Thumper Club Forum

Club House => Chatter => Topic started by: SteveC#222 on March 04, 2016, 07:04:23 PM

Title: Seemed like a good idea at the time...
Post by: SteveC#222 on March 04, 2016, 07:04:23 PM
Flicking through the bike mags in W H Smiths today they had an article about this :-

The Turbo Visor!

(http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_JNgH2kk8pu4/S3VxdI3PqBI/AAAAAAAAGNg/SZvxFH-Sbqo/s400/TURBO+VISOR+AD.jpg)

You fit it to your lid and as  you ride along it spins and flicks the rain off!...didn't seem to catch on ( but you can still buy them!).

I can just about remember seeing the advert as a nipper in my brothers bike mags in the late sixties.

Anyone remember any other bike related ideas that never caught on?
Title: Re: Seemed like a good idea at the time...
Post by: manxie on March 04, 2016, 09:06:36 PM
Marvelous!!! I remember going to Murry`s Motorcycle Museum at the Bungalow and seeing one of these Turbo Visor`s on display......excellent!!  ;)
Title: Re: Seemed like a good idea at the time...
Post by: Moto63 on March 05, 2016, 09:54:40 AM
Hee hee.....turbo visor!!...I like it, I remember something coming out in the early 80's which was like a finger that'd been cut off a glove, it was made from rubber I think and it had a little "wiper blade" running down the length of it. The idea was to slip it over your gloved up hand then you could wipe your visor as you rode along in the rain. Bit like a car windscreen wiper, don't think they ever really took off, I certainly haven't seen one since they were brought out. Can't for the life in me remember what they were called...cheers, Michael
Title: Re: Seemed like a good idea at the time...
Post by: themoudie on March 05, 2016, 10:06:48 AM
OH DEAR! ::)

Torque reaction on your neck muscles, bearings seizing, bearing disintergrating when reaching warp factor ~50mph, BLAH, BLAH........ZZzzzzzzz

Never bought one, saw one 'fly off' in use at ~50mph and the kaleidoscope of colours once scratched, under night conditions, made riding with 6v 35W 'glow worm' headlight bulbs interesting to say the least. Now I think about it, night riding was 'interesting'!  ;) Maybe for another thread?  :-\

My regards, Bill
Title: Re: Seemed like a good idea at the time...
Post by: SteveC#222 on March 05, 2016, 11:43:11 AM
Tired of not being able to ride in the winter?  How about these!

(http://cdn.silodrome.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/motorcycle-skis.jpg)
Title: Re: Seemed like a good idea at the time...
Post by: booxbr on March 05, 2016, 12:31:09 PM
The local go cart track near were i live [WOMBWELL] when its raining some racer still use the turbo visor .......
Title: Re: Seemed like a good idea at the time...
Post by: Richard on March 05, 2016, 03:30:00 PM
Moto63 - they were called V Wipe and I still have one somewhere.

At a time when waxed cotton overgloves left a lovely film of wax on your visor and gloves they were fairly handy as a cleanish wiping surface.
Title: Re: Seemed like a good idea at the time...
Post by: guest564 on March 05, 2016, 07:02:25 PM
I remember something coming out in the early 80's which was like a finger that'd been cut off a glove, it was made from rubber I think and it had a little "wiper blade" running down the length of it.

I used to have one, it was very effective but the 'finger hole' was too small to fit over a large sized winter glove.
Title: Re: Seemed like a good idea at the time...
Post by: timbo on March 05, 2016, 07:50:50 PM
I saw a bike fitted with skis, very similar to the pic above. It was a 1920s Harley used by the Norwegian post office, and was in a bike show a couple of years ago in Dublin    ;)
I remember seeing ads for the finger visor wiper too.
Title: Re: Seemed like a good idea at the time...
Post by: tj63 on March 09, 2016, 02:41:00 PM
I remember something coming out in the early 80's which was like a finger that'd been cut off a glove, it was made from rubber I think and it had a little "wiper blade" running down the length of it.

I used to have one, it was very effective but the 'finger hole' was too small to fit over a large sized winter glove.

I've still got a vee-wipe. I think you can still get them new. They also did them in different sizes, all the way up to "banana fingers".
Title: Re: Seemed like a good idea at the time...
Post by: SteveC#222 on March 09, 2016, 07:34:18 PM
I bought some Lindstrand summer gloves last year and they have a nylon visor blade on the left hand index finger. ( great gloves by the way).

(http://images.mcn.bauercdn.com/upload/306330/images/Lindstra%20glove.jpg)
Title: Re: Seemed like a good idea at the time...
Post by: Moto63 on March 09, 2016, 07:47:18 PM
I don't want to alarm you Steve but you appear to av lost your arms :) :)
Title: Re: Seemed like a good idea at the time...
Post by: Propellor on March 09, 2016, 08:43:43 PM
I don't want to alarm you Steve but you appear to av lost your arms :) :)

It's an optical illusion. If you look carefully his arms are brilliant white against a brilliant white background.

You need more sun Steve.  ;D

(Don't we all  ;D)
Title: Re: Seemed like a good idea at the time...
Post by: tj63 on March 14, 2016, 01:25:48 PM
Vee-wipe is still available:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bob-Heath-Wipe-Medium-Black/dp/B006VC9DRM

Title: Re: Seemed like a good idea at the time...
Post by: Moto63 on March 14, 2016, 09:13:43 PM
Well blow me over, (oo er matron) who'd have thought it??  Must be 30plus years since I've seen one of them things. Clearly they took off more than I realised. Oh and that Bob Heath logo with the fully faired racer giving it some....eee takes me back, I have a sticker of that logo which is still stuck to the underside of my fiberflex skateboard (yes which I still have) must have been approx 1977 when I stuck that on there.....thanks for the memories :) :) 8)..cheers, Michael