As a safety-certified helmet is extremely important for a rider so also, its different components or parts. For example, parts like the external shell, energy-absorbing liner, comfort padding, the retention mechanism including the helmet visor, etc. are equally and extremely important. Each part of a motorcycle helmet contributes to the safety of the rider immensely.
Your helmet becomes unfit and unsafe when one of the parts is damaged or has some problems. Like other components, the motorcycle helmet visor has a specific and remarkable role to play for the safety of your riding. Your life might be at risk if you neglect or ignore even a small problem in the visor. Eventually, you may meet with an accident if you do not take care of your helmet visor and fail to keep it fit to protect you from crashes.
The severity and threats are more in motorcycle accidents in comparison to other accidents like cars, buses, trucks, etc. As per NHTSA (US Department of Transportation-National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) statistics, every year around 4800 people die due to motorcycle crashes which are 14% of the total fatality on the US roads.
The report further reveals that 80% of victims in motorcycle accidents either die or get fatally injured in comparison to the 20% in other accidents. As per the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention), 1859 people who met with motorcycle accidents in 2016 survived due to helmets. On the other hand, an additional 802 victims could have survived if they wore helmets.
Therefore, using an appropriate helmet in your motorcycle trip is inevitable along with its parts or components including the visor. Know what are the things associated with the helmet visor and how to remove and replace the visor below.
The Importance of a Motorcycle Helmet Visor
A motorcycle helmet visor is an essential component of the helmet without which a helmet is not considered legally safety-certified. A helmet needs to be incorporated with a permitted standard of the visor and necessary features to pass through the safety certification processes. This is because of the functionalities of a visor that immensely contribute to protecting the life of a rider in several ways.
Remember, you may land in serious legal troubles without an appropriate and permitted visor resulting in a heavy penalty. Here are a few important functionalities and advantages of a helmet visor that should never be ignored by any motorcycle rider.
- Motorcycle helmet visors protect your face and eyes in motorcycle trips on the roads.
- They act as a shield in the rain, fog, increased sunlight, UV rays, and wind speed.
- Helmet visors protect the eyes and face from dirt and sand that flow in and can damage the eyes and face due to the speed of the motorcycle.
- The visor helps the eyes and the rider as well in terms of visibility especially riding during sunrise and sunset. This is the time when the sunlight comes straight to the eyes and face. The visor also, up to some extent, helps the rider from the headlights of the vehicles that come from the opposite direction and often blinds the vision.
- Motorcycle helmet visors are very useful if you are riding in narrow tracks. They protect your eyes and face from the branches that usually come across the face and act as a whip on the eyes and face. Similarly, a visor also protects the face and eyes from dirt, especially on a muddy road that usually spits up and comes onto the face.
- Visors further help the rider in extremely narrow hilly roads when the rider tries to avoid the low-hanging branches using a hand and riding in another hand. A rider might not use one of his or her hands to avoid the branches if they have a visor that protects the face and eyes.
- Visors not only protect the eyes and face from rain, wind, mud, dirt, etc. but they also protect from snow.
Also read: How to Keep Rain Off Motorcycle Helmet Visor?
What are the Different Types of Helmet Visors?
You can find many types of motorcycle visors in the market based on the level of transparency of the visors. You need to choose the right type of visor that is comfortable for you and compatible with your helmet.
You can also find visors that come with various characteristics like iridium and mirrored visors, visors that automatically change their color as per the sunlight they come in contact with, etc. You should know what type of visor to mount on your helmet to ensure certain advantages and its removing and replacement mechanisms. Below are the descriptions of different types of visors.
- Dark, Iridium, or Mirrored Motorcycle Helmet Visors: If you are passionate about aesthetics and would like to look gorgeous, then the dark iridium or mirrored visor is for you. The visor not only looks cool but also protects from scorching sunlight. These types of visors are considered best for protecting your eyes, especially from UV rays. However, these visors are restricted and do not pass the processes of standard safety certifications. So, you may not be permitted to use these visors on the public road and can be fined heavy penalties if met with the security personnel. People who cannot resist the temptation of experiencing the style of dark iridium or mirrored visors, use them at their risk usually in closed circuit roads.
- Smoked Motorcycle Helmet Visors: These visors are perhaps the best-permitted alternatives if you are passionate about dark iridium or mirrored visors. They look somewhat the same as the dark iridium or mirrored visors in terms of aesthetic as well as protection from the sunlight. Since these visors pass the standard safety certification processes you can use them if you are critically conscious of eye protection. But you must abide by the rules and regulations which are written on the visor and says only to wear during the day or at sunlight hours. Even wearing this during the daytime is often risky in terms of riding in changing weather conditions. It might be challenging for you to wear the smoked visors in cloudy weather, rain, fog, as well as in the tunnel. Remember you can face legal complications leading to heavy penalties if you do not abide by the rules and instructions.
- Glass Integrated Motorcycle Helmet Visors: This is the best option for people that are specific about using visors with sunlight protection features. The glass integrated visors are available in the market and you can use any one of them without legal restrictions. The unique feature that makes this visor pass the safety certification process is its lifting and replacing the glass as per the requirement. You can raise or lift the sunglasses by a button when you feel the visibility is reduced and replace the same when you feel increased sunlight to protect your eyes.
- Fully Transparent Motorcycle Helmet Visors: Most riders use transparent helmet visors because almost all brands supply fully transparent visors in abundance and they are affordable. As far as increased sunlight is concerned riders wear sunglasses for eye protection for a comfortable ride. However, the level of comfort depends upon the design of the helmet, compatibility of the visor, and several other factors including your personal preferences.
