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Best advice I ever got was from my highschool shop teacher. Go , look, sit, feel , touch and talk til your hearts desire. Then go and grab you something at a decently priced sit down restaurant so you can have time to think things through without all the sales atmosphere around you.

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I can understand what your saying. I am currently sportin the NJK leather brand that Safetyfirst had posted about. The only anything I could find about them ( granted I don’t get frantic on searches for gear) was mostly on their web site. After calling the gentleman and talking with him for a few minutes I was confident that most if not all of what I suspected was true was in fact just that. Standards like I said are not bad for using as a judgment on what something is supposed to do. Most standards that I have seen or read only indicate the minimal it has to attain. For instance the crash ratings on cars, if you see them on the sticker in the window it states that this vehicle can withstand a frontal impact at Xmph….usually 35-45mph. Great whats that translate into 75mph? Squat.
NJK has no claims about following any standards, however what did grab my attention is the idea of using racing proven ideas and translating that over to their street wear. They have the armor in the shoulder and elbows just like that of most any safety rated gear. For me I find comforting that they put into their street wear the same knowledge that keeps the racers they out fit safe on the track.
For me it isn’t about the money as I suspect it wouldn’t be with you. However I do find it difficult to swallow a $400 Danese (sp?) price tag for the same standards that say a $200 jacket can boast. Will I pay more for proven performance even though it would not have a standard testing and rating….absolutely. Would I pay more for a company that claims they are at the standard or may even edge the standards a bit…no not really.
Honesty real world practice is more trustworthy to me then a financially driven standardization and commercial hype. I am not knocking any manufacturer as I am far from any kind of guru on the matter. Like everyone else I have to find things out through word of mouth. Had the NJK jacket (s) not been up to my perception and expectations they would have been promptly sent back.
I agree with you too about the “strong nylon” description. Nylon comes in various flavors and strengths and I am unsure what kind of “blend” he may be using.
The best “standard” I use is word of mouth. Private owners are not subject to profit by promoting something they don’t believe in. The average person will be happy to critique anything they try, give the goods, bads, and everything in between. If your unsure of a product try and find someone that has had them. See if you can find any performance conclusions from users that have had the misfortune of needing said protection and how well it held up.
The community here on BBM have been great for that. From Bens wreck to others. I would trust their experience more then I would a standard label, because they had to rely on it in real world experience.

[Munch]

The safest jacket?….. the one that doesn’t need to live up to it’s standard. Kind of like what you said about him, the best tests are real life conditions. Sand paper/hammer&anvil types are good for simulation but like digressing in a forum on “what should I have done different” equates to arm chair quarter backing. In controlled conditions those will perform well. Remember that the next time you have the fore sight to ask the car in front of you to stop in a way such that allows you to slide or dismount the way the jacket was tested.
Life and it’s disasters are chaotic. You can take sample tests…look at all the stats you want and get an IDEA of how things COULD go. Be almost certain that it will likely have a better chance of not applying to what reality kicks in for you.
Absolutely gear up for the wreck, but ride in a way that best limits your chances of having to rely on advertising and testing not to mention earned reputation should you have to have said gear perform to it’s standards.

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Here I have noticed the tail dragger will watch for you and give you the go around motion with his hand low to let you know it’s cool to go by. In a large group there is always a message relay system set up. Like Mega said, do something to grab their attention then with your hands and or turn signals give them an indication of what your wanting to do. Most of the time they will relay the message forward and the ride captain will signal back the all clear to allow you zip past.
As for the latter… yea like Mega… pull over and enjoy the scenery. Don’t really want to be confused with them as you never know what they are riding from. Guilty by proxy is still guilty in a lot of LEO’s eyes. Alternate routes are a good choice also.
Check with your normal ride group on what you need to do as a tail dragger and what signals may be involved with it. The group should have something set up to allow the group of whats about ot happen just in case the ride captains timing is off and the faster rider has to make a quick duck in on the group .

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Congrats. On all aspects….getting some good scenery in, not going down… and well….enjoying a ride with out a heart attack.

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Welcome. Wasn’t allowed to ride due to sports…. wth?! Sorry every one around me would get a big ole “Kiss my a$$” on that one. I am sure age had a little to do with that as far as decisions go but heck I was still pretty independent starting at about 15.
Looking forward to hearing about your new adventures in riding.

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Since it’s the first time in 7 years we are not having to work on the 4th. I aint doin jack. Gonna ride the bike into town and grab some grub but that’s about it.

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so your studying the numbers on people who are scared about something they can’t remember but is pretty sure it has something to do with someone following them and they are losing sleep about it and generally aint ot happy because of it…. that’s gotta suck.

