Sunny days are the best for enjoying a sweet ride. However, they bring along avoidable frustrations. The brightness clashes with most surfaces and creates awful reflections which hinder your vision.
As we know, difficulties faced on the road have the potential to cause accidents – something we all want to avoid. So, what can you do?
The answer is simple – tint your visors. Now you must be confused about how to tint motorcycle helmet visors. Well, allow us to introduce you to some of the best and most efficient methods that will get the job done!
Are tinted motorcycle visors legal?
Tinted visors are legal in some places while being illegal in others. Besides that, there may be other conditional factors that you need to keep in mind.
For example, in the UK, motorcyclists are only allowed to wear helmets with tinted visors during the day. These tinted visors also need to allow 50% of the light to pass through to check the legal requirements.
In the USA, it is legal to sport a helmet with tinted visors; the same goes for Canada. In fact, in some states, it is a must along with the full face helmet mandate.
Australians are allowed to wear helmets with tinted visors as long as it passes the standards set by AS 1609.
Before attempting to tint your motorcycle visors, look into the laws your state has regarding them. This will prevent you from getting fined on the road.
How do you tint a helmet visor?
There are several methods that you can follow to get your motorcycle helmet visors tinted. The most effective and effortless way, however, is putting on helmet visor tinting film. This can also be replaced with car window tinting fill, vinyl tint paper, or headlight tinting film.
Things you will need:
- A suitable tinting film.
- A piece of microfiber cloth
- Glass cleaner
- Soapy Water
- Paper towels
- Had edged squeegee
- Utility knife or Exacto knife
- Heat Gun or Hair Dryer
How to tint a Visor:
Step One
Initially, you need to clean your helmet visor with a suitable glass cleaner. Use your piece of microfiber cloth to get every spot properly cleansed. Wipe off dirt and dust particles but remember to not apply too much force to avoid scratching and cracking.
Step Two
Spray on some soapy water and engage in some deep cleaning. All the dirt should be wiped off using the squeegee.
Step Three
Get rid of the dampness using your paper towel and let the helmet air dry. Leave it in a place where there is very little flow of dirt and dust.
Step Four
While the helmet visor dries, cut your tinting film or vinyl using a utility knife. Leaving off some excess is a wise option as you can always cut the parts off afterward. If you cut out a piece that is exactly the same size, it might end up being too small. Your vinyl will then get wasted along with the money you used to purchase it.
Step Five
Once your vinyl or tinting film is cut according to your visor’s dimensions, the time has come to paste it on. Remove the backing if there is any and cover the visor’s surface using it.
Step Six
Start your heat gun or hairdryer and blow heat onto the center. Slowly move sideways and allow the vinyl to mold around the visor properly. Be careful with the machines and make sure you are not heating any other parts of your helmet.
Step Seven
Afterward, when the vinyl or tinting film has sat on the visor surface like a second skin, using your squeegee pressure out all the air bubbles. Again, make sure not to apply too much pressure.
Step Eight
Using your utility knife or Exacto knife, slowly cut off the excess without creating any marks on the visor.
Pros and cons of a tinted visor
Tinted helmet visors come with several advantages and disadvantages which you need to keep into consideration. Read the points mentioned below to find out everything you need to know.
Pros:
- Sunlight tends to reflect on metallic or moisture-ridden surfaces. If you are wearing a helmet with tinted visors, the disturbance caused due to this will be noticeably notched down.
- Any exhaustion caused to the rider’s eyes during a ride is reduced when tinted visors are used. This causes an improvement in the rider’s concentration.
- When paired with pin-lock visors, the tinted visor surface doesn’t fog up. Riders are offered a clear view of the road.
- Wearing sunglasses under a motorcycle helmet can be rather frustrating. Tinted visors remove the need for sunglasses making things easier for the rider.
- Tinted visors look really cool! Most riders simply end up buying helmets with tinted visors because they serve a stylish look.
Cons:
- Tinted visors are not comfortable to wear in the dark. Riders find it hard to see and may end up causing an accident.
- A motorcycle helmet with tinted visors doesn’t react well with any other weather. Riding a bike on a cloudy or rainy day becomes tougher as riders have decreased vision of the road.
Can you spray tint a visor?
Helmet visor tint sprays are available in spray cans. Users can opt to utilize this for tinting their visors instead of coating them with a film.
The process is simple, all you need to do is spray it on and leave it to air dry. Once it has dried, you can spray on other layers to get a slightly more tinted vision. Drawbacks of this process include the fact that some parts might end up being darker than others.
Furthermore, as these sprays are usually made for the headlights and taillights of cars, you cannot always expect them to react equally with your visor. Try to purchase a spray that you have seen others use to achieve similar jobs.
If none of these tinting ideas appeal to you, as a last resort you can use a dye to get a tint job. Some solutions are available which can be used to bath the visor for a certain period. After removing, you will notice that your helmet visor is tinted.
Where to get helmet visor tint?
Most hardware or automobile stores will have helmet visor tint films available. You will most easily find the kind used to cover headlights. These are ideal for use on your visors too. Besides that, you can check online platforms like Amazon. It offers a lot of options and you are likely to find a wide range of colors and sizes of tint film there. If you are lucky, you can also get your hands on tint sprays and dyes.
FAQs
Can you tint a motorcycle windshield?
Yes, motorcycle windshields can also be tinted. The steps are similar to that of the visor tinting process.
What tint is best for helmet visor?
Yellow tints are said to be the best color choice when it comes to tinting a helmet visor. Needless to say, this might vary depending on the rider’s preference.
What makes polycarbonate ideal for helmet visor?
Polycarbonate’s ability to absorb UV rays makes it ideal for helmet visors. This shields your eyes and face from damage.
Can you have a tinted visor w/pinlock or better to go for tinted pinlock?
As long as the visor has a pin-lock enabled in it, you can have it tinted and still use it.
Last words
Now that you know how to tint motorcycle helmet visors, do consider getting your helmet tinted. It comes with benefits that outweigh the disadvantages. You can enjoy a safer ride while looking very dashing at the same time.
If the tinting process seems too troublesome for you, consider checking this article to purchase some amazing helmets that are already tinted.
With that being said, we would like to conclude by wishing that you have a safe ride!