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Question About gear...

Kim

Kim

It’s cold in Colorado
Joined
Aug 11, 2008
Location
Erie, CO
Moto(s)
2017 SV650
Name
Kim
So I was checking out the newbie section of barf and looked at the website under "just a reminder to ride safe with pics.." holy moly what a thing to look at right after lunch (for those of you who havent seen it I suggest you do) Just puts into perspective how important wearing gear is when riding. I am going to be buying my first bike soon and have a question on gear. I currently own a textile icon jacket, black leather gloves, and frank thomas riding boots. i still need a good helmet and pants any suggestions? Also I was wondering is leather better than textile? And what do some of you guys wear? do you wear full leather suits? Can you wear regular clothes underneath or do you bring a change of clothes to work with you? money is no option, im poor as heck but i will save and sacrafice to get the proper gear.
 
Any DOT/SNELL approved helmet should be sufficient, as long as it FITS your head well. It has to be very snug, but not too tight.

Leather is definitely better than textile, as it can slide in the asphalt for a bit without tearing up. A textile jacket will burn and rip up in a high speed slide.

Do yourself a favor and head over to Road Rider in San Jose - they will help you out.
 
I prefer leather everything in case that day comes where the gear is tested. From what I have read textile is better than nothing and will in most cases protect you in a crash just fine. It is worth saving up for leathers, and they also make 2 piece suits for the days where just a jacket, gloves etc.. Seems necessary.
 
Yes, leather is generally superior to textile. However, there are some low quality leather products (poor stitching, etc.) and high quality textile gear (Aerostitch). And the best helmet is the one that fits you best. My personal favorite is the Shoei RF-1000 but this may not fit you well.

When I ride to work or some such place, I wear a leather jacket, leather gloves, armored textile pants, and moto-boots. I bring a pair of pants in my bag and have shoes in my drawer at work.

When i ride the twisties, I wear a one-piece leather suit, leather gloves, and moto-boots.
 
I wear leather unless it's pouring rain (I have textile waterproof gear for that). I wear my work shirt under the jacket, and bring pants with me; I leave my shoes at work.

If you passed the MSF recently, many shops will give you a discount on gear; Cycle Gear gives a one-time discount that's something like 20%. They also have a 'max clearance' section that's been good to me, where gear is 20%, 40%, or 60% off depending on how long it's been there. Since gear fit is so important, I prefer to patronize the brick-and-mortar stores where I can try things on.

If you haven't taken the MSF, consider it.

Boots-wise, I've come to appreciate having lateral bracing in boots. I came to appreciate that about the time that I was hobbling around with a snapped ankle from a relatively low-speed track crash.
 
full leathers when i go out riding on weekend.

work and any other time i always wear my dainese leather jacket and leather gloves. Sidi boots, and dainese knee pads under my jeans. i always keep an extra pair of sneakers at work to change out of the boots.
 
full leathers head to toe. Get the most expensive gloves you can as your hands always end up on the ground. Try to get everything quality. Dont skimp on gear.
 
thanks for all the great advice everybody and thanks scott for sharing that story it was a good read. i will definately be saving up to buy a leather suit. the only thing i was worried about when getting a leather suit is im...well.....im kinda top heavy if you know wat i mean:laughing and im worried about the fit, you guys look comfy in your leathers they fit so nicely... just imagine trying to find a jacket thats nice and snug around the waist and having to zip up past a pair of cantalopes:laughing...they are a pain in the ass :twofinger
 
Ummm....Here come the leghumpers?

But yes, as a general rule of thumb, leather is the way to go.

Fit is definitely important. Find something comfortable that you want to wear. The worst investment is in protective gear that you don't want to use for whatever reason (whether it be fit, design, or comfort).

Good luck, and ride safe. Take the MSF course if you haven't already. It would be best if you didn't have to test your gear out.
 
Kim, sounds like you're female? It'll be harder to find off-the rack (no pun intended) gear to fit. Dainese make good female wear though $ and often proportioned for Italian chicks. The Dainese Store in SF is a good place for a large selection, though more local places like Cycle Gear will carry Dainese too. Frank Thomas and ICON have some women's wear, though I'm slightly skeptical of their quality (then again, if that is the only gear that fits, it's better than no gear). TILT makes custom one and two piece suits. I know nothing about them other than some BARF folks have TILT suits, but it's relatively inexpensive for a custom-fit.

I wear underarmor under a 1 piece riding suit if I'm in the twisties. If it's a two piece and I'm commuting, I tend to wear underarmor bottoms and a T-shirt up top. I carry regular clothes with me if I need to change (or sometimes in the City I wear textile overpants over jeans).

Helmet--get whatever fits and has a chin bar, i.e. full face. Other than comfort and features, helmets largely the same (though there's all kinds of debate that I could spark with that statement) as long as they are DOT/SNELL. Wear it around in teh store for 30 mins to make sure it fits. No, I'm not kidding. And don't spend $600 on some replica helment and then not have $ for pants. Don't be one of those morons.
 
