Where to start w/gear?

[Jss]

any suggestions on helmets,jackets,pants riding jeans or boots? Thx

[MT07Kev]

For a nice deal on a jacket,  you could try ironpony.com they have the Roland Sands Zuma Leather Jacket for only 168.99 Msrp is 750.00 so it's a steal of a deal, i bought one and love it, sizing does run small and there is no cold weather liner ( Spring Summer Early Fall), but what a jacket for the price!   You can also purchase through their Ebay store.  As far as boots or helmets Icon quality is top notch and last's forever! (highly recommend).  For Gloves, Olympia 710's 711's Gel Reflector's are a nice choice for daily use  (non track).  You can find those on Ebay with most sizing still available versus their site.

[Jss]

Not sure about the leather jacket only bcuz I live in Sacramento & I always run hot. But I’ll check those out.  Thx for the reply 

[cyow5]

4 hours ago, Jss said:

 I live in Sacramento & I always run hot. 

This is a huge detail. A well-reviewed winter jacket in North Carolina is different from one in West Virginia even. Same for summer jackets and pants. And then there's personal preference - do you call people decked out in full gear "power rangers" or "cautious"? Personally, I want full gear but I don't like the power rangers look, so I have kevlar jeans with removable knee pads. I can wear these jeans all day at work, so that's a big plus, but the big detractor is that they are hotter than hell itself. I didn't know the top of your knee can sweat, but it turns out it can. Same for boots, I use TCX boots since they have a lot of casual styles but still have some protective features. 

[Beemer]

6 hours ago, Jss said:

any suggestions on helmets,jackets,pants riding jeans or boots? Thx

Here we go again!  I recommend doing a search on gear, etc, in the gear review section.

[Jss]

We’ll do .thx

[shinyribs]

Gear is highly subjective to personal tastes, temperature and comfort tolerances and affordability. For reference, I line in SW VA, where it's hot and humid. But I also work outdoors year 'round and am pretty temperature tolerant. Sorry for getting longwinded, but here's my take. 

 

General overview:

A-Buy used whenever possible since gear can be very expensive and you won't know your own personal tastes in gear until you wear a few different things. 

B- Buy the most protective thing you can while still remaining comfortable enough to concentrate on your riding.

 

1- Helmet fit is crucial to both safety and comfort. A too loose helmet not only won't protect you, but it will jitter around at speed and drive you nuts. Too tight has it's own obvious issues, just like wear eyeglasses. Personally, I like to checkout helmets' scores on the SHARP helmet tests website. Much more idea of what protection you are actually buying. Strongly consider a PInlock visor. It's worth it's weight in gold IMO.

 Helmet tip- you can buy last years graphics for absolute steals sometimes. 

 

2- Jacket- I have mixed emotions here. Some textiles offer equal or better abrasion resistance than leather, and some leather is so thin it's useless. You really have to look at the exact material on each garment.  For starting out, I would consider buying an affordable textile jacket that can get you through a few seasons. I'm a big fan of BiLT's Apollo textile jacket. For around $65 you get a legit protective jacket that CAN be worn 4 seasons. One of the very few pieces of BiLT equipment I will ever vouch for. 

Jacket tip- if you do lots of long distance touring, THICK leather is sturdy and won't flap around like textiles do at speed. It's very exhausting when your gear is pulling you around like a sail.  ALong the same lines, a jacket should fit you snugly. Gear is a second skin, not something you want flopping around loose, allowing the armor to roll out of position when you crash. 

 

3- Boots- Goretex works,  waxing/waterproof sprays are extremely temporary. No street boot ever seems protective enough to me ( including track boots) after growing up wearing dirt bike boots. I just shot for waterproofness and good soles that will grip a wet road well. ICON Elsinore look like a fashion statement, but are actually an extremely protective well built boot that would be my go-to if the ever came out with a Goretex version. Never felt safer or more comfortable in a street boot. 

Boot tip- Boot soles with pronounced heels suck when your heel gets snagged on  peg and you can't get your foot where you want it in a hurry. 

 

4- Rain gear- Buy a simple rain suit,  1pc or 2pc. Waterproof gear that has liners or membranes always fail, but the liner/membrane always remains to make you miserable ( like wearing a trashbag). Buy a rainsuit to wear when needed and just keep it strapped on the back seat. 

 

5- Gloves- Buy the most protective thing you can afford while keeping enough dexterity to work the bike.

 

6-Pants- Highly subjective to personal tastes. But the basic "buy the best you can afford and wear comfortably" applies here. I can't see leather ever being comfortable for me, so textile it is. My legs never overheat, so I buy waterproof here just for added insurance.

 

*Note- if you buy matching brand  jacket and pants you can typically zip them together at the waist. Not only is that a safety factor ( keeps jacket from riding up during a slide), but it's also a huge comfort factor. The jacket will act as suspenders to keep your heavy riding pants up, and no wind will sneak up the waist allowing the jacket to inflate or wind to get in. 

 

After lots of trial and error (and money spent) I have found that AGV, LS2 and HJC helmets fit my head. For every other body part on Dainese gear seems to fit my body. As a result, I buy nearly all my gear used since Dainese stuff is very expensive. 

