Riding a bike wearing motorcycle sunglasses and no helmet is definitely the cool Terminator style that has made Arnold Schwarzenegger famous. Definitely dark shades look great on motorcycles, but what about real life usage? Well, we have to be critical here and say that the Terminator-style is not relevant or practical for motor riding but rather for casual wear. Motorcycle sunglasses are meant to withstand high speeds on the road and be compatible with the use of a helmet. Durability, quality and rigorous protection are the features to expect from really good 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. The best motorcycle sunglasses lenses are made of polycarbonate that is resistant and very lightweight matching extreme travel conditions. All the manufacturers 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 are important for road safety and health protection given the eye damage that the glare may cause.
As for the ultraviolet protection in the entire light spectrum, motorcycle sunglasses should have a filer UV level of 400. This means that there should be a balanced combination of UV protection and polarization. Although the anti-glare feature is only useful on sunny days, the ultraviolets affect you no matter whether if the weather is fine or overcast. Bikers use motorcycle sunglasses even on not so bright days both for eye comfort as well as for protection. Eye disorders and the risk of getting cataract or macular degeneration have a reduced incidence if the eyewear is adequate and of good quality.
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Full face helmet user, more for wind/bugs than crash safety.