What is your opinion of sufficient Moto Protective Gear?

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ThrillbillyCC

ThrillbillyCC

Wannabie Member
Before I start I want to say that I am asking this question because I am in the market for my first motorcycle and of course along with that comes Gear....

Helmet...definite no brainer...

but what do you guys have? Should I be buying field armor, kevlar pants, proper shoes, shin guards...etc etc?

I understand the more gear the better...but some of this is very expensive...what type of gear in your opinion will give me adequate protection for someone who might not have thousands to blow on tons of gear.

After I look into some of your suggestions for great gear (the bare essentials) I will get that gear and then save up for more but I won't be able to provide maximum protection all up front.
 
A good pair of gloves to start with, preferably leather :P as often it's the first part to hit, I wear them all the time, in summer and winter (though I have winter gloves) often people say "I've got hand guards on the bike that'll do" just remember they dont come with you when you fall.

I have a good pair of bike boots, well padded to protect and support you ankle when you fall.

I have a 2 piece textile thing top and trousers, not as good as leather but much cheaper and still does the job, with some nice padding to absorb shocks, water proof and cold proof, it's all I need all year round.

Hope this helps =)
 
If you can get it , i would reccomend RST clothing. they are high quality and are not exactly going to force you to re mortgage your home.

the RST tractech textile jacket goes for about £125 which is about $200
The pants are about the same price.
you can also get quality gloves and boots from them. :)

Personally you should have moderate gear covering all your body than a couple race spec clothes covering part of it.
 
If you are a sensible rider! You will go by ATGATT (All the gear all the time)

So from top to bottom I wear

HJC Helmet
RST Textile Motorcycle Jacket
RST Leather Winter Gloves
RST Textile Motorcycle Trousers/RedRoute Kevlar Jeans
RST Motorcycle boots
(RST gear seemed to be on offer at the time!)

The Helmet is the only legal requirement, But if you think who'd be better off in a crash, A guy with all that gear on, Or someone in a shirt and jeans...I know who I'd want to be in that situation

I get alot of people preaching to me (Who haven't even got bikes) why do I wear gear on a 125? They can't seem to wrap their heads around that 70mph is 70mph no matter what bike you are on.

But at the end of the day it's up to you what you choose to wear, You just get alot more respect from other bikers if you gear up correctly I find :)
 
bare minimum i wear is leather trousers motorcycle boots leather jacket and always gloves and helmet(no matter how hot it gets )
i've had a few unscheduled dismounts and this will save your skin
i dare say some of the modern bike gear is great i.e lighter more comfortable but its the old adage you only get what you pay for the more you spend etc etc you may think its expensive but what price do you put on your protection
lucky for me fat bikers bounce ;)
 
IRDUG,
I will definitely consider ATGATT on the road..what you described seems to be the types of answers I am searching for...basically what do you ride with thats affordable...and suffiecient enough to cover you...


when I have enough money though...my idea of wearing gear will be
chest and back field armor
gloves
Shin Armor
Helmet
Biker Shoes
and a protective biker jacket
I'd prefer to be a steel fortress than be just "warm" lol
 
What I did far before I got my bike was buy a bit at a time, Was a tease but it worked out better financially. Another tip I would suggest, Try on gear in Motorcycle shops, Then go online to see if you can get them cheaper. Especially with Helmets, you want to try before you buy :) needs to be a good fit
 
besides motorcycle gear manufacturers...what are some good websites that sell a large amount of gear for cheap?

I know about cycle gear but they aren't cheap are they? Are there any websites that sell usually significantly less than the company website?
 
I've got pretty basic stuff (because I'm a poor student)
But it's all stuff that works, I wear a Weise summer Jacket with Knox armour protection in the elbows, shoulders and back, which I picked up for £90, rst trousers with substantial armour for £70 and cheap bike boots, £65. Bargains will be out there, it's just looking for them in sales and stuff, it appears I'm not too bad at that haha
 
Sensible is ATGATT.
Risky is anything less.

Personally there are only a handful of times I have not been ATGATT, and that would be wearing jeans instead of biking trousers. I don't have experience in the modular armour so can't comment there.

Full face helmet (nothing less, but that is my opinion)
Jacket (leather or textile)
Trousers
Gloves
Boots

and the MOST IMPORTANT piece of gear you will never need........

NECK WARMER!!!!
 
