Yesterday I reviewed the Raleri  PCShade motorcycle helmet visor, a Photochromic visor, that changes its tint depending on the strength of the sunlight (click here to read ). The change in tint takes between 4 and 5 seconds, and if you want an immediate change, you'll need to use the Raleri LCDrive. Here is the review of the LCDrive.
Raleri's LCDrive is not a Photochromic visor, it's a LCD screen, meaning it runs on electricity. But no worries, there's no battery involved, the visor is powered by light cells. The LCDrive is quite revolutionary, since you don't need to do anything (apart from installing the visor inside your helmet). Once you go out riding, if the sun comes out, it becomes dark immediately. Very handy.
Installing the visor is very simple. You remove the visor of your helmet, clean it (if not you'll have spots), remove the protective cover, and place it inside your helmet against your current visor. It's that simple. The Raleri visor has an adhesive outer ring, but the adhesive is not permanent, so you can remove it at your leisure and place it inside another helmet.
Nolan 103 with Raleri LCDrive installed
For this review, I used a Nolan 103 motorcycle helmet. The reason I used it, was because the Nolan is fitted with an 2nd visor used for anti-fogging, and I wanted to see if it would create any effects.
Here you can see the visor installed inside (arrows).
Installing the Raleri LCDrive was extremely simple. Just have a look at Raleri's short video below, and you'll see why.
Raleri LCDrive Visor Install (3 minutes 2 seconds)
The Test
I went out for a ride on the Ducati, through a large forest and two tunnels. The visor worked fantastically. The change is done in nanoseconds, it's that quick. Coming out of a particular tunnel, right into a strong sunlight was great. The moment the sun hit my helmet, the visor was dark. Despite the Nolan having a sun visor, I did not need to use it at all.
Later I entered in my enclosed swimming pool which has a very high degree of humidity, and always fogs up my glasses. I tried it with twice, once without the Raleri visor, and once with it. There was almost no difference in the fogging up speed, maybe slightly in advantage of the Raleri. After a while, the visor equipped with the Raleri de-fogged faster, so an advantage for the Raleri.
Below is a short video of the Nolan equipped with the Raleri. I placed by iPhone inside the helmet and then proceeded placing my hand over the light cells. You'll see the visor becoming clear immediately, and when I remove my hand, it becomes dark again. It was the only way I could think off to show you how fast it works.
Raleri LCDrive Test (7 seconds)
Summary: The Raleri LCDrive is not cheap, but definitely worth it. Even if your helmet has a sun visor, there's no fumbling involved getting it down when there's a sudden strong sun. You can keep your hands on the handlebar, and your attention focussed on the road and traffic. That's worth the money.
Cost: €216
Availability: Now
Click here for to access the Raleri site where you can order the visors .
For more information on the Raleri LCD visor, click here
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