Modern Vespa

Contacts no longer work for me to see well enough when I ride, neither the soft or RGP. The soft don't correct well enough, and the RGP blur for a second or so every time I blink. Grit can be a problem with either. My everyday Silhouette titanium wire frame glasses bow out at the temples and the earpieces have snapped when squeezed into the helmet. Now what? I suppose I could get a pair of glasses for riding that have straight arms and fit in the helmet, but is there any advantage to prescription goggles? Anyone have experience with this? Or recommend a particular style of glasses or goggle? I do always ride with my faceshield down, so I wouldn't require goggles for protection.

If there is already a thread regarding this I couldn't find it. Please point me in the right direction if there is one.

I would get a cheap pair of glasses for riding and change them out when you get off. I buy mine with the knowledge that they have to fit. My problem is that my eyes change so much every couple of years that i'd be spending way to much on custom stuff. can't even get a custom snorkel. Well i could but it would be some more bucks than i would want to spend. If i get close enough i can see if i have a normal one. Good luck

I luckily don't have to deal with this issue (yet). But I've got a couple pairs of Bobster goggles, and I love them. Very comfy, not insanely expensive. I prefer the Piston style. I know a lot of their styles are available with prescription lenses if you order directly off of their website.

http://bobster.com/prescriptions.aspx

They're fairly common amongst well-stocked shops with a lot of accessories, so there's a decent chance you could find some to try on before you buy.

I'm happy with my solution. I wear prescription glasses. I use a half helmet. I quickly found out that there was too much wind getting behind my glasses and causing my eyes to tear up. It was obscuring my vision. My helmet has three snaps across the front. It came with a simple, short visor. I ordered three face shields, one clear for night riding, one smokey for most days, and one mirrored for very bright sun. They have double sided snaps, so they attach to the helmet, and the visor attaches to them. They don't interfere with my glasses at all, and they solved the wind/tearing problem.

I wear prescription glasses and I've found that having ones with straight arms makes it much much easier to put them on while wearing my full face helmet. Ici Berlin is a brand of frames that have straight arms. I've just ordered my third pair of these and I will soon have a prescription single vision tinted pair to wear while riding and driving. These are great options.

A good optical shop tech should be able to do this much cleaner and neater. My new glasses are sized properly and with straightened bows

works with all helmets including FF

http://www.webbikeworld.com/r4/motorcycle-glasses/

I wear glasses---prefer open face 3/4 helmet----have had prescription goggles (pain in butt for normal riding)----use safety glasses for 95% of my riding----$9 WalMart plastic frames and their bows work in various helmets.

My experience since 1955, over 1.5 million miles----Vespa is just about the best in the business with windshield, cut/adjusted to proper look over height, calm air management in my experience.......wearing full face or other helmet with face shield I find I spend 1/2 of my time with the visor up.

One pr. of glasses, photo-grey or whatever they call it, low set bifocals for reading maps work fine for me-----and comfortable.

I normally buy a pair of American Optical or Randolph aviation sun glasses with straight temple pieces and have my tri-focal prescription lenses installed in those frames. Still cheaper than the frames they sell at the opticians shop.

I wear my usual rimless titanium glasses when I ride. They have hinged temples, and don't get in the way or get damaged at all. The temples are too flexible, though, to put them on after I've put my helmet on. I put my helmet on over the glasses (it's a Nexx copter-style 3/4 helmet with face shield). As long as I'm reasonably careful, it goes on fine without disturbing the glasses.

American Optical "Aviator Frames".



Worn by tens of thousands of helmet wearing aircrew member since I don't know when. I just returned to those frame last month after getting tired of the typical ear piece. Previously wore them for 29 years (sun glasses, then prescription clear and sun), but the wife wanted something more fashionable when I retired 17 years ago. Stood my ground on this last go around.

Available in 52, 55 and 57 mm lens size and gold, black and silver for about $45 everywhere. Hell of a lot less expensive than designer name knock offs and better quality.

The straight earpiece slips into your helmet without a problem, and they stay on without difficulty.

AND, they make you look like Steve Canyon! Or even better Richard H. Lemmon.

The problem with Aviator Frames, is that big gap in the middle. Everything goes through there right into your eyes.

That's what faceshields are for.

Aviators don't fly planes without windshields... at least they haven't since they wore goggles and silk scarves.

And since the bridge sizing is standard, the fit will depend on the size of your nose.

