- This topic has 9 replies, 4 voices, and was last updated 15 years, 11 months ago by SilverStorm.
Good gear for new rider?
-
AuthorPosts
-
May 23, 2008 at 7:32 pm #1409SilverStormParticipant
Okay, so before I even get a motorcycle I want to be sure I have all the protective gear. It would kill me to have a motorcycle and not be able to ride it cuz I don’t have the right gear for it. So what would be the good “first timer” kind of gear, like leather, textile, etc.?
The place where I live (Utah) has hot summers (sometimes getting over 100 degrees) and cold winters (sometimes getting below zero) so I will need vents and liners, if not two different sets of gear for the seasons.
Additionally, I would need a place to shop for it. I checked out newenough.com and, while they had some good stuff, I noticed their woman’s section was pretty limited. **I am petite so small sizes are a must.**
Basically, I need advice on what kind of gear to get and a good place to look for good beginner gear (possibly a brand?) that won’t kill my wallet. Thanks for all the help and have a fun (and safe!) time riding!
P.S. Haven’t taken all my measurments yet, but I have a 22 inch head and my shoe size is 7-7.5 (MAYBE an 8 but very rarely) depending on the shoe. I also have 7 inch hands. Dunno if this matters but maybe it will. Also, how do helmets hold up when compared to winter and summer? Would I need two separate helmets for the different seasons?
Oooooh
And our freedom is consuming itself
And all we’ve become is contrary to what we want
Take a bow
-Muse, Take a Bow (lyrics)May 23, 2008 at 7:37 pm #6617ShannonGParticipantHey,
I just bought a Joe Rocket Cleo jacket and pants. They are for warm weather riding. The jacket is armoured mesh, with a zip-out waterproof/windproof liner. The pants have armour in the knees and bum (although I have to admit in my female vanity I took out the bum pads) and mesh on the front part of the thighs, so they don’t get to hot. I wore them to the movies last weekend and didn’t overheat. The two pieces zip together at the back for longer rides when you don’t want any wind getting in. I am very happy with my purchase and they are very comfortable to ride in. My bike shop had a deal on the two pieces together; i paid $350 CDn for both.Edited to say: as for helmets you HAVE to go try on different brands. You would be amazed at how differently they all fit.
May 23, 2008 at 7:49 pm #6620SilverStormParticipantThanks! I will have to check around the shops here (hopefully this weekend) but those sound really good. Sounds like a screamin deal at your shop; I’ve seen jackets for over $400 by themselves. Also, thank you about the tip on helmets. I’ve read something about the entire brand not even fitting the person’s head shape? I will definately be careful about that.
Ooooh
And our freedom is consuming itself
What we will become is contrary to what we want
Take a bow
~Muse, Take a Bow (lyrics)May 23, 2008 at 7:51 pm #6621ShannonGParticipantYou’re welcome! I hope you feel as wicked cool in your new gear as I do.
May 23, 2008 at 7:53 pm #6622SilverStormParticipantHaha me too! One thing I just DO NOT understand about people not wearing protective gear is that it makes you look that much cooler….*sigh* Unless looking like roadkill is cool.
Ooooh
And our freedom is consuming itself
What we will become is contrary to what we want
Take a bow
~Muse, Take a Bow (lyrics)May 23, 2008 at 8:23 pm #6624BenParticipantI definitely recommend getting both a summer and winter set of gear although you can get away without it. For my first year of riding I wore a mesh jacket with a removable wind breaker liner and a pair of rainproof textile overpants. That way in the summer I could put the liner in, and I could even squeeze a sweatshirt underneath the jacket to keep me nice and toasty.
Now that I’m coming up on my 3rd year of riding I’m collecting more gear. I now wear a Shift leather jacket 90% of the time unless it is too hot, then I switch to my old First Gear Mesh jacket. I still wear the overpants in all weather, but at this point I”m thinking about getting some mesh overpants for when it gets really hot.
I would recommend trying some stuff on in a store and taking a note on the sizes of the different brands and then looking online to see if you can get last years model for cheaper. That’s what I did for my shift leather jacket and I got it brand new off ebay for only 150ish dollars when it normally costs $250+. It was a model from a few years ago, but brand new so it rocks.
