gear

[aff-man]

sorry guys i know there is a discussion on this somewhere but i can't find it. Anywho after getting the chills from riding in jeans and after urging from coldkiwi to get some riding pants to complete my gear what is best. What are the pro's and cons for either leather or synthetic and where to go. I saw some nice hjc pants in mt eden m-cycles but a bit on the costly side i'm looking at about $200-$250 being a poor student and all.

[SpankMe]

I have a DriRider jacket and it's great. It synthetic and warm and cheap.

[bikerboy]

I've seen some leather pants at Holeshot for $199, and i'm sure you can get similar at other places for $200.
I have found the synthetic are great for waterproofness but warm on average days, plus they tend to be more expensive:(

Motomail also has a reasonable selection.:)

[Redstar]

go to the Warehouse and get two sets of thermals all up 50bucks
a pair if waterproofs 40bucks now your dry and warm if a little un accident protected.
so get some inline hockey knee pads 12bucks and for 102buck your superman. sure you look like a pillock but if you have 1200buck for the good stuff then do that instead.
in place of the thermals you can wear ladies tights.
but A&E will think your a pervert? nice feel though:rolleyes:

[Dave]

If you wish to stay warm-sit inside by the fire,if you wish to ride a motorcycle-wear the best protective gear money can buy.
I just went down the road in a $2000 set of spidi leathers and I tell you,If i was still wearing my previous leathers (still a reasonable set) I would be spending several weeks in hospital.
Before you look at the cost,think about how much money you'll earn if you cant work!
By the way,Thermals under leathers with a thick coat overtop will keep you plenty warm.

[bikerboy]

AMEN Brother!

:rockon:

[Mitch]

WELL SAID DAVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How much is your ass worth to you??  None of us (I would hope) would ride in a $10 helmet, the rest of your gear is just the same!!  :niceone:

[andy1]

i had a accident as u might know, i wearing my brand new arai helment. thats all i could think about in the hospital. $1000 down the fuckin shitta. but it still saved my life. got k.o thou. worth the money!!!!! another guy i know had a crash was wearing a hjc helment and the fuckin thing came off his head!! dont buy hjc!!! the strap broke and the helment was in bits!!! he is now in taiwan getting treatment. ask for more info.

does anyone wear techinc??? wkid dont u?? i think ur suit is good and doesnt have the problem. its just the 2peice suit, its white black and purple. the thing comes apart very easy. turns out that after techinc made it they had problems with the stitching. and recalled some models to fix it. but some got onto the market. i was lucky enough to crash in one! i now have big scares on my arm and leg. thank u technic!
i have photo's of the suit after the accident.
laterz

[Redstar]

$2000 bucks um well if I had that kind of dosh I'd do the same but then you can buy a lot of bike for the price of the gear.
I'ts true that how much is your life worth. but if you put safety above all then. don't ride bikes at all buy a volvo and get the best of safety with air bags and abs and crumple zones and all!
I see bikers in shorts and Jandles now that is silly!
Ride in accordance with you gear.if you have crap gear ride like a granny.I wear leather all second hand $400 all up.
Steel toes there cheap.
and thermals. I have a cheap helmet. true but its got the safety approval requirments and I recon its OK but I wont really know til its tested. the problem with lids is even the top price ones say if its droped replace it. Did the hjc quoter ever drop it prior to the disitergration?
I bet ya did?

[bluninja]

A strange conundrum...why pay enough for a decent bike to buy gear that you'll have to replace after probably one accident ? If you are constantly coming off your bike you'll need it to keep you alive. If you hardly ever crash, then the cost is spread and the gear will proabbly last longer.

If you screwup and have your own accident then paying for repairs and new kit is part of the learning curve. If someone else takes you out then you claim for bike and kit off them......and if the do a runner hope your insurance covers everything.:gob:

Basically money can be made, and bikes can be repaired or replaced far easier than fixing a broken rider. I guess if you don't bother with good kit, then you'll be off the road much longer when you do have an accident, so I guess it's a self managing system. What I don't like is people with bald tyres and unserviced brakes and suspension that are accidents waiting to happen...who may well injure other people when they have the inevitable crash.

TTFN

 

[Redstar]

good point. I am a bit shy on gear but my bike has all the service up to date and good rubber/brakes and a gold adjusted chain you can call me shabby but not stupid.

[SPman]

These days I'd rather wear $4000 worth of gear on a $500 bike than $500 worth of gear on a $4000 bike!

[wkid_one]

I agree - why waste money on shit gear you have to replace often....if you buy good gear it is likely to last you a long time....negating the initial high upfront cost.

However - you need to remember that gear is not going to save your bacon 100% of the time, but good gear reduces the chance of injury signicantly.  Why is gear so expensive?? Two reasons - 1.  The companies that spend shit loads of money on R&D and top quality materials will naturally charge you more - but you get the benefit of there efforts.

2. Tariffs/Duties/Mark-Up....Take Dianese leathers - wicked - but not worth the money in NZ because no one is prepared to import them (or can) at a realistic price. 

You need to have a realistic look at what you are buying - Spidi are good - but wickedly overpriced in NZ - same as Arai....why because there is limited distributorship in NZ.....we pay too much for them in NZ in comparision to overseas.  We also have less access to a full range of accessories in NZ - and limited options changes it to a suppliers market (natural supply and demand principals - supply down - demand up - equals higher price)....if you look in UK mags - they have 100's of manu. of leathers to choose from - we have a handful.

Look offshore when buying things - you will be surprised at how much you will save - and DO YOUR RESEARCH!

Don't buy shit gear - you only have one head for example - and very seldom get the chance to say - 'Oh Fuck - I wish I had spent $300 more on a helmet'.