Funny, but with nearly 30 years experience with AO frames, was never a problem, and I was riding all those years, many without a faceshield.

Now, if you are talking about dust or sand, that's a different issue. No standard eyeglasses protect from that. That, as SS said, is what faceshields are for.

AND, OP said: I do always ride with my faceshield down

I use prescription Oakleys that fit under my helmet. They have quite a few models good for riding that do. Seems fine under full face and modular helmets. I might do goggles if I ever start wearing a 1/2 or 3/4 helmet.

Make sure to treat them with Zooke or some other anti-fog, cause they can fog up in the morning too.

I wear Rx glasses or sunglasses inside my helmet at all times. Both are smallish RayBan frames available from Target that are fairly sturdy and fit well inside my modular helmet (Nolan N-90).

It might take a bit of getting used to, but many riders wear glasses under their helmets. Some helmets even have cutouts for glasses frames to avoid pressure points.

Good Luck, I'm sure you'll find a solution for your needs.

RayBans or Aviators work best for me with ether full-face or 3/4 helmets. I have some big retro looking Ralph Lauren frames that I love but they can't breath and steam up. I have a really cool pair of somewhat oversized cats eye frames that don't work either but I'm happy with the RayBans. 8)

Quoting Richard and SS and Al, American Optical and Randolph engineering both make the same glasses for the military. Those straight paddle like temples are called "bayonet" . They are designed to slide easily into a helmet and to stay put. They are not goggles and will not keep debris out of your eyes; that's what the face shield is for.

A good place to order the frames or get custom sunglasses or Rx lenses made is from [url]www.hidalgos.com[/url]. Go there on line and get their paper catalog. Its pretty amazing and will help you pick out what you need. You can get those temple pieces and any color lenses and Rx on any style frame you like. Mix and match however you like. And the prices are good too.

[No relation to them, just a good company.]

Edit: fixed the address

I wear Rx glasses. I have Silhouette Titans. They have a straight arm and fit nicely inside my Nolan N104 helmet. Only problem is they fog up on cold mornings. Guess I'm full of hot air.

Since you only ride with the faceshield down, I don't see much point in goggles, prescription or not.

I'm with Judy on this. My prescription changes changes every few years and I don't want to repurchase several custom items each time it does. I'll put my vote on getting glasses that work well with your helmet. That's what I do. Honestly, I haven't had much trouble finding wire frames that do the job, and none have had straight arms.

Is you helmet a full face or a modular?

I use a modular helmet, so I can put the glasses on first. My daughter has a full face, I don't remember the brand, that has channels formed into the padding so she can slide her (straight armed) glasses on through the open visor.

The only problem I've had with bent arm (is that the right term ) frames is annoying pressure behind the ears, and even then, only after several hours of riding. A bit of judicious tweaking of the frame on my part solved the problem nicely.

Wow. Great ideas. I'll check out thos AO and Randolh Aviators, Richard and Al. Mutt, they can't put my 5.50 prescription in the Ray-Ban style because the sides would be a half inch thick on lenses that large. Thanks for the tip on Silhouette Titans, Danners.
menhir, my tighter helmet is an AGV modular, and I have a Nolan N43 I can pull a bit wider getting it on. (I always keep the chin bar on, too.) And that's a good tip to look for or cut a channel for the earpieces.
Then consensus is no goggles as long as I'm a face shield kind of guy.

dailyrider

If you can find an optical shop with AO, they are available as sunglasses here: http://www.uswings.com/sunglasses.asp

Just take them to your optician for the lenses. No need to pay a premium, they are damn fine frames. And, if your prescription doesn't change, and you break the frame (hard to do) you can swap your lenses into new frames in 3 mins.

The principle benefits of the bayonet ear pieces is that they lay flat, and the glasses can easily be put on or removed while wearing a full face helmet - or any helmet for that matter.

Great selection and great prices http://www.eyeglasses4you.net/ just give them your prescription, get the wraparound kind that slide nicely into the sides of your helmet. call them and ask questions, great people...

Thanks! For a start I've ordered the AO Pilot sunglasses.If they work with the helmet, I'll get prescription lenses installed.

take your helmet in with you to your eye doctor. they should help fit you a pair of glasses with your helmet on that are easy on and off for you.

