Tag Archives: helmet visor

How to clean bugs off visor and motorbike

If you’ve ever been showered with bugs on your ride, you will know how difficult they are to remove from your helmet visor and your motorcycle.

That’s because the wind quickly dries them out and they become very hard and stick like glue to any surface.

Cleaning bugs off your bike

While bugs on a motorcycle are mainly a cosmetic issue, they can interfere with the performance of your headlight or clog up oil coolers and radiators.

We suggest trying to remove most of them from headlights and coolers with water from a service station while out on the road.cleaning bugs off helmet visor and bike

You won’t get them all, but you should remove enough to be able to continue riding.

Leave the rest of the bug removal until you get home as it’s only cosmetic.

We suggest using a special bug remover that you can buy from most motorcycle shops, service stations or auto shops like Supercheap. There is little difference we can detect between specific motorcycle cleaners and car cleaners.

cleaning bugs off helmet visor and bikeMotul insect remover

Visor cleaning

As for your visor, bugs can create substantial vision impairment which is a serious safety issue, so it’s important to remove them while out on the road.

Never try to wipe bugs off your helmet with your glove as you will only smear them and create a mess.

Wiping dried bugs can also create almost invisible scratches which may not appear to be a problem … until you are riding into the sun or at night and all you can see is a “spiders web” of scratches!

I carry a small Specsavers pump spray that I rinsed out and filled with Motul helmet & visor cleaner at $14.90.

The original Motul spray bottle is simply too bulky to carry in my jacket pocket.

Some people say Windex is ok, but it is suitable for glass only. It includes ammonia which is harmful to plastic visors.

You can also use other specific visor products or plain water.

I also carry a small soft rag that came with my Skram riding sunglasses.

If you don’t have a sunglasses or prescription glasses cloth, any soft microfibre cloth will do.

Spray a liberal amount of the solution on the visor and let it sit for about 30 seconds. Don’t rub straight away, but also don’t leave it long enough to dry.

This softens the bugs and loosens them from the surface.

Then gently wipe the bugs away with one side of the cloth. Don’t push too hard. You may have to repeat this process.

When they are mainly gone, give your visor one more spray, then wipe it dry with the other side of the cloth.

Crusty demons

If there is a thick crust of bugs on your visor, call into a service station, rest area or anywhere you can get water and toilet paper or a paper towel.

Soak the toilet paper or hand towel in water and then place it on your visor and let it sit there for about 30 seconds. You can also use a soft cloth such as your hanky or neck sock soaked in water.cleaning bugs off helmet visor and bike

Peel off the wet paper being careful not to rub the surface as some paper towels can be fairly abrasive.

Then apply your cleaning solution as per the instructions above.

cleaning bugs off helmet visor and bikeNever use a servo windscreen squeegee

Never use the windscreen squeegee provided at service stations as they may have been dropped on the ground.

They can have oil, diesel, fuel or small particles of gravel and dirt in them which can smear and scratch your visor.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Reader deal: Buy Visorcat, get free earplugs

Clear vision and protecting your ears seem to be important for our readers so we are offering a special reader deal of a free set of MotoSafe Tour earplugs with each Visorcat wiper/washer tour pack bought through our shop.

When we published a review of the Visorcat a few weeks ago, we expected a lot of negative comments. There were a few, but there was also a lot of interest.

We tested the system and found it was a handy device for not only wiping off the rain, but also washing off bugs and grime without scratching the visor. (See our review below.)

So we decided to sell it through our online shop.

We are also big supporters of wearing earplugs to prevent fatiguing tinnitus and permanent hear loss when you ride, so we also sell the MotoSafe Tour or Race earplugs from $29.95.

Special reader deal

Since both the Visorcat and MotoSafe earplugs are distributed by xenonOz, we have offered the two together for the price of the Visorcat tour pack at $115.

The tour pack includes extra washer liquid and sponge refills and comes with a free pair of Tour earplugs as a special reader deal.

Alpine MotoSafe earplugs make riders safer planning wax reader deal
Buy Alpine Tour earplugs for your next adventure

The reader deal ends at the end of May, so be quick and protect your eyes and ears!

Visorcat review

Dirty visors are not only a nuisance but a safety risk, but the glove-mounted Visorcat washer/wiper allows you to clean your visor on the go.

Visorcat is made of rubber with a webbing strap that goes around your hand.

There is a rubber loop to go over your finger or thumb, a reservoir for the provided visor wash and two 75mm-long (3”) windscreen-wiper-style blades that sit on the back of your hand, below the knuckle.

Underneath the blades is a sponge.

You wipe right to left to remove rainwater with the double rubber wiper blades.

Visorcat helmet visor cleaner and wiper reader deal
Wipe right to left to clear your visor with the double rubber blades

If your visor is dirty and needs a wash first, you wipe left to right.

The curved edge of the wiper flap pulls back automatically to reveal the sponge underneath which is moistened by the supplied washing liquid.

Visorcat helmet visor cleaner and wiper reader deal
Wipe left to right to use the sponge

There’s a wick connecting the sponge to the reservoir to keep it moist.

Make sure the sponge is wet to start with and the reservoir is full.Visorcat helmet visor cleaner and wiper reader deal

Due to the favourable response from many readers, we have decided to stock this safety product in our shop.

Click here to buy now. The washer/wiper with a bottle of liquid is $99, the touring pack with extra liquid and sponges is $115 and the refill pack with a bottle of liquid and three sponges is $24.95. Postage is extra.

