[PhilUp]

Hi,

I just passed the BRC this past weekend and am on my way! I have been reading the posts on this site and have had a lot of my questions answered by y’all. I live in the Bay Area in California and hope to meet some local riders. I need to get all my gear first as I only have some Alpinestars gloves and a Shift hybrid jacket. Looking for some recommendations on gear like helmets, boots or shoes, and pants. After I am geared out, I plan to get a used ninja 250 as a starter bike.

I am wondering how long it took some of y’all before you felt confidant enough to hit the street.

[megaspaz]

Welcome to the forums.

for gear, i pick leather, except for rain gear when it rains. Anything Dainese for jackets, pants, boots, and gloves. For helmets, I’m currently recommending agv. Can’t go wrong with shoei or arai either.

As far as feeling confident on the street… kind of a chicken and egg problem. you won’t start getting confidence and experience until you hit the street. I hit the street and highway 3 days after getting my bike which was about a week after passing the msf. Was I confident? I guess so… but I’d say it was more 95% stupid.

[SantaCruzRider]

Congrats on passing the test. Where in the BA are you? I’m in Santa Cruz and commute to Sunnyvale — typically via Hwy 17 or Old San Jose Rd. and 85.
I’m a penny pincher, so I got most of my gear online from NewEnough and MororcyleSuperstore. My current setup is Teknic armored leather jacket, black armored Fox overpants, PowerTrip leathergloves. For boots, I used eitheran old pair of Harley engineer boots or zip up construction-type boots. I have an Xspeed helmet (DOT/Snell) and like it alot. I’m an advocate for buying helmets based on 3 criteria: fit, fit and DOT approval.
As for hitting the streets: You just have to jump in. You might start with rides during off-peak traffic hours (Sunday mornings are usually good in my area). Also, keep it short to start so your concentration stays high and your avoid fatigue that may come because you’re gripping everything too tight.
Have fun.

[eon]

To quote a Scottish self help book, “Dinnae be feart, grab life by the nuts” (I’ll leave the translation to you). I jumped straight into rush hour traffic in downtown Seattle. Admittedly I headed straight to the nearest quiet suburban area to practice but there was no way I could wait for the traffic to die down. But, you have to use your judgment based on the traffic and streets around you. Some places are just more dangerous than others.

As far as gear goes, I spent months reading every review on webbikeworld.com to find what suited my style and budget. It all got a bit confusing as there is rarely a bad review on there, it just comes down to personal preference and budget.

Bet of luck!

[PhilUp]

I tried the shoei rf-1000 which fit real well, but it is a little expensive. I did not even try arai because of price. I am thinking of going with a scorpion either the the exo 400 or 700.

[PhilUp]

Thanks man! I live in Mountain View but will be moving farther north soon, maybe the Redwood City – San Carlos area. I tried on a few helmets today in a couple of stores, and I am going to check if I can find them cheaper online.

[megaspaz]

I would go with the exo-700 if it was me. Scorpions are nice helmets though, but they don’t fit my head. You can pick up an agv stealth, the top of the line agv street helmet, for around 217.00 @ http://extremesupply.com/

[eon]

Be aware that the EXO 400 & 700’s are made from different material (forget what exactly) but the 700 is noticeably lighter. I got the 400 and I can’t say it feels heavy when wearing it. I could swear they size differently as well. I think the 700 large size seemed a lot tighter on me than the 400 large. Never heard anyone else mention this so maybe this is just me.

[SantaCruzRider]

If you haven’t already checked Cycle Gear, there are stores in Redwood City and San Jose. Good selection of helmets and you can spend a all afternoon trying them on. I bought my helmet there and was happy with the price.
I have no affiliation, but just got a flier that they are having a sale Feb. 5 from 7-9 p.m. Might be worth a stop.

[PhilUp]

I think we got opposite fits. The scorpions that I tried fit me well, while I just was not feeling the agv. I also tried on a suomy spec 1r only because it was a closeout. It felt really, really nice and much lighter than any of the other helmets I tried. Even on closeout it was higher than the exo 700, plus the scorpion was both DOT and Snell approved.

Some good deals on that link.

[Author]

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