I live in California and we have, for the most part, had a pretty benign winter. The riding season is about eleven months and three weeks long here. In other parts of the country they are still playing hide and seek with the cold and the wetness while the motorcycles remain under wraps. Spring has yet to arrive for them but when it does they will be going through, once again, what I am going through with this rain of pollen.
My sister isn’t bugged by allergies. I most certainly am, its genetic roulette. When riding a bicycle, scooter or motorcycle during springtime you are in essence turbo-injecting pollen into your sinuses. There are two conventional ways to lessen the effects of pollen Rhinitus. One is to wear a filter mask over your mouth and nose while the other is the resort to chemistry.
There is guy in my neighborhood who rides a black Sportster; he dons a beanie helmet and a skull face mask on his head. Whenever I catch him out of the corner of my eye I am always slightly startled. Yeah, I know, that’s the idea. If you wear an open face helmet or a beanie helmet you can wear a face mask that will act as a filter to keep the pollen from your mouth and nose. A Freddie Kruger All Hallow’s Eve party mask is not gonna do it – you need a filter.
There is a company that makes a mask for motorcyclists which has a replaceable charcoal filter inside. Clever. They come in all flavors from a shade of delicate pink to a Halloweenesque skull mask. I have forgotten where this company is but if you know about them please post a link. When I ride a bicycle during that period when the gods of hay fever are in high dudgeon I wear a standard 3M (or substitute) H95 dust mask. It works pretty well but doesn’t help the itchy eyes much – more about that in a minute. I cannot wear a mask with my full face helmet because the fit is pretty tight so I resort to chemicals when on the moto.
If you don’t want to go the face mask route you can try the chemical regimen. There are anti-histamines and anti-allergens out there that do not make you drowsy. Before you go riding you should absolutely know how any of these products will affect you. Needless to say do not take anything that will make you drowsy or in any way disoriented. I leave it to you to do the research on this because there is a lot of good information out there. Here is an excellent start: http://www.webmd.com/allergies/living-with-allergies-11/rhinitis
My personal tea is a generic version of Flonase for the sinuses and Patanol eyedrops for the itchy eyes. It works reasonably well for me. YMMV. Once again, if you know who makes those masks with the filters let me know. I want to try one out on the bicycle rides – and soon.
Gerde Applethwaite
