Modern Buddy

Hello Guys -

I've been riding for about a year now. I have not yet found a good way to avoid my eyes tearing when riding above 45mph.

I've tried a plastic deflector on my 3/4 helmet, it looks totally geeky. The smudges and scratches that inevitably occur distracts.

I just purchased goggles and tried them out. I was uncomfortable with how I was viewing things through the goggles. It seems like I was looking through two toilet paper rolls pressed together. I had very little peripheral vision.

I should add that I have severe astigmatism, so having those wrap around sunglasses will not work for me.

Does anyone have any suggestions? An old time biker told me once he has gotten so used to it, that his eyes do not tear up any more. I'm not quite comfortable with that.

-RT

The only way is to keep the wind off your face, so different goggles or a fullface helmet.

I have the opposite problem - I get dry eyes. For a while I used a home-made, uh, pillow that was about 1 -2" wide and long enough to fill the space between the cheek pads of my fullface helmet. Worked perfectly.

The Face shield on my 3/4 solves it for me.
Do you use an actual shield or just something you rigged?
Glasses, goggles and/or (some will say) a Full Face helmet is the only way to go.
Try something like the military issue 'combat goggles/glasses' that look like cool shades but they have the added protection of a foam 'gasket' that seal around the ocular ridge....

There's several good options here: http://www.rangerjoes.com/Glasses-C359.aspx

My son actually wears his under his FF helmet too.
http://store.selfdefensearmory.com/sg-1 ... le-p1.aspx

Foamers or any motorcycle glasses or sunglasses with foam edges; specifically designed to keep the wind out of your eyes.

It's actually a face shield on my 3/4 I was talking about. Not a deflector.

Foam lined glasses will not work, as I need to wear my glasses due to severe astigmatism.

RoaringTodd wrote:It's actually a face shield on my 3/4 I was talking about. Not a deflector.

Foam lined glasses will not work, as I need to wear my glasses due to severe astigmatism.

Ahhhhh...... as I cannot wear contacts I have worn goggles that fit over my glasses and hated them for the 'tunnel vision' issues as you stated. There aren't many alternatives, many of the glasses I mention are 'prescription-able'
I am lucky as to not have too much of an issue with my 3/4 and it's face shield.

RoaringTodd wrote:Hello Guys -

I've been riding for about a year now. I have not yet found a good way to avoid my eyes tearing when riding above 45mph.

I've tried a plastic deflector on my 3/4 helmet, it looks totally geeky. The smudges and scratches that inevitably occur distracts.

I just purchased goggles and tried them out. I was uncomfortable with how I was viewing things through the goggles. It seems like I was looking through two toilet paper rolls pressed together. I had very little peripheral vision.

I should add that I have severe astigmatism, so having those wrap around sunglasses will not work for me.

Does anyone have any suggestions? An old time biker told me once he has gotten so used to it, that his eyes do not tear up any more. I'm not quite comfortable with that.

-RT

How about a windshield/windscreen on your bike?

Bill in Seattle
'12 170i Italia with Prima windshield

skipper20 wrote:

RoaringTodd wrote:Hello Guys -

I've been riding for about a year now. I have not yet found a good way to avoid my eyes tearing when riding above 45mph.

I've tried a plastic deflector on my 3/4 helmet, it looks totally geeky. The smudges and scratches that inevitably occur distracts.

I just purchased goggles and tried them out. I was uncomfortable with how I was viewing things through the goggles. It seems like I was looking through two toilet paper rolls pressed together. I had very little peripheral vision.

I should add that I have severe astigmatism, so having those wrap around sunglasses will not work for me.

Does anyone have any suggestions? An old time biker told me once he has gotten so used to it, that his eyes do not tear up any more. I'm not quite comfortable with that.

-RT

How about a windshield/windscreen on your bike?

Bill in Seattle
'12 170i Italia with Prima windshield

THAT has helped me greatly as well......

Many helmets now have both a face screen and a flip down sunscreen. They are made to work over glasses. At various times I wear a Bell Mag-8 3/4 helmet with face screen, a Nolan N43e helmet with facescreen and sunscreen, and a Scorpion EXO 900 Modular with facescreen and sunscreen. All work fine over my glasses.

Prescription M/C glasses?

RoaringTodd wrote:It's actually a face shield on my 3/4 I was talking about. Not a deflector.

Foam lined glasses will not work, as I need to wear my glasses due to severe astigmatism.

Ah, I missed that bit.
Hmmm. I wonder if the deflector is actually just directing the wind upward under your glasses more than it would without it. I think your best bet is going to be a full-face helmet.

Seconded on the helmets with a built-in sunshade. I just slide it down right in front of my glasses and then I can ride with the outer visor open.

I use a modular helmet to avoid the helmet-glasses juggling act. I can just open the chinbar and put on/take off the helmet easily.

I went ahead and got a pair of prescription wrap-around shades as well. They sit relatively close to the face and prevent the "watery eye" issue for me. It used to be a major issue for me when I was being a goober and riding sans helmet, but I adapted over time. Now, it's just a non-issue between a well-designed helmet and prescription shades.

As an aside, here's too "good to know" things related to this topic:

Air will flow around your glasses and into your eyes at speeds as low as 16mph.

Prescription sunglasses are a qualifying medical expense on most HSA plans. They count towards your deductible too, so buy 'em earlier in the year.

having the same condition in the left eye, both of my Scorpion helmets have the flip down visor that goes right over glasses.

Chances are it will get smudged, and most visors are made so that if you look at them in a threatening manner (i.e., use them at all, ever) they become scratched. My solution is to not care, and buy a new visor when it becomes too scratched. The internal sun visors are much less prone to this and seem to be fine.

I understand about needing prescription glasses (I wear mine to bed to see my dreams clearly).

I use a modular helmet, no issues with teary eyes. Unless I flip up my visor.

I changed to some real wrap arounds and no problem now!

Having had that problem for a lifetime of riding I finally found the ultimate solution last year at my eyeglass dealer.
Cocoons come in different sizes to fit over different eyeglass sizes.
No tunnelvision, fit great and can have polarized lenses of different colors. NO WIND in the eyes using an open helmet.

I use the model "Pilot L", #305a.

They can be found at some glasses shops and on line at any dealers, but you'd want to try them to fit your glasses without going all out to the Very large frames.

Check them out: http://www.cocoonseyewear.com/

THANKS

For all your responses. My eyes are so bad with astigmatism I have to wear glasses to pee. Otherwise I'd miss the toilet.

They can not make wrap around RX glasses for me due to the shape of lenses my glasses need to have. If you would look at my glasses from the top down, you would see at the nose part it being thin, and then going from the nose to the temple progressively getting thicker. Yep that's astigmatism.

I'll have to check out those cocoon glasses. The more expensive option I guess would be a modular helmet, or to suck up my "Scooter Fashionita" pride and wear a 3/4 with face shield.

-RT

Panoptx, full cupped, with full face shield..... awsome solution for me.

Check out mountaineering shops. Those guys wear what look like glasses with leather side curtains. Sometimes just the shape of the frames can be enough to make a difference. I have had good luck with $10 Wayfarer knock-offs. Better than actual Wayfarers by Ray Ban. (Think Blues Brothers)