Seeing is Relieving

Rain sets off alarm bells among street- and track-day riders, with reduced vision often topping the list of concerns. No surprise, really. After all, it's easy to make a mistake when you can't see where you're going. Case in point: This past May, I participated in a two-day Schwantz School (www.schwantzschool.com) at picturesque Barber Motorsports Park near Birmingham, Alabama. The weather was horrible during most of the weekend leading up to the Monday/Tuesday school, with thunderstorms threatening to cause postponement or even cancellation of BMP's annual Honda Superbike Classic. Incredibly, AMA Pro Racing somehow managed to get in all three of Sunday's scheduled races without any riders or spectators getting struck by lightning or swept away by a tornado.

Rain continued to fall throughout the night, stretching into Monday. When I arrived at the media center, which had been converted that morning into a classroom for the school, the first thing I did was remove the half-tint faceshield from my Arai Corsair-V and install a new Dual-Pane shield that I had brought along in the event of rain. Because the new-for-2009 Corsair-V has a 10mm-wider eyeport than do Arai's Profile, Quantum-2 or Vector full-face helmets, shields are model-specific. The Dual-Pane version is available in clear or half-tint, but not full-smoke. It does not have eyebrow vents.

Before taking to the track, I sought the advice of Arai's Bruce Porter, a 25-year employee of the Japanese helmet-maker (www.araiamericas.com). Developed in Formula One and MotoGP, this particular shield requires special care, he told me. The inner pane does not have an anti-scratch coating and is therefore more prone to damage than other Arai shields. As such, it can't be washed under a faucet with the same soap-and-rinse ease. "Use a clean, damp soft cloth to clean the shield," Porter said. "Don't submerge it. No aerosols or harsh cleaners, either."

Sounds fragile, I know, but in the streaming rain, the shield worked perfectly. Not only was fogging a non-issue, thanks to the insulating properties of the Dual-Pane concept and the rubber top-of-shield gasket, wind noise was dramatically reduced, enhancing my ability to concentrate. Also, unlike with some shield inserts, I didn't encounter any reflections when the sun finally poked through the clouds late in the afternoon.

Now the bad news: These tear-off-ready shields retail for $120 each. That's a lot of money, even in a bull economy. In fact, some people aren't willing to pay that much for a complete helmet! Based on my experience, though, I'd argue this shield is worth every penny. After all, what price can you put on clear vision?