For everything other than your helmet (always buy a new one) eBay is your friend if you're on a budget. You could probably get kitted out with decent used textile jacket, trousers, gloves and boots for £180 easily. Maybe much less if you watch out for the bargains.
 
Should you wear glasses then a full face helmet with flip up chin guard is great. Well worth it!

Caberg full helmet (with chin flip up)
Neck Buff
Akito Nylon/Polyester jacket
Leather gloves
Hood motorcycle jeans (Kevlar lined)
Tommy Walsh braces instead of a belt
Alpine Star leather boots.

Of the above the jacket and boots were secondhand.

Good hunting.....

Don
 
Definitely must-have:
- Helmet
- Gloves
- Jacket
- Knee protectors
- Boots (army boots are "apparently OK". I still wouldn't give up my motorcycle boots)

Additional stuff that can come in handy:
- Forcefield back protector
- Leather trousers with reinforcements

Gear isn't like speed. It's good to overdo it.
 
IRDUG said:
I get alot of people preaching to me (Who haven't even got bikes) why do I wear gear on a 125? They can't seem to wrap their heads around that 70mph is 70mph no matter what bike you are on.
Click to expand...

That really irritates me.

Next time, tell them to run as fast as they possibly can (which is probably about 7mph) and then trip them over as they come past you. They'll almost certainly be bruised and bleeding, and maybe even have breaks or a slight case of death.

Now tell them to do it again from 30mph.

Unless they're dead, of course - then you might want to just run before anyone catches you.
 
gpzDave said:
For everything other than your helmet (always buy a new one) eBay is your friend if you're on a budget. You could probably get kitted out with decent used textile jacket, trousers, gloves and boots for £180 easily. Maybe much less if you watch out for the bargains.
Click to expand...

I got my pair of Sidi Vertigo Corsa XX Super-Turbo Thingymajig boots off Ebay almost new, because the seller made a typo, for about £70 rather than £300! 8-)

As I used to be in a position where I could afford it, I currently wear:

Custom Halo leathers which were close to £1000
RST GP Pilot gloves - around £40 (they've lasted many miles and I'd buy them over £120 Alpine Stars)
Sidi Corsa boots (as above)
AGV Stealth helmet - £160

RST leathers are damned good for the money, if you're on a budget. I had a £500 Shoei helmet once, loved it, killed it in a crash, and am pretty sure a £100 helmet would have done the job just as well.
 
NastyEvilNinja said:
IRDUG said:
I get alot of people preaching to me (Who haven't even got bikes) why do I wear gear on a 125? They can't seem to wrap their heads around that 70mph is 70mph no matter what bike you are on.
Click to expand...

That really irritates me.

Next time, tell them to run as fast as they possibly can (which is probably about 7mph) and then trip them over as they come past you. They'll almost certainly be bruised and bleeding, and maybe even have breaks or a slight case of death.

Now tell them to do it again from 30mph.

Unless they're dead, of course - then you might want to just run before anyone catches you.
Click to expand...

Perfect example. People also forget that when you crash on foot (i.e. being tripped up), you'll just fall flat on the ground, or might roll a couple of yards.

On a bike, at 30mph, unless you hit something head-on, you'll slide. And slide. And slide. Until you meet that gutter/roadsign/tree/hedge/parked car. This paper is mostly correct in terms of maths on the subject.
Assume that you get knocked off at 30mph - you're looking at 80-odd yards of skid/slide. Suppose that halfway there (i.e. at roughly 20mph, due to friction not being strictly linear wrt distance), you hit a tree. The result is effectively that of a 100m sprinter having a head-first crash into a tree. I'm sure you get the idea.

This is why gear, no matter where you're going, no matter how you're getting there, is always valuable. And anyone who tells you otherwise needs to go back to drive their car and stop giving others advice on something they have no clue about.
 
IRDUG said:
I get alot of people preaching to me (Who haven't even got bikes) why do I wear gear on a 125? They can't seem to wrap their heads around that 70mph is 70mph no matter what bike you are on.
Click to expand...

Me too, I ride with full gear on my 50.
Worst is when I ride into college, because am seemed to wear more gear than the other bikers.
 
Most riders in my area just wear shorts and sandals it seems...I am heavily dressed in comparison with a helmet, gloves, jeans, sneakers, and usually a hoodie. I do have a leather jacket for cold days though.
 
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