All Reviewed Products Contain Paid Links To Amazon.com
- 1 WYND Blocker Motorcycle & Biking Wind Resistant Sports Wrap Sunglasses
- 2 Oversized Choppers Men’s Sport Padded Motorcycle Bikers Sunglasses
- 3 AULLY PARK Polarized Motorcycle Riding Glasses Black Frame with 4 Lens Kit for Outdoor Activity Sport
- 4 All Weather Protective Motorcycle Riding Goggle Glasses 3 Pack Set (Assortment Pack)
- 5 Motorcycle Riding Glasses – 2 Pair Smoke & Clear Biker Foam Pad
Looking For The Best Motorcycle Glasses For Night Riding?
Here’s a look at our favorites, including our top pick – WYND Blocker Motorcycle & Biking Wind Resistant Sports Wrap Sunglasses.
Eye protection can have a significant impact on performance and safety when riding a motorcycle at night. A particular tint can make urban riding easier, but can be detrimental to your vision when you’re riding along darkened rural highways.
As such, you need to keep in mind that not all glasses or goggles that are branded as “night glasses” are good for every night riding situation. You’ll need to consider your expected riding conditions, and purchase the product that will aid you in those specific conditions. If you do a lot of night riding on both urban and rural roads, you may even want to consider getting a few pairs of motorcycle glasses that you can switch between depending on the lighting situation each time you ride.
What to look for in motorcycle glasses for night riding
As you’re evaluating different motorcycle glasses and goggles for night riding, here are a few things to consider:
- Tint – motorcycle glasses and goggles with a yellow tint are the most common. A yellow tint is ideal for urban riding where there is fading light, as the glasses will harness existing light to give you better vision, while at the same time diffusing the glare of headlights. However, motorcycle glasses with any colored tint will impair your vision on dark rural roads and highways where there is no light to harness.
- Photochromic – lenses that are photochromic have a shifting tint. When it’s bright, the lenses will darken, and when it’s dark, the lenses will turn clear.
- Wind-resistant – glasses and goggles that are designed for motorcycle riding should have padding around the lenses to protect your eyes from oncoming wind. Anyone who’s ever tried to ride in standard sunglasses knows how important that is, especially if you wear contacts that can easily dry out.
- Venting – make sure your riding glasses have proper venting around the wind-resistant padding so that you don’t fog up the lenses. Riding in low-light situations is hard enough—you don’t want to make things even harder for your eyes with foggy lenses.
- Polarized – polarized glasses are designed to eliminate glare, especially around water. Such glasses are most useful during the day, but they are surprisingly good at dampening the glare from headlights at night or in the rain.
- Anti-scratch – not much needs to be said here. Good quality glasses and goggles should have an anti-scratch coating to help them last longer.
WYND Blocker Motorcycle & Biking Wind Resistant Sports Wrap Sunglasses
The WYND Blocker Motorcycle & Biking Sunglasses are an ideal choice for riders who will spend most of their time on urban streets. The yellow tint does a great job of harnessing light and dampening headlights, and they block 100% of UVA/UVB rays.
The rubberized frame has additional padding around the eyes to shield your eyes from the wind. They’re scratch-, impact-, and shatter-resistant, and they even float in water (though I’m not exactly sure how useful flotation is for motorcycle glasses…).
Oversized Choppers Men’s Sport Padded Motorcycle Bikers Sunglasses
This is another great option for riders who spend most of their night rides in similar lighting situations. The Oversized Choppers Men’s Sport Padded Motorcycle Bikers Sunglasses have 6 different tints available: clear, black, smoke, brown, mirrored, and yellow midnight. The lenses are a bit wider than most glasses, so they’re an ideal choice for riders with a wide face.
AULLY PARK Polarized Motorcycle Riding Glasses Black Frame with 4 Lens Kit for Outdoor Activity Sport
If you’re looking for top quality and versatility, this is the one for you. The AULLY PARK Motorcycle Riding Glasses come with 4 interchangeable lenses: clear, cadmium yellow, copper, and a polarized neutral gray.
Use the clear lenses for night riding in total darkness, the cadmium yellow and the copper lenses for urban night riding, and the polarized neutral gray lenses during the day or at dusk. All of the lenses are polycarbonate, shatterproof, and scratch resistant. This set comes with a sports band and a hard case for extra protection.
All Weather Protective Motorcycle Riding Goggle Glasses 3 Pack Set (Assortment Pack)
Can’t decide which tint you need? Here’s an easy solution—get a set that comes with all 3. The All Weather Protective Motorcycle Riding Goggle Glasses come in a set of 3 with clear, black, and yellow lenses. They all have inner foam padding to block out the wind and dust, and given the price for the set, it’s a heck of a value.
Motorcycle Riding Glasses – 2 Pair Smoke & Clear Biker Foam Pad
If you do the majority of your night riding in rural areas with darkened roads and highways, then you’ll want to stay away from yellow-tinted lenses. Instead, opt for clear lenses at night, and black lenses during the day.
This assortment pack covers both of those bases for you. You’ll get two pairs of riding glasses—a clear pair for the night, and a black pair for the day. The lenses are a scratch-resistant polycarbonate, and like all of the other options we’ve discussed it includes padding around the eyes to keep the dust and wind from irritating your eyes. It also has venting around the lenses to prevent them from fogging up.
Takeaways
To reiterate, make sure you purchase the right tinted glasses or goggles based on your common night riding conditions. For urban rides, go with a yellow tint. For rural rides, keep the lenses clear. If you do a little bit of both, I’d strongly recommend getting a couple of pairs that you can switch between before you ride.
Going with a multi-pack that includes different frames or different lenses is certainly helpful if you’re looking for versatility. When you try a pair of riding glasses on, make sure they are a tight fit around your ears (you don’t want them to go flying off as soon as you hit the highway), and make sure the padding around the lenses does a good job of blocking the wind and dust. Lastly, pay attention to the venting around the lenses. It’s a delicate balance to strike between blocking the wind and letting a little bit in to prevent fogging.