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nice toy. Not sure the best position, but nice toy.
Personally as far as my bike goes… a GPS will not be an accessory. To much I gotta watch as it is. Don’t have time to figure out which buttons I need to hit at last minute, or wether I passed the turn the lil graphic told me I should have…. I barely look at the speedo as it is… which on your set up would be a good thing cuase I think you have it slightly obstructed.

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Kymco’s just came to my area. not sure how long they been around but they are a rare thing here. Reputation still has some years to build.

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Pfft that’s why I stick to a more casual type thing. I don’t care about PvP and I am more interested in the storylines. Kinda fits me since I grew up with the Choose your own adventure books.I have 2 80’s and various other levels. Death knight, Warlock druid rogue… I have one of everything but priest. I laugh every time I get on and see these comments in the chat channels about looking for more need to have X rating on this site and this many achievements. So sad that alot of people lose themselves on that game.

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Got the jackets in today tomorrow is my first ride in one. First impression… disappointed a bit by the “made in china” tag. Seems even the smaller businesses are going over seas for things. However looking over the Textile it is so much better quality then the Motoboss I got from Cyclegear last year. The armor in it is pretty stout and it is partial Cordura. I will see tomorrow about the air flow. The elbow armor is a bit bulky and very noticeable when your arms are down by your side. Gives you the look like you have something dangerous waiting to spring out. Maybe like the you have the elbows of the centaur type character from Mortal Combat 2. The arms are ergonomically “bent” for riding comfort and the fit was excellent. So glad I called and talked to the guy. Both jackets fit very nicely. The textile will be all I need, even I suspect for the surprise down pours I ride through from time to time. Which is good since I can use the room that my Frogg Toggs are taking up in my bag. The leather Jacket is very heavy and thick. Should I have an unscheduled get off I have every bit of confidence that this bad boy will hold up in a reasonable slide. Another thing I like about both jackets is that the cuffs are snug around my wrists. Something my other leather jacket did not do. Makes me feel better knowing that it will have a better chance of staying put in a slide rather then creep up to my bicep.
So far that’s first impressions. Tomorrow morning I will have better judgement as I ride to work. I will ride with the textile first as it’s mid 90’s here. Oh yea… the textile also seems like it is better suited for abrasion then the Motoboss.
There is armor in the shoulders, fore arm and back on both jackets. The textile feels a bit bulky with the back armor but I feel that’s more likely due to the skimpy one Motoboss had in theirs. My other leather jacket had no armor to speek of so that’s an upgrade in of it self.

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Ummm let’s see……seen an eagle , constant deer, couple of turkeys, had a beaver give me a WTF look, wild pig……. Alpacas, donkeys and horses are just as common as the deer oh yea and emu’s …..
I think the one qualifier I had I saw today… A black man…that’s right… a MAN…riding a red Ninja looked to be a 500 pimping a Pink sport jacket and riding pants complete with Hello Kitty patches. Now after wiping the tears from my eyes from the laughter I did a u-turn and yep sure as shit… it was a man…. or the woman had a damn good (or bad) plastic surgeon, depending on what the outcome was supposed to be. I truly hope it was some horrible frat initiation thing or a bet gone bad.

[Munch]

Goldwing is definitely too big for a starting run. They range from lower 1100cc’s and go up. The bikes are so heavy that most have an electric reverse which is needed to get the bike out of a parking spot. If I remember correctly most of them are inline 4’s also. Good touring bikes but nothing to learn the streets on.
Giving your experience… I would venture to say a Vulcan 900 in an Lt version would be a good start. Haevy for most beginners but as long as you are honest with your abilities you should be fine. A shadow 750 with bags and accessories would be a good start also, other could include:
Yamaha Vstar Silverado or Vstar 950 Tourer
Suzuki Boulevard C50
and anything of that range. Reasons I say the specific models is so that you can also get used to the added bulk and weight variations of loaded cargo space. The changes are minimal but if you load off balance it can and will make a difference.
Now these are just in the cruiser/ touring types.
Sport tourers will have to chime in with their recommendations.

advisory: By no means would I recommend these bikes for someone fresh out of MSF and never been on a bike. These models are heavy and can be difficult to maneuver in low speed tight turns without ample parking lot practice time and dedication.

[Munch]

Impressive!!!!! Wayy more of your derrier then I wanted to ever see however. I give you all kinds of respect for the way you are attacking the turns. I know I don’t have the mentality to do track days however. It would kick in the dare devil inside of me I long have tried to keep buried.
How close you figure your arms and legs are getting to the track?

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