Well after riding in a rainstorm in a half helmet I quickly realized that a half helmet isn't a good choice for riding in the rain. I am looking for good helmet choices for long distance touring and the possibility of riding in the rain. I also have a 3/4 helmet with a full face shield but I never have rode with this helmet in the rain. is the 3/4 helmet with the full face shield a good choice for riding in the rain? Also I am looking at the Bell SRT modular helmet but everybody is out of stock in my color and size.

 

I wear a 3/4 helmet with a shield and it works great in the rain. A big help is a product called Nikwax Visor proof. It makes the rain bead off. Have had the same bottle for years so it lasts a long time.

 

Yeah a half helmet is useless in the rain even with a drop down visor, fogs up real fast.
I have a 3/4 and while its much better it still fogs up.
I'm looking at the HJC RPHA90. Its a modular and comes with a pin lock shield and insert which will eliminate fogging.

The worst part of riding in the rain for me is visibility

 

Bandana.... 3/4 is OK with bandana too

 

I wear a carbon fiber half, but I wear glasses. I can't see a thing with a shield. My glasses and shield both fog. Can't see a thing in the rain without one either. Rain is a bitch, but try hail! Been there a couple of times. I just pull off when it gets bad.

 

I used to ride with a 3/4 and a bandana covid style and no windshield. Age has added a windshield to the mix...

 

I was riding in a heavy rain with a 3/4 helmet and goggles. I could barely see. I had a FF with me, because I had lent it to my son for a ride. I switched to the FF and it was amazing how much better I could see.

I used a FF for the first 11 years I rode and I forgot how much better they are in the rain. Usually I bought HJC helmets. My newest one is a Scorpion EXO-R710. I don’t use it much, but I like it in cold or rainy weather.

 

I rode for about 10yrs in S. Louisiana, where it rains.
Louisiana also happens to be a helmet state.

So, I found myself exactly where the OP finds himself. Admitting that I simply couldn't see in the rain.Making this admission to myself while sitting squarely in a helmet state where it rains almost every afternoon in the summertime.

Duh, How thick did I have to be?
Or was it an inner battle with hanging on to the last vestiges of my own vanity?
Looking "cool" was pretty damn important.

I knew the answer but denied that I even had a question.

Finally I tried a $20 full face helmet that I bought at a yard sale.
I kept smelling death every time I walked past it, up there on the shelf in my shop.
Then came a cold and rainy morning...what the hell?

Before I got to the end of the driveway I was ready to puke.
Someplace prior to me a cat dowsed or sprayed the inside of that helmet.
That short road test proved to me that I could finally see in the rain and it was going to take a full face helmet to get me there.

See, I wear prescription glasses too.
So you got beaded up rain on the windshield, beaded up rain on some sort of half azzed helmet shield on a 3/4 helmet, and finally beaded up water on my eyeglasses.
No wonder I was struggling in the rain.

Crazy side benefit to a full face helmet is that a good one will be cooler in the hot summer sun than going bare headed.

Now I'm beginning to learn a little about full face helmets from cheap helmets.
It's about time for me to just dive into the deep end and invest some big money on a good full face....so I did.




Making the change to a full face helmet isn't a "one and done" proposition though.
That's where most guys give up on them.
Yeah, you got to find work arounds on the face shield fogging up. A full face helmet with a good ventilation flows a LOT of air and that can be noisy.
But you work around and get things ironed out.

You'll find yourself wishing you had done this earlier.
But then getting to where you even ask the question shows your feet are on the right patch. You just need a nudge.
Being able to see in the rain is a beautiful thing.

And notice I didn't say one dad gummed thing about safety?
It's about comfort.

 

Some years ago, I booked an Edelweiss trip in Italy. Not wanting to waste the cost of said trip trying to look cool, I bought a modular Nolan to be ready for any weather. Wearing it before the trip, I was on a CBR1000 and hit a deer. The helmet saved me. Upgraded to a Schuberth and have worn them for over 12 years. I’m reminded of another grey haired rider who says “ No sense spending more on a helmet then the contents are worth” The modular works so good with glasses and in all weather conditions that it’s my main lid.
I still have a nice 3/4 for local rides but the Schuberth is comfy in blistering heat and pouring rain when I ride afar…

 

How does the pin lock shield with insert eliminate fogging?