How do you cope with the fog?

[slofox]

In general, I cope with riding through fog by yelling, screaming, cursing and hurling imprecations at the sky. It doesn't help with visibility, but it does stop me exploding the helmet...:angry2:
I find I have to constantly (and I mean continuously) wipe the visor with the gloved finger to see anything at all. Combine that with a rising sun dead ahead and you have a recipe for disaster waiting to happen...this morning I ended up relying on the hope that the road ahead was a.) straight and b.) clear...which is mostly was.
Nothing I have tried actually helps stop the vapour settling on the outside of the visor and forming a fine layer of droplets that blocks your vision and will not run off on its own like rain does. I don't have too many problems with the inside of the visor. I cannot ride with the visor fully open 'cause I wear specs...
What I would like would be something that would reduce the surface tension of the fine droplets that form and help them to run off the visor without the constant wiping...OR someone needs to invent little self powered wipers for visors...(now there's a thought..hmmmm).
So what do YOU do? Anyone found the magic bullet? Cause I would love to know....
I guess this is a drawback of living in a swamp basin.......

[Swampdonkey]

Go into a snow skiing shop,ask for a google wipe that fits on your thumb. Acts like a wiper blade ,swipe across your visor and hey presto.

[slofox]

Go into a snow skiing shop,ask for a google wipe that fits on your thumb. Acts like a wiper blade ,swipe across your visor and hey presto.

Does it work by itself.......?

Seriously, that sounds like a good idea - thanks SD....:yes:

[portokiwi]

are they like cloths?

[Taz]

No they are a rubber wiper blade.

[portokiwi]

ohhh tried looking it up on google no luck

[Taz]

finger visor wiper
http://www.jcwhitney.com/BIG-BIKE-FINGER-VISOR-WIPERS/GP_2011168_N_111+10213+600013871_10113.jcw

Still doesn't prevent you having to constantly wipe the moisture off tho.

[portokiwi]

such a simple design... some one will get rich over it

[Taz]

such a simple design... some one will get rich over it

We tried selling them in the 90's. Not many wanted them and they were cheap as. In all honesty the finger of your glove works almost as well.

[Dean]

Yea ive had the same thing in a storm when the water and hail mucked up my visor i used my gloves to wipe it but it only smudged it worse.And even worse was i didnt know where to go as it was also midnight, literally i didnt know where the road was so bad i nearly bailed into one left sweeper coming back from albany on east coast bays after that i pulled over and waited for another car to pass then i followed him.Its one of the scary riding experiences

[Ixion]

There's no good way to cope with fog. It's the one driving condition that I really hate.

Best way ? Stop at a warm comfortable cafe, order a coffee and wait for it to lift. Seriously.

If you must press on, try to find a biggish vehicle proceeding at a sane speed (not easy I know) and follow him. He'll cut a hole in the fog and improve your visibility a bit, and also shield you from other traffic.

[RoadRacer04]

In general, I cope with riding through fog by yelling, screaming, cursing and hurling imprecations at the sky. It doesn't help with visibility, but it does stop me exploding the helmet...:angry2:
I find I have to constantly (and I mean continuously) wipe the visor with the gloved finger to see anything at all. Combine that with a rising sun dead ahead and you have a recipe for disaster waiting to happen...this morning I ended up relying on the hope that the road ahead was a.) straight and b.) clear...which is mostly was.
Nothing I have tried actually helps stop the vapour settling on the outside of the visor and forming a fine layer of droplets that blocks your vision and will not run off on its own like rain does. I don't have too many problems with the inside of the visor. I cannot ride with the visor fully open 'cause I wear specs...
What I would like would be something that would reduce the surface tension of the fine droplets that form and help them to run off the visor without the constant wiping...OR someone needs to invent little self powered wipers for visors...(now there's a thought..hmmmm).
So what do YOU do? Anyone found the magic bullet? Cause I would love to know....
I guess this is a drawback of living in a swamp basin.......

Hah that sounds like and experience. Anyone here ever been caught in snow?....I got caught headin north up paekock hill last year and 'fuck me' it started to snow. Visibility was at about 4 metres and the worst part was the snow flakes dont run off your visor like rain. They just keep building up untill you wipe them away (every half second). Also my visor would fog from the increased heartrate and 15kmph speed. But you couldnt open your visor, even alittle, because the snow that is building up on the front of your bike slides up the windscreen and rite into your helmet. It was a bloody cool site from the lookout at the top tho...

[fliplid]

such a simple design... some one will get rich over it

Ah, just like the old V-wipe from years ago.

[slofox]

Best way ? Stop at a warm comfortable cafe, order a coffee and wait for it to lift.

None open at 6.30am.......lazy bastards....

[Karl@Alpha]

I cannot ride with the visor fully open 'cause I wear specs...

