Helmets Snowmobile Helmet for Cold Weather Riding?

Ron_WI

Ron_WI

Joined
Dec 26, 2007
Messages
94
Age
77
Location
Fort Myers FL & Elkhorn WI
Bike
2007 ST1300
Living in Wisconsin we get plenty of cold weather over the winter. I've been riding pretty regular as the road conditions permit. My biggest problem is helmet visor fogging. What do you think about using a snowmobile helmet with their mask systems or even the heated visors for winter riding? I'm not into snowmobiles so I don't know much about the helmets but a friend suggested I look into them.
 
Bombardier looks very Darth Vader - does DOT approved mean it's good for street use?

I picked up a heated shield for my Nolan, but haven't been able to try it out, my driveway is impassable (for the bike) right now.

Dennis Kirk has a variety of heated shields here:

http://www.denniskirk.com/jsp/tpl/cmn/prodlist.jsp?store=&category=301,30102&_requestid=497687

Other options include an insert like Pinlock or Fog City. Here's a good article with more resources:
http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-helmets/visors/fog-city-progrip.htm. I've used both, like the Pinlock better, but it doesn't totally solve the problem and doesn't help when the visor starts to ice up.

You may also want to look into a breath deflector. HJC apparently makes a "universal" deflector.

Will be following this thread with interest.
 
I have a BV2S helmet and yes DOT means that it is street legal. I use it when I am snowmobiling. I don't use the back light but it is there because snow dust often occludes the snowmobile tail light. As far as I am concerned the light is a bit of a gimmick. It is an excellent helmet, warm, very quiet and has very good peripheral vision and is the most comfortable helmet that I have owned. A lot of thought went into it's design. It never fogs up, even on the coldest days.

I have a couple of negative comments too... New shields are really expensive. I have to comment that the design and materials of the chin bar will render it less effective than a full face helmet in the event of an accident.
 
Thanks for the review Steve. Do you think the chin bar may compare favorably to that of modular helmets?
I thought the backlight was some ridiculous gimmick like an interior light, (thinking of "backlight" LED displays), but I guess that it's an auxilliary tail light?

I wear a snowboard helmet on my Skidoo as my modular fogs up, but after a friend hit his head on a tree while wearing a biker beanie, i am re-thinking it.
 
The chin bar might compare favorably but I can't really say for sure. The "breath mask" portion is completely removable leaving a metal rod between each side of the cheek / jawbone extension as the chin bar. I think that it would be pretty tough but there is no way for me to estimate if it would be as tough as a modular. It would certainly be safer than an open face helmet.

You are correct that the auxiliary light is a tail light.

I have never had the helmet fog up. The only time that I wished for a heated shield was last year when we up near Mont Laurent Quebec sledding in the freezing rain. The face shield iced up whereas my fellow riders who had heated shields did not have a problem. I doubt that this will be an issue on a bike as the only one that I know of who rides in freezing rain is motomac. :D
 
I ended up using a Respro Foggy. It's a neoprene face guard that velcros into a full face helmet. I get a little fog on my glasses for the first few minutes until the helmet adjusts to the outside temps, then it's fine from there on out.
 
I guess I am just cheap. I took a totally different tack to the foggy shield issue. Went to Lowes and picked up a small diameter (maybe 3/8" ID) plastic elbow and about 4"-6" clear hose to fit to make a breathing tube. I used a small nylon zip tie to hold the 2 together. Works great and costs next to nothing without the need to buy another helmet for Winter. I like things I can use in all weather with very minor modification for the season. Just hold the elbow in my mouth on one side and angle the tube so it is just at the bottom of the helmet under my ear. Works if I only exhale through the tube but also both ways is ok. No fog down to minus 5 F so far.
 
Another great option to prevent shield fogging are the Fog City shield inserts. I keep them on year round, they work great!
 
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