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Flying Eyes take pain out of riding sunglasses

Flying Eyes sunglasses cause no pain open

If your sunglasses are a pain in the head, try a pair of Flying Eyes which are so slim they cause no pain under your helmet even after a long day in the saddle.

Some riders find sunglasses so painful, they prefer to fit a tinted visor to their helmet. However, that prevents you from riding on into the night.

Flying Eyes sunglasses, made in Austin, Texas, by Summer Hawk Optics, have been used by pilots for years for their comfortable, lightweight design, impact resistance and “virtually” unbreakable construction.

Marketing VP Don Osmond Jr says they recently heard that customers were also buying them to wear while riding motorcycles for the same reasons.

“Pilots experience the same discomfort wearing sunglasses with a helmet or headset,” Don says.

So now, they have added a couple of motorcycle designs with wider sides for wind and sun protection.

No pain

Don sent me a pair of Golden Eagle Sport sunglasses to review and I have to agree that they are the most comfortable sunglasses I have yet worn under a helmet.

Flying Eyes Golden Eagle sunglasses cause no pain
Golden Eagle

The sides are so “micro-thin” and flexible, they slide into any helmet, even tight helmets and those that don’t have glasses gaps at the temples.

After several hours wearing them under a helmet I didn’t have that usual pain in the temples or behind the ears.

They are so slim I can even put on and take off an open face helmet while still wearing the glasses.Flying Eyes Golden Eagle sunglasses cause no pain

The flexible frames mean they fit tight and close to the contours of your face and don’t slide down your nose. So you don’t have to keep taking one hand off the bars to push them back into place.

The reasonSummer Hawk Optics can make their Flying Eyes arms so slim, yet flexible and virtually unbreakable is the expensive Resilamide aerospace polymer they use.Flying Eyes Golden Eagle sunglasses cause no pain

That also makes them quite expensive at $229.95 from their Australian stockist Downunder Pilot.

However, I’ve paid that for other motorcycle sunglasses before and they were not as robust as these.

Tough on sunglasses

Riders are notoriously tough on sunglasses. Just pushing them in and out of helmets is usually enough to bend them out of shape. I find I am always trying to bend my glasses back into shape.

We also tend to drop them a lot off motorcycle seats, so a tough pair of sunglasses with scratch resistance means they should last longer.

Many motorcycle sunglasses come with foam gaskets to keep the wind out, but these are so flexible they will fit the contours of your face better and provide decent wind resistance.

Consequently your eyes don’t dry out, even when riding with the visor up or in an open face helmet.

Some of those other riding sunglasses with the gaskets also have problems with fogging up but these don’t.Flying Eyes Golden Eagle sunglasses cause no pain

Clear view

Another important aspect of sunglasses for a pilot as well as a motorcyclist is a distortion-free view, especially in the periphery.

Many other glasses I’ve used tend to distort on the periphery, but these polycarbonate UV400 lenses are optical correct all the way to the edges.

And because they are ultra-slim, you can push them in close to your face so your periphery vision is not obscured by thick frames.

Flying Eyes claims the lenses are impact resistant, but I haven’t yet copped a stone in the eye to test them.

Instead, I used a pin to try to scratch them near the edge and it left only the tiniest mark.

Flying Eyes makes several styles of glasses from the usual warp-around motorcycle type at $229.95 to the more traditional Aviator fashion for $100 more.

  1. I can guarantee that these won’t fit me, or under my helmet. I have an XXS Shoei NXR, and nothing fits. All wraparound sunnies are made for boof heads, and all other sunnes won’t slide into the helmet far enough – the arms are all way too long.
    I make do with Maui Jim – Lighthouse. They are rimless sunnies that are the lightest sunnies I’ve ever worn, and the arms are bendy enough that they don’t jut out too far.
    I am sensitive to the sunlight so I can’t ride without them on sunny days, or if I’m heading into the sun.

    1. Thank you for sharing your comments, @Movin On.

      I know of one other person who actually tried our sunglasses who also has an XXS helmet, and you are correct; they won’t fit at this time. We are aware that we need a smaller size to accommodate your need, and we are looking into making those sizes. Our current sunglasses all have their sizes on the product pages.

      We will be sure to announce new frame sizes as soon as they become available.

  2. My golden eagle’s turned up today. I ordered them after reading your aeticle on them. I’ve never been able to find a pair that I like the that fit in my helmet and for just wearing around. I haven’t been for a ride with them yet but they are the best fitting sunnies I’ve had with and without a helment. Well worth the money. I’ll only be buying these from now on.

  3. No need to pay that much! These glasses are no different than industrial safety glasses. Go to any work safety store or even Bunnings and they have a fantastic choice of brands and styles. Just make sure they have the AS/NZS 1337.1 (standard) mark on them.
    Cost? Between $10 and $30.

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