One thing you should buy in the store is a helmet like Shannon said. Make sure they have a good return policy too. I bought one helmet, took it home, and after 30 minutes of wearing it I had a bad headache and my forhead was red. I took it back to the store and switched it out for a different brand (i’m a shoei head really easily. It would have been a pain to mail back a helmet and hope the next one that I get fits.
Ben
~Best Beginner Motorcycles AdminMay 23, 2008 at 10:55 pm #6630SilverStormParticipantThanks to you too, Ben! I was considering getting textile/mesh (VERY sorry for the newbie question, but is textile and mesh the same thing?) stuff for my first year at least because I will probably be going lower speeds still (I’m a slow learner). Once I start hitting the freeway though, I will definately get myself some leathers. If I crash going that fast I just don’t think mesh will cut it (although I am probably mistaken, I’ve never ridden before; maybe mesh would last me one high speed crash, dunno how many times though haha). I will definately try on different brands/sizes of helmets and pick one that fits me best.
Another question: do boots hold up well through summer and winter (pretty extreme ones like I described in my first post)? I know that I should get some gauntlet style gloves for winter because they are the warmest, and maybe the shorter style ones for summer so I don’t heat up too bad. But I just am not very sure how well boots do in hot/cold weather.
Also, should I get a set of raingear (jacket, overpants, then the boot covers, etc.) or does the waterproof/water resistant stuff work just fine?
Thank you everyone for putting up with my incessant questioning and still giving me great answers and tips. Ride safe! ATGATT!!
Ooooh
And our freedom is consuming itself
What we will become is contrary to what we want
Take a bow
~Muse, Take a Bow (lyrics)May 23, 2008 at 11:14 pm #6631BenParticipantMesh is a loose woven fabric that protects against abrasion but also has great airflow. It terms of moto gear this stuff is probably on the lower rung for protectiveness, but loads better than just a T-shirt. Textile is better than mesh, and almost as good as leather when it comes to protection. The only thing with textile is that generally they only survive 1 crash and then you have to replace them, leather on the other hand can last more than one crash depending on the severity.
In most situations you will face on the street I would say leather and textile are equally protective. I only think leather matters when you start getting up to the higher speeds that racers do. Sometimes leather or textile gear will have mesh parts to allow airflow into key areas while still protecting well against the pavement.
When it comes to boots I wear mine all year whether it is hot or cold, they seem to do fine. I also only have 1 helmet that I wear. During the summer I can open up the vents in the helmet, and during the winter I close them (except the mouth vent to prevent fogging!).
I would try and make your winter gear water resistant if you can, thats what I did with my overpants. Also, my Firstgear Mesh Jacket holds up a LOT better in the rain than my Leather jacket, plus it dries a lot quicker. I was pretty surprised about that.
In the end I wouldn’t go crazy buying all sorts of new gear right away. If it’s hot when you get your bike just buy your summer gear, then when it starts to get cold you will have an idea what you like and what you don’t like when it comes to buying your winter gear.
Ben
~Best Beginner Motorcycles AdminMay 24, 2008 at 12:07 am #6634megaspazParticipantPerforated leather…
—
If there’s anything more important than my ego
around, I want it caught and shot now…May 24, 2008 at 12:11 am #6637SilverStormParticipantThat helps a lot explaining it to me, thank you. I understand a whole bunch more now haha Yeah, I don’t plan on going broke and buying all sorts of expensive gear only to find out that I didn’t really need it after all or it didn’t work out the way I needed it to, etc. That would just plain suck.
Since I will just be riding around the neighborhood for a while after getting my bike, I’ll probably just stick with mesh (armored mesh, like the Joe Rocket ShannonG mentioned earlier) until I’m ready to graduate to busier and faster roads. Until then, I’ll just get some good, sturdy boots, a pair of leather gloves (I’ve seen a pair that looked pretty good for cheap, yay for closeout items!), a full face helmet and armored mesh jacket and pants. I guess I’ll wait on the waterproof/water resistant gear until winter hits because until then, Utah gets absolutely no rain
That’s really weird about your leather jacket being less water resistant than your mesh one. You’d think that mesh, being the loose woven fabric you described it as, would get soaked pretty quickly while leather, being tanned animal skin, would be almost completely waterproof, although I’m not surprised the mesh dries quickly. Hmm…
Ooooh
And our freedom is consuming itself
What we will become is contrary to what we want
Take a bow
~Muse, Take a Bow (lyrics) -
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.