Hey adventurers i am new to the forum and new to riding. I was wondering if you would share with me what you guys wear for gear when you are riding around town. I am doing most of my riding on the street right now and wanted some good equipment because i am new to riding motorcycles. Thanks.
Gear that has CE rated armor: jacket with shoulder, elbow & spine padding that's not a thin foam type; pants with knee & hip padding, top line boots, full face helmet, padded gloves. ATGATT, one of the major reasons I'm alive today. Crashed this summer and the docs said it was a 95% fatality stunt. Was in the hospital with a couple who had lost their right feet when their Harley fell over on them at 30 mph. They had been wearing tennis shoes. I peeled the leather off a of Sidi Adventure Rain - no damage to my foot & the boot was still waterproof. There was not a mark on my entire body from the accident. All the damage I suffered was from blunt force trauma. Lots of good deals on top line gear for sale on ADV in the classifieds. A good insurance policy will replace your riding gear.
If you can afford it, I would recommend that Motoport Mesh Kevlar pants. They wil l last you forever and is among the best (or perhaps the best) protection around. For a jacket, tere are lots of good ones depending what you want tofr style. Again Motport is amazing for protection, but not so stylish. For cold weather, the Rukka Armas is top line. A lot of people who like the Adventure look are going for Klim, and it sounds like great gear as well. Those are all top of the line. You can get good jackets for a lot less - the First Gear Kilimanjaro is often on sale, as are others. Look for good armor - that's the key. Wear a full face helmet and proper motorcycle boots. If it's too hot to wear the gear - don't ride. It's just not worth it.
I usually wear the same gear whether I'm on-road or off-road. BMW Rallye 2 Pro jacket BMW Streetguard 2 pants BMW Rallye 2 gloves (Harley-Davidson FXRG gauntlet gloves in the winter) Sidi Adventure Rain boots Nolan N43 AIR Motorrad helmet
I like cortec gear,rain suit,jackets,gloves,boots. Well made and long lasting. A good FITTING full face helment.
Olympia AST or Bushwacker depending on temp. I have a pair of thier pants but usualy wear my BMW City pants. Held gloves and an Arai XD helmet. Under Armour Tshirt and shorts under. The Bushwacker is high viz but wht cut down most close calls for me was bright auxillary lights on the front. Works way better than highviz.
Every time I suit up and look at those tennis shoes thinking "I'm just going downtown"...I'll think about those two Harley folks with no right foot! Thanks for the reality check (oh and to date, I've never actually worn tennis shoes on my bike!)
Can't agree more with everyone, ARMOR!!! Well worth the price. However if you are going to be on the road alot I would go with something that is HiViz and has reflective piping or patches on it. I am looking for my next jacket and it will be HiViz.
Since I'm so new to the sport with limited gear, I ride around town/commute to work in the same gear I go offroad with. I plan to get a pair of overpants, Sidi Adventure or Discovery boots and wear my Arai XD3 during the warm months since it fogs up like crazy when it's colder outside. BMW Rallye 3 jacket Klim Dakar gloves Jeans or 5.11 cargo pants Nolan N90 helmet Danner work boots
In time you will have lots of gear (I hope) for a variety of temps and riding conditions. Find gear that you will WEAR, otherwise it does you know good. I feel an absolute minimum is a FF helmet and FF gloves. I think it's silly to only ride in this but this is the minimum. I'm an ATGATT rider so ... FF helmet, CE armored jacket, CE armored overpants, MC specific boots and MC specific gloves. Basically in gear head to toe. I have a multitude of jackets, pants, and gloves depending no how cold, cool, warm, or hot out it is.
For me , Iam a Joe Rocket and Shoei fan ! Shoei RF1000 Joe Rocket 7.0 Ballistic Jacket for winter . Joe Rocket Super Hawk Leather Jacket for summer. Joe Rocket GPX Leather Gloves Year Round . Joe Rocket Blaster Backpack . Sidi Fusion Boots and Sidi Fusion Rain Boots !!!
keep an eye on e-bay the flea market forum and craigs list.that will help with the gear starting out.good luck.
