Anyone that has a motorcycle does not want to be limited to riding during the day. They want to be able to ride anytime, including at night. Most motorcycle helmets come with a visor but would a different one be better when riding at night?
One type of visor that you can get is a mirrored visor. The question is how do mirrored visors on motorcycle helmets help with night visibility or do they? A mirrored visor on a motorcycle helmet can help protect your eyes from the glaring lights of oncoming traffic, help to protect sensitive eyes, and more.
There are other visors for motorcycle helmets that we will look at in this article along with the pros and cons of each. We will also talk about mirrored visors on motorcycle helmets and night visibility.
Can I Wear a Mirrored Visor at Night?
It is recommended that you only wear a mirrored visor during the day when the weather is bright and sunny. The reason is that the visor is so dark, it becomes almost impossible for any light to pass through it, making it hard to see at night.
Why is it Called a Mirror Visor?
When looking at a mirror visor, think of sunglasses. This is the kind of visor that reflects the light, so they are called mirror visors. It is sort of looking in a mirror. You cannot see the eyes of the one wearing it, the same as if someone was wearing sunglasses. It also has a sleek and finished look with a mirror-type finish.
How do Mirrored Visors on Motorcycle Helmets Help With Night Visibility
Wearing this type of visor does not always help with night visibility, according to some people. If you wear mirrored visors on motorcycle helmets at night that it could drastically reduce your vision. The reason is because of the black coloration of the visor.
1. Sensitive eyes
If you have sensitive eyes, a mirrored visor can help with the effect that the flashes of light of other vehicles have on your eyes. The sudden flashes of light, even at night, can become a reason that could cause you to have an accident.
When you wear a mirrored, tinted, or smoked visor, they will help to save your eyes for being directly exposed to these bright lights. The visor will deflect the light in the same way that a mirror would. The blazing effect of those flashes of light would become null.
2. Road and your surroundings
Yes, the road can become a little hazy if you wear a motorcycle helmet with mirrored, tinted, or smoked visors. It all depends on the road or highway you are traveling on. When you are on a highway or street that is on the darker side, your visibility lessens.
When you travel on a road that is well-lit with lights on either or both sides of the road, the lights will help the rider to see the way cleared, even if they are wearing mirrored visors. This is true with underpasses.
3. Glare is reduced
The mirrored visor can help to minimize the bright glare that can make a motorcyclist blind for a few moments. If the other vehicle is using high beams, the sudden glare hitting the rider in the eyes could cause a serious accident. Wearing a mirrored visor at this time can be helpful.
Which Helmet Visor is Good for Night?
When riding your motorcycle at night, you do not want to compromise on your visibility. This is why you need the right visor. According to experts, the best motorcycle helmet visor for nighttime is the crystal-clear visor. You could also wear a transparent face shield. Both of these will let you see the road naturally so it will lessen crashes.
Why Would you Want to Wear a Mirrored Visor on a Motorcycle at Night?
One reason that you might want to wear a mirrored visor on your helmet at night is you have sensitive eyes. They can help with the flashes of bright lights of other vehicles that could have a direct effect on your eyes. Just make sure that you choose a mirrored visor that is not dark but lighter to minimize the darkness of the road.
The sudden flashes of light at night are one of the main reasons that cause road crashes with vehicles, including cars and motorcycles. When wearing mirrored visors on your motorcycle helmet, it can save your eyes from direct exposure to those bright headlights.
The mirrored visors will deflect the light in basically the same way as a mirror would. When this happens, a great degree of light will become null. This will help with the blazing effect on your eyes.
Another reason to wear a mirror visor on your motorcycle helmet is to help minimize the glare that can blind you for a few minutes. If the other vehicle has on its bright lights and then flashes them off, the sudden flashes can make it distracting. This could cause a bad road crash. In this situation, mirrored visors can help.
