Any ideas where to get some riding gear?

I just passed my L's and think I better go out and buy some riding
gear before I get my bike.

Does anybody know of any places that sell second hand gear (Western
suburbs of Melbourne) I'll get new boots, helmet and gloves but I
don't know if I'm going to stick with the bike (long story....don't
ask....) so I don't want to spend a fortune on a jacket and pants
until I know...

Any recommendatiions would be appreciated

 

Usually a helmet is the most expensive part of your riding gear, unless you
wanna wear a bucket with a hole cut in the side

It all comes down to "how much is your hide worth" ??? If you've just gotten
your bike licence, I'd be going with the best you can afford, even if you
are planning on not staying with motorcycling. You could try looking in the
Second hand section of the newspaper, or a hock shop. Dunno, I'm not from
Melbourne, so I dont know of any specific shops to go to. Just as long as
you dont go riding in a T-shirt, shorts and thongs. If you do, and you come
a cropper, you'll be in the hospital for a while getting the gravel scrubbed
out of your skin with that lovely peroxide stuff...

 

cash converters...

 

In aus.motorcycles on Sat, 5 Jun 2004 01:18:14 +0800

If you could be certain that more $$ meant measurably more protection,
and if that $$ was going on stuff to protect you from the crashes you
are likely to have, not the ones you aren't likely to have, maybe.

As it is, for most tentative riders, who aren't going to be doing
racetrack stints or offroad jumps, $$ is about durability and maybe
comfort in a wide range of temperatures, not protection.

So... to get starting kit, I suggest:

Helmet: don't get one that's 2nd hand, not only don't you know if the
bit that saves your bonce - the polystyrene inner layer - is in a fit
condition, you will find that the lid won't fit as well as a new one
that molds to your head not someone else's. So buy one of the cheaper
Korean ones like THH which passes Oz standards and will protect you as
well as the expensive kit. More expensive helmets have better fittings,
last longer, have somewhat nicer insides and fit a bit better. Get a
$200 or so helmet for your first, if you are going to stick it out then
you can look at a more expensive one when that one starts to get ratty
as it will after a year or two.

Jacket: winter is coming... So you will want something more or less
waterproof. The first stop for 2nd hand is pawnshops. They often have
bike jackets 2nd hand. Don't bother with leather in Melbourne this time
of year, get synthetic like Dri Rider or Rivet. I believe Ray Quincey
sells 2nd hand gear too, if not they'll know who does. An alternative is
to buy a leather jacket that you think you'll like to wear as a jacket
even if you don't keep riding, and then go to a surplus or rural supply
shop and get a set of wet weather plastics to wear over it. If you
go that route though, make sure the jacket is suitable for riding -
lightweight fashion jackets will do you no good at all and get destroyed
in a drop that a bike jacket won't even notice.

Pants: you'll need waterproof pants. If they have armour and such
that's nice, but it's not required. Realise that a lot of L plate
crashes are likely to be a three point landing - 2 palms and a knee -
and you will likely lose kneeskin. If you are willing to risk that then
don't bother about armoured kit. Especially if you aren't likely to go
out hooning, but just want to commute. If you think yo uare going to
hoon, then spend the money on something with knee armour. Otherwise,
you can get fairly cheap plastic pants from bikeshops or surplus stores.
If you buy non-bike ones, then get a pair of cycle clips or reflective
bands to clip the cuffs to you, else they burn on the exhaust pipe.
An alternative to 2 piece wets is a one piece wet that goes over your
leather jacket. Unlikely to find one 2nd hand though.

Gloves: it's important to have good gloves. In winter you will want to
be warm! Either get a fairing with hand protection, add dirtbike hand
guards, or get very good gloves.... You can do the waterproofing with
latex gloves over your gloves, but they are one use only. If you have
very small hands you can use washing up gloves over summer gloves, if
you don't them chemical workers gloves from a safety shop. For warmth,
either proper winter bike gloves, or silk or damart inners. I suggest
proper warm waterproof bike gloves, you can usually get cheap Spider
or Rivet. Hand protection is utterly vital for a rider, cold hands
that can't feel the controls also make for bad brainwork as they are
very distracting leading to a crash, and in a crash you will likely
damage ungloved hands - and most of us these days need our hands to
make a living. Leather or synthetic won't matter as long as they are
definitely motorcycle gloves. Don't buy 2nd hand skiing gloves in the
pawnshop, they are too bulky and slippery on the throttle leading to a
deathgrip on it and poor bike control.

Boots: you don't need bike boots. You do need something that won't come
off in a crash, that will help keep water out, and that will fit under
the gear lever. Something that's over the ankle is a good idea as it
can protect that vulnerable anklebone, but elastic sideds are no good
for that. You can get away with almost anything on your feet except
thongs though, so don't worry too much. For wet weather, get a pair of
"foot frangers" otherwise known as rubber overboots. Pretty cheap and
very effective. Make sure they fit your usual riding boots.

I suggest you budget $200-$300 for a helmet, $50-$100 for winter gloves,
$100-$400 for jacket and waterproof pants, and wear what you have on
your feet, preference given to something that covers the anklebone.

New helmet, new gloves , 2nd hand jacket, and cheap plastic pants should
see you fine through winter. As summer comes you might want a lighter
pair of gloves, every bike shop has a tray of cheap summer gloves.

