Everybody remembers the cool Terminator style with dark sunglasses on, day or night. It definitely seems that motorcycles go best with dark shades, yet, we have to wonder about how practical that really is. Well, the kind of sunglasses matching the Terminator style are practical for casual wear and not for motor riding, no matter how cool they may look. Motorcycle sunglasses are meant to withstand high speeds on the road and be compatible with the use of a helmet. Rigorous protection, quality and durability represent the criteria for the design for quality motorcycle sunglasses. They have to be durable because of the high speed impact with road debris that often hits the biker in the face.

 

 

 

Shattering and chipping result from the contact of poor quality motorcycle sunglasses with small pebbles for instance. Glass lenses are a no-no for bike riding because of the risk to break and injure the biker. Polycarbonate is the best material for motorcycle sunglasses design because of its light weight and resistance to superficial collisions. All the companies that produce eyewear for motorcycle use have special testing procedures to check the resistance of motorcycle sunglasses to impact and temperature variations.

 

 

 

 

 

Polarization is another key feature of motorcycle sunglasses. The glare as well as the bounces off from the pavement have to be solved by the anti-glare coating. The vibration of light waves is an element that poses no kind of problem with other types of eyewear, but in the case of motorcycle sunglasses the shock has to be absorbed by the polarized coating. Squinting against the sun or road brightness is unacceptable for a biker. From this point of view motorcycle sunglasses play a major role for road safety and health protection given the eye damage that the glare may cause.

 

 

 

 

 

Last but not least, motorcycle sunglasses need maximum ultraviolet protection for the entire light spectrum. This means that there should be a balanced combination of UV protection and polarization. You don’t really need anti-glare features on overcast days, but the presence of clouds does not exclude the action of the ultraviolets. Bikers use motorcycle sunglasses even on not so bright days both for eye comfort as well as for protection. Macular degenerations, cataract and lots of other eye disorders have a reduced incidence if the eyewear is right.

 

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When the author isn’t motorcycle riding, he also enjoys psychic readings, the BMW Z3 windscreen windblocker wind deflector, and follows the Seattle HCG Diet.

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