QUESTION #1

2007.05.17 --- Genia:

I'm interested in input from my fellow riders about what type of sun 
shield you like. By "sun shield" I mean a tinted face shield, or a dark 
strip attached to your face shield near the top edge, or a plastic(?) 
attachment to the top of the face shield like a visor. 

It's terribly difficult to see when at the end of a day of riding, the 
sun is low in the sky and shining straight at you. This is the 
condition I am most trying to remedy.

                                ANSWERS:
#1

I went to Lenscrafters and bought sunglasses that change tint based on
the sunlight. So when I wear them at night, they're clear. My windshield
is clear. Since I have the glasses on underneath the visor, I can lift
up the visor at slow speeds and the sunglasses prevent oncoming insects,
dust, etc.

Kathleen has a strip of green flexible plastic...(Available at Road Rider)
Kind of like colorforms you may have had as a kid (okay, okay...I'm
dating myself) The plastic clings to the shield...

I bought one of those...but I was "unclear on the concept" and put it on
the outside of the shield...and it peeled off and blew away!!! Haven't
replaced it...

Jodie

#2

Genia,
I use the sun shield strip that adheres to a face shield,
and love it. It's made of that "dotted" stuff that is used to
shade car windshields. When I had trouble locating
a replacement for my strip, I purchased a small roll of the
stuff at an automotive store and now simply cut my own.
About $8 gave me enough of the material to last years
and years.

Regular cleaning and wiping of the shield can cause the strip to
lift at the edges. After losing one while riding, I began to apply the strip
to the INSIDE of my face shield which has solved that problem.

The strip is always with you, always in place and ready to
do it's job. It takes no room in your saddlebags and can't
crack or break. Just a slight
dip of the head when you're heading into the sun and you get
immediate relief from the glare.

Hope this helps.
Barb

#3

Genia:
My two cents:

The guy who taught me to ride gave me 2 suggestions when I
had to return (solo) from Reno, the first year I was riding.

Going up the hills, if I was afraid of the traffic (and I was),
I should wait for a big rig to come by, and pull in behind it.
This would keep people OFF my tail. Slow and steady. It was 
a wonderful suggestion, which I still use if I'm getting tired.

Since I'd be riding home into the setting sun, he suggested
I put a piece of black electrical tape on my visor. It's 3/4th
to 1" wide. I stopped in Jackson, bought a roll, and affixed 
a piece of tape. Even with sun glasses, if I dip my head, this
will block out the sun. That was 2002. That same piece of 
electrical tape is still in place.

He also warned: this is technically illegal.

Prue

#4

Genia:
I REALLY like my 'colorforms' green strip---it works a treat. I am
REALLY dating myself when I realize that my CHILDREN used colorforms..
... AND I, too, was unclear on the concept and had my first one blow
away.... >sigh<
Kathleen

# Comment

Ladies,

Thank you all for your input! It's great to have this resource of knowledge
and experience. Interestingly, no one posted a vote for tinted face shield.

Genia

#5

So there is another option, it's called a Schuberth
helmet. Made by Schuberth. It is pricey, but I found
it to pay for itself. It has a full face helmet with
an opening jaw, it also is well vented and.... it has
a flip down 1/2 visor that, with the pull of small
lever comes down underneath your clear visor. It 
works beautifully for exactly the problem you
described. Good old German engineering. Check it out
online if it interests you, they have a website. 
Maureen

--- Genia wrote:

#6

I have the Nolan X-lite which is just about the same thing as the
Schuberth, except Italian. (It also fits my skull where the Schuberth
didn't.) I like the half screen. But the flip face helmets are heavier.
Before I bought the Nolan, I did exactly the same electrical tape
trick as Prue. 

-Stephanie

#7

I love my tinted face shield, but I figured you knew that already...
fjgirl

#8

At 11:01 PM -0700 5/17/07, Genia wrote:

>Interestingly, no one posted a vote for tinted face shield.

Hee, I was just about to. I always carry both a clear and tinted 
shield and switch between them. The tinted shield is on by default; 
I only switch it off at night or in bad weather.

I carry the electrical tape to, though -- when you're riding 
directly into the sun, even the tinted shield doesn't help that much.

Carolyn

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