Buying gear today

[capena91]

Hey Guys . I just bought my bike yesterday and I have to go pick it up later in the afternoon. Before I go pick it up I would love to buy my gear. I been saving my money from all my part time jobs since last summer so I am ready to get something with good safety in mind. But I really don't know what brands are good, and don't know what jacket, boots, gloves too look at lol. I appreciate the help guys.

Carlos

[Brackstone]

The best tip you'll ever get about helmets. Wear whatever helmet you like for at least 20-30 minutes. It takes a long time before a helmet starts to feel uncomfortable. When/if it does it gets painful pretty quick.

Also Be honest with yourself, if you have an odd or large shaped head look at Arai's helmets. I've purchased so many helmets and one of them really fit me well. My next helmet will be an Arai.

Check out this link below for not only good info about Arai helmets but gooo info about fitting helmets period!

http://www.araiamericas.com/support/Ara ... _sheet.pdf

[capena91]

Thanks a lot brackstone. I really fell in love with this sport but really do value my safety and it all starts with the helmet lol. Ill looking in to those and scorpion. Can you recommend any brands for the jackets boots and gloves

[mogster]

In all other aspects of life I avoid branded labels. However, I do main an exception for motorcycle gear. This is because I feel with a brand comes a "fit for purpose" certainty.

What you buy depends on what type of riding ie urban or long haul + weather.

Personally I have found Joe Rocket good for trousers.
I do have a gortex Triumph jacket but prefer my trusty leather!

Boots wise my Daytona's are after 5yrs still watreproof & the most comfortable shoes/boots I own.

Gloves are more personal fit - but try & get the best quality you can afford with some finger armour.

Good luck & enjoy!

[jstark47]

I have a general preference for Olympia gloves, I have several pairs in different weights, winter, summer, etc. They seem to be well made and offer good protection for the money. Not cheap but not over-the-top expensive either.

[Brackstone]

Olympia gloves were my first gloves and they served me well.
I owned a pair of Icon Gloves after that but I feel they broke down too quickly.

Oh another important thing if you buy a jacket with a liner NEVER LOSE THE LINER!!!
I've just learned the hard way that you cannot buy replacement liners. They (all companies) manufacture them on a 1:1 basis.

[JVRR]

One of the most important factors is comfort. A $20 pair of mittens on your hands will provide better protection than $100 race gloves you never wear.

You do not have to spend big bucks to protect yourself. Yes, if you can only get a good fit with Arai, go for it, but don't let anyone try to tell you a $400 helmet provides four times the protection of a $100 helmet. Take the liner out, both helmets are just fancy bicycle helmets on the inside.

What you really want to do is provide as much material between you and the pavement as possible. You can minimize the amount by maximizing some other properties, hence leather. I have a Speed and Strength jacket that ran me $200, a pair of Shift Kicker boots for $100, and Cortech F1 gloves for about $60, as well as a basic GM68 helmet. Hardly cheap, but as far as motorcycle gear goes- very cheap. All of it got me through a crash, and I trust all of it highly, and most importantly I wear it because it is comfortable.

I do want to find a good pair of pants, but in my wreck to be honest I did all my sliding on my "O Ring" (boots are still fine but definitely beat up) and my jeans with long johns did just fine. I want to invest in some overpants or at least kevlar jeans in the near future.

[totalmotorcycle]

FYI: Take a look at our Total Motorcycle shopping guide online: http://www.totalmotorcycle.com/shoponline.htm you might find some really good deals there (I screen all the stores) and if you do and buy from it, it will also support the Total Motorcycle community as a small $ goes to the site.

Mike

[Brackstone]

You do not have to spend big bucks to protect yourself. Yes, if you can only get a good fit with Arai, go for it, but don't let anyone try to tell you a $400 helmet provides four times the protection of a $100 helmet. Take the liner out, both helmets are just fancy bicycle helmets on the inside.

What you really want to do is provide as much material between you and the pavement as possible.

I agree that $400 does not always equal better protection because that's been proven. More money does not always equal better.

I don't want to get into a lengthy debate about this since it defeats the purpose of the thread but just putting material between yourself and the pavement is not going to help. I could strap cinder blocks to my head that would put much greater distance between my head and the pavement but would provide a lot less protection.

Hell I could make myself a Giant Leather Motorcycle helmet with 8 inches of leather one every side and that would still provide less protection.

Motorcycle helmets have multiple impact layers that absorb shock and spread force out. Some of the more expensive helmets (not all) provide much more protection than cheap ones that have less protective layers.

Buy what you think is the most comfortable I agree. But if you have extra money to spend anywhere I'd advise spending it on the helmet instead of something else because your head is the most important part of your body.

[Grey Thumper]

I'd also recommend supporting a local brick and mortar store if it's convenient, instead of shopping online. Partially to help keep people in business, but more importantly, to get the fit right. It's obviously important with helmets, but a lot of motorcycle clothing also has to fit pretty closely so the armor stays in place, to avoid stuff flapping around, and for better overall comfort. It's just quicker to try out different sizes and different brands in a real store.