Not that the challenges of riding a motorcycle weren't enough, if you’re one of the lucky riders who need glasses to see, you have one more problem to deal with. There are a number of tricks and tips you can use to decide how to wear glasses with a motorcycle helmet. Let’s have a look at the right solution for you.
Problem
For most riders who wear glasses, the problem focuses around comfort. Once you wiggle your helmet around enough to squeeze the arms of your glasses inside your helmet, the glasses are generally pushing against your head and temples. This is incredibly uncomfortable and could lead to headaches.
Next up, these crammed in glasses will usually move independently of your head when your helmet moves. This shift results in losing your point of vision and not being able to see at all, the epitome of unsafe.
Solution
There are a number of alternatives you can try to help make your glasses fit comfortably and effectively with your helmet. The best overall solution is to ride with a quality helmet that’s designed for use with glasses.
A proper riding helmet for use with glasses may include some of the following features;
Interior cut-aways with spacing for glasses.
Soft cheek pads that allow glasses to slide in and out easily.
A small gap near the eyes where there is no padding at all.
Plenty of venting including visor vents to illuminate fogging.
A wider opening in the front like a dirt bike style of helmet.
Peel-away foam in the face padding to customize a personal fit
Best Helmets Designed For Use With Glasses
LS2 MX437 - Dirt Bike Helmet
LS2 labels some of their helmets for specific use with glasses like those in the LS2 MX437 line. Identifiable by a small woven in icon that looks like a pair of glasses. The helmet has cutouts in the liner for eyeglass use as well as openings cut large enough for standard use with goggles.
For an inexpensive or introductory helmet to use for mainly off-road use in Vietnam, the LS2 MX437 is a great place to start so you can still use your glasses to see while riding the roads.
BELL Street SRT - Modular Helmet
The safest bet when choosing a helmet for use with glasses when you don’t know what exact features are available to you or when there is a limited supply, is to choose a modular helmet. Modulars have an innovative flip-up design that opens up the front of the helmet allowing easier integration with glasses.
The BELL Street SRT Modular is one of the most comfortable and popular models available in Vietnam. This helmet has eyewear pocket arms sewen right into the liner. An excellent helmet to complement the rider and their glasses. An excellent helmet for around 8,500,000vnd.
BELL MX-Moto 9 - Dirt Bike Helmet ]
Dirt bike helmets, though not necessarily designed for use with eyeglasses, typically have wide openings to accommodate goggles. This extra space allows room for better use when trying to place eyeglasses inside. The BELL MX-Moto 9 is a premium helmet that utilizes the latest in safety technology like the MIPS system.
A lightweight helmet weighing just 1500 grams, you can pick one up for under 10,000,000vnd.
Scorpion EXO T510 -Touring Helmet
A sport touring helmet packed with some clever innovations like KwikFit cheek pads that allow for ease of use with most styles of glasses. It gets better. The T510 has an AirFit system that allows the rider to deflate the padding, slide their glasses in, then pump the liner back up until they reach the proper fit for their particular head and glasses. Incredible!
As a helmet, it’s pretty standard in terms of looks and safety features, but for the rider with glasses, the AirFit system put this helmet in a whole other league. Expect to pay around $250
Arai XD-4 Solid - Adventure Helmet
An ADV helmet with the glasses-wearing biker in mind. The Arai XD-4 Solid is designed with a sizable gap in the padding around your face for the arms of your glasses. This allows for unrestricted use of glasses that won’t shift with your helmet. For a customized fitment, the cheek pads also have layers of 5mm lining that can be peeled away if you feel you need a bit more space.
This extremely safe, SNELL approved helmet is a good option. Add this to the top choices of off road helmets in Vietnam or standard adventure, if you can afford it. Expect to pay around $550.
HJC RPHA-Max Solid - Modular Helmet
As a general rule, modular helmets are the easiest to use with glasses. The flip-up design makes it easier to slide your glasses in then close the helmet. The RPHA-Max takes it one step further by offering cutouts for the glasses that go deeper than most other helmet designs. The cutouts mean that more glasses options should fit.
The helmet is also really well vented so there is less chance of fog building up. A very light helmet, weighing in at 1580grams in the medium. Expect to pay around $400
Scorpion Belfast Solid - Open Face
When looking cool ranks higher than face protection, pick up an open face helmet. The Scorpion Belfast is designed with the cool looking glasses wearer in mind, Hipsters who don’t really need glasses but wear them for style points, this is your brain bucket!
The cheek padding on this helmet has a gap near the eyes where there is no padding at all, thus no restriction for your eye-glasses to slide in and out. Another bonus is the drop-down sunglass. The drawback is that the liner can’t be removed, so it will probably get smelly over time. $200 should get you into a DOT helmet rating approved Belfast.
Tips & Tricks
If you’re trying to make your glasses work with a helmet that’s not necessarily designed to wear with glasses, borrowing a helmet for short-term use, or on a motorcycle vacation where a non-compatible motorcycle helmet is provided for you. Try some of these tips and tricks to make it more comfortable.
Wear light, flexible glasses. A narrow arm and frame should fit better inside a helmet.
Close the face shield and breath heavily inside the helmet to be sure it doesn't fog up your glasses or that it has enough vents to eliminate fogging.
Usually, cheaper helmets have firmer foam or liners that will squeeze to your face. A higher-quality helmet usually has a softer liner with less of a “squeeze” feeling.
A helmet one size bigger allows more room for glasses but is not as safe as one that fits.
Contacts are a good alternative, but when your visor is open you can get debris in your eyes.
Sport glasses with rubber or silicone tips are good for gripping your head but bad for gripping the inside of your helmet. Don’t use sport glasses inside your lid.
Sunglass wearers can opt for a helmet with a drop-down tinted visor or a visor with “Transitions” technology built-in.
Start with a flip-up helmet, these are usually the easiest helmets to use with glasses.
LASIK! For the long term rider, LASIK laser surgery will solve your problem. You probably knew that already :)
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