What Should You Ensure While Buying a Helmet Visor?
There are different types of helmets and they require visors that are compatible with the helmets. For example, you will find full-face helmets, open-face helmets, and other types of helmets in the market. You need to determine what type of helmet you have and what type of visor your helmet should fit. Below are the things you need to ensure while buying a visor.
- Look for the options that ensure appropriate head and eye protection.
- See that the visor is perfectly compatible with your helmet and easily accessible while mounting on the helmet.
- The visor should be matching with the design, style, and color of your helmet.
- The most important is the size of the visor which must never be bigger or smaller in terms of fitting the helmet.
- You can look for an anti-fog mechanism like an anti-fog coating or pin-lock lens mechanism in the visor. In the case of a pin-lock lens, your visor will have spaces with a plastic pin to mount the pin-lock lens on the visor from inside.
Must read: How Tight Should a Motorcycle Helmet be?
How to Remove and Replace a Motorcycle Helmet Visor?
You need to remove and replace your helmet visor for various purposes and different reasons depending upon the condition of the visor. As per DOT and SNELL recommendations you should change a helmet between 3 to 5 years. But there is no specific ruling on when to change and replace a helmet visor. Unfortunately, visors do not come with a maximum of new helmets when you change a helmet. However, you should be the right person to determine when to change your helmet based on your frequency of riding and riding experience.
Depending upon the road and weather conditions of your riding your helmet visor might get scuffs, abrasions, or even scratches and cracks over time. It can even break if it falls. This may ultimately block the clear vision that is extremely risky for riding a motorcycle. Besides this, you should be able to clean your visor easily and quickly to continue with your trip conveniently in any diverse situation.
In any case, you should be able to remove and replace a visor that serves your purpose and protects you from inconveniences and accidents. You might even simply wish to replace it with a dual visor and change your old single visor.
For whatever the reasons, changing a visor by removing and replacing it with the same or a new one is not rocket science. You may not require professional assistance for the task. Removing and replacing a motorcycle helmet visor is simple and easy and you can do it from the comfort of your home. Know how to remove and replace a helmet visor smoothly and successfully below.
- Different brands of helmets come with different visors along with different designs, styles, and characteristics. For example, some helmets come with single visors, some with dual visors, some are removable but some are integrated or attached, some are transparent whereas some are smoky and iridium or mirrored, etc. However, almost all brands use similar mechanisms and technicalities to remove and replace the visors.
- Every visor is attached to the helmet through a small clip or a push button that is usually found near the ear area. You can press them or push them to remove the visor from the helmet and do the same to replace it with the helmet. It is as simple as that.
- Now that you are ready to change your helmet visor you start with the task on a table. Place a clean and soft towel or a piece of cloth on the table, unpack and place the new visor on the table near you. Keep a screwdriver ready at hand if your visor is attached to the helmet with screws.
- You might find many screws attached to the visor. Unscrew the screws and keep them safely and carefully on the table. You will find the visor already raised once you remove all the screws.
- Now, hold the inner shield tight and pull the same downwards. The visor should come out easily without much effort. If it takes time, then pull it from both sides of the helmet one side after another. If it breaks or some portions of it break, then take out the broken pieces carefully and completely from the helmet.
- Some helmets have different mechanisms to remove the visor. Lower the helmet and lift the visor and see if it features a tiny cover. Open it by hand and by using a spanner. Examine the cover and you will find a small spring clip inside it. Now, open the spring clip and free the entire mechanism from the helmet. The visor should now come out easily from the helmet.
- Now it is time for you to mount the new visor on the helmet. Let us assume that you have brought a visor that fits perfectly on your helmet. You should know that not all visors are the same size and come in different designs and styles. In any case, your new visor should be perfectly compatible and fit on your helmet.
- Keep the helmet in a different space or area on the table. Now slide off the shield and place the visor perfectly at the place. There should be a click sound when the visor fits the shield appropriately. Then start screwing if your helmet has a screw mechanism. Ensure the entire mechanism including the screwing is firm. Double-check its strength because they lose after some time of using the helmet.
- You can remove the visor and replace the same visor with the helmet in the case of washing and cleaning the visor. You can clean a visor by soaking it in hot water and washing it using a piece of soft fabric and soap or detergent. You can take your time to clean dead bugs and hard stains, but remember, do not over wash it. Dry it under the sunlight and mount it back on the helmet.
- The process of removing and replacing the visor is even easier in the case of pin-lock visors that have an anti-fog lens. The pin-lock visors are made of transparent and organic materials that are considered good to use. You can just unpack the pin-lock anti-fog lens and lock it in between the plastic pins placed at both sides of the visor. You will find a thin space for the air between the visor and the pin-lock lens. This thin space and the air in between are extremely important because this is what makes the anti-fog mechanism.
Eventually, though buying a suitable helmet visor is important, appropriate and timely care along with maintenance of your visor is equally essential. Proper care and maintenance will enhance the durability of your visor and serve your purpose perfectly. If you provide care and maintenance to your visor, it will serve you back with safety and protection.
For example, you should never follow high-speed vehicles closely to prevent garbage and stone-pelting on your visor. Similarly, store your helmet in a safe and secluded place and clean the visor at regular intervention. You can further find out other suitable options for the care and maintenance of your visor to keep it perfectly functional for longer.
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