[Redstar]

Yeah right you look real cool in your expensive stuff on a moped!:beer:

[Marmoot]

AGV stuffs are good and used to be really cheap (until they got out the X-vent helmet and mark up the price by 100%)....

I crashed in my 2-piece AGV twice. TWICE BIG TIME. the last one knocked me off (ask Andy1 if you don't believe me). Totalled the bike in both occassion, fixed it again, got on the road again.
No scars, no broken bone (well, one broken pinky finger on the first crash), no wounds, nothing.

Arai is definitely worth the price....comfortable too.

Sidi boots are great. My legs are still intact.

Gloves, I trust Teknic. On the first crash I used $75 Tek.Lightning. No stitching broken. The second I used Tek.Violator, no stitching broken either.

What about the bike? Honda. It is virtually indestructible :)

Now....if I hadn't been wearing my leathers...........:o

[Slim]

Originally posted by Dave
If you wish to stay warm-sit inside by the fire,if you wish to ride a motorcycle-wear the best protective gear money can buy.
I would change what you've said just slightly:

If you wish to ride a motorcycle, wear the best protective gear you can afford.

[Dave]

As long as you get the point-I think its about priorities,Don't skimp on gear and then waste $$$$ on beer/play station/building a UFO/whatever.
-you dont earn much being in hospital.(unless your the doctor)

[aff-man]

Cheers guys but as slim so effectivly pointed out what i can afford!!!:(  Being the poor student about $200 is all i can afford. What places overseas might be good because i might be able to get some things from america. i have some style martin boots (cheers bb:D) But i need pants and sometime in the near future maybe a new jacket.I have come to realise how important gear is so i am going out this weekend with a good old $220 that should be used to pay back student loan oh well hahahahahahahaha. 

[bikerboy]

:o One might not look so cool in one's expensive gear on a scooter but one'll come off better than in the 'cool" shorts, singlet and jandles most of these idjits wear!:beer:

[750Y]

the t&e today has suits
$250,250ono(sm),230ono(xxl),179
1 pr pants $100,
there are some bargains going, especially around this time when all the summer riders have disappeared back into their comfort zones. happy hunting.

[bikerboy]

There is a place in Onehunga( on the mall?) that sells used motorcycle gear.
I know a few lads that have gotten good stuff there for great prices. I'd be surprised Affman if you could not get both jacket and pants there for your $200.
:niceone:

[Yamahamaman]

And for the cold mornings :rolleyes: there is nothing like the electrically heated combo - vest and gloves. :sunny: absolute decadence, I know but :whocares:

[750Y]

heated vest and gloves eh?
she's a hard life by the sounds of it yamahamama.
stop teasing poor affman.

[Enn]

These days I'd rather wear $4000 worth of gear on a $500 bike than $500 worth of gear on a $4000 bike!
Can't agree more ''get the best you can afford'' after years of riding with jeans and a leather jacket (till some lowlife nicked it!) i have finally got some good gear, shoei helmet,cordura pants,good heavy leather jacket.and at last some bike boots that i can walk in i wish that i had done it years ago...........maybe my knees wouldent click so much..

[Jantar]

If you are on a limited budget, then definitely buy leather. It takes a bit more care to maintain its waterproofing, but when kept clean and waxed, will give great protection against the elements. :yeah:

Leather will also help to protect you in the event of a prang, and after sliding along the road can be re-coloured and waxed, and will work as good as new once again. (been there, done that).

[pritch]

I just went through all this. I bought Spidi gear a bit at a time. The jacket was much reduced because it was a superceded model. No such luck with the trousers.

I would also like a leather jacket for around town but there aren't too many I like and the ones that do appeal are bloody expensive. So that will have to wait...

A friend was buying a new helmet for TQ racing he was looking at an expensive model. The salesman (a friend of his) picked up a much cheaper helmet and showed him the safety mark inside. He then went on to say that once they meet the required safety certification you are just paying for comfort, quiet, a fancy paint job, or a name.

With the money he saved on the helmet, he bought a set of second hand Nomex overalls.

[Lou Girardin]

sorry guys i know there is a discussion on this somewhere but i can't find it. Anywho after getting the chills from riding in jeans and after urging from coldkiwi to get some riding pants to complete my gear what is best. What are the pro's and cons for either leather or synthetic and where to go. I saw some nice hjc pants in mt eden m-cycles but a bit on the costly side i'm looking at about $200-$250 being a poor student and all.

If you want warmth, get textile. As far as bin-worthiness goes, I just saw a Teknic jacket that a chick had binned in, not a mark on it and she hit hard enough to dislocate her shoulder.
If you do buy overseas, make sure your size is right because no-one in NZ will exchange the gear. ( Eg. Italian sizing is quite different to ours)

[cammo]

i just bought all new gear from motomart in lowerhutt. i got a teknic warrior jacket, teknic sprint pants, a hjc helmet (one of those ones that have just been on sale), pro grip race gloves with carbon inserts (knuckels etc) and sidi vertigo boots. all up it was about $1650 with 10% discount. but its a good set of gear that should last for ages. :niceone:

[loosebruce]

If you screwup and have your own accident then paying for repairs and new kit is part of the learning curve.



Learning Curve??? More like a way of life now :brick: eh TS.

I tested a Spool 1 peice quite well, some will agree, and it did a pretty damn good job, for around $1000 damn good price too, i like the protection leather offers and how easy (sometimes) it is to re stitch, like everyone has said, poor student or not, ya can't put a price on you life, pay big now and save later (may one day save your life too).

And as someone said, thermals under leathers does the trick.