Tryed contact lenses?
They dont fog up and its easy to clear them...:blink:

[RC1]

tried moving out of the waikato :2thumbsup

[MIXONE]

tried moving out of the waikato :2thumbsup

Yes I remember those days well.Riding from Cambridge to Ham in thick fog was a pain although the worst was from the backblocks of Huntly through Taupiri to work out back of Gordonton.Often in winter would arrive at work and the front of my stockman was white from the fog freezing on me
.Did you know that maori legend has it that fog comes directly from the ground at Taupiri and spreads from there.

[pritch]

So what do YOU do? Anyone found the magic bullet? Cause I would love to know....
I guess this is a drawback of living in a swamp basin.......

Yep.

Two suggestions:

Held gloves mostly come with a built in wiper on first finger left hand.

Move away from Hamilton. And no, I'm not kidding that'll fix it. Until you drive through Hamilton next...

[Hitcher]

I rode today in the thickest fog I've ever encountered -- over the hill between Kuratau and Taumarunui. It was cold up there too, about 14 degrees.

And I had my hazard lights on as an anti-Liberace measure.

[slofox]

tried moving out of the waikato :2thumbsup




Move away from Hamilton.

But but but.....I LIVE here.....and so does SHE....

Besides which even when I lived in Dargaville in the "winterless north" (my bum!) we got fog....spose I could move to Palmerston North...so much wind the fog never gets a chance to settle......

[Gremlin]

First up, time and experience will get you being calmer with the fog, this means your heart won't speed up, you get nervous etc, which should limit the fogging to just the fog on the outside of the visor (instead of inside).

Outside, consider using some sort of product on the visor to make the water bead, fog is after all, water. Then it depends on the fog. Some will be thick, and bead easily, some won't. All I do is get up to speed, 110kph ish should do the trick, and turn my head to the side (both sides). Most should slide off, and when it builds again, turn your head again.

The Waikato fog is a PITA, ridden through it at night, tinted visor, and thick as.

[sunhuntin]

I rode today in the thickest fog I've ever encountered -- over the hill between Kuratau and Taumarunui. It was cold up there too, about 14 degrees.

And I had my hazard lights on as an anti-Liberace measure.

yep. i hit major fog between national park and turangi a while back. i ended up with my hazards on and moving at a crawl. i have an open face lid with sunglasses. i just pulled the glasses away from my face a teeny bit, which stopped the worst of the fogging, though i did still use my thumb every so often.

[sondela]

If you must press on, try to find a biggish vehicle proceeding at a sane speed (not easy I know) and follow him. He'll cut a hole in the fog and improve your visibility a bit, and also shield you from other traffic.

agreed here, in bad riding conditions, I always pick a vehicle and sit in their wake (and hope they know you're there and don't stop suddenly)

[Despatch]

I don't were glasses, so can't offer much there in terms of visibility. I'll lift my visor if I have problems.

I rode in fog a fair in London during my stint there. The temptation is to slow right down, but you need to travel the same speed as the rest of the traffic to avoid being hit from behind. Follow the car in front close enough to be able to see its tail lights through the fog. You may end up quite close, so sit to the the right side of its wake, so if he brakes suddenly you can avoid hitting his tail.

Unfortunately, the traffic will probably continue at a ridiculous speed, so cross your fingers and hope you don't follow the car into a 100-car pile up.

If you are on a motorway, it can be easy to miss your exit if you can't see the signs in the fog.

[RC1]

Yes I remember those days well.Riding from Cambridge to Ham in thick fog was a pain although the worst was from the backblocks of Huntly through Taupiri to work out back of Gordonton.Often in winter would arrive at work and the front of my stockman was white from the fog freezing on me
.Did you know that maori legend has it that fog comes directly from the ground at Taupiri and spreads from there.

im out the back of gordonton and last year it was foggy for a week during the day and only cleared at night :blink:

[MsKABC]

But but but.....I LIVE here.....and so does SHE....

Besides which even when I lived in Dargaville in the "winterless north" (my bum!) we got fog....spose I could move to Palmerston North...so much wind the fog never gets a chance to settle......

That was going to be my suggestion too. I have encountered fog here in sunny Auckland though. The morning I sat my 6F, bugger it... :angry2:

Tried wiping your visor with a damp cloth and a little liquid soap? It stops the mirror in the bathroom from fogging up.

[Hitcher]

Tried wiping your visor with a damp cloth and a little liquid soap?

It's difficult to do that while negotiating a windy unfamiliar road at 80kmh, particularly when one has to hand neither a damp cloth nor liquid soap.

[MsKABC]

It's difficult to do that while negotiating a windy unfamiliar road at 80kmh, particularly when one has to hand neither a damp cloth nor liquid soap.


Well I guess us wimmin folk are just better at multi-tasking! :bleh: All in a day's work for us.

[Sharry]

Tried wiping your visor with a damp cloth and a little liquid soap? It stops the mirror in the bathroom from fogging up.

Quite true, in the really olden days we used to wipe a thin film of dish liquid over our visor.