Best Dirt Bike Helmets for People Who Wear Glasses


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As an avid dirt biker who wears glasses, I know all too well the absolute struggle that so many visually-challenged dirt bikers face when it comes to finding a helmet that allows for both comfort and proper fit. Know the struggle? Keep scrolling to learn about all the awesome helmets that you have been searching for!

All of the helmets on my “best list” have been recommended to me by dirt bikers who wear glasses or are ones that I personally have worn with my glasses on. I will talk about their features as well as the personal experiences that I have with these helmets or the experiences that my fellow dirt bikers have relayed to me.

You will notice that all of these helmets are dual sport helmets. I personally prefer them for my glasses.

Arai XD-4

The Arai XD-4 is an awesome helmet in general, but it also works great for people with glasses. Of all the dual sport helmets out there, the Arai XD-4 seems to be one of the best options for people who wear glasses. Almost all of my dirt biking, glasses-wearing buddies mentioned this helmet to me when I asked them for recommendations.

When people mentioned these helmets, some of them said that an older model of this helmet, the XD-3, is a little better for riding a dirt bike with glasses on. The main reason for this is that the XD-3 has a little less padding, making it a little more comfortable when wearing it with glasses on. Even still, the padding on the XD-4 can be peeled away, so either helmet works great.

Even with the semi-thick padding issue, the padding, in general, is really great for the overall fit. The padding is distributed really well for a snug fit.

In the Arai XD-4, the padding also allows for comfortable wear with glasses because there are little channels on the sides. Wearing this helmet, it is super easy to slide your glasses on and off with the helmet on because there are nice channels on the sides to move your glasses comfortably.

The Arai XD-4 also has great ventilation. It’s super easy to breathe in this helmet, and it rarely gets foggy.

One of my glasses-wearing, dirt biking buddies said that this helmet is perfect for him specifically because the ventilation keeps both the face shield and his glasses from getting foggy with the helmet on.

See the Arai XD-4 helmet on Amazon here.

Shoei Hornet X2

Another dual sport helmet that works great for people with glasses is the Shoei Hornet X2.

Like the Arai XD-4, the Shoei Hornet X2 helmet leaves enough room for sliding your glasses on and off comfortably without sacrificing any of the crucial paddings.

I tried the Shoei Hornet X2 on when I was shopping for my next helmet and was so impressed by the snug fit that didn’t make my glasses super uncomfortable. There is definitely no room for the helmet to rock around on dirt roads, but enough that I wasn’t worried about my glasses somehow breaking.

I also loved how big the field of vision was! If it weren’t for the weight of the helmet, I would have entirely forgotten that I was wearing one because I could seriously see so much around me. And, as a glasses-wearing dirt biker, I can tell you that being able to see is really important.

See the Shoei Hornet X2 helmet on Amazon here.

Bell MX-9

Not only does the Bell MX-9 look awesome, but it is also a great dual sport helmet for people who wear glasses.

This is another helmet with awesome ventilation; it will never let your glasses get foggy while you’re out dirt biking.

The person who told me about the Bell MX-9 said that this is the most comfortable helmet he’s ever worn while dirt biking because the padding is perfect. Glasses will cause you no issues when wearing this helmet!

See the Bell MX-9 helmet on Amazon here.

ScorpionEXO

The ScorpionEXO is a super awesome dual sport helmet that fits glasses great.

It actually has an interchangeable visor so that you can be prepared for any riding situation. This helmet is a really great pick, but buyer beware many people have issues getting the wrong size or missing parts of their order. Amazon tends to be really great with returns and exchanges so I wouldn’t worry too much.

See the ScorpionEXO helmet on Amazon here.

O’Neal Sierra II

The O’Neal Sierra II is a really good dual sport helmet for people who wear glasses! This helmet is nice and snug and pretty comfortable.

One glasses-wearer said that the snug fit of the Sierra II is perfect for those who don’t want any chance of their glasses moving around while riding their dirt bike. The Sierra II is also very lightweight and has really good airflow, making fogging rare.

See the O’Neal Sierra II on Amazon here.

Dual Sport Helmets

Pros of Dual Sport Helmets

What even is a dual sport helmet, you may ask? A dual sport helmet is basically a combination of a dirt bike helmet and a street motorcycle helmet. Dual sport helmets look a lot like dirt bike helmets, but they have a face shield, so you won’t be needing to wear goggles. So they eliminate the issue that I talked about before!

For glasses wearers, dual sport helmets are great because their wide visor can make it so much easier to put glasses on with the helmet already on. Also, in my experience, dual sport helmets have more comfortable padding than dirt bike helmets, so it makes wearing glasses underneath much more comfortable than most traditional dirt bike helmets can.

Cons of Dual Sport Helmets

Now, before you go and buy a dual sport helmet for dirt biking, you should know that there are some potential problems with wearing a dual sport helmet instead of a dirt bike helmet.

Dual sport helmets are not entirely intended for off-road use. They work just fine for dirt biking, but some people have complained that they aren’t the perfect helmet for the sport.

The most common complaint with dual sport helmets is that they make more noise because the wider visor makes more wind resistance. Noise is not a huge deal, but it could potentially make a dual sport helmet a less ideal option for you.

They also can get a little foggy in the face shield if there’s not great ventilation.

It Could Be Your Goggles

If you’re a glasses-wearing dirt biker and no matter what, you can’t get a comfortable fit, your goggles might actually be the bigger problem, not your helmet! The reason for this is that your goggles are what are going directly over your glasses, so they could potentially be more of a nuisance than your helmet is.

So, before you explore new helmets, try a different pair of goggles. They’re much cheaper, and if you can solve your problem without dropping $200+, you totally should!

But even still, finding goggles that even fit over your glasses at all can be super-tough. Finding goggles that fit over your glasses and don’t shove them into your nose is even tougher. Equally difficult is finding goggles that fit over your glasses, but still, fit your face.

So, what is a visually-challenged dirt biker to do?

My personal life-saver was Over the Glasses Goggles. OTG Goggles are made a little larger, which allows your glasses to fit perfectly underneath. My OTG Goggles still fit my face, though, making them perfect for me, a visually-challenged dirt biker.

But what if you have OTG Goggles, or your goggles aren’t the problem at all? I still sympathize with you.

OTG Goggles made it so that my nose wasn’t squished and the front of my face was comfortable but did not help the fact that it was hard to get my glasses on with my helmet on and my temples were squished by the arms of my glasses.

Happy Riding!

Jim Harmer

I'm the co-owner of Dirt Bike Planet. I live in Star, Idaho and enjoy dirt biking with my wife and two boys throughout the Idaho mountains.

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