Imagine taking a 3200 mile trip on your bike, averaging around 400-500 miles a day. The sweet sunshine glaring down on you and a heap of wind coating your body. Sounds amazing doesn't it? Now ride along in this pristine scenario, hauling down the freeway at 70 mph, and a rock, might even just be as small as a pebble, darts right towards your eye. Sort of ruins the day dream doesn't it? Well while some of this may be ideal, some isn't but its surely all realistic. Mark sure knows that because this exact scenario happened to him. Thankfully, Mark was protected by his Wiley X Brick sunglasses. The rock didn't cause any cracks, chips or sign of hit. They protected his eyes from a catastrophe that could have ruined his whole trip. Enjoy your ride, just like Mark was able to, and read up on 7 Things to Know About Motorcycling Sunglasses.
1. Gradient is the way to go
Though Marks pick of the Wiley X Brick is not a gradient lenses it might be a smart choice for you. Similar to a purchasing a semi frame-less lens, the gradient style helps you glare down at your gauges with ease and clarity. While the upper section of your lens remains darker to protect your eyes from the suns harmful UV rays, a gradient lens or a semi frame-less style can be the ideal choice for dual eye gazing. Depending on the colors of your dashboard, the clarity at the bottom of the lens may be the best option for reading your mph or rpm.
2. Steer clear of polarized
This may come as a shock to you but hold on, we have our reasoning for why you may not want to get your sunglasses polarized. Like Mark, your eyes can get weary and tired on a long ride but even if you're heading out for a quick trip, polarized lenses may negatively affect your ride. Polarizing your sunglasses dramatically reduces reflective glare off of the water, highways and especially off of oil spills on the road. We recommend not polarizing your motorcycle sunglasses. When traveling on two wheels its much easier to slip out if you can't see an oil spill ahead. Instead maybe shoot for a contrast lens, they'll still illuminate the colors around you and make objects more vibrant but they won't cause you any visual impairing.
3. Helmet happy temple tips
No one likes a headache, especially when you're doing what you love. Make sure when you're picking our a pair of sunglasses for your motorcycle endeavors that the temples fit comfortably in your helmet. Something like the Wiley X Ignite is made with straight acetate temple tips which makes them a seamless fit for under your helmet. They fit comfortably on the tops of your ears and don't wrap around for easy on and off wear. Their flexibility is prime for slick, all day, everyday use.
Shop Wiley X Ignite
4. Transition to transitions
Marks travels took him cross country and that means travelling through many different climates. Transitions are a smart way to take on whatever weather comes your way or wherever you go. Riding in and out of tunnels would be a hassle or unnecessary to switch glasses each time, but transitions would do all the changing for you. Or a long day on the bike means clouds here and there, same idea applies. The transitions change the tint of your sunglasses depending on the UV light that they are exposed to. So the darker the area you're riding in, the lighter they'll be, and vice versa.
5. Don't shy away from scratch resistance
As blessed as Mark was to not be injured from the rock that hit his sunglasses at 70 mph, he's also lucky it didn't leave any scratches. That's because he opted for the scratch resistant lenses. The road is filled with unknown bumps and debris, meaning at any second a rock can shoot up at you too. Having sunglasses with scratch resistance both protects your eyes from damage and keeps them looking clean and clear. Once you find a pair you love, put all in it so you can have them for all your rides down the road.
6. Foam eye-cups are your friend
If you're ready to go all out on your pair of motorcycling sunglasses, then foam eye-cups are the way to go. Check out the Wiley X Boss + RX Adaptor that features removable facial cavity seal and foam eye-cups. They help protect your eyes from dust and pollen and have great ventilation features that wont cause fog. Mark's sunglasses didn't have these features and he suffered from dry eye from all day without wind protection. The Wiley X Boss + RX Adaptor also can transition from their regular sunglass temples to a strap which may be ideal for your ride too.
7. Mirror lens? Maybe
This mainly depends on where you live and where you plan to take you 100 mile trip. Our opticians will recommend those living in the New England area-where it might be a bit darker because of trees and such-to go for the mirrored lenses. So across the country, in areas like southern California, they are not recommended. This is because the mirrored lenses reflect a lot of light off the water and can cause a very intense glare which may reflect on your path. Whereas in darker areas where there are more clouds this is less of an issue.
One last remark by Mark
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