Tips that might help bikers stop doing little errors

[willian]

After taking off your lid for a natter, remember and put it on the right way round .....

That is the first time I have seen that happen


On the plus side, you did look a not better with the helmet on the wrong way

Come on......I had just been given my redundancy notice and was a bit distracted!

Plus, it saved me looking at your ugly mug for a short while!

[willian]

When carrying a lid with a quick release fastener, make sure it's not going to release and drop onto the ground then spin wildly on the concrete floor on the visor.....


That was an expensive trip to B&Q - thankfully the lid itself is OK

Any why on earth are the visors so feckin expensive, it's a piece of plastic!

[Zathos]

Any why on earth are the visors so feckin expensive, it's a piece of plastic!

Coz it's designed to stop sharp things hitting your face, rather than passing light through a shed window

[willian]

Any why on earth are the visors so feckin expensive, it's a piece of plastic!

Coz it's designed to stop sharp things hitting your face, rather than passing light through a shed window

Ahh, so that's why I had trouble trying to bend the 4mm float glass round my lid..... Kept breaking each time for some reason....

But seriously, it's plastic, and not "high tech" in any way.

A high tech visor wouldn't scratch at the slightest swipe of the hand across the surface

[Zathos]

https://www.gov.uk/motorcycle-helmet-law

Oh yes it is

[willian]

Just because a visor has a kite mark doesn't mean it's high tech, it means it's been tested to a certain set of criteria to meet a 'standard'

And scratch resistance clearly isn't one of them

[Zathos]

Just because a visor has a kite mark doesn't mean it's high tech, it means it's been tested to a certain set of criteria to meet a 'standard'

And scratch resistance clearly isn't one of them

To achieve the rating requires time effort and investment, hence a level of technology.

And no scratch resistant isn't part of the standard, nor should it be

[willian]

And no scratch resistant isn't part of the standard, nor should it be

40+ quid for a bit of plastic with no working parts and scratches or fades at the mere thought of dirt, grime or foreign material is taking the pi$$

The manufacturer should be putting some effort into scratch resistance, particularly when a lid costs a lot of money to purchase.

[Zathos]

I won't disagree with you there.

But I haven't found a particular problem with visors scratching. They usually outlast the helmet to be honest.

[Dave]

But I haven't found a particular problem with visors scratching. They usually outlast the helmet to be honest.

But, have you dropped your lid on a dusty floor and then played soccer with it

[Zathos]

But, have you dropped your lid on a dusty floor and then played soccer with it

Of course not, who would do such a thing with a vital bit of protective kit?

Dropping a lid from anything above table height onto a hard surface would, in my mind, require a replacement lid. I wouldn't like to trust that it wasn't cracked.

[Dave]

After taking off your lid for a natter, remember and put it on the right way round .....

When carrying a lid with a quick release fastener, make sure it's not going to release and drop onto the ground then spin wildly on the concrete floor on the visor.....


That was an expensive trip to B&Q - thankfully the lid itself is OK

Any why on earth are the visors so feckin expensive, it's a piece of plastic!

Does it matter the state of the visor if you have the helmet on the wrong way round

[willian]

[Dave]

Tips that might help bikers stop doing little errors that can hurt man and machinery...

My tip for today: Test your brakes when you first set off on the day, rear first.

Why rear first? You should be able to control your rear wheel locking up at walking speed.
If your rear locks up unexpectedly you know your ABS is not operating correctly or you have your bike in an electronic mode you did not expect.
If you try your front brake first and that locks up, you might be in trouble.

You may be wondering why I posted this tip?
This morning when I tried my rear brake (on a gravel track), my rear locked up a bit.
Strange I thought, so I tried again but with more brake farce, and again I locked the rear.
Once I stopped the bike, looked at the dash and noticed the bike was in the “all electronic aids OFF (playtime)” mode. Not the mode I need to be on when I am rusty on the bike.
I often have a wee play in that mode, but I try and return the bike to “road (give me all the help you can)” mode after using “playtime” mode…but for some reason in January I did not do this.

ps:
Many people say “test your brakes ASAP after every rest stop”.
I won’t argue with that, but when just stopping for fuel or a bit to eat, often I don’t test the brakes as soon as I set off, especially when on a group run as that might cause a ripple effect with others thinking I am stopping, but I do test the brakes with a bit of caution as soon as practical without those behind thinking I am stopping.

[Dave]

Clean and dry your visor shortly after taking off your lid.

That is so much better than flipping the visor down when the sun is shining into your face, and you can’t see much because the crud and streaks are still there

Such a simple thing, yet so often forgotten

[Dave]

After letting you bike dry off, before pushing it to its parking position remember to ensure you have disengaged the steering lock BEFORE the initial push.

Yes you will be able to push it...potentially push it over instead of the intended direction

[Gazza]

40+ quid for a bit of plastic with no working parts and scratches or fades at the mere thought of dirt, grime or foreign material is taking the pi$$

The manufacturer should be putting some effort into scratch resistance, particularly when a lid costs a lot of money to purchase.

This is what you need. Cheap as chips, scratch proof and no damage if you drop your helmet (or even when you play footie with it)

Scratch Proof Solution

[Dave]

40+ quid for a bit of plastic with no working parts and scratches or fades at the mere thought of dirt, grime or foreign material is taking the pi$$

The manufacturer should be putting some effort into scratch resistance, particularly when a lid costs a lot of money to purchase.

This is what you need. Cheap as chips, scratch proof and no damage if you drop your helmet (or even when you play footie with it)

Scratch Proof Solution

[willian]

40+ quid for a bit of plastic with no working parts and scratches or fades at the mere thought of dirt, grime or foreign material is taking the pi$$

The manufacturer should be putting some effort into scratch resistance, particularly when a lid costs a lot of money to purchase.

This is what you need. Cheap as chips, scratch proof and no damage if you drop your helmet (or even when you play footie with it)

Scratch Proof Solution

Tally-Ho!

Me likes

[Gazza]

Tally-Ho!

Me likes

I wore them for years in my youth and I've still to find a better option for an open face helmet. Visibility is second to none and no misting up issues.

[willian]

Tally-Ho!

Me likes

I wore them for years in my youth and I've still to find a better option for an open face helmet. Visibility is second to none and no misting up issues.

No good for spec wearers though

[Dave]

If your visor is bug splattered after a run, clean the visor once the run is finished.
This will stop the bugs becoming welded on to the visor, so when on your next run you have a nice clean visor.

[Dave]

If for some reason you did not clean your visor after your last run, ride though a snow shower to soften those pesky bugs, then ride through a hail shower to aid the loosening of those bugs.
So, at the end of the run cleaning the visor is easy.

[Dave]

Don’t ride thru snow and hail showers with a dirty visor...you can see feck all