How to Buy Sunglasses or Goggles for the Motorcycle Rider

How to Buy Sunglasses or Goggles for the Motorcycle Rider

Anyone who rides a motorcycle should be wearing some kind of protective eyewear, be it sunglasses or goggles.

Eyewear looks cool, as well as protecting your valuable eyes, and should be considered standard equipment.

Sunglasses or goggles help reduce glare and keep the bugs, dust and dirt out of your eyes.

There are as many different kinds of sunglasses and goggles as there are tastes.  You will be able to find something that fits your personality.

Good protective eyewear will help block UV (ultraviolet) rays from the sun, which can damage eyes.  Protecting your vision is very important, especially if you want to keep on riding your scoot for years to come.  If you can't see, you can't ride, so you want to do everything possible to save one of your most precious senses.

All protective equipment such as leathers and helmets is important, but your eyes are the most important of all.

A full face helmet will also protect your eyes, but many people don't like to wear them, so good goggles or sunglasses just make sense.

Not only will they protect your eyes, but they could even keep you from having a wreck.  Just think what would happen if you got hit in the eye with a big ol' bug?  You wouldn't be able to see and that could cause you to wreck.

Here are some things to look for when searching for a good pair of sun glasses. These are features you want in any sunglasses used in any outdoor sport or activity.

I stated above UV protection is very important to the health of your eyes. The lenses in your  sunglasses should have close to 100% UV protection. You might think that since most motorcycle riding is done on sunny days, that is when you need the most UV protection.  However, the sun's reflection off of snow can be more harmful to you eyes that sun alone (Think snow blindness).  Almost all high quality sunglasses will filter out 99% - 100% of UV sunlight.  It used to be that you had to buy very expensive sunglasses to get that kind of protection, but today, even relative inexpensive sunglasses will offer at least some UV protection.

You might also want to consider impact resistance.  Not only do you want to protect yourself from insects and dirt, but also rocks and sleet. Any of these can break a lens, and a  broken lens, especially at high speeds can make an already dangerous situation even more so.

Don't forget comfort. On long road trips, you  probably will be wearing your sun glasses for several hours at a time, so you want to  make sure that the sunglasses or goggles you are wearing are comfortable. You most certainly don't want sunglasses that keep slipping.  Don't forget the wind will be adding pressures on them that you won't have just sitting still.  You don't want to be wearing something that is going to put pressure on your nose or behind your ears, causing discomfort.  What is uncomfortable for an hour can become a real pain after several hours.

Some sunglasses come with interchangeable lens so that you can change from dark to light lenses.  Some have adjustable telescoping ear pieces to make it easy to fit your size, while others have an elastic strap to help hold them securely to your head.  Some come with an anti-scratch coating.  You can even buy bifocal prescription sunglasses.

 

Goggles are also a good form of eye protection.  Because they fit snugly against your face, they also protect your eyes from wind, rain and bugs that might come in from around the sides of your sunglasses.  Make sure they ones you buy have vent holes to allow them to "breathe", otherwise they could fog up.

Goggles are also a good option if you wear prescription glasses and don't want to buy prescription sunglasses.  There are goggles made to fit over regular eye glasses.

If you wear prescription glasses, consider buying a second pair of prescription sunglasses.  It it well worth the investment.  Many optometrists sell a variety of prescription sunglasses.  Although they look really cool, the wrap around type can distort your vision, so be sure to check them out before you buy.

So before you take that next ride, make sure you have some eye protection so you will be able to ride safely and have more fun knowing that you don't have to worry about your eyes.

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