If you're just starting out, I would set a budget and make sure you can afford a good helmet, jacket with armor and back protector, pants with armor, gloves, and riding boots. If you're cash strapped, try on stuff at motorcycle shops to get your size - then try to find deals in the Flea Market. Then start slowly upgrading each piece depending on your riding style and the weather in your area. I prefer to stay on pavement most of the time so on day and longer trips I'm using the following: Icebreaker base layer and socks Wicking quick-dry t-shirt Warm 'n Safe Gen4 jacket liner (depending upon weather) BMW Comfort Shell or Venting Machine (depending upon weather) Held gloves - Warm 'n Dry Goretex or Air Stream vented (depending upon weather) Scorpion EXO-700 helmet Sidi Discovery boots BMW Rainlock 2 for backup in the panniers For short hops, it's Carhartt or double-front Dickies jeans, but I still wear helmet, jacket, Discos, and gloves. If you buy BMW gear, try to get it on closeout at the end of a riding season - I routinely see 50% discounts around here in November. I like waterproof on the outside - zip in liners, for me, are a PITA and bulk things up. Used to use Patagonia capilene but the Icebreaker stuff is way, way better. The Scorpion EXO 700 is on blowout at NewEnough right now and their anti-fog shield really works. Warm 'n Safe electric jacket liner - best thing evar!
I ride a street-legal dirt bike (KTM 525). Most of my "street-only" riding is commuting to/from work, or out to lunch/dinner. The rest of the time I'm only on the street where there's no legal dirt to put tracks in. So a majority of my gear is also geared towards dirt. AFX's new dualsport helmet is really nice. For the price, I'm *very* impressed with its comfort and quality. In cold/rain, the visor is a godsend. During the summer I wear it at night and just wear sunglasses during the day. Or I'll just wear my dirt helmet and sunglasses/safety glasses. Fieldsheer adventure jacket... discontinued, but there's a lot of similar "adventure"-type jackets available. Pockets everywhere, zip-in liner, zip-in collar, vents... crash-tested; it works. Easy to throw on and take off. Commuting to/from work... jeans and work boots. It's a 5-mile ride. If I worked half an hour from home, I'd probably leave a pair of shoes here and wear real moto boots/pants. For the half-hour+ rides, or rides to dinner at night, etc... Pants... Klim Revolt pants. Durable, over-the-boot pants. Only complaint is the size of the pockets... barely large enough for my wallet. Good for dirt, good for street. Shorts, Tekrider's armored snocross shorts. Discontinued, but they come up occasionally on ebay/craigslist. Nice (especially on dirt), but not a requirement. Depends on if I feel like pulling them on or not. If I don't, I've got gym shorts on. Knee guards, Thor Force. Wear them street/dirt/snow; so they get a lot of use/abuse. One pair lasts me about a year. Thor MX boots. A little bulky for the street, or wandering around a shopping mall, or hiking in... but better than work boots in a wreck. If I had a bike that was a little more street-oriented, I'd probably change up some of my gear to suit that riding style - mainly helmet, pants, and boots. It's gotta be comfortable, fit well, and provide an adequate level of protection (based on your definition) to be effective. If it's not comfortable or doesn't fit, you won't wear it. The best gear in the world can't do its job if it's not on you.
What does ATGATT mean? I have a helmet it's an HJC Kane helmet. I have been wearing workboots while riding. I am planning on buying a KLIM Traverse jacket and pants and adding the higher end padding. Does this sounds like it would be good enough for street and off-road riding? Thank you everyone for the information. You have been really helpful.
Shoei RF1100 Held Steve II Gloves Motoport Air Mesh Marathon Jacket and Pants (with full quad armor) Alpinestars Tech Touring Boots Road Rash sucks.