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Thrills we thrive on
Thrills we thrive on
It is perhaps the most underestimated item of your motocross outfit: motocross goggles. Not only do motocross goggles protect your eyes, they also ensure your visibility while riding. Good motocross goggles are therefore extremely important.
Just like on the road or on the track, good visibility is just as important off-road. The requirements you have for motocross goggles can vary. A motocross rider has different requirements than an enduro rider. We will go through them with you and give you advice.
Motocross goggles are not just a “cool accessory”. Your motocross goggles are, as it were, in the line of fire when it comes to protection against flying objects. Whether that’s sand, mud, stones, branches or other debris. These flying – or floating – objects are a danger to your vision and can cause serious damage to your eyes. Motocross goggles are therefore perhaps the most important item in your entire motocross outfit. A broken ankle can be repaired reasonably well to perfectly in 9 out of 10 cases. Repairing eyes… that’s a lot less straightforward.
During motocross, you mainly ride on sandy surfaces. If you ride on motocross tracks such as Genk in Belgium, the surface is harder and you encounter more small stones. Sometimes even larger ones.
Your motocross goggles must therefore provide good protection against sand and stones. A high-quality lens is important here. At Genk, we once had a large stone kicked up by a rider in front of us, which made a big dent in the lens. Fortunately, the lens of the motocross goggles was of good quality and did not crack. Think of it as a star in a windscreen.
Fast motocross riders in particular want goggles that ventilate well to prevent fogging. However, the goggles must not allow dust to enter.
Choose motocross goggles with a good fit, a wide non-slip headband (adjustable) and an impact-resistant lens. Polycarbonate lenses are often resistant to stone chips. They are also often more robust.
Pay attention to the thickness of the lens when buying cheap motocross goggles. A lens that is too thin can deform during jumps and rapid changes of direction. You don’t want that.
When enduro riding, you don’t just encounter sand. You also often encounter mud, slush, wet leaves and other dirt. We love that dirt. But not when it gets in your field of vision.
While riding, “quickly cleaning your goggles” is often not an option. You could only do that during a stop. But even then, it’s often not practical. After all, you don’t want to waste your drinking water.
Our tip for enduro riders: use roll-off motocross goggles or motocross goggles with tear-offs. Are your goggles dirty with mud or grime? Pull the cord on the roll-off system and roll off part of the film. This is a kind of plastic layer over your lens. Then you’ll have clean goggles again. Do you use tear-offs? Then you pull a plastic layer off the tear-offs. However, this ends up in nature, which is not the intention. So we prefer a roll-off system.
This trick is as old as time. Before you start riding, rub a little washing-up liquid on the inside of your lens. This will prevent your googles from fogging up while you ride. Good motocross goggles should prevent this from happening in the first place. However, all goggles wear out after prolonged use. Do your goggles fog up? Then this is a trick to prevent it. You don’t have to buy new goggles right away.
Do you often ride in muddy conditions? Think of OTR rides in the Netherlands with fields full of mud. In that case, people often opt for transparent lenses. These provide the best visibility.
Do you mainly ride in good weather? Then go for mirrored or tinted lenses to protect your eyes from bright sunlight. This also prevents you from squinting.
Nowadays, there are even photochromic lenses that automatically adjust to the sunlight. That is also an option. However, this often makes motocross goggles a lot more expensive.
A good pair of motocross goggles is an essential part of your off-road outfit, whether you ride on the motocross track or enduro. Go for goggles of decent quality. How much do they cost? You can find decent goggles for £25, but also for £180. So the price can vary considerably. You can try cheap goggles and upgrade later if they don’t meet your requirements.
In any case, make sure the lens is thick enough and preferably made of a material such as polycarbonate. This prevents distortion during jumps and protects your eyes from flying stones. Whether you go for standard motocross goggles or ones with a tear-off or roll-off system depends on where, when and how you ride.
