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I am interested in riding. I saw a guy go down on a GSXR who was wearing flip flops a thin white tee a helmet way to big for him and shorts... OUCH. The police officer doing the accident report said "He dressed for the ride not the slide." So my question is what kind of gear is needed for the slide? I plan on spending a good chunk of change on my riding gear so my skin won't look like the GSXR riders if I fall off. It rains a bit here too so something waterproof would be nice. Also is it safe to wear normal cothing under riding gear or can this cause some sort of adverse thing to happen that I haven't though of. I am not going to ask the what bike is best for a new rider as it has been said here about 8 billion times.
Oh and does anyone make camera systems for riding? If I ever wreck I don't want people wasting time saying what happend??? I'd also like the ability to record my rides so if I really get into this I can show new riders the kinds of things that can happen when you ride.

Guardian wrote:I am interested in riding. I saw a guy go down on a GSXR who was wearing flip flops a thin white tee a helmet way to big for him and shorts... OUCH. The police officer doing the accident report said "He dressed for the ride not the slide." So my question is what kind of gear is needed for the slide? I plan on spending a good chunk of change on my riding gear so my skin won't look like the GSXR riders if I fall off. It rains a bit here too so something waterproof would be nice. Also is it safe to wear normal cothing under riding gear or can this cause some sort of adverse thing to happen that I haven't though of. I am not going to ask the what bike is best for a new rider as it has been said here about 8 billion times.
Oh and does anyone make camera systems for riding? If I ever wreck I don't want people wasting time saying what happend??? I'd also like the ability to record my rides so if I really get into this I can show new riders the kinds of things that can happen when you ride.

You need:

A quality helmet that fits.
A quality motorcycle jacket. Leather is best, but some textiles are OK.
A pair of quality motorcycle pants. Regular jeans are NOT OK.
A pair of quality leather boots that cover the ankle.
A pair of quality leather motorcycle gloves with sufficient thickness and stitching.

All the gear, all the time. Dress for the crash, not for the ride. Etc etc.

This New Bikers Forum is chock full of threads with more details about every piece of gear than you can imagine. Just read through it.

Draggin Jeans are very comfortable, relatively cool, and have Kevlar patches in strategic locations so you don't lose any meat in a slide (knock wood -- I haven't had a chance to test them so far). They're reasonably priced (I think) at $100.

I always wear gloves, too. The ONE TIME I left the gloves in the saddlebags I took a rock on the knuckle at 60 mph. Never again.

Joe Rocket jacket with armor: elbows, shoulders, spine. Removable liner, so you're good from 45-90 degrees.

Helmet goes without saying. Mine's a Nolan modular.

---

I took my little video camera and mounted it on my bike using an L bracket and a strong magnet from Ace Hardware. I use a bungee cord as a safety in case it shakes lose. Makes pretty good movies, if a little bouncy. My intent wasn't evidence, but just a something to smile at during the snowy months.

I try and dress for the slide. I have a joe rocket jacket. I always wear long pants and my work boots.

Regular jeans pretty much fall apart on contact with the asphalt, don't trust them.

Personally, I'm a fan of cycleports Kevlar gear. I did a bunch of research before deciding what gear to get and figured that their air mesh kevlar is the most protective and versatile gear available. I'm really happy with my purchase.

The only downside is that its expensive.

Good Luck!

talldude wrote:Personally, I'm a fan of cycleports Kevlar gear. I did a bunch of research before deciding what gear to get and figured that their air mesh kevlar is the most protective and versatile gear available. I'm really happy with my purchase.

The only downside is that its expensive.

Good Luck!

+1 on the cycleport kevlar gear. I wear an air mesh kevlar overpants for my commute to work. Takes less than 30 seconds to take off or put on. It's fairly comfortable and built like a tank.

For weekend riding though I wear Slider Jeans, they are like draggin jeans just a little cheaper.

The first thing you can put "on" is taking a Basic Motorcycling Course. That will provide the skills that will help you get a good start.

Consider investing in the BRC, before you buy any gear.

P

tanitatt wrote:

talldude wrote:Personally, I'm a fan of cycleports Kevlar gear. I did a bunch of research before deciding what gear to get and figured that their air mesh kevlar is the most protective and versatile gear available. I'm really happy with my purchase.

The only downside is that its expensive.

Good Luck!

+1 on the cycleport kevlar gear. I wear an air mesh kevlar overpants for my commute to work. Takes less than 30 seconds to take off or put on. It's fairly comfortable and built like a tank.

If you want to upgrade, zipping into a Roadcrafter takes less than half of that... when you're learning.

Guardian: Lion_Lady is correct, get rider training first and foremost. After that you can go shopping at newenough.com and drool over all the cool gear.

Being a new rider I follow the quote:" All the Gear All the Time"

Jacket: Xelement w/ shoulder, elbow and spine pads, and removable lineing
Helmet Hawk Full Face
Leather gautlet Gloves
Boots Xelment Riding boots calf length
Jeans w/ leather chaps (lined)