There is always made to fit gear if the off the rack stuff doesn't do it. Or a good tailor could take in the waistband of your jacket if you find the one that fits your shoulders etc right.

I wear leather all the time. When it's too much of a pain to have leather pants/one piece on I will either do a textile bottom that will fit over my pants, or just wear the pants w/ knee pads under.

No matter where I'm going I will always wear a very nice set of boots. Roadstergal is right, a broken ankle from an otherwise minor crash sucks. Get good boots! And if you ever plan on riding in the rain make sure they are waterproof :) soaked feet all day at work is no fun:laughing
 
Gear

Read My Wreck,
I describe my ordeal. I was wearing a textile dual sport jacket (lots of pockets) it was Kevlar with body armor made in Germany top quality. AGV Kevlar gloves and a Shoei helmet my Arai had been benched. Here is the rub I was not wearing my boots and this is where I am torn had I been wearing them because of how the accident happened I might not have a lower leg. Read the article and you might understand it is pretty graphic. However most instances I suggest wearing a good set of foot gear. I also have Vanson leathers and I would have to agree that I think leather is better as long as it is quality motorcycle gear and get it with armor or reinforcements or you may as well be wearing denim if not. Textile is the same as cheap is not the way to go there are affordable choices but not cheap if you want cheap forget riding. As for fitted for women...I have to say that in todays market thank god that people are finally making top quality gear to fit all women it is about time. Good luck and welcome to the world of riding.
 
Make sure any gloves you buy will absolutely not come off. Gauntlets are good. Leather isn't enough. You need to have armor as well for knees, elbows, shoulders, hips and back. T-pro makes a lightweight high-tech armor but it's not cheap. I've spent alot of money on gear but one accident can cost much more. I also wear a Shoei RF 1000 and love it because it fits just right- again, the most important aspect. Shopping for gear is fun, especially at work. . .
www.newenough.com
 
Quality leathers have always been superior to anything else. However, from a practical standpoint, it's hard to beat a quality textile suit like those from Aerostich.
 
hey thanks guys. man i love barf. i have taken the msf course and i did buy a jacket it was the icon textile jacket, thing was that the time i took my msf it was literally 100 degrees outside by 9am! so i couldnt wear it becuase i was getting over heated. but yea got some PM's and have been suggested some people to talk to. thanks again everybody for the help. ill be looking into some leathers. maybe i can get my boyfriend to buy me the suit for x-mas and my birthday considering my b-day is the day after xmas :)
 
Look into perforated leather. My daily-use jacket is perforated leather; it's well-ventilated and cool during the summer, and when the weather gets chilly, I just zip in the liner.
 
Summer=perforated leather jacket, summer gloves, FF helmet, Draggin' Jeans, moto boots.

Warmer days other seasons=same as above but non perforated leather jacket and possibly the warmer gloves.

Cooler days=Aerostich suit with winter gloves; lots of high speed getoff survival kudos on their website, I've had mine more than 10 years. Fantastic piece of kit. I could actually wear it all year round as it vents quite well, but it has a little bit of a dork factor...just like race rep leathers on the street do as well.

There may be cheaper suits than the Aerostich, but none is better.

You have only just BEGUN your moto wardrobe.

It never ends.

Enjoy.
 
Can't speak on the cantalope factor... however I have three sets of gear and I rotate depending on what I'm doing...

Joe Rocket textile 2-piece suit for when I'm just running around to the store and such, not pushing things.. I've been down in the jacket at 15mph and it has a small hole where it burned through near the end of the sleeve... so I'm not comfortable with it for any aggressive riding... took the knee pucks off and threw them away after that... it is not suitable for that type of riding.

A 2-piece Frank Thomas leather suit for when I'm commuting to and from Mountain View -> SF... does not have knee pucks but does have a zip-in liner for colder weather, so I don't go too wild with it on... plus it has some areas where I'm not too happy with the stitching... so anything more than just interstate runs we progress to the 1-piece....

And a Dainese 1-piece perforated Laguna Seca suit for those days when I'm running on 9, 35, 84 etc. running around a track or being a :squid. This suit actually ventilates really well... I'm going to buy another 1-piece that is not perf'd because it gets down right cold to ride around below 65 or so in this suit.


If I could get away with it I'd wear the Dainese suit all the time... but it is uncomfortable when doing anything but riding, and the textile suit is easy to throw on to just run to and from the store compared to the leather suit.

With all this goes one of my two HJC helmets, one of the two sets of Dainese gloves and a pair of A* boots.

Thanks for visiting my moto closet... now get out! :twofinger

This is just your first set of gear... you will gain many many more sets as you ride more. Keep the sticky side down and enjoy the ride. :teeth
 
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