Eye Safety/Tossing Goggles

gt80rider
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gt80rider
Edited Date/Time 7/30/2015 1:36pm
With all the racers tossing their goggles the last couple of weeks, and with all the safety concerns in the sport right now, I am surprised that someone hasn't made it mandatory that if you pitch your goggles, you have to stop for new ones at the end of the lap. If you or I are working in a fab shop and our safety glasses got messed up, we would get fired for continuing to work without eye protection, and quite frankly, it shouldn't take someone losing their vision first before something is done about it.

Pass up the pit lane with no goggles, get docked a lap, pretty simple.
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500guy
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500guy 7/29/2015 11:00am
7/29/2015 11:00am
gt80rider wrote:
With all the racers tossing their goggles the last couple of weeks, and with all the safety concerns in the sport right now, I am surprised...
With all the racers tossing their goggles the last couple of weeks, and with all the safety concerns in the sport right now, I am surprised that someone hasn't made it mandatory that if you pitch your goggles, you have to stop for new ones at the end of the lap. If you or I are working in a fab shop and our safety glasses got messed up, we would get fired for continuing to work without eye protection, and quite frankly, it shouldn't take someone losing their vision first before something is done about it.

Pass up the pit lane with no goggles, get docked a lap, pretty simple.
I tend to agree with you on this, with the roost these bikes put out I think it's the responsible thing to do.
TXDirt
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TXDirt 7/29/2015 11:13am
7/29/2015 11:13am
I think they are professionals and can decide on their own if/when they need new goggles. If there are two laps to go and they are in the lead and toss their goggles then you are saying he needs to go in on last lap for new goggles? Yeah, right..

Working in a fab shop isn't exactly a great comparison unless in this fab shop you are racing against another fabricator to see who can get a pipe welded the fastest and the winner gets 50k. Maybe then you might take a chance to finish up without that eye protection.

Let the racers and their teams decide when to get new goggles. Some guys come in even before chucking their goggles to get new ones.
kkawboy14
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kkawboy14 7/29/2015 11:16am
7/29/2015 11:16am
I bet if they made that a rule, there would be a lot of innovation within the goggle industry.

I bet someone is scrabbling hard right now to fix this anyway. The first product to market is 75% successful. The second to market is 25% successful

hvaughn88
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hvaughn88 7/29/2015 11:18am
7/29/2015 11:18am
Is it bad that I'm to the point that I don't even give a damn anymore? Normally, I would say "naw, after the first guy loses his vision and his career, others will wise up and always have goggles on," but I know better. Nothing would change and goggles would still get tossed.

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kkawboy14
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kkawboy14 7/29/2015 11:18am
7/29/2015 11:18am
Maybe more of a helmet tear off that covers the opening on the helmet that can be used for mud races
hvaughn88
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hvaughn88 7/29/2015 11:18am
7/29/2015 11:18am
kkawboy14 wrote:
I bet if they made that a rule, there would be a lot of innovation within the goggle industry. I bet someone is scrabbling hard right...
I bet if they made that a rule, there would be a lot of innovation within the goggle industry.

I bet someone is scrabbling hard right now to fix this anyway. The first product to market is 75% successful. The second to market is 25% successful

I think you're vastly overestimating the goggle market.
kkawboy14
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kkawboy14 7/29/2015 11:22am
7/29/2015 11:22am
kkawboy14 wrote:
I bet if they made that a rule, there would be a lot of innovation within the goggle industry. I bet someone is scrabbling hard right...
I bet if they made that a rule, there would be a lot of innovation within the goggle industry.

I bet someone is scrabbling hard right now to fix this anyway. The first product to market is 75% successful. The second to market is 25% successful

hvaughn88 wrote:
I think you're vastly overestimating the goggle market.
If it was a rule somebody/factory would fix it in my opinion, but hey I could be wrong
TXDirt
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TXDirt 7/29/2015 11:31am
7/29/2015 11:31am
kkawboy14 wrote:
I bet if they made that a rule, there would be a lot of innovation within the goggle industry. I bet someone is scrabbling hard right...
I bet if they made that a rule, there would be a lot of innovation within the goggle industry.

I bet someone is scrabbling hard right now to fix this anyway. The first product to market is 75% successful. The second to market is 25% successful

hvaughn88 wrote:
I think you're vastly overestimating the goggle market.
kkawboy14 wrote:
If it was a rule somebody/factory would fix it in my opinion, but hey I could be wrong
People have been riding/racing in the mud since the invention of motorcycles. At a certain point, there is only so much you can do to keep mud out of the eyes. There is no magic involved here. It's incremental improvements over time. No rule will speed this up. At the end of the day, goggles get muddy when you ride race in the mud. No technical improvement will stop that. You can slow down the vision loss with tear offs, roll offs, etc. That's about it.