MENHIR glasses are expensive. I just laid down over $400 for a pair. I'm nearsighted and blind without them. I need a good pair and trying to get a good cheap pair is impossible these days. I can pretty much ruin anything. I try to be careful but it doesn't work. Trashed my Oakleys in under 2 yrs. DAILY good luck with the glasses. They look cool.

I like www.opticsplanet.com for their superb online ordering. My AO Prescription aviators w/ bayonet ear pieces have high-index brown photochromic lenses. They even included the original 20/20 lenses that were in the frames. FWIW, my fav non-scooter sun glasses is my Maui Jim Mahina prescription.

+this. the path of least resistance may be to get straight earpieces on my existing frame-less Silhouette titanium wires. I'll keep you all posted.

Apologies for dragging up an older thread. It was the most recent I could find that seemed to fit the subject...

And in the short time I posted my first reply here, I have gotten a new pair of glasses that is so perfect, I can't believe it. There was obviously something wrong with my previous pair, as far as the lenses go. Even others suspected that. I mostly went without until I got this newest pair. And now I'm so used to them, as mild as the prescription is, I find myself actually wanting to wear them all the time.

I've tried my newest glasses for riding. Everything's great! Except the fit inside either of my helmets. I'm finding a problem I don't see mentioned here yet. I have no issue with the backs of the earpieces digging in, or the bridge being pushed too far up my nose. My issue seems to be mostly with the padding on the sides of the helmets. I wear a 3/4 most often, and a FF on occasion. They both push on the temple pieces enough to move the glasses all over my face, or risk damaging the frames. I've found this to be an issue pretty much ever since I started riding. So I tend to prefer tinted visors over sunglasses.

Aside from getting specific glasses or goggles just for riding, is there any way to modify just that tiny little bit of helmet foam that gets in the way, without really pushing the safety of the helmet? With the Vespa as my only transportation 90% of the time, getting glasses "only for riding" would basically just mean getting another pair of glasses for "everyday." I may go ahead and get some of the prescription goggles at some point. But that isn't a solution for the FF.

Hmm... I wear prescription glasses under my helmets (all 3/4) all the time with little or no problem with them shifting around. I wear very lightweight rimless glasses with titanium temples, though... very slender but tough.

I guess it's more of an issue that I can't get the glasses to even stay on my nose, rather than shifting around. I can only imagine it's the foam. The earpieces can't possibly get any closer to my head than they already are.

Some helmets come with grooves in the lining for earpieces. I also find wearing a flip-front is a big help as I don't have to take my glasses off and on to get the helmet on, so they stay in the right position.

yes you can modify the helmet foam to let the temples of the glasses fit better. You need to remove the liner and cut a groove into the hard styofoam inner liner from the ear area to the front of the helmet, so the glasses can sit into the channel.

a razor knife should do fine. just cut the channel about a 1/2" deep and 1/2" wide.

Witch, you described my actual problem better than I did. I wound up getting a prescription for contacts that gave me better distance vision. I just got new glasses frames that me work better with the helmet. I'll know more this weekend.

I only wear my glasses on days I'm especially curious. Damn nuisance. Now that I seldom drink I find going to a party late without glasses and my hearing aids helps me to blend in. I stumble around, and talk super loud as if over the music.







Almost true

Not sure if Lasik is a considered option, I finally had my eyes done a couple years back after near 4 decades with glasses. Its simply awesome to be able to the alarm clock, or not be blind in the pool, only regret that did not get this done earlier.

At least for me, my vision really isn't bad enough to warrant the cost of Lasik or even contacts. And actually, I completely loathe the idea of wearing contacts... it took me nearly a year just to get used to wearing my first pair of glasses. I can't stand the thought of anything closer to my eyes than what I've already got.

Some models of helmet (Scorpions I think) have grooves in the foam padding to accommodate glasses frames. If the pads in your helmets are removable, you might be able to carve a slot into the pads to allow for some room for the frames.

I have similar problem where my glasses sometimes move around a bit, but your issue might be more pronounced than mine. The foam padding in my Nolan N90 is pretty forgiving.

I need to check in again, but some years ago I was told I'd still need readers.

I wear prescription specs all the time and use Scott Motocross goggles with an open face for around 9 months of the year.

Scott do a model of goggles that fits over prescription spectacles, they are well vented and keep dust and bugs out of your eyes marvellously.

Sorry for the bike in the pic but it's the only one I could find this morning that showed the helmet and goggles properly.