gradational bifocal glasses, or why I struggle with motorcycle mods, etc

[lucydad]

All,

Several times I have bought aftermarket accessories.  These have been mirror extenders on my Kawa EX 500, various mirrors, bar end mirrors, and recently a Dart Manta screen for my Triumph.  Gave up on the Manta screen yesterday:  required removing original flyscreen back plate. No instructions.  I gave it a hard try.  Could not do it.  Dart would not refund, nor really help, so I gave the screen away.

Why is that I ask my wooden head?  Hell my gradational bifocal glasses just will not focus.  Can't see all the little tiny parts.  No matter what.  Add light, no help, get closer, nope:  fail.  Black tiny parts on black background are the worst, and yep everything is always black, and tiny, and falls out onto the floor or some other black hole.

Guess its a problem with older eyes.  I see fine to ride, read, etc.  Night vision is excellent.  Glasses Rx is up to date.  Gets frustrating.  Sometimes Ms. LD will help. 

Off to mail the screen to a lucky guy in CA.  Then lunch, and Triumph ride.  I did find what I think is a much easier to install wind deflector for the Triumph.  Goes right on top existing flyscreen. 

Triumph forum is not happy with me.  Young guys don't get it, neither does Dart. But, that is life. 

[Rich A]

I have multiple pairs of glasses: progressive/gradients, reading, computer. The computer ones work pretty well for mc repair work. But yes, it is annoying when you can't focus.

Rich

[Demar]

I found some magnifying safety glasses from McMaster-Carr. I bought the bottom magnifiers non-stick on. They are a life saver. I use them when working on the bike or car or machining stuff or shooting stuff. They work great with my contacts. They even have a sunglass version.

http://www.mcmaster.com/#bifocal-safety-glasses/=125grip

[LowRyter]

sometimes I wish my bifocals were on top rather than on the bottom. 

[Guido Valvole]

I've worn bifocals for 20+ years now. PITA. Usually when working on tiny bits on the bike it's easiest to just peer over the tops of the glasses or take them off. My "close-up" vision works at around at foot +/-. YMMV and all that.
Magnifiers as suggested aren't a bad thing.
cr

[Sasquatch Jim]

  It's all in your point of view.

[oldbike54]

 Greg , same here . Would suggest a trip to the Dollar Tree to purchase different strengths of readers . I carry 3 different amplifications , 1.5 , 2.5 , and a 3.0 . At a buck a piece it is a cheap (Guzzi content) way to insure that what is being worked on can actually be seen  Of course somehow 3 pairs disappeared last weekend in the wilds of Cedar Vale 

 Dusty

[Chuck in Indiana]

sometimes I wish my bifocals were on top rather than on the bottom.

Back when I was a pup, I had bifocals in the bottom and top.

[Cam3512]

Why wouldn't you just get a friend, or one of the many Guzzi guys here to help you?

So you gave up and gave it away?

[pikipiki]

something like this might help.

Just type 'magnifying glass flexible clamp' into google.

http://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/181942100885?_mwBanner=1

alternatively many jobs you cant see your hands no matter how good vision is, can often get a mobile phone camera in and take a few snaps, inspect the images consider the problem think I through then proceed blind jedi style.

[lucydad]

Ooh Dollar Tree, my kind of place.  Makes sense.

Actually I did take a couple snaps with my phone, even with flash, looked them over.  Thought about which were the likely hex nuts to remove.  Too many choices to proceed.  Yep, looking up, no focus available.

I fully admit frustration in this case.  Lost my patience. 

Nap time, then Triumph ride, hoping the bike does not glitch.  Checking for flood roads before heading out.  Windy as hell though.

Thanks for helping an old grump.

[rboe]

I bought a three pack of reading glasses at Costco. Keep them all over the place but really only use them when working on really small stuff like laptop screws, watches. For the bike I use glasses to see road signs at night.

I was finally forced to go to bifocals a couple years ago; went with the graduation type. Was forced to because I could not read the instruments (car or bike) at night.

But reading glasses, aka cheaters, are a big help with the micro stuff, especially if the light is crappy.

Regarding windscreens; I picked up a Slipstreamer (or Plexifairing - was looking at both and have forgotten which one I bought, it's out of Minnesota) has a very nice windscreen but the mounting system sucks. Instructions were fair. Ended up fabricating my own upper mount becuase the stock one would not cinch up properly.

[lucydad]

Here is the back of the Triumph instrument cluster.  Could not focus on it.  Note many choices of screws to try...pretty complex, and hard to see...image post test also..

[drw916]

At least you can blame it on your eyeglasses.  I'm just mechanically inept.

Think of me as the Anti-Pete

[RANDM]

Greg , same here . Would suggest a trip to the Dollar Tree to purchase different strengths of readers . I carry 3 different amplifications , 1.5 , 2.5 , and a 3.0 . At a buck a piece it is a cheap (Guzzi content) way to insure that what is being worked on can actually be seen  Of course somehow 3 pairs disappeared last weekend in the wilds of Cedar Vale 

 Dusty

^^ This - I tend to destroy glasses and so have done the
same as Dusty. Lost a pair if 4's awhile back - found 'em
on the driveway where they'd been driven over by both
wheels of the Wife's car ............... They were fine, used
'Em for another 6 months - bet a $200 pair would have
been stuffed.

By the way those hands free magnifiers also come with a
circular perimeter fluorescent light - very handy.

Maurie.

[normzone]

Oh yeah, I showed up on the production floor to look at a stuck-on pixel group in a display with a set of those and the kids I work with went wild - they'd never seen anything like them. If it magnifies, I own it, or have and gave it away. My previous employer has a first generation digital dental camera I declined to haul when I left, and I traded a third generation version for a bunch of dental work. Benefit of running the Material Review Board...

[Dilliw]

I can wear these with or without my glasses.  And please ignore the double chin :)

[charlie b]

Back when I was a pup, I had bifocals in the bottom and top.

Chuck, probably for the same reason my father-in-law had quad focals.  Mid range on top to see the annunciator panel, bottom had up close and next up from bottom mid range again.  Long range in the middle.  When he was a pup he had 20-15 vision.

I like the progessives except for house, bike and car work.  For those I use 3x magnifiers.  I really hate when I am stuck doing a job where I can't turn my head enough to see through the glasses.  In a couple of cases I have resorted to using a hand magnifying glass.

[normzone]

That's not a double chin, that's a helmet strap centralizer.