The two promising things I have seen that are still in development is the NeverWet product. Basically it's a spray on application with nano technologies that caused water,mud,dirt, etc to fall right off. Think of it as "non-stick" on steroids. It's not quite advanced enough yet to see through it clearly. When it dries it gets cloudy. I could see tons of uses for it though and nano technology is in it's infancy.

The other thing is I saw a homemade wire lens that will keep mud/rocks out of the eyes. It goes under a regular lens and you can still use tear-offs with it. It's not going to prevent water and small debris from making it through. Someone posted a picture of it in another thread. I thought that was a good idea as a last resort to pulling your goggles off.
Cygnus
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Cygnus 7/29/2015 11:32am
7/29/2015 11:32am
Nope. Then you will have guys just staying out there with next to no vision and maybe getting wrecked out or wrecking another rider out.
pete24
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pete24 7/29/2015 11:38am
7/29/2015 11:38am
i havent raced at Englishtown NJ in quite a few years but in 85 when i first went there the rule stressed at the riders meeting was , if you took your goggles off you got dqed, it was still the same in 91 or 92 last time i raced there , not sure about now
500guy
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500guy 7/29/2015 11:38am
7/29/2015 11:38am
kkawboy14 wrote:
If it was a rule somebody/factory would fix it in my opinion, but hey I could be wrong
it amazes me that this goggle problem has never been solved, I agree if there was a rule there would be some interesting solutions.
RG1
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RG1 7/29/2015 11:49am
7/29/2015 11:49am
I think there are some issues that come with making this a rule, such as guys not tossing their goggles when they really should, and riding with very poor vision. However, I do think it's a little odd that although you are not allowed to start a race with no goggles, it's fine to toss your goggles on the first lap and race for 30+ minutes without them. At the end of the day I guess the guys realise what dangers there is in tossing their goggles, and those who wish to stop and get fresh ones can do
IWreckALot
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IWreckALot 7/29/2015 11:57am
7/29/2015 11:57am
RG1 wrote:
I think there are some issues that come with making this a rule, such as guys not tossing their goggles when they really should, and riding...
I think there are some issues that come with making this a rule, such as guys not tossing their goggles when they really should, and riding with very poor vision. However, I do think it's a little odd that although you are not allowed to start a race with no goggles, it's fine to toss your goggles on the first lap and race for 30+ minutes without them. At the end of the day I guess the guys realise what dangers there is in tossing their goggles, and those who wish to stop and get fresh ones can do
It's the same as any other safety gear. If they require you to wear "safety" gear that has contrabenefits in given situations, there is a liability. So I agree with you and Cygnus very much so. Helmets and Boots are about the only pieces of gear that offer a guaranteed level of protection over the alternative of not wearing them. Same with clear goggles which is why you are required to start with them but not finish with them.
kkawboy14
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kkawboy14 7/29/2015 12:06pm
7/29/2015 12:06pm
kkawboy14 wrote:
If it was a rule somebody/factory would fix it in my opinion, but hey I could be wrong
500guy wrote:
it amazes me that this goggle problem has never been solved, I agree if there was a rule there would be some interesting solutions.
first thing that comes to my mind is stackable goggles, the top one or two without straps that can pop off by taking them off. Imagine what canard did with his goggles where in the his second pair was just a second set of goggles with the strap on, in this case the second or third wouldn't have any straps
KB221
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KB221 7/29/2015 12:12pm
7/29/2015 12:12pm
kkawboy14 wrote:
If it was a rule somebody/factory would fix it in my opinion, but hey I could be wrong
500guy wrote:
it amazes me that this goggle problem has never been solved, I agree if there was a rule there would be some interesting solutions.
I agree you would think with all the goggle brands there would be a better solution developed by now, I mean they are soo close...



mxtech1
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mxtech1 7/29/2015 12:46pm
7/29/2015 12:46pm

I've said it before but why does this have to be so freakin complicated???

The goggle manufactures simply need to make roll-off canisters specifically for mud races that have 3-4x more film capacity. Who cares if they are big and bulky if they have enough film to get through the race.

If I were a top sponsored rider I know I would be demanding it from my goggle sponsor.

