How much gear do I need?

Hey Folks!

I am a beginner bike rider and am just baffled by all the choices of gear
out there on the market. What do I need exactly besides the obvious helmet
and jacket? Is a jacket and jeans okay? I am worried because I will be
practicing and I don't want to get hurt; however, eventually, I will be
commuting to work, possibly by highway, and I don't think it is practical to
wear my work clothes under leather riding pants.

Any advice will be great!

Thank you!

- Lawrence

 

All you need is the gear required to protect the body parts you want to
keep.

As for bring practical, keeping my legs seems practical to me. I don't
know what you wear to work, but there are some options that look like
jeans, but protect like leathers. They are a compromise.

 

"Lawrence Frelot" <>
wrote in message

a bulky padded riding suit would would work... since its bulky
you can get in and out of it fast, and wear your casual work
clothes under it... keep a stock of fresh shirts on hangers at
the office just in case.

You need good boots that cover the ankle bone for sure and
that wont get pulled off in a crash, riding gloves, and a
helmut. thats if you want pretty good protection.

You can keep street shoes under your desk or in your locker at
work..

Phil Scott

 

When you're practicing at low speeds, you're more concerned with
impact than with sliding. You need to start with good gloves, a
full-face helmet, boots that will support your ankle, and a good
jacket, preferably with armor.

For freeway commuting, I'd add a good set of armored riding pants
to that. You can get overpants that will work perfectly well over
your work clothes.

-Patti

 

When I was learning to ride, and watching my friends learn to ride, I
find the most likely mishaps are very minor spills--losing your
balance at a stoplight, hitting some debris in a low-speed turn and
the bike slides out from beneath you, that kind of thing, not the
catastrophic high-speed freeway spill.

So I would say a leather jacket (or something else abrasion-resistant)
and jeans are a good minimum. Legs and arms covered at least. And
some kind of boots to protect the ankles. It makes me cringe to see
guys riding bikes with their girlfriends on the back, both of them in
tee-shirts, shorts and sandals.

Also, when you find yourself falling off a bike you instinctively put
your arms out to stop yourself. So gloves are very important, with
nice thick leather in the palms. I find I can't get along without two
pair of gloves, lighter for Summer and heavier for when it's cold.

 

What gloves do you use for cold weather?

 

Though I don't own one, everyone who does echoes TW's sentiments. They
are practical and protective.

If you want to look silly like me, you can get a racing suit for USD 250-300 -
no joke, some brand new, 1 to 2 year old AGVSports suits from Helmet Depot or
Motorcycle Accessory Warehouse. With armor. And warranty. Useless for
anything but riding (including standing up straight, unless you unzip), but
the Keprotech in the crotch and arms and behind the knees makes it very
comfortable. It helps to have an undergarment like Psycleskins to get in
and out of the suit.

I got an AGV Sport Laser for about $265 incl. S&H. I spent about $400 each
on Dainese Firefly pants and Invader jacket.

 

Actually it's harder to find nice warm-weather gloves. The fingerless
ones are no good. The ones I have now have vents in the back and work
pretty well.

I think my current Winter gloves are Tourmaster. Nothing fancy, I
think they were about $40. I just go to Road Rider in San Jose and
try on gloves until I find a pair I like. The thing that makes them
motorcycle gloves, as opposed to ski gloves or whatever, is that they
have a nice thick palm but they don't bunch up when you make a fist or
wrap your hands around the grips. I used to like the gauntlet style
because they keep cold wind from going up your sleeves, but I don't
find those as common as they used to be.

 

Riding pants that zip clear through the waist (similar to Aerostich
Darien pants) are very easy to put on over street clothes. Pants
that require you to step through the waistband are much more difficult.

Since nobody else mentioned it, here's a link that you might
find interesting:
http://www.ixion.org.uk/Leather2.html

Most of the article discusses how to gauge the quality of leather
riding garments, but the last third discusses the odds of different
kinds of injuries. A somewhat surprising conclusion is that, based
on the odds of _lasting_ injury, boots are a better investment than
gloves and pants are more helpful than jackets. Helmet priority is
too sensitive a topic to touch in this forum

I think this is roughly consistent with the Hurt report but don't
have it handy.

By most accounts good textiles are the equal of good leathers in normal
streetriding and superior in terms of comfort/convenience.

good luck!

bob prohaska

 

You could also try some of the better mechanics gloves for warm weather.
Leather palms and fingers with a weave on the top side made of something cut
proof like Kevlar

 

Yes, it's ok. The amount of amor one needs is commensurate with the level
of risk one takes. If you can't afford to outfit yourself like a
professional road racer, then ride like an amateur. If you want to start
pushing it, buy the appropriate protective gear. No need to leave
the bike in the garage just because you can't outfit yourself with $2K worth
of leathers/helmet. Let common sense be your guide.

nb

 

Quoth the raven notbob:

Hmm. Depends on where you go to find the ladies. ;-)

(Amour would have been even funnier!)

 

the ultimate touring and commuting suit is an Aerostich, from Rider
Warehouse up in Minnesota. This is a heavy rugged nylon one piece
oversuit you can wear right over your riding clothes. Pack your workshoes
(or leave them at work), and you'll be set. They are kind of expensive,
however.

Plan B is nylone overpants to go with your jacket. Again, wear good
riding boots that you change when you get to work (or, if you're in a
casual engineering environment, you might get away with wearing medium
height hiking boots (above the ankle), which don't offer the best
protection but are better than loafers).

