Best Light Adjusting Riding Glasses

Wiley X Gravity

Finding the right motorcycle glasses / eye protection is about more than what looks good in that littler mirror on the display case. Good motorcycle glasses provide critical protection for your eyes, from flying debris, sand, and wind. Great motorcycle glasses also eliminate the need for a second pair of clear glasses for night time riding. That is where Photochromic, or Transition Lenses (the brand name most commonly associated with this feature) come into play. The Top Pick for the riding glasses that do it all is the Wiley X Gravity.

The Brand

You may or may not be familiar with the name Wiley X, but it is a great brand that I highly recommend. Founded in 1987 with a primary focus of providing safety glasses to the military and first responders. Every pair of glasses in their line up meets ANSI safety standards. They also produce glasses branded as Harley-Davidson. So, if you love the look and quality of Harley-Davidson glasses, but do not want to pay extra for the name, look to the original.

Safety Riding Glasses

The Wiley X Gravity, like all Wiley X glasses does meet ANSI standards and is a pair of safety glasses first. It doesn't hurt that they look great too. Meeting ANSI Z87.1-2015 and CE/EN166 standards means that the glasses meet impact resistance standards, provide good field of vision, have UV protection, are heat tolerant, and are resistant to ageing and corrosion. Wiley X actually has a video of a pair of their glasses being shot with a shot gun and the lenses staying in place. Obviously, don't try this at home and I don't think I would base a buying decision on that video alone, but it is impressive. The Gravity does offer 99% UV protection as well.

Comfort

Comfort often comes down to the individual as heads come in different shapes and sizes. The Wiley X Gravity is made for a small to average size head. If you have a large head, you may find the fit a little snug. There are quite a few features that do make these a comfortable pair of glasses. Most notably, they have rubber nose and temple grips to ensure a secure fit and keep the glasses in place. The rubber is also more comfortable than plastic when you wear your glasses for extended periods of time.

Features

Photochromic lenses steal the stage here. Photochromic means that the glasses allow more light to pass when exposed to low levels of UV and block the transmission of light when more UV is present. To make that simpler, when it is dark, the lenses are clear and when the sun is out they darken. This means that you only have to have one pair of riding glasses and do not have to worry about changing lenses when the sun goes down. The glasses adjust on their own. To put it scientifically, it is awesome! The down side, is this technology comes at a cost. Photochromic (commonly known by the brand name Transition Lenses) are more expensive than a standard pair of glasses, even quality glasses. If you have ever been out on a ride when the sun went down and realized you only brought one pair of glasses, you know it is worth the extra cost. It also seems more reasonable when you consider you only have to buy one pair. Without this feature you would likely buy a dark park of glasses and a second pair in clear or amber tint. The cost of these two glasses would likely exceed the cost of the one pair that does it all and makes life easy. In addition to the cost, another consideration of this feature is they will be clear if you wear them inside of a car due to the UV protection in the auto glass. So, if you want one pair of glasses to wear on the bike and in the car, that could be a concern. Personally, I only wear these glasses when I ride. I have a cheaper pair for driving.

Another feature, is the removable Facial Cavity Seal. This is the multi-layered foam that can be removed from the inside of the glasses. It creates a good seal that can help block dust, wind, and excess light from entering from around the rims of the glasses. It also does a pretty good job of keeping the glasses from fogging over in colder weather. A lot riding glasses simply glue the foam seal to the frame of the glasses. I love the fact that they can be removed. I remove mine often. Though I know I sacrifice some of the safety aspect of the insert, but on hot days or if I'm going somewhere where I will be wearing the glasses off of the bike, I take them out. Having the option of removing them is very nice. Also, being able to remove the seal means that if the seal wears out, you can just replace the seal and not have to replace the glasses. Not related, but you can also replace the lenses. If they are scratched or damaged, Wiley X offers replacement lenses. The Photochromic lenses are pricey, even on their own, but they also offer standard lenses is you prefer. If your lenses were damaged, you could get a second pair of the light adjusting glasses and replace the damaged lenses with a standard set of lenses pretty cheap and have a great pair of glasses for the car.

Wiley X Gravity Extras

There are a bunch of goodies that come with the Wiley X Gravity riding glasses. It does come with a very nice hard case. These glasses are on the expensive side, so protecting the lenses is important. You don't want to just throw them in a saddle bag. So, the hard case is a necessity, in my opinion. With the case, you also get a really nice cleaning cloth and an adjustable neck cord. The cleaning cloth you will use a lot. If you are like me, you will never use the adjustable cord. It also comes with an elastic strap that give the glasses a goggles feel. The elastic strap does allow a better seal when paired with the foam facial seal. I tried it a few times and can see the benefits, but I just didn't find it comfortable. I only ever use it on cold days when I want to limit the fog factor as much as I can.

Style

These are a wrap around style of glasses, which for motorcycle glasses, should be a must. You want to make sure that the glasses you choose also provide lateral protection that only a wrap around style can do. With the exception of goggles, this style provides the most protection and coverage. As far as looks, that is subjective. Personally, I like the look of these glasses, but you may not.

Check Price of Wiley X Gravity Light Adjusting Glasses

Pros	Cons
Photochromic (light adjusting)	A little pricey
Removable foam seal	Sized for Average and Smaller Heads
Meets ANSI and CE/EN Standards
Replacement Lenses / Foam Seal

Wiley X Gravity - Not Light Adjusting

Wiley X Gravity Polarized