Disadvantages of Wearing Mirrored Visors on Your Motorcycle Helmet
- Mirrored visors may look stylish and be in high demand, but not being able to recognize the face of the rider can be said as another disadvantage of wearing a helmet with mirrored visors.
- One of the drawbacks to this type of visor is that it is only capable of being worn in sunny weather because of the darkness of the face shield.
- Wearing this type of visor in dim areas like an underpass or area with limited light can make your visibility to others is less than usual.
3 Types of Motorcycle Helmet Visors Pros and Cons
1. Mirrored visors
2. Clear visors
This is the most common and basic motorcycle helmet visor on the market.
3. Smoked visors
This type of visor is translucent and mostly black.
Why Should you Wear a Visor on Your Motorcycle Helmet?
There are many reasons that you should wear a motorcycle helmet visor. It can protect you from the elements, flying debris, bugs, and the sun. It also helps to protect your face from the wind as you ride. A motorcycle helmet visor will help to protect your eyes and face.
Motorcycle helmet visors should be something every rider uses because many times, sunglasses just do give you enough protection from the sun’s UV rays. They also protect you from your face from the rain.
What to Look for in a Motorcycle Helmet Visor
When purchasing a motorcycle helmet with a visor you want to look at what it offers, such as:
- Head protection
- Eye protection
- Accessibility
- Style
- Size
- Color
You also want to make sure it works with the helmet you have if you are purchasing it after buying your helmet. You want to make sure that it will attach to your helmet securely. Some motorcycle helmets are not designed for a visor so make sure the helmet is designed for one before you purchase it.
Taking Care of Your Motorcycle Helmet Visor
Visors are delicate, so you need to learn ways to keep them free from dead bugs, dirt, and debris. Yes, you can wipe it off using a damp cloth, but you do want to take some precautions when you clean it. You do not want to damage the special coatings on the visor that is used to protect it from scratches and damages.
Simple Cleaning
Get a warm damp cloth and put it on top of the exterior of the visor. Let the damp cloth there for at least ten minutes. This will help to soften any debris and break it up. Using another damp cloth, wipe the visor’s surface down.
To help get ride of any built-up grime and dirt, you can use warm water and a mild soap used for dishes. Wipe down the inner and exterior surface. Rinse it off with warm water and gently dry with a cloth that is made of microfibers. Do not wipe it dry but pat it gently until dry. If you wipe it, it can cause damage to the special coating on the outer and inner surfaces.
Scratches
Scuffs and scratches are hard to prevent no matter how good you take care of them. They need to be taken care of as they can impact your visibility. They could keep you from noticing oncoming traffic, dangers on the road, and people. This is especially true in bright or low light conditions.
Make sure you know what you are doing before you attempt to remove any scratches and scuffs. You could damage the motorcycle helmet visor permanently if you do not know how to properly remove scratches and scuffs. If they are deep, then you may have to get a new visor.
Heat gun and Sanding
This is one way you can rid of the scratches and scuffs. Run the visor under warm water and then you can sand the scratches out. You should use grit sandpaper that is fifteen hundred grade. Lightly move a finger across the surface of the visor. Sand it for twenty seconds
If there are still scratches, continue until you have a smooth surface. Do this in twenty-second intervals. Keep checking the visor by running your finger over it gently until you can feel a smooth surface. Wipe the surface down using a microfiber cloth slightly dame.
Let the motorcycle helmet visor air dry for two hours. Set the heat gun to 500 degrees. Wait twenty minutes to reach that temperature. Turn a light on and how the visor four feet from it. Place the heat gun four inches back from the outside surface and continually move the heat gun over the surface.
This will remove any scratches that remain. Once you have a smooth surface, let the visor cool for sixty minutes before you reattach it to your helmet.
Conclusion
As you have read in this article on how do mirrored visors on motorcycle helmets help with night visibility, you know it does not help. It can hinder the driver’s vision so they should not be worn at night. Also, we covered how to take care of your visor and other information important to your motorcycle helmet visor.
