Visually impaired riding

[slofox]

I tried this today....visually impaired riding I mean.......
Some would say I am permanently visually impaired, especially when it comes to noticing a) that my partner has cut 2mm off her hair or b) changed her clothes or c) that she has moved a picture on her wall three eights of an inch to the left or d) noticing what "Jenny XYZ was wearing tonight" including the exact cut, colour, size, button style, age and state of repair of said clothing......but that's another story...
Back to today. Up at 6.00am and thought to go for a quick little spin on the bike before starting another boring day peddling drugs....(alcohol FYI - we only do downers....).
Suited up etc and set off on the iron horse...lovely fine still morning......at least in town. Headed west, down the valley and into the goddam FOG.....bloody thick fog at that and lots of it. Now despite the best ventilation system in the world, Arai helmets do NOT have a windscreen wiper, which I could certainly use under those conditions. Had to make do with a (very) regular wipe with the gloved finger.....
Eventually turned southish and eastish.....straight into the rising sun. Which compounds matters when combined with the fog. My hoped for blast through the early morning countryside turned into a braille ride where I had to practically get off and push the bloody bike at times while I felt with my foot for the edge of the road......and avoided the odd cage that insisted on roaring through the fog without any lights at all......and the huge tree that suddenly emerged from the fog right in front of me (road curved away just there...ahh yes so I see....)
Fog and head-on rising sun? Definitely not five stars from me..........

[Hanne]

I had a simialr thing happen back in June, came over the Auckland harbour Bridge and everthing just went gold, the fog diffused the light and it was damn near impossible to see the barrier at the edge of the road, let alone the lane markings... Had to slow down so much to get any bearings and pray that no car was about to zoom into the back of me as I went down towards North Shore. It was freaky.

[madbikeboy]

When I get really scared, I close my eyes, all the bad stuff just goes away.

If only...

[slofox]

When I get really scared, I close my eyes, all the bad stuff just goes away.

If only...

May as well have had my friggin eyes closed for all I could see........vague blurry outlines through drops of water.....

[Dodgyiti]

So what's the trick to doing it safely?
True the biggest worry is being hit from behind by a car.
I have tried the headlight on Park in really thick fog and had a better view during daylight (when it was on full, it looked like a white blanket was being held up 8 feet in front of me), helped a little but still scary.
It is only when I get caught up in thick stuff that I wonder how good fog lights are, not that my Italian electrics could run them for any great time.
Are they any good for seeing through thick stuff or are they mainly a visibility for the bike accessory?

[slofox]

So what's the trick to doing it safely?
True the biggest worry is being hit from behind by a car.
I have tried the headlight on Park in really thick fog and had a better view during daylight (when it was on full, it looked like a white blanket was being held up 8 feet in front of me), helped a little but still scary.
It is only when I get caught up in thick stuff that I wonder how good fog lights are, not that my Italian electrics could run them for any great time.
Are they any good for seeing through thick stuff or are they mainly a visibility for the bike accessory?

I just had to slow way down - I just could not see enough to be safe. I was lucky nobody came up behind - that did worry me although LED tail lights are pretty visible....
My lights are always on - kept them on dip. It was daylight so no reflection from the fog to speak of.
Next time that happens I think I will just go home.......

[PrincessBandit]

Must say I've only once struck mist so thick that I had to wipe my visor every few seconds (and that was heading to hamiltron!) Made me extremely glad my bandit doesn't have the big windshield that hubby's Burgman has - trying to see through 2 dewed up screens would be totally the pits.
Pleased to hear you made it through safely.

[xwhatsit]

What happens if you open the visor? That normally fixes everything for me.

[98tls]

What happens if you open the visor? That normally fixes everything for me.

Uh huh,sadly in this case the problem stays and to top it off you get a wet face.

[slofox]

What happens if you open the visor?

Me glasses do the bizo instead of the visor.......same result and harder to wipe..and I did have it open a wee ways anyway......that fog was thick, man, thick.....

[slofox]

Must say I've only once struck mist so thick that I had to wipe my visor every few seconds (and that was heading to hamiltron!) Made me extremely glad my bandit doesn't have the big windshield that hubby's Burgman has - trying to see through 2 dewed up screens would be totally the pits.
Pleased to hear you made it through safely.

It always is heading into Hamiltron.......however, it does prove that it is not always windy here.......

[nodrog:Me]

that will teach you for living in the middle of a bloody swamp, say hi to Shrek for me.

[vifferman]

I fargin hate fog. Grrrr and all that.
I remember once, years ago, when I was living in The Tron, and we visited big sister in D'Auckland for the weekend. We decided to head back early Monday morning, rather than Sunday night.
Beautiful clear, sunny day in The City of Snails. We get to the top of the Bombays, and all we can see is cotton-woolly stuff, with the odd peak poking out (or was it the odd poke peeking out?). It wasn't at all nice descending into that...