problem, rode away as if they had perfect visibility (and there WAS perfect visibility, apart from my damn f..ing visor and glasses covered in water!!!)
Had this weird thing hit me while I was on the road, some miles away, I'd have had to leave the bike there and call somebody to pick me up.

What pisses me off even more is that, on foot, you wouldn't say there's all that much fog at all... I wouldn't even call this a foggy day, actually, by the local standards. If so little is enough to utterly blind you, how can one ride with the slightest confidence? What if it was rain? It'd been even worst.[:@]
 
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Old 01-20-2008, 04:36 AM
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Default RE: Fog... WTF?!?!?!?!?!?!

I find that if Iswipe my hand acrossthe face of my visor it helps with the visibility.
 
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Old 01-20-2008, 04:43 AM
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Default RE: Fog... WTF?!?!?!?!?!?!

I did, but didn't clear anything. I had a marginally better vision for, like, 2-3 seconds, then it would fog up again and, by this time, it was utterly fogged on the inside as well. Keeping the visor down was suicide.
Fog such like this is pretty common on these parts, for about 3/4 of the year. Moreover, the other 2 motorcyclists didn't seem to have a problem at all.
There's obviously something to do in such cases that I didn't do...



 
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Old 01-20-2008, 05:20 AM
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Default RE: Fog... WTF?!?!?!?!?!?!

I bet the other guys on bikes didn't wear glasses and just flipped up their visors and could see ok. Contacts could be your answer.
 
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Old 01-20-2008, 05:39 AM
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Default RE: Fog... WTF?!?!?!?!?!?!

The fogging up of the inside of your shield has to do with the cold are hitting your shield and the warm air you're breating out against your shield. For some full face helmets you can get a breath deflector that helps to keep some of that off of your shield. Next time try just cracking the shield a tiny bit to get some cooler air inside the helmet, which will help equalize the temprature of your face shield and will help to keep it clear.
 
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Old 01-20-2008, 06:14 AM
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Default RE: Fog... WTF?!?!?!?!?!?!

ORIGINAL: sleepman54

The fogging up of the inside of your shield has to do with the cold are hitting your shield and the warm air you're breating out against your shield. For some full face helmets you can get a breath deflector that helps to keep some of that off of your shield. Next time try just cracking the shield a tiny bit to get some cooler air inside the helmet, which will help equalize the temprature of your face shield and will help to keep it clear.
I was already riding with the visor slightly opened. The fog condensed on the outside as it hit the visor.

 
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Old 01-20-2008, 06:39 AM
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Default RE: Fog... WTF?!?!?!?!?!?!

I had a similar experience not long ago:
I have a windshield on the bike and it covered with the droplets from the high humidity and the fog, totally wiping out visibility. Fortunately, I was wearing a helmet and was able to lift the visor as you did and between the windshield catching most of the wind and having the shield of the helmet, I was able to see on the ride. I think a lot of it had to do with the angle of the windshield too, my son has a crotch rocket and his sloped windshield stayed clear and he didn't have the trouble you had with the visor because he kept his head down to catch the wind coming off the windshield on his bike.
 
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Old 01-20-2008, 07:11 AM
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Default RE: Fog... WTF?!?!?!?!?!?!

go to walmart get a 24" ocilating fan, a 12 volt power converter,,, mount the fan on top of your helmet,pointed down and in front of your face,

ride on brother!
 
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Old 01-20-2008, 07:45 AM
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Default RE: Fog... WTF?!?!?!?!?!?!

Last summer the fog was so thick going over Berthoud pass that I couldn't see more that 10-15 feet in front of me. I had to pick my way across by watching the white line on the right hand side of the road. No guard rails and nowhere to pull over. The pucker factor was about 9.5 on that one.

 
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Old 01-20-2008, 09:59 AM
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Default RE: Fog... WTF?!?!?!?!?!?!

Had that happen to me last fall, during deer season..... had cracked open the full face, but the fog was on the outside... including on the outside of the ultra's shield.... was driving much slower and cautiously and thank goodness.... it was dark and as I came down a hill and headed around a corner there was a deer trying to get out of the way.... legs were going every direction.... it was kinda funny, but I almost had to clean my shorts....

I am not as confident as I was driving in the fog.... not being able to see because of the fog is one thing.... not being able to see through the shields is another...
 


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