Free Sample
The Complete Handbook of Motorcycle Goggles
A practical reference for riders, shops, and distributors who need to select, fit, maintain, and sell goggles with confidence
by Alumigogo Books
Chapter 1: Understanding Motorcycle Goggles
Motorcycle goggles are a piece of safety and performance equipment, not a fashion statement. They are the interface between your eyes and the environment you are riding through. At their core, they do three things: they protect your eyes from impact and debris, they preserve your ability to see clearly in changing light and weather, and they keep your eyes comfortable enough that you can focus on the road or trail. Any goggle that fails at one of these three jobs is a liability, regardless of how it looks or what logo is on the strap.
Consider what happens at speed. At 100 km/h, a small pebble kicked up by the bike in front of you carries enough energy to cause a corneal abrasion or a cracked lens if it hits your eye unprotected. A low-hanging branch on a single-track trail can strike you directly in the face. Even without a direct impact, sustained wind at that speed will dry out your corneas, causing involuntary tearing, blurring, and a reflex to squint. That squint narrows your peripheral vision and slows your reaction time. In rain, water droplets on a bare eye distort light and reduce contrast. In dust, you cannot keep your eyes open at all. Motorcycle goggles solve these problems by creating a sealed, impact-resistant, optically clear chamber around your eyes.
The basic anatomy of a goggle is deceptively simple. You have a frame, a lens, a foam layer, a strap, and a ventilation