Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

phenomenon in the United States, and somewhere along the line, he also created Hi-Point Racing Products. Product evaluation Hi-Point Baruffaldi Goggles By Bill Roetzer/Cycle Products Research Hi-Point Racing Products is-a company that provides high quality gear for riders. J~hn Penton, of Penton and KTM motorcycle fame, 16 was one of the founding fathers of the dirt bike Some' people who make aftermarket goodies for the motorcycle product consumer do not ride, let alone race , motorcycles. This' loss of personal expertise leads to some fairly strange products. on the market, the Hi -Point Baruffaldi goggles not being one of them. Baruffaldi should be considered as a fine piece of racing equipment for people who want and use the best. Because everyone who rides an off- road bike is not a p rofessional, we run our tests more or less for the average person who buys a piece of gear and would like a lot of . service from it , without pending time at his local goody store trying to get his money back and a lot of off-the-wall sales talk when he would rather be riding. With this attitude in mind we checked out the Baruffaldi's and this is what we came up with. The Baruffaldi goggles are imported from Italy and show the good design and craftsmanship found in better Italian products. We discovered the Baruffaldi goggles during one phase of our never-ending study of helmets . Problems occur when a helmet study takes place. For example, one particular set of goggle and face mask system will not work with all helmets, helmet sizes, shape of face , dust, mud, glasses , big noses, warts .. . all kinds of situations .have to be considered when goggles are use . We use three different test riders, all having different needs. Among the three, it was unanimous that, in a professional-use category , the Baruffaldis were the most flexible for helmet changes out of the (16) various types tested . This means that it will fit a lot of hats where as some more popular products would not work . The Baruffaldi racing goggles fit very well -inside a Simpson, Bell Moto III and Electro. The extra time it takes to insert the Baruffaldi in the current trick this month , rock guard type helmets, requires a little patience and adjustment, but what doesn't? The extra 10 seconds it takes to make a ' good goggle adjustment has saved a few from the old DNF. If you have ever thrown .your goggles away during a race and could not find them when it was all over, you know what I mean , Baruffaldi has a very broad lens and enough depth in the goggle to accommodate most eyeglass wearers. The Baruffaldis are built for protection and the ul tirnate in comfort. The goggles , designed. to s~al against the face, use a unIque, tiny adjustment strap located at the end of the head band where the band enters the goggle frame. This feature is incorporated with tension tabs (plastic), which make another adjustment that will spread the head band out and away from the helmet. The head band is generous both in width and length and will fit securely on even the largest helmet sizes. The band is attached with rivets to the goggle frame which prevents the band from tearing out as we foundin some goggles tested. . The frame itself is a soft plastic with a rib structure using two layers of closed cell foam for ventila tion and face support. The contact area around the eyes and the bridge of the nose is made with chamois. This , thin layer absorbs perspiration and at the same time eliminates irritation .a nd prevent the goggles from shifting around on the face . The chamois and thick foam backing is comfortable. The chamois is expensive and , the cost was not spared in the final product. The front of the goggle unit has a feature that was found only in the Baruffaldis, a vinyl nose flap that prevents dust particles from entering the goggles, acts as a pad between the goggle and face mask when attached and will offer some protection to the bridge of the nose when worn without the face guard. You can appreciate this added piece of vinyl as small as it is, if you have ever been hit on the nose with your head tilted down during a roost. The flap works with the rock guard helmets, either of the permanent or detachable type , like the Iron Jaw, for example. ' The goggle has a unique lens which serves several purposes. There are a variety of lenses to choose from; clear, smoke, amber, yellow and green. All have two small snaps built onto the lens to 'ca rry the tearoffs which also carry a snap and are attached directly to the lens itself. The only problem encountered with the Baruffaldis was that the tearoffs don't work that well. Same old story: Pull one, you get 'em all. The tearoffs can be fixed so they will work with a little extra effort on your part. , The lens has been a problem with , most goggles. It comes out easily, but trying to get it back in is a pain-in-thebutt. Not so with the Baruffaldi. There's a guide tab at each end of the lens, and they snap right in and stay secure. Depending on how sanitary you are with your goggles, this feature can save a lot of time and trouble, and it gives incentive to keep the lens ·very clean. Fogging is no problem with this system. We were very skeptical at first, since everyone claims "no fog." But the Baruffaldis came through with clear lenses every time. The chamois helps prevent this problem along with the ventilation properties of the goggle frame. Enough fresh air is allowed to flow through. The face mask is three-part and very trick-looking. The mask itself is made from a heavy gauge , clear vinyl with a wire mesh built in to prevent distortion and shattering. It's very strong. The wire ends were not clean-cut on our test goggles, but with a small points file can be knocked off quickly leaving a clean edge. This detail ,could use a little extra care at the manufacturer. The mask which has 53 quarterinch air holes to channel plenty of air to the face and mouth. It has a detachable, washable, two stage filter that is very effective because of its design. The rider breathes through nose and mouth and receives clean air from the formed channel in the front which holds the two-part filter system with foam and wire mesh and large rivets. The mask is hung from a four rivet-and -snap attachment at the lower part of the goggle frame . Easy on and easy off, a very important feature if you wear a couple of different helmets. The Baruffaldis would be considered expensive by normal standards. The goggle and mask together cost $25.50 retail , but if all the good features are considered it's cheap. . As I have tried to imply, you get a lot for your money. If properly cared for, like any other good piece of equipment, they will last a long time. The ones we used were tested for two months at least three times a week, and they still look good and do the job. Our Baruffaldis were dried, cleaned and stored in a soft bag each time they were used. They should last a year. Roger DeCoster's name is on the box, and "The Man" is very particular about what he endorses. He says he wears the Baruffaldis because they're the best. Usually the older guys know what 'good' is all about. The Baruffaldis . come in black, blue, red or white with filter to match goggle color, tearoffs included. •

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