What are Goggle Tear-Offs and How to Install Them

If you’re unfamiliar with tear-offs, you’re probably pretty new to the awesome world of motocross you’ve stepped into. So as a passionate veteran motocross rider myself, welcome! I am assuming you’ve ridden a motocross bike at least once or twice, and no doubt, you’ve noticed how quickly you start to lose your vision. Motocross is a filthy sport! That’s one of the reasons we love it so much, right? But that’s why it’s also essential that you have tear-offs as part of your gear.

Tear-offs are thin plastic sheets that are installed onto the goggles and torn off when they get too dirty to see through. They protect goggles from scratching and ensure a safer and uninterrupted riding experience. They’re attached to pegs on goggles with only the top tear-off’s tab hanging out on the left for easy reach and tearing. 

If you’re interested in how these work, how to put tear-offs on goggles, and what kind you need, then keep reading. 

Standard Tear-Offs V.S. Laminated Tear-Offs

When choosing tear-offs, there are two categories: standard and laminated.

Standard tear-offs are cheaper than the laminated ones and thicker. Their visibility is great until you go past four tear-offs, then it starts getting cloudy. Since they are a bit thicker they’re less likely to tear off on their own, wasting your money. 

Laminated tear-offs, while more expensive, are thinner with great visibility that lasts with larger stacks. Laminated tear-offs normally come in stacks of 7. Their stacks are also stuck closer together to keep dirt from getting in between each layer. 

Whichever you choose, you have to make sure they will fit your goggles before you buy them. 

Are Tear-Offs Universal?

Unfortunately, you won’t find universal tear-offs from any company. The reason for this is the constant development of better goggles. Companies like mine are always looking for improved vision, comfort, and effectiveness, but this experimental process means each company has its own designs which require specially fitted tear-offs. 

For example, the Superthins tear-offs will fit Bell goggles, but they won’t fit our J.A.C. goggles. If you come across tear-offs that are labeled as “universal,” they don’t actually fit all goggle brands. 

What the manufacturer means is that the tear-offs will fit all of their specific goggle models. So, Arai tear-offs will fit all Arai goggles. 

What is the Difference Between Tear-Offs and Roll-Offs?

If you’re wondering what significant differences there are between tear-offs and rolls offs, we have another article on our blog here that covers all of that and might be better for you. The diet explanation I’ll give you is this:

Tear-offs come in a stack with tabs that you pull off one at a time (if you put them on right). 

Roll-offs come in a roll like old camera film or dog waste bags that are connected. When you pull a cord,  the roll will slide a fresh screen across your lens.

Recommended Tear-Offs

Limited vision has always been an issue for us motocross riders. That’s why here at RISK Racing we haven’t stopped experimenting with different designs to always try to give you better solutions. 

I don’t recommend my own products just because I have a business. I’ve spent decades designing products myself, starting from my own garage and putting my own body at risk to test them. If I wasn’t 100% certain our tear-offs would help you get a better riding experience, I wouldn’t even mention them. That’s just how much I love our sport and want you to ride safely. 

Now let’s actually get to the products! The first thing you need is a great pair of goggles.

The J.A.C V2 MX Goggles

The J.A.C. V2 goggles have features unique to them: 

• Four posts tear-off pins to ensure your tear-offs stay in place until you tear them off
• Quick change locking for easy lens replacement
• Durable but light polyurethane frame
• Multiple layers of foam to conform to your face and create a tight seal
• A 50mm silicon strap ensures your goggles will fit and won’t slip.
• Injection-molded polycarbonate shaped specifically to the frame for superior field of vision and clarity. 
• You can even remove the nose guard if you wanted.
• All lenses for this frame are anti-fog and resist scratching.

Here is a link to the tear-offs for the JAC V2 goggles.

Tear-Offs for J.A.C. V2 MX Goggle

Like I said earlier, the J.A.C. goggles are specially made so they have to have tear-offs that fit. So if you have our goggles, we’ve got you covered. 

They are standard instead of laminated, but they’re still easy to use and very durable. One reviewer let us know that one tear-off for his J.A.C. V1 goggles didn’t start ripping until after 4 racing days, and we’re still improving. 

How to Put Tear-Offs on Goggles

Tear-offs aren’t as easy to install as you might have thought at first. It’s common for motocross riders to pull off several layers, or even the whole stack at once. Here are the steps you need to install tear-offs so that you only pull off one at a time. 

1. Make sure the goggles are clean to ensure the tear-offs won’t be scratched and to make sure your vision is crystal clear from the very beginning of your ride.
2. Take your first tear-off, and push it down onto the posts on the right side of the lens, then on the posts on the left side. 
3. Your tear-off will have a few holes left; two regular holes and one large hole. Take the hole that’s closest to the lens and push it down onto the last peg on your goggles. Different brands have this peg in different spots, like the outrigger or a tab on the strap. In any case, it will always be on the left side.
4. Now you can take your second tear-off, or the whole stack of your laminated tear-offs, and push it/them down onto the posts on the lens, just like you did with the first (See steps #2 and #3). 
5. Before attaching the rest of the tear-off to the left side of the goggles, fold the first tear-off back over itself until the last regular hole on it aligns with the post from step #3, and push it down. 
6. Finally, with the last hole on the tear-off tab, you’ll fold it back onto that post again. These folds help make sure you only pull off one tear-off.
7. Now you can take the hole on the second tear-off tab and push it down on top of that post, which holds the first one in place.
8. Repeat steps #5 - #7 until you’ve made it to your last tear-off, which will be the topmost tear-off. Your finished folded tear-offs should look like this:

The difference between our goggles and those used for this demonstration, courtesy of Rocky Mountain ATV MC, is that our goggles have the pegs for the tear-offs on the goggle frame to allow unobstructed viewing.

Final Word