Total Motorcycle Community Forums

Pittance wrote:I was looking at JR and teknic both. Do you know or have any experience with the different brands zipping together? Like if I bought a pair of teknic textile pants, would they zip correctly to the 8in (or perhaps 360?) rear zipper? Or is it usually only per brand? Also, how do you feel about getting pants that dont attach to your jacket?

Have you had any crash experience with any JR or tekic, or any, pants? Im thinking about getting textile pants (maybe even mesh) so I dont die in the summer heat of NC. But Im worried about having protection that wont hodl up on the asphalt. Thanks for your insight.

I've never used that zip together feature for both pants and jacket but from what it looks like the zippers could go together (rear zipper). I always wear mix different jackets companies with pants I don't go for the suit thing. Every gear I have experience some crash or another and many of which are still in good condition today... except for helmets.

Go for CE approved armor or something like it since it'll be better at absorbing impact... especially a jacket with a back protector. I went one step further in safety and bought an Icon armor chest and back protector thingy but it probably is overkill.

The chest pad might be a little overkill just for street riding, but the back protector is definetly a great idea. The blaster jacket I just bought has CE armor in both shoulders and elbows, and dual density pad for the bad (CE was another 80$! ).

Hey Respawn, do you have the names of that gear you posted? Especially the boots and helmet? Misspoke: Thats the reactor, not the blaster. =p

Pittance wrote:Hey Respawn, do you have the names of that gear you posted? Especially the boots and helmet?

I edited the original post, each picture now has the name of the product.

The el cheapo helmet has gotten REALLY good reviews from a few different websites, mainly totalmotorcycle.com It is definately a well made helmet.
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Pittance wrote:The chest pad might be a little overkill just for street riding, but the back protector is definetly a great idea. The blaster jacket I just bought has CE armor in both shoulders and elbows, and dual density pad for the bad (CE was another 80$! ).

Hey Respawn, do you have the names of that gear you posted? Especially the boots and helmet? Misspoke: Thats the reactor, not the blaster. =p

I read somewhere that in a crash the chest is another large target so I figured why not. Spending extra for CE padding for the back is worthwhile. It's a great feeling (somewhat) to be able to get up check yourself out then freak out about your bike.

Toss the Helmet... It could save your life. Helments can be compromised with even a few foot drop to the floor. You can pick up a new full face and a dealer for around $100 this will be an HJC with a snell approval. As for other gear..... Boots that cover the ankle (work boots will get you started) Gloves, Impact Resistant Glasses if you plan to ride with your shield up. As for riding Jackets... Check your bike dealer's clearance rack for last seasons closeouts. This should get you going.

I would suggest waiting until a local motorcycle shop has an open house - they usually have one every little while. Get there early, and in my experience they usually have stuff 20-30% off MSRP. Not a terrible deal, considering you can try the stuff on before you buy it.

I don't believe it's possible to over dress as far as protective gear goes.

I went down a few weeks ago and my jacket and pants really kept me from serious road rash and a broken knee cap.
I separated my shoulder and got bruised up but my gear did a great job in reducing my injuries.

I happened to wear my riding pants over my jeans that day because it was chilly out.
I normally rode with jeans only in warm weather.
I will never ever ride like that again. From now on it's riding pants every time.
If it's too hot, I won't ride.
I love all my body parts too much.

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After reading on another discussion board of a potentially broken knee that was most likely avoided because of CE-approved knee armor, I purchased a pair of Cortech DMX Denim Riding pants. They are only $80 and the cheapest riding pants I've found with CE-approved knee armor. I currently wear a TourMaster Intake jacket which I've previously praised, so I have complete CE-approved protection for about $230 total for jacket & pants. I wear mid-calf leather motorcycling boots made in the UK that I bought years ago for $100 and have recently bought a new Bell Sprint DOT & Snell approved helmet for about $150. (Bell introduced the full-faced helmet and their new Star II just received very favorable review in Motorcyclist magazine.) Bell also sells a perfectly acceptable DOT & Snell approved full-face helmet for $70 at some Wal-Marts, which has also garnered good reviews. So obviously you do not need a $600 helmet, $300 jacket, $200 pants and $250 boots to be safe on the road. Do a little research and you can outfit yourself with quality gear for much less than you'd think.