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Pin Lock visors question


ltljohn

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Time for a new helmet. I have decided on the Arai Vector 2. My question is about the Pin Lock visors. For those of you who have them what are the pros and cons?

Edited by ltljohn
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Time for a new helmet. I have decided on the Arai Vector 2. My question is about the Pin Lock visors. For those of you who have them what are the pros and cons?

 

Morning ltljohn

 

For me personally, the Pin Lock inner shield does help to keep the fogging at a minimum BUT (personally) I just can't stand looking through that extra layer of plastic so I never use them.

 

I have a good friend that likes his Pin Lock so it seems that the extra layer only effect some riders. (he wears glasses & I don't so maybe he is used to the added layers)

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Hello ltljohn,

 

I ride a lot in cold weather and with the Pin Lock the shield does not fog up (but you have to make sure the pin lock is truly sealed - if not it won't help). I also wear glasses and they tend to fog up once in a while but that has nothing to do with the Pin Lock. Overall, without the Pon Lock I'd have to ride with my shield up in the coldest of weather and that wouldn't do.

 

Giddyup

 

john

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Like most things, there's a bit of a trade-off.

 

I ride year round, so visor fogging is a problem for me. Fogging up can also become a problem if riding in the rain. My Arai is the first helmet I've had with a pinlock, and I've found it to be highly effective at eliminating shield fog. I use it all the time. That being said, it is one more layer you're looking through. Most of the time I'm unaware of that, but there are times I notice it - and that is probably more related to my astigmatism and how lights can appear slightly distorted at night.

 

The extra layer *may* (I'm not sure) impact of the visibility of your digital dash if wearing polarized glasses. Certainly Polarized lenses can make the digital dash difficult to read, and I don't know if another layer impacts that or not.

 

There are other options to reduce shield fog, and others may be able to comment on their effectiveness.

 

I prefer the no fuss pin-lock personally and find the trade off to be minor. A great thing about the Pinlock is if you find you don't like it or only want to use it at certain times, it takes less than a minute to remove and/or put back on.

 

 

Edited by workin' them angels
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I'm like DR's friend in that I wear glasses.

Pinlock worked great for me.

Looking thru additional layer was better than dealing with fog, every time.

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I have the pinlock on my clear shield. Most of my riding is with a tinted shield, but I always carry a clear one on trips. The clear with the pinlock doesn't bother me when riding at night, and it is essential when riding in conditions that cause the shield to fog up.

 

Prior to using the pinlock I would try lifting the shield slightly to get air flow. In straight up shield fogging conditions this helps, but in rainy conditions with a fogging shield it would lead to drops of water on the outside and inside of the shield. If you wear glasses you might end up with water drops on both sides of those lenses as well meaning you could be looking through four layers of water drops while riding in conditions that are already less than ideal.

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My Shoei Multitec has it. Don't like it at all, distorts view. With the extreme humidity in this part of Texas, I just crack the visor every once in a while if having a bad fogging day.

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pinlock rocks. have it in m shoei gt-air. zero distorton. zero fog. i pop it in whenever temp goes below 50 or looks like rain. best thing since sliced bread!

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pinlock rocks. have it in m shoei gt-air. zero distorton. zero fog. i pop it in whenever temp goes below 50 or looks like rain. best thing since sliced bread!

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I like mine, have not had any issues with fogging throughout the year. I have a NeoTec and have not looked back since. Not noticed a lot of distortion with my 06 RT dash. I am with Working, only time I see anything distorted is at night due to the same visual issue(s).

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Danny caddyshack Noonan

I exhale a lot of moisture and like pinlok very much.

HOWEVER, do not wear the visor without a shield. The pins will shake and fret the holes preventing future use with a shield as they will no longer hold tension.

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I have a pinlock on my Shoei clear shield. After riding year round in the north east, I would never be without it. If there are any negatives, it would be a slight optic distortion, but not enough for it to cause an issue. At least not for me. I fought fogging issues for years on my other helmets. I tried everything, some worked ok sometimes, most were worthless in the long run or too much of a PITA to keep up with. When helmet shopping this last time, I limited my choices to available pinlocks so I could give them a try. I'm glad I did, and have not been disappointed.

 

I never remove the pinlock insert unless I am planning to clean the inside of the visor and/or the gasket on the insert. I usually have to do that after a dirty excursion. Other than that, it just stays put and works great every time I've needed it.

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I never heard of pinlock. They came with the helmets we bought last Dec. The dealer put the intercom system in but didn't put the pinlock in. So I did that but forgot to do the research. I'm glad they work for fogging!!! I won't have to crack the visor anymore!

 

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I use them on my Shoei GT-Air during the cool months, I do notice the perimeter when I start riding with it in after summer, but like most other things you get accustomed to it. There is a slight drop in clarity / light transmission and I find the headlight glare from oncoming traffic is amplified, especially at night. Overall better than fogging though.

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From the responses so far it seems that the only real issue is slight distortion at night. Since I have poor night vision I do not ride at night unless I absolutely have to. The pinlock comes already installed on the Arai Vector 2 I looked at. I will try it out and see how it goes. Thanks for the input!

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Danny caddyshack Noonan

One more thing. On some helmets the face shield gasket will just touch the pinlok shield and shift it. Multitec. I always drop the shield almost the whole way and then slip a finger up to re-seat the pinlok.

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Hi, all. Donkeys years ago I used a Fog City shield, and that kept the fogging at bay mostly. I haven't used one in a long, long time, however. Is the Pin Lock anything like that? Any comparisons? Thanks.

 

---John.

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Reminds me of a spring ride a few years back, pulled into a full service gas station and had to wrestle the pump nozzle from the attendant. My visor was covered in insect goop. As I was filling the tank, the attendant decided it was a good idea to do the squeegee thing. We had a chat.

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My Pinlock inserts definitely eliminate fogging, but they also reduce clarity. I remove them whenever I don't anticipate fogging conditions. Personally, I'd pay more for a version with greater optical clarity.

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I ride "shield up" 90% of the time, even down to single digits (up, take the freeze, then down to warm face, then back up again). The pinlock keeps my vision clear while the shield is down. This come especially handy during those rainy days, which is the majority of my 10% shield down riding. I wouldn't be without one during the times that the shield has the propensity to fog up.

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My Pinlock inserts definitely eliminate fogging, but they also reduce clarity. I remove them whenever I don't anticipate fogging conditions. Personally, I'd pay more for a version with greater optical clarity.

 

I have to agree. But, is there one without any distorted optical clarity? I doubt it...

Maybe there is one, I just don't know about it. Please inform.

:facepalm::facepalm:

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After reading 3 pages of posts on the Pinlock shield I feel like a Neanderthal Man...mine scratched BADLY when I (gently) cleaned it with a microfibre cloth...had to throw it away. So how do you guys clean them without scratching them? If I could solve that problem, I'd buy another one for my Shoei Neotech.

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Danny caddyshack Noonan
mine scratched BADLY when I (gently) cleaned it with a microfibre cloth.

I clean mine in the sink with dish soap. Hardly any contact, rinse with filtered/bottled water to avoid spots when drying. A little light touch here and there with a towel to pick up spots, but no rubbing.

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