The Super-Visor

This time of year always gives me fits as the days get shorter and we end up riding directly into the glare of the sun more often than not on the way to our supper runs.  RR and I have open-face Arai helmets with lightly tinted flip-up face shields.  The smokey tint helps, but it isn't designed to block a low-angled, direct hit from the sun's rays.  We needed to find a product that protected our vision but didn't interfere with the raising and lowering of our face shields.  We'd tried the removable strip products that adhere to the top edge of the face shield.  Those worked fine for RR, but the strip on my visor started losing adhesion after a couple of rides and kept dangling in front of my face about halfway into the ride -- not a good thing.

When the  Super-Visor ad appeared in the back of GWTA's Touring News, we decided to take a chance with $16.95 (plus $3 S&H) and buy the product via their web site.  U2's helmet was the guinea-pig for our test project. RR was the installation technician.  The results?  We more than got our money's worth.

The DOT-approved plastic product is vented, adjustable, available in three colors, and designed to fit all full face and open face helmets with a face shield.  With my helmet on and face shield down, we determined the installation height best suited to my line of vision and made adjustments which still allowed me access to my face-shield vents and cooling vents.  RR used the adhesive (included with purchase) to glue the visor to my face shield.   You'll want to plan ahead and do this when you don't need your helmet for a couple of days; the instructions say to allow 72 hours for the adhesive to set.  Since we weren't sure how the add-on would work in rainy or windy conditions, we delayed installation until after a weekend camping trip.

The results:  I love it!  Now, I have no problems driving directly into the sun.  I never realized how much I was squinting (even with sunglasses and a tinted shield) until I added the super-visor.  No more squinting or eye fatigue!  My eyes stay wide open (though not in this Hammy-Cam shot), my face relaxes, and I really notice a difference in the amount of heat and sun reaching my face from just that little bit of added protection right above my field of vision.  Other users have commented on how the visor vent funnels the air into the helmet cooling vents and reduces the heat, wind noise, and buffeting.  It even looks nice on the helmet. 

During the State Friendship Campout, we rode quite a bit of the way in rain.  I had no problems with venting, no fogging inside my face shield, and no water leaks.  I loved being able to keep my face shield vents open for ventilation in the rain and still maintain a dry, clear face shield and eyeglasses.  The windy ride on the way home didn't seem to bother the product, and the adhesive has held without any problems to date.  The Super-Visor passed the test.

Downsides.  The visor made it a little harder to open and close the face shield vents while on the go, but since I ride with my vents open most of the time, that issue really didn't effect me.  If I do need to close them, I can do it at the next stretch break.  The presence of the visor near the top of my line of vision took some getting used to at first, but after a week or two I no longer noticed it.  My advice?  Take the time to "fit" the super-visor to your preferred line of vision before you attach it to your face shield.  (RR installed mine without using the included lift-kit.)  The web-site says you can order more glue and tabs to move the shield to a new helmet, but I haven't tried that.

The verdict?  I'd say this is one add-on that did the job without doing a job on my pocketbook.  We'll see if RR can hold out until Christmas.



posted on Tuesday, October 07, 2008 8:53 AM by U2Farmer

Comments

Wednesday, October 08, 2008 6:41 AM by J

# re: The Super-Visor

Hey bring this to the State Meeting. I'd like a closer look.
Thursday, October 09, 2008 10:56 PM by Michelle Sullivan

# re: The Super-Visor

All right... I'll add it to the list in case we end up coming via the cage.