 

My daily gear is: 

- AGV K5 S helmet w/pinloc.k $450+ new, paid $300 on clearance.

-Dainese Stripes perforated leather w/ added spine armor (BMW pad-$30) $650 new, paid $250 used.

-Dainese Tempest D-Dry. $280 new, paid $150 used.

-Dainese Four Stroke EVo glove. $280 new, paid $160 used

-Daytona Road Star GTX boots- $450 new, paid $150 used

-Olympia New Horizons 2pc rain suit. Bought new because it's too easy to buy ripped or burnt rain suits. 

 

I can vouch for the Daytona boots and Tempest pants being truly water proof. Close to 10k miles over the past year and not a single drop of water came through. Last weekend we rode through a downpour for about 7hrs straight. The hood/neck gaiter on the Olympia rainsuit kept the water from migrating in around my collar. I came home perfectly dry and warm, my riding buddies in Frog Toggs couldn't say the same. 

 

Honorable mention for my own el cheapo Bilt Apollo textile jacket. Over 60k miles and it still looks new. Been down on pavement twice and it saved my bacon while living through the hit/slide. It fits me a bit loose, so it's now my mid-temp jacket I wear only when I need to layer. 

 

When it really gets cold (45f or below) I break out the Joe Rocket Survivor suit. Not waterproof enough to rely on in the wet season( seams and membrane leak in the seat) but plenty reliable to keep out snowflakes or light winter drizzles. I've ridden down to single digit temps in complete comfort with a base layer and jeans/tshirt underneath.  Kind of a poormans Roadcrafter. 

 

When it gets really hot ( 100f+) and I need to run errands in traffic I grab my mesh jacket. I feel so naked in it vs my perforated leather, but it's the point where reality strikes. I don't want to sweat up my leather and it's just too hot at that point. But on the open road and in the twistys it's leather all the way-  period. 

 

 

[AlbatrossCafe]

I usually start in 1st gear. I'll do 2nd gear ocassionally just for kicks, but I like shifting so 1st is fine for me.

[duenan]

Don't buy cheap/budget gear unless you are really that broke.  If you have the money to buy good stuff, buy the good stuff or you'll regret it later and buy it anyway and end up spending more money because you now own cheap and good stuff, and you no longer wear the cheap stuff.

[norcal616]

its best to fit/try gear on at local shops then order online if you found better prices... AGV makes good decent priced gear...

[Beemer]

Never-mind .... 

[thedriver1]

Coming from someone in Florida, riding where it's always hot: lighter textile/mesh jacket works well. Plenty cool as long as you're moving and anything will get hot sitting stopped in traffic. I see a lot of people riding with armored vests which will protect your chest but pretty much nothing else if you go down. Seems almost not worth it, especially since I've heard some are multi-hundred dollar pieces of gear. I've been running a REVIT GT-R Air for the last couple years and it's been very nice. 

 

In terms of helmet, walk into the closest Cycle Gear/motorcycle shop and try stuff on. Make sure it fits and has no weird pressure points but still holds your head steady. Make sure it has SNELL and/or ECE rating, DOT isn't enough. I run an HJC FG-17 which I probably overpaid for at the motorcycle shop but it's been comfy. I got a smoked shield for it and use it anytime I'm out during daylight and it works much better than sunglasses. I also bought my gf a Bell Qualifier with transitions shield. The shield is cool but I've heard people say it doesn't transition fast enough. Her helmet seems to cut through the air with less turbulence but fits me very loose, so I can't wear it comfortably. 

 

I just bought the coolest looking affordable Alpinestars gloves on Revzilla. Took awhile for the palms to wear in so the joints between leather panels weren't uncomfortable, but they work fine now. Make sure whatever you get has knuckle protection, it's already saved me once.

 

That's all the gear I started out with, whatever pair of jeans and ankle-high boots you have sitting around is fine to begin with if you're trying to not spend too much money on gear. You can add to the collection later as you need or can afford more! I think I got started for about $500 and then added another helmet, jacket, and boots as I could afford them. That reminds me, I've been meaning to pick up a pair of proper motorcycle jeans for awhile...

 

Btw, nice bike, red is the fastest color  

[longrider1951]

On 9/11/2018 at 12:51 PM, duenan said:

Don't buy cheap/budget gear unless you are really that broke.  If you have the money to buy good stuff, buy the good stuff or you'll regret it later and buy it anyway and end up spending more money because you now own cheap and good stuff, and you no longer wear the cheap stuff.

So true.  "A poor man can't afford cheap things". That's a quote from my grandfather and I find it to be very true.

[longrider1951]

On 9/11/2018 at 10:41 PM, norcal616 said:

its best to fit/try gear on at local shops then order online if you found better prices... AGV makes good decent priced gear...

Dealerships Looove when you do that, especially if you tie up the parts guy for 20 Minutes or so.  Bargin with your dealers, but support them. If you don't you'll have nobody to repair your bike or advise you.  There's over a 125 years of experience behind the counter where I work.