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Post by danno on Mar 21, 2014 11:30:07 GMT -5
Greetings all...
I'd like to hear how some of you handle riding during the time of day the sun is about to set or is rising....and your riding right into it.
In a car, I have a visor that can block the sun....not so, on a bike. I have a helmet with a built in sun visor..I use sunglasses...a combination of both, and still the sun can be blinding.
How do you all handle it? Thanks
Dan
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Post by ltdhpp on Mar 21, 2014 12:09:16 GMT -5
Using polarized shaded glasses helps a lot. Make sure they are 'safety' spec glasses. I use a pair of Dewalt polarized safety shades, I love them.
It's still hard though when the sun is 'just right'... I have to tip my head down so the little visor on my helmet will help.
They make 'driving' glasses that are supposed to help with glare, but I doubt they are safety spec. If you use them behind a full visor you are good to go.
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Post by SylvreKat on Mar 21, 2014 12:23:07 GMT -5
I'm not sure I've ever hit that not-so-magic time. I have driven with my chin ducked enough that the top edge of my helmet just blocks the sun.
I think if I was driving with the sun right in my eyes, I would stop somewhere and wait the 5-10 minutes for it to go down. Then I'd resume driving.
>'Kat
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Post by JR on Mar 21, 2014 15:21:25 GMT -5
Duct tape over the visor works well.
Now I hope that was not taken as being serious.
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Post by alleyoop on Mar 21, 2014 16:00:46 GMT -5
 You just got a couple of guys killed Doug Alleyoop
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Post by danno on Mar 21, 2014 18:45:49 GMT -5
Thanks for all the suggestions.... Since posting this, I've done my own "research"...via You Tube and came up with this product.... www.super-visor.com/ This guy.....actually suggest a strip of black tape on top of your visor as a method. |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Mar 21, 2014 21:09:39 GMT -5
Wow! And I thought THIS was only MY problem!
Good polarized glasses help, as does ANYTHING that kills some of the glare that makes stop-lights "invisible"... Now you all know why fighter pilots try to attack the enemy with the sun BEHIND them!
I finally solved the problem about  % by cutting a spare helmet visor and adding it to a factory visor, lowering the visor-bottom about a full inch. I painted the cobbled-together visor black and it looks "acceptable" AND, being way out-front, it can block the sun like your car-visor, by simply tipping your head forward a tad. Much better than blocking by tape, only because it's out in front of your eyes, rather than right up close. Very simple, and very effective!
I'll take a picture and add it to this so you can see. It really is a good fix... AND, the downward aerodynamic "push" keeps the helmet firmly in place, rather than having it try to "lift" off your head at high-speed, and choking you with the chin-strap... LOL... I absolutely HATE that irritating phenomenon...
Update: I dug old "Minnie Mouse" out from under the tarps today for a romp down the freeway to the store, so I shot a couple of pix of the helmet visor. You can see the bottom of the original visor, and the cut extension glued on the underneath. These were originally transparent, smoky-gray but not dark enough to do any real good. I adjusted the cut extension by using tape and moving it until it was just right for my line of vision, then permanently glued it up, sanded, primed and painted it. It doesn't look exactly "show-quality" but it REALLY does the job!
image hosting site
Before modding my helmet visor, I nearly ran a couple of red-lights, and nearly rear-ended a few cars driving into the the morning and evening sun. It really IS something that should be addressed.
Ride safe!
Leo in Texas
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Post by danno on Mar 21, 2014 21:55:07 GMT -5
Thanks Leo,
I'm looking forward to your pictures.
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Post by urbanmadness on Mar 21, 2014 22:12:26 GMT -5
I hate this..... and I wear eyeglasses so the problem is worse for me as I can't wear sun glasses unless I buy prescription sun glasses.... very expensive. And wouldn't you know it, when I go to work, suns in my face... and when I go home, the sun is in my face.... Joy
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Post by rockinez on Mar 21, 2014 22:56:26 GMT -5
If you have your eyeglasses RX you can get high quality inexpensive glasses at www.eyebuydirect.com They are perfect for sunglasses. Get the polarized lenses to avoid glare. They are inexpensive enough I have an extra pair of clear and sunglasses in my scoot, and truck.
I use Verilux lenses in Ray Ban frames from my eye guy. They are safety rated and polarized to help with the glair. They work as well as anything I have found so far.
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Post by rockynv on Mar 22, 2014 0:41:04 GMT -5
Some will also put limosine sun film on the top part of their face shield using the type that has no adhisive and is held in place by static electricity. That way when they don't need it they just put it in a stiff envelope and store it under the seat against the side of their seat bucket.