Zebee

 

<snip>

Following on what Zebee said, if you can find jackets and pants with some
kind of padding it would be a bonus. If you've been following the NG you'll
know of one of the regulars who had an unfortunate mishap at very very slow
speeds that's left him out of action for a few weeks with significant
paint/discomfort and inconvenience.
Pay particular attention to Knees and Elbows because you'll miss them when
they're gone. As far as second hand leathers, I think there's a shop in
Elizabeth street, big open single story showroom with lots of second hand
bikes, that has a section of second hand leathers. Can't remember what the
prices were like but maybe with a look.
Ride Safe

TB
'03 CBR250R
'99 GSXR600
'88 CBR250R

 

I've only come off a bike twice since I started riding. The recent drop, and one when I was on my
L's. Both were the same type of accident (front wheel lockup under brakes approaching a
T-intersection).

However the first time it happened, I merely suffered a few abrasions and bruises. This time I am
trying to get the elbow moving again after having screws inserted.

The only difference I can think of between the 2 incidents is that I was going slower this time
around. Maybe the first incident, being a higher speed, had me slide along the ground. As opposed to
falling almost straight down and bouncing on the road.

That's it......I'm keeping my speed up when I get back on a bike! ;-)

 

When I started out learning I got a pair of them. They worked and kept the
water out but I found them to be very "slippery" when putting the foot down.
The shoe can move a bit inside the overboot when you put your foot down making
you think you're going to lose your footing. Very disconcerting feeling.

I also found them very slippery on shiny bits of road and road markings in the wet.
So avoid putting your foot down on arrows or line markings.

 

Wipe off 5 my ar*expletive deleted*

TB
'03 CBR600F4i
'99 GSXR600
'88 CBR250R

Howe's the storm dale?

 

Just got it home. ))))

Shuffled the bikes in the garage. Gawd the Blade sounds so wimpy compared to the Storm.

 

Most bikes probably are.

Care factor? ;-)

 

The VTR makes a beefier,more manly *crunch* when it hits the ground?

Postman Pat (mmmm---crunchy beef.....*drool*)

 

That sounds like Ray Quincey's. Also look at Cash Converters, I
bought my 2-piece "Union Jack"[1] suit there for $300.


BTH
[1] Gonna have to get me a Trumpy...

 

I grew my own padding, but didn't grow enough on my knees. I had to start
again three years ago.

 

That shop your referring to is Ray Quincey's second hand shop. He
usually has a range of items.

You could try ebay as well. After that huge fire a lot of ppl have
bought shit in the auction and are flogging it off on ebay. Some cheap
bargains around.

 

Make sure you have good shoulder, knee and ankle padding. I've had 2 crashs
on the track (1 at 150kmh) and 1 crash on the road (Green tyres)
and have only fractured my collar bone. The reason for that fracture was I
formed a protective box with my arms infront of me to stop my head hitting
the ground first when I hit the ground (Bike flung me off). The force of
hitting the ground caused me to send one of my fist into my collarbone
(Punched myself out he he), If I didn't have good padding on my arms they
would have broken aswell. With the factured collarbone I was riding 2 weeks
later. On my ridding boots you will see the scrape marks around my
ankles. If I didn't have that protection I would have had the ankle nub
ground off or posibly shattered. Rember they can't replace the ankle yet.
Well thats what they said at H.A.R.T anyway.

Finally Anyone who says you don't need good protection on the road as its
only needed on the track is a fool. Hitting a car causes more damange than
hitting the gound like I did. The More padding the better, doesn't have to
be expensive, just good quality.

 

In aus.motorcycles on Sat, 5 Jun 2004 21:22:38 +1000

Trouble is, there's a) no real way to know what will protect properly
and what's just "feel good" and b) most bike armour won't help if you
get hit by a car.

You assume your armour helped. you don't *know*. Not unless you do the
same crash without it.

Me, I've fallen off a lot more than that, and the only time I was
wearing armour, it cut me. Whereas in all the others, various bits of
me hit the ground and none of them armoured, none of them broken. The
one time I did get broken, the doc reckoned armour wouldn't have helped.

Armour's nice to have. It isn't required, and it's best not to think
that it's going to save you in all cases or even in most.

What works is not falling off. Given the choice between spending $500
on kit and $500 on training, do the training.

Zebee

 

You assume your amour helped. you don't *know*. Not unless you do the
same crash without it.

Ok you hit your elbows and arms on the ground at 150 with then without armor
and see who's better off. You just have to watch some accidents videos of
kids on skateboard seeing them hit the ground without protection. Only
minor falls seems to mess them up pretty bad. When I came off I felt every
bit of that ground when I hit it and as I hit it all I was thinking as I hit
it was "don't break arms, don't break". I am sure that without protective
gear something else would have broken.

Hitting a car may be a bit different but I still would rather have the
protection because something that absorbs some of the force of impact has to
be better than nothing

I've fallen off allot more on dirt without good riding gear, been riding
bikes since I was 8. My dad thought it was a good idea to teach me to ride
on a TT 500 with no breaks. I have the marks where skin was ground off on
my ass, elbows and knees. I also have a friend who came off a pushbike who
had a doctor take to his skin with a wire brush trying to get the gravel out
of his wounds. Good protective gear would have atleast stopped that

As for rider training, always a good idea but when you go to one, they
usually require you to have a helmet, jacket and gloves once you have done
your learner courses (or charge you extra) and in the cource they go on
about the importance of good gear.

 

Oggy Knobs

TB
'03 CBR600F4i
'99 GSXR600
'88 CBR250R

 

yubs hitting a car just adds to the excitement and increases the money
your insurance company must pay. You still end up hitting the ground
eventually.

cars also help to total your bike, so sometimes they can be a blessing
in disguise

try going for the front of the car, they are softer there, and theres a
good chance you will get flung off to the side instead of hitting the
windscreen

The advantage of hitting a car is sometimes they can help slow down the
speed at which you hit the ground... albiet after hitting them first.

 

I'll remember that and try and aim my bike at jar just before I come off.
and who knows I might get a new bike for my troubles ;-)