Transition Lens Motorcycle Visor?

T

tgmagas

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Hey all.

I am a University of British Columbia student looking to collect some information on a potential motorcycle accessory for an upcoming term project. I would really appreciate some feedback from members of this forum and active sport bike riders in particular.

Here is a link to a short online survey we created to collect some riders opinions on our product idea. If you have a spare 5 minutes and would like to help out some Canadian university students I would greatly appreciate it! (I know, I know. Surveys suck. It's honestly short and simple)

http://fluidsurveys.com/surveys/tyler-magas/transition-lens-survey/

I know Bell offers something like this for some of their helmets but as far as I can tell it's not available for any other helmet manufacturers. Just curious on some of the opinions the community might have!
 
I like the idea. I haven't really looked into any which may be on the market, but a visor which can effectively transition in light and dark would be great. I can't imagine something like that being cheap, which means it needs to WORK, and work well and consistently. A coworker of mine owns a pair of transition lenses in his eye glasses, and they are often a little slow to do their work.
 
And thats something my team and I have talked about at great length. It only ads convenience and functionality if it works.Thank you for the reply and feedback! I hate surveys and feel like tool for posting one haha.
 
second the WORK aspect. I have transitions in my glasses and it will be the first and last time I do. They are slow on the draw which is something you don't want when riding.
 
bikermahn said:
Lol they say that is not recommended for night. Seems like a nice cya statement.
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Hmm, didn't see where they say that, but they say this:


[h=2]The e-tint system is equipped with a fail-safe mechanism to ensure your safety on the road. In the event of a power failure, the insert will automatically default to clear.[/h]
 
I have the bell transition. Love it. I'm shocked more companies don't offer it. Its so convenient not to have to bring two visors or worry about glasses. Its almost always just the right tint level.

Sent from my commodore 64 via tapatalk
 
fyrebug said:
I have the bell transition. Love it. I'm shocked more companies don't offer it. Its so convenient not to have to bring two visors or worry about glasses. Its almost always just the right tint level.

Sent from my commodore 64 via tapatalk
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second this, I have the bell transition also, and love it! It changes fast enough, and is dark enough In the bright sun
 
I've got the Bell transitions and love it! Transition speed isn't really a concern for me because it's certainly quicker than the transition from day to night. Tunnels, tree shade, etc... I'd be wearing a darker tint lens normally anyway so no problem there either.

Fyi, Bell/Solfx aren't the only ones that offer it but I've read they are the best available. I've seen one other brand online and a buddy of mine has it on his non-Bell lid.

[edit] Filled out the survey. While I indicated I'd be very likely to buy such a product, I did so because I already own one. What advantage would your product offer?
 
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I appreciate the feedback from everyone. The class this project for is new product development. We are basically responsible for coming up with the entire marketing plan/product pitch for the product we decided to pursue. We know that Bell offers the product for some of their helmets but other than that other popular helmet brands are largely left out. We want to bring an affordable and performance driven visor to those without Bell helmets, at a lower price to boot.

Its just something that me and a buddy where talking about and couldn't believe it wasn't bigger and more widely available.
 
I have the Bell transition visor and I love it! Think I may pick up another one as this one is showing some slight scratches. I've also got transition glasses and this is the 5th pair I've had with this feature. It's extremely convenient and I find the transition time is that I barely notice it happening which is important to me.
 
I've made inquiries directly to Shoei regarding a Transitions version of their CW-1 shield (to fit very popular RF-1100 and X-12 helmets). They have been "looking into it", but are unable to announce any production info.
 
There was company 5 years back or so that was developing transitions visors for the spectrum of brands. The site was dormant for years then they posted visors for only one helmet brand and seem to have gone dormant again. The motorcycle market is very small and it seems start ups take a lot of time to get up and running. Rear-vu helmets took nearly 7 years to get their rear view mirror helmet from prototype into the stores, even based out of a bike friendly locality like the UK.

The best bet would be to enter the market through a corporate consortium between Oakley and helmet brands for example. Going it alone may be what is delaying deployment of the technology.
 
awyala said:
The best bet would be to enter the market through a corporate consortium between Oakley and helmet brands for example. Going it alone may be what is delaying deployment of the technology.
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And this is something our group had talked about. Perhaps partnering with other manufacturers would speed up the process. There is also the issue of licensing the Transition technology. I wonder if Bell has sole access to the tech.
 
I want one of these so badly... might look into that mirrored photochromic lens, though; looks hella sweet!

I got caught riding with a dark-smoke visor yesterday at dusk, and it definitely wasn't the safest thing I've ever done.
 
Is this just a marketing course excercise or do you actually have any inroads into the technology itself? Reason I ask is that not only do you need to have the lens work properly but you need excellent optical clarity with no light artifacts (hazing/rainbows/reflections) and also impact safety considerations.
 
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