Visorcat helmet visor cleaner and wiper reader deal

Our view

I was initially quite sceptical of this product. It looked cumbersome and, frankly, a bit ridiculous.

However, it’s easy to fit over your left glove and tighten with the strap to stay in place.

Once in place you can hardly feel it’s there and it doesn’t in any way limit your clutch hand movement.

I also thought it would be a nuisance every time I took my glove off or put it on, but it actually stays in place, so there’s no need to remove it.

If you do want to remove it, just undo the strap and it comes off in a second.

The wiper blades are great for quickly and effectively wiping rainwater off your visor.

On wide visors you may have to wipe up to three times to cover the whole field of vision, but generally one wipe will clear enough of the visor for good vision.

Yet another reason to go riding in the rain!Fogging helmet visor wet rain work visorcat reader deal

Dirty visor

A dirty visor is another matter.

I prefer to wash off grime, insects, dust, etc with water or a cleaning liquid. If you wipe it straight away, you are liable to scratch your visor.

Even if you can’t see the scratches, you may have made very small scratches which cause a blurry “starring” effect when looking into the sun or car lights at night. 

I was reticent to use the sponge washer, so I tried it first on an old helmet.

You have to make sure the sponge is well and truly moist before wiping across your visor.

I preferred to pull over and check that the sponge was wet first. I even added an extra dob of the liquid directly on to the sponge just to make sure.Visorcat helmet visor cleaner and wiper reader deal

I tried it several times on the old helmet and it worked fine without any visible or even minor scratching. That made me confident enough to try it on a brand new visor. It left no scratches.

However, I would not use it on a very dirty or dusty visor. I’d douse the visor with plenty of water first.

The Visorcat works just fine for light grime such as a small bug straight after you’ve hit it.

And isn’t that usually the case? You’ve just cleaned your visor, hopped on your bike and in the first kilometre you hit a bug right in the middle of your field of vision!

With the Visorcat you don’t have to stop; you can keep on riding!

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com

Win a Visorcat washer/wiper for clear vision

Dirty visors are not only a nuisance but a safety risk, but the glove-mounted Visorcat washer/wiper allows you to clean your visor on the go.

Visorcat is made of rubber with a webbing strap that goes around your hand.

There is a rubber loop to go over your finger or thumb, a reservoir for the provided visor wash and two 75mm-long (3”) windscreen-wiper-style blades that sit on the back of your hand, below the knuckle.

Underneath the blades is a sponge.

You wipe right to left to remove rainwater with the double rubber wiper blades.

Visorcat helmet visor cleaner and wiper
Wipe right to left to clear your visor with the double rubber blades

If your visor is dirty and needs a wash first, you wipe left to right.

The curved edge of the wiper flap pulls back automatically to reveal the sponge underneath which is moistened by the supplied washing liquid.

Visorcat helmet visor cleaner and wiper
Wipe left to right to use the sponge

There’s a wick connecting the sponge to the reservoir to keep it moist.

Make sure the sponge is wet to start with and the reservoir is full.Visorcat helmet visor cleaner and wiper

Win a Visorcat

You can win one of these $105 Visorcats simply by subscribing to our free weekly newsletter. Click here to subscribe.

If you’re already one of our subscribers, simply tell us what you think of Visorcat by leaving a comment at the end of this article.

We’ll randomly draw the winner at midnight on Friday (22 March, 2019) and announce their name in this article and on social media on Saturday. The prize will be posted to the winner. (Competition limited to Australian postal addresses.)Visorcat helmet visor cleaner and wiper

Visorcat review

I was initially quite sceptical of this product. It looked cumbersome and, frankly, a bit ridiculous.

However, it’s easy to fit over your left glove and tighten with the strap to stay in place.

Once in place you can hardly feel it’s there and it doesn’t in any way limit your clutch hand movement.

I also thought it would be a nuisance every time I took my glove off or put it on, but it actually stays in place, so there’s no need to remove it.

If you do want to remove it, just undo the strap and it comes off in a second.

The wiper blades are great for quickly and effectively wiping rainwater off your visor.

On wide visors you may have to wipe up to three times to cover the whole field of vision, but generally one wipe will clear enough of the visor for good vision.

Yet another reason to go riding in the rain!Fogging helmet visor wet rain work visorcat

Dirty visor

A dirty visor is another matter.

I prefer to wash off grime, insects, dust, etc with water or a cleaning liquid. If you wipe it straight away, you are liable to scratch your visor.

Even if you can’t see the scratches, you may have made very small scratches which cause a blurry “starring” effect when looking into the sun or car lights at night. 

I was reticent to use the sponge washer, so I tried it first on an old helmet.

You have to make sure the sponge is well and truly moist before wiping across your visor.

I preferred to pull over and check that the sponge was wet first. I even added an extra dob of the liquid directly on to the sponge just to make sure.Visorcat helmet visor cleaner and wiper

I tried it several times on the old helmet and it worked fine without any visible or even minor scratching. That made me confident enough to try it on a brand new visor. It left no scratches.

However, I would not use it on a very dirty or dusty visor. I’d rather douse the visor with plenty of water first.

The Visorcat works just fine for light grime such as a small bug straight after you’ve hit it.

And isn’t that usually the case? You’ve just cleaned your visor, hopped on your bike and in the first kilometre you hit a bug right in the middle of your field of vision!

With the Visorcat you don’t have to stop, but can keep on riding.

Source: MotorbikeWriter.com