Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126020
i Ellis leall me Ellie, please'··········· ; .Taylor: .The man with the trick goggles By Darold B.Cummings If you are an avid Cycle News want-ad watcher like I am, you've probably seen the familiar half-· tone with the words, "Russ Darnell likes his new prescription .goggles, you will too, write Ellie Taylor ... " Like most dirt bikers, you probably know a little about Russ Darnell, but somehow the name Ellie Taylor doesn't ring in your Bell. Ellis ("Call me Ellie, please") Taylor has been riding bikes since high school, which he 'claims was a few years before Pearl Harbor was hornbed. His ' garage still contains a' couple of moldy oldies like his 1962 Velocette with factory adjustable laydown suspension, plus an old AjS thumper that must weigh ; as much as his Ford van. He still uses the Velocette on the street and even uses the old Ajay for his off-road riding. In his house, sitting in various crevices and a few open spots on the floor, are some hefty trophies from races that don't even exist anymore : the Big Bear Run, the Catalina G.P. , and the Flint Rock Enduro (which Ellie claims was a biggie , run in the local mountains around Santa Barbara, California). With this background Ellie makes a natural benchracer, so getting the story on the development of the prescription goggles was easy. A few years back Ellie found that he needed driving glasses , in addi tion to reading glasses . At the time he was half owner of a Yamaha agency and one of his customers was Kenny MilIhoIlin, a dispensing optician (prescription lens fitter) . He asked Kenny to look over his large selection of goggles to see if any could be fitted with prescription lenses. .After a few false starts, Kenny was abl.e to fit lenses into the Climax 513-S frame, which remains the standard frame for Ellie's product now. Ellie set up a drop-ball test for the production goggles. It consists of a five-eighths inch steel ball that falls down a four-foot tube directly onto the lens, which is supported by a rubber donut. "Let's see, where did I put my new goggles?" Ellie Taylor. His early goggles had heat treated lenses, but he occasionally would break one on the drop-ball test, so he invested in chemical tempering tanks. He has yet to break a chemical tempered lens in the drop-ball test. Ellie 's business is on a direct mail basis. When he receives an order, which must include a complete prescription from the customer's optometrist, he takes it to Kenny, who orders the glass blanks with the prescription ground into them. Kenny then uses a special $4;000 grinder to custom fit the edge of the lens for the Climax frame . The lenses are them chemically tempered for sixteen hours. Ellie then takes the lenses and hand fits and bonds them into the frame. The end. product is a work of fine . craftsmanship, which Elli e guarantees to his customers' .co mplete satisfaction. The basic Climax 513-S prescription goggles with clear lenses cost $54, which is a true bargain. Photogray and photosun lenses, as well as two other goggle styles, are also availab le. Ellie can be reached at P.O. Box 5023 , Santa Barbara, CA . 93108, or you can call him at (805) 969-0838. I have had my Ellie Taylor goggles for some time now, and they have really been a tremendous improvement over any combination of glasses and goggles/shields, etc. The only change I made was a personal one. 1 like 'th e goggles to fit tight against my face, this isn 't easy to do if you wear a full face helmet (Bell Star, etc.] and wear the goggle strap on the outside of the helmet. I replaced the fancy adjustable strap with a 25 cent s piece of elastic and wear the strap inside the helmet, which holds the goggle edge tighter to my face. One other note; if you coat both sides of the lenses with ArmorAll, the dust doesn't stick to the surface easily, and a swipe across .them with a sweaty glove during a race leaves them clean and not smeared. If you wear glasses, you should definitely write . Ellie about his trick goggles . _ • MIDNIGHT IZ midnight SALE Frl, Dec 5th 7 pm to Saturday Sale Saturday, December 6th . 9 am to 6 pm Everythlnc in stock at le~st IO~off A few examples: . Scott Goggles . Kids Goggles . BS Ltd.. MX Gloves .. Vesco Skinny-Fat Tanks. '. Viking Jerseys .'. Gol~ Belts S & W Shocks . Reg. Sale l'iGK Plugs - Oil Hi-Point - Malcolm Smith Boots $12.95 $10.00 $ 6.50 $ 4.00 Preston Petty Products 10% $13.95 $10.00 ALL Helmets . $45.95 $39'.50 $12.95 $'10.50 , $16.95 $13:00 All '75 & '76 Yamahas at the lowest prices $55.00pr $35.00pr IOIOW.Cha man Ave. Oran 30% Off 10% Off 20% Off 30% Off ever!