When riding a motorcycle a helmet is bar none the most important piece of the puzzle, but for those who ride dirt bikes, goggles are just as important. You literally won’t last a race start or even the first few meters riding behind a mate in the sticks and that’s because our eyes are extremely vulnerable. I mean, pilots back in the day used to fly with sunglasses, hence the most famous of them all, the “Aviator” sunglasses. Eventually, goggles were the way to go for all things petrol-powered from the late 1930s onwards.
With a heritage going as far back as 1925 with the manufacturing of motorcycle handlebar handles starting it all, we welcome the well-known Italian brand Progrip. Since Progrip’s inception, they have been heavily involved in racing and with this DNA they continuously strive to produce high-quality products used and tested by world champions. Progrip’s product range is as diverse as you can imagine, but in our case finding a set of goggles whilst heading into the new season was the challenge.
The local importer’s AMP put three striking options on the table, we are talking about the Progrip 3205, 3300 Fluorescent and 3300 Transparent goggles.
Many people think choosing the right goggles is left to personal preference, but actually, it is firstly dependent on your helmet’s shell shape. With the two Progrip goggles I know they fit my new Bell Moto-9 just right, but which one should you go for? Budget wise and if you like the more traditional look, you should slide on the 3300.
This is a pair I’ve bought with my loot in the past and I currently ride with them now. Although more traditional the 3300 goggles lose nothing in quality. Right out the bat, you’ve got two choices when it comes to these goggles, you could go for the clear or the fluorescent lens—both are equally spec’d. I went for the fluorescent as they dell down our bright skies and look pretty sweet too. Although visually different in looks, both goggles are spec’d with a 1 mm thick lens that is both anti-UV and scratchproof. Additionally, you’ve got pins incorporated into the lens for tear-offs.
The goggles are soft to the skin with a dual-density sponge and on this pair, you’ve got an awesome ‘flow yellow’ -coloured water-repellent velvet material on the rim. On the bands, you’ve got a triple silicone strip which helps secure the goggles onto the helmet in dusty and wet conditions. The 3300 offers great value for money at R575 for the transparent and R675 for the fluorescent. As mentioned, I ride with these personally and for the price you could buy a couple for different colour kits or for those rainy days.
Then we get the stylish Progrip 3205 magnet lens goggles, which are hands down the best-looking of the bunch. For many, these will remind you of slopestyle skiing goggles and yes, you either love them or you don’t. Fortunately, I think they are the dog’s bollocks of goggles (super cool).
So, what sets these goggles apart from the rest? For me at least it’s the wider field of vision, allowing you to worry less about turning your head and using your eyes instead. The wider field of vision is thanks to the magnetic lenses and on top of this Progrip has thrown in some new technology in the form of fogproof lenses—this lens technology patented “NO FOG” holds the best performance on the market. Additionally, they come equipped with anti-UV and are scratchproof.
Interior-wise they are similar to their more affordable siblings with the same dual-density sponge with water-repellent velvet and triple silicone strips on the elastic band. Overall, the fitment is tighter, they fill more surface area on the face of the helmet, which in turn allows less dust to enter. We see the 3205 competing with the best in the market for a very competitive price of R1,175.
So, there you have it, with December around the corner we think one of these goggles from Progrip will slide comfortably under the Christmas tree.