 

FirstGear makes a leather overpant.

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/item.aspx?style=9414&department=113&division=1

 

The law requires a DOT-approved helmet. Beyond that, whatever you're
comfortable with, understanding that gear is designed to protect you
against injury should you fall or crash. FWIW, SoCal riders generally
pack a lot less gear than Bay Areans. Personally, I wear leather jacket
and gloves and an open-face helmet with a flip-shield, and usually wear
jeans.

As for work clothes, while I grew up on and emulated the 1960s Honda
ads, and even today will occasionally see buisness-suited riders, I'd
suggest that to the extent you can keep work clothes at work and change
there, you're probably better off. Best case, it's cheaper to replace a
pair of torn jeans than a suit.

It's also important to dress for comfort. Bikes have a lot fewer
opportunities to shift position and control climate than cages. If some
parts of you are more sensitive to cold and wind than others, make sure
you wear something that protects them.

Rich, Urban Biker

 

I learned the hard way not to rely on jeans to protect my lower body. I
now suit up in full leathers, regardless of weather, season, length of
ride, or anything. It's simply goes without thinking about that if the
trip is not worth suiting up for, it's not worth doing on motorcycle.

I commute on the freeway to work, 26 miles each way. I ride wearing a
dress shirt under a leather jacket, leather pants, gloves, helmet and
boots. I carry dress pants, shoes and belt in a tankbag or hardbag, and
change at work. It works well for the most part--except for the time
when a female co-worker walked in on me in my shorts, thinking I'd
yelled out "come in" when in fact it was "hang on."

Khaled

 

Maybe she was hoping she'd heard "come in and hang on!"

I used to do the same thing, when I lived further from the office. Now I
just walk to work, which, while a nice way to get to work, is not nearly as
fun as riding a motorcycle.

--
Jamin Kortegard
2002 YZF-R1 / 2003 WRX

"Hokey 600s and trackday usability are no match
for a good literbike at your side, kid."
- Michael

 

Ear plugs are only optional if you don't value your hearing.

They're cheap. There's no excuse *NOT* to have them.

My kit:

Helmet (not fancy--a closeout Shoei RF-R w/clear visor)
Sunglasses for daytime, clear safety glasses for night time
Sturdy leather gloves (gauntlets for cool weather, shorter
gloves for warm)
One-piece Aerostich Roadcrafter w/add-on back and hip pads
Milsurp tanker boots, steel-toed
Ear plugs
Piece of a candle for sealing Aerostich and boot zippers when
it rains

What you might consider "optional," if you don't ride in cold
weather:

Electric vest
Electric gloves

You can save money on the helmet by buying a no-frills solid color
from a reputable manufacturer. As long as the helmet fits you well
(and SNUGLY), you're good. You don't need flashy graphics or a Troy
Lee paint job. The money you save by getting a plain-jane helmet will
let you afford the rest of your kit (e.g., good boots, good riding
suit, good gloves).

If they fit you, the HJC AC-11 helmets are probably the best deals
going, and they're decent helmets. I saw a rackful of them at Larry's
Motorsports in West Pine, PA (plug because they helped me out of a jam
at the end of my last trip) for about $150 apiece. I almost bought
one for myself (my RF-R is five years old and due for replacement),
but my head and the HJC headform shapes aren't quite a match, and I
want to try on a few other brands to see if I can get a better fit.

Note: if you want a flip-front full-face, you'll pay extra.
IMHO, the only brands worth owning in flip-front are BMW or Schuberth
(the latter actually makes the helmets for the former). These are the
sturdiest flip-front helmets going. I'm a cheap bahstahd, so I'll
stick with a more conventional helmet.

 

Denim is *useless* in a crash, and even someone riding carefully can
find a spot of coolant or a patch of light-colored sand or gravel that
blends in with the road.

If you're going to ride in jeans, at least consider a pair of
chaps and a leather wallet in each pants pocket.

 

Helmet: Protects anything valuable inside your skull. If full-face, it also
protects your valuable face. If your face isn't valuable to begin with,
facial scars could enhance its value using the "chicks dig scars" logic.
(Most people would think you look like a Star Trek character, though.)

Jacket: If you get w/back protector and shoulder/elbow armor, could save
skin, bones and joints. I really doubt I'd have any elbow left at all after
my wimpy low-speed lowside if I hadn't a nice thick leather jacket coupled
with highest quality armor. Don't skimp.

Pants: Optional, if you don't give a crap about a) hideous road rash; b)
broken bones. I used *all* the padding/armor in my single, low-speed
lowside. No scars or even bruising to complain about, and yet, the leathers
show a fair bit of trauma. Better them than me.

Boots: Get good ones with armor. There are a lot of small bones in the foot
that could cripple you if they don't heal correctly and/or require surgery
and get infected.

Gloves: People don't realize how instictual it is to put down your palm to
break a slide until it happens. Glove should have palms reinforced with
Kevlar or some such. Small bones (metcacarpals, metatarsals, etc.) should be
protected with gel, carbon fiber, etc. For me, this has always been a major
worry, since writing (typing) is basically what I do for a living. Protect
your hands!

Low speed crashes can **** you up almost as badly as high speed ones, so
please think about which body parts you can *least* afford to lose (for me
it's always been head and hands).

My minimum recommendation: FF helmet, good, armored gloves and boots,
armored jacket/pants. Aerostitch would be convenient and effective, if
you're OK w/a one-piece item.