I don't normally wear sun glasses so the flip down sunsheild in my Apollo helmet is usually good enough for me. Dark skinned Sicilian with dark brown eyes so even here in the Sunshine State its not as much a problem to me as it is for some of you fairer folks out there but I do understand how diffucult it can be for you. Left the optomotrist and did not have the helmet with the built in sheild after receiving a triple dose of dialation drops for an eye exam. They were trying a new brand and I was not responding to the "normal" dosage so they overdosed me and it was not wearing off as quickly as the other one they had been using. That made for a very uncomfortable ride home mid summer in the Florida NoonTime Sun.
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Post by earlylight160 on Mar 22, 2014 9:32:43 GMT -5
I just take the opportunity to stop for a refreshing iced tea, cool lemonade or a cup of joe. Ten or fifteen minutes later I am back on the road.  |
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Post by alleyoop on Mar 22, 2014 13:40:21 GMT -5
Yep, if it is blinding pull off and enjoy a cup or two the few minutes off the road can save your life.
Alleyoop
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Post by wheelbender6 on Mar 22, 2014 13:43:21 GMT -5
Very good thread. It's even scarier that the cagers are having the same problem this time a year, so they are even less likely to see you on your scoot. I use a combination of about all the above mentioned ideas for the low sun. Bicyclers sometimes wear a bicycling cap under their helmet with a small brim to help. I'll do something that looks silly if it helps me avoid an accident.
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Post by danno on Mar 22, 2014 17:00:03 GMT -5
This article is copied from the above link I had posted..
Riding at Dawn
It is very important when riding at dawn to be very aware of unexpected sun glare. I'm writing this training article on a real life experience that recently happened to me in hopes that it will help to alert my fellow motor officers.
Last month (October 2005) at around 7:30 in the morning, I was headed to work traffic enforcement at a local school. The weather conditions on that day were clear and sunny. Morning traffic is always slow on the Interstate. I was traveling with speeds fluctuating from 25 to 35 MPH.
The sun was extremely bright and because I was traveling from west to east the occasional glare was blinding even though I was wearing sunglasses. As I crested the top of a bridge the unexpected happened. The sun suddenly blinded me at the same time a Ford Explorer came to an abrupt stop in front of me. Because the unexpected sun glare temporarily blinded I never saw the brake lights or the vehicles ahead of me slowing to a stop until it was too late.
Instinctively I tried to apply what I had learned through training and squeezed the front brake firmly like an orange and pressed my rear brake firm but still maintaining rolling friction. I was unable to stop in time and violently struck the rear of the Ford Explorer. My motorcycle was totaled and I was taken to the ER. I have learned since the accident that I will have surgery on my left shoulder because I tore the labrum around my shoulder when it dislocated when I went over the handlebars. I also have some bone chips in my shoulder that need to be removed.
I know the first thing that comes to mind is that I was following too close. I have replayed this collision over and over in my mind and I still feel like I maintained a good following distance under the normal roadway conditions for that Interstate.
In trying to think if anything else could have been done, it happened so quickly I did not have time to counter steer to the left or right. Plus, there was no room anyway to go to the right because of cars and no room to the left because of a concrete retaining wall. I did not have time to attempt a control lay down, so I applied the brakes.
What I would like to pass onto my fellow motor officers is that you must be aware of bright sunlight not only in the morning, but at dusk too. Even with sunglasses on, the sun glare can affect you suddenly and without warning. I probably should have created a greater following distance as I began to drive towards the top of the bridge and took into consideration the possible effect of the sunlight.
I've been riding for 15 years, and even though I know about the dangers we face each day I never thought that the bright sun could be a potential hazard. Remember on a bright sunny morning, when everything is going great; your boots are shined, your uniform is pressed, you're getting a smile from the blonde in the convertible and you're thinking, "I can't believe they actually pay me to do this" don't loose track of your surroundings. Keep your mind in the game and remember you need to be alert. Always scan ahead of you and work your way back. Look for all potential hazards and check your side mirrors. This should be a constant habit looking out in front and scanning your way back and don't forget about the sun.
Stay safe and ride safe.
Sergeant Rob Grimsley
Motor Instructor
Charleston County Sheriff's Office
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..BAD TO THE BONE..
% by cutting a spare helmet visor and adding it to a factory visor, lowering the visor-bottom about a full inch. I painted the cobbled-together visor black and it looks "acceptable" AND, being way out-front, it can block the sun like your car-visor, by simply tipping your head forward a tad. Much better than blocking by tape, only because it's out in front of your eyes, rather than right up close. Very simple, and very effective!