Maverick313 7/29/2015 12:49pm
7/29/2015 12:49pm
Something like this, maybe. With a longer visor and tearoffs like they use in circle track. Once the tearoffs are gone, the lens are much easier to wipe with a hand or towel. Plus you could also wear safety glasses, for the last ditch if you had to push the visor up.



dboivin
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dboivin 7/29/2015 1:03pm
7/29/2015 1:03pm
they should just make the rule "if you toss your goggles, you must pit on same lap to replace them".

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aFACEdismembered 7/29/2015 1:22pm
7/29/2015 1:22pm Edited Date/Time 7/29/2015 1:24pm
Anyone remember Tommy Searle in his last season in MX2 for CLS? He did it at a couple of races and came back to win the moto. His team was even ready, it's not like they were eating ice cream cones when he pulled in.

We're talking 15-20 seconds of lost time here. That can be made up in 10-15 minutes if you don't have to ride around the track squinting your eyes and ducking roost.
disbanded
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disbanded 7/29/2015 1:30pm
7/29/2015 1:30pm
Mandatory fanny packs with one pair of extra goggles and a spark plug.
RG1
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RG1 7/29/2015 1:47pm
7/29/2015 1:47pm
aFACEdismembered wrote:
Anyone remember Tommy Searle in his last season in MX2 for CLS? He did it at a couple of races and came back to win the...
Anyone remember Tommy Searle in his last season in MX2 for CLS? He did it at a couple of races and came back to win the moto. His team was even ready, it's not like they were eating ice cream cones when he pulled in.

We're talking 15-20 seconds of lost time here. That can be made up in 10-15 minutes if you don't have to ride around the track squinting your eyes and ducking roost.
Yep, I've seen Tommy do that a number of times to great effect. I remember him doing it at a British Championship round too. It's amazing how much time fresh goggles and gloves can find you
IWreckALot
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IWreckALot 7/29/2015 1:57pm
7/29/2015 1:57pm
Anyone catch Musquin's goofy ass looking helmet this last weekend? I don't blame him for wearing it but it looked pretty odd.
The Rock
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The Rock 7/29/2015 2:01pm
7/29/2015 2:01pm Edited Date/Time 7/29/2015 2:02pm
disbanded wrote:
Mandatory fanny packs with one pair of extra goggles and a spark plug.
Tire irons, spare tube compass and water proof matches with a magnifying glass for backup

PS tip of the visor to the OP
731chopper
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731chopper 7/29/2015 2:33pm
7/29/2015 2:33pm
dboivin wrote:
they should just make the rule "if you toss your goggles, you must pit on same lap to replace them".
Seems like a no brainer to me. I can't imagine being behind a pro 450 with no goggles.
The Rock
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The Rock 7/29/2015 2:58pm
7/29/2015 2:58pm Edited Date/Time 7/29/2015 3:00pm
Hold on folks. We need to do at least a year of data collection before implementing anything like this. Just imagine the legal liability if someone crashes after getting fresh goggles? Also this would drive up the cost of racing for privateers.

Besides like TXDirt says these guys are professionals plus it isn't like they only have one eye.

You safety nuts really need to man up or go weave baskets.

(Sarcasm Alert)
kkawboy14
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kkawboy14 7/29/2015 3:00pm
7/29/2015 3:00pm
The Rock wrote:
Hold on folks. We need to do at least a year of data collection before implementing anything like this. Just imagine the legal liability if someone...
Hold on folks. We need to do at least a year of data collection before implementing anything like this. Just imagine the legal liability if someone crashes after getting fresh goggles? Also this would drive up the cost of racing for privateers.

Besides like TXDirt says these guys are professionals plus it isn't like they only have one eye.

You safety nuts really need to man up or go weave baskets.

(Sarcasm Alert)
Hillary? Is it you Hillary? Smile
Wildeye511
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Wildeye511 7/29/2015 4:20pm
7/29/2015 4:20pm
It should be mandatory that if they toss their goggles, it must be into the crowd so at least the fans can get some souvenirs..
Spagina767
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Spagina767 7/29/2015 4:39pm
7/29/2015 4:39pm
I was actually just talking to my wife about this.

I've thrown my goggles, I won't lie... But after learning a lot about eye injuries over the last few years (I work in heavy civil construction ), I wouldn't do it now!

I also am suprised they haven't made it a rule to pull in and get new ones. One gruesome eye injury that takes out a top 5 guy, it will go into effect!
gt80rider
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gt80rider 7/29/2015 7:48pm
7/29/2015 7:48pm
I just know I wouldn't want to be behind a fire breathing 72 hp JGR Yamaha on a muddy day with goggles, let alone without. And at least riders that have to toss their goggles will know that everyone else that has to ditch will also have to pit, removing the advantage to guys who risk it and finish a moto without eye protection.

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