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greenhorn
28th July 2004, 14:42
If any of you guys ride into work, what protective gear do you wear?
I'm looking to buy some and i'm wondering what do most people go with?
I'd look a right dork in leather pants where i work but they seem to be good protection and a bit cheaper than some of that more techo stuff you'd wear over the top of your work trou and remove when you got to work. Or maybe there are leather pants that would go over the top of your trou, its just that i havent found any big enough.
Someone mentioned to me you should go for tight leather pants so you dont "rag doll" if you come off. Not totally sure what that meant??
What sort of prices have you paid for your gear? I dont care at all about style but being a new guy i'm pretty much terrified of coming off so i'd like top notch protection to help my confidence.
Being mainly a commuter i'm not going to be racing around at incredible speeds so whats your experience with keeping ya pants on?

WMCC
28th July 2004, 14:50
......so whats your experience with keeping ya pants on?

Good quality belt with a Harley Davidson buckle will do the trick nicely.

greenhorn
28th July 2004, 14:52
Yup no chance of them coming off wearing that :no:

vifferman
28th July 2004, 14:56
I almost always wear leather pants on the bike and get changed at work. Commuting is pretty dangerous, especially where D'Aucks are concerned, so I need the protection. I do get the odd bit of fuckwittery ("Ooh - nice pants!", "Kinky", that sort of thing), but I don't care, as it hurts sliding on the asphalt.
The only real drawback is they're aren't waterproof (the rain gets through the stretch panels) so I wear a pair of 100% waterproof seam-sealed nylon pants over the top when it's very wet.
The pants cost about $250 about 9 years ago, and have since been upgraded with Knox CE armour in the knees, and a zip to attach them to my Teknic jacket. The armour was crash tested, and saved me from any major damage when side-swiped by a car last year.
Other gear includes 5 pairs of gloves ranging from $0 to $190, a $700 jacket, StylMartin Strada boots (waterproof) which were $249, and a (now) ratty AGV helmet, which was a steal at $200 (normally $350).

By the way - there's nothing that gives the same protection as leather. My jacket had a hole worn through the Cordura from a slide of a mere 3 or 4 metres on smooth asphalt. The kevlar armour on the sleeves fared a bit better and was just scuffed a bit, but the most that happened to my leather gear in my various getoofs is the seam stitching needed redoing as it unravelled a bit (after a few weeks) and I needed to put some dressing on a scuffed patch.

svs
28th July 2004, 15:05
Always wear leather too and get changed at work. Never received any 'fuckwittery' comments - most of the girls seem to like the leather :whistle:

Jackrat
28th July 2004, 15:19
Normaly wear leather,Don't get any shit,most blokes don't like a punch in the mouth. ;)

Two Smoker
28th July 2004, 15:41
Depends, if im going to go for a blat after work, i wear my one piece suit for some good knee down action..... If im just going to the dairy Draggin Jeans and Nazran Jacket...

For your purposes i would recommend Cordura pants and Jacket.... Will set you back about $700 in total, but are completely waterproof (almost) and have plenty of armour..... You can also wear what ever you want underneath..... where with my one piece im restricted to shorts and at the most a jumper...

Motu
28th July 2004, 15:48
You don't say what you do for a crust,I've never worked anywhere where it mattered what I looked like (even trolls are employable) and I wore engineers boots on my bike for years,had enough accidents to be happy with the protection level - get a big pair of ugly cordura pants and pull them over your flared cords with paisley cuffs - it really depends on what you wear on a work day....and where you can change.....

Hitcher
28th July 2004, 16:55
Normaly wear leather,Don't get any shit,most blokes don't like a punch in the mouth. ;)
Which is why the animal rights movement picks on little old ladies in fur coats, rather than bikers in leather!

750Y
28th July 2004, 17:26
I have:
4 jackets(2 leather(1 armoured)),1 vented mesh(armoured), 1 cordura(armoured).
3 pants: 1 leather, one waterproof cordura (armoured),1 PVC.
1pc rain suit
1pc race leathers
4 pairs bike boots(race,tour,harley,street)
3 pr gloves (1 winter waterproof,1 summer waterproof), one race)
I use them all... depending what i'm up to, where I'm going & what the weathers like( or which fantasy-man the mrs wants this week, lol )
only thing i really want is a good bib & brace & a balaclava & i'm set. no wonder i'm broke ...sigh.
I'd go armoured cordura for the ultimate all round practicality for commuting or touring.
fast riding i'd go leather every time.

Coldkiwi
28th July 2004, 17:58
leather is worth it even if its a bit of a nuisance once you're at work. When I used my leather pants, i typically wore thin trousers under them if it was cold or shorts if it was warm and got changed at work. as for getting hassles, i've always maintained you'd look stupider with skin grafts in an ICU than you do with leather pants showing scuff marks!

As for keeping them on, its generally a good idea to dispense with as many buckles, tassles or other bits hanging off your body (like back packs) as possible. 'Rag dolling' in a crash is where you get rolled (or tumbled) around because you're wearing something that has grabbed the ground rather than slid across it. Sometimes there's not much you can do about it (i.e kerbs tend to makes things pretty ugly) but ideally, having a one piece suit (or as close as you can get) with nothing to grab on to is the best bet in a bin. You don't have to be 'racing around' to get hurt either. One of my most painful crashes occured at 30kmhr when I was wearing jeans (which i do maybe 0.5% of the time!!)

Ms Piggy
28th July 2004, 18:03
I wear Armour-Tech gear, it's heavey duty nylon...possibly that codura stuff. It's good stuff but the draw back is it gets a bit smelly :mellow: It also has armour in it but to be honest next time I'm buying riding gear I'll buy leather b/c I wear it everyday. My theory is it's better to be over protected than not waering enough gear.

This is the only link I could find & it's not that good sorry.http://www.northacc.co.nz/site/pages/rgear.htm

MrMelon
28th July 2004, 18:06
All I generally wear is my Draggin jeans. I've got a 2pce set of leathers, but the top doesn't fit as well as the pants, so I only wear them when I'm out for a big ride.

Ms Piggy
28th July 2004, 18:20
I've got a 2pce set of leathers, but the top doesn't fit as well as the pants, so I only wear them when I'm out for a big ride.
And they make him look like a Power Ranger ;)

Two Smoker
28th July 2004, 18:25
And they make him look like a Power Ranger ;)
That and the other one (i think scumdog said it) a toothpaste tube :lol: classic.....

Wenier
28th July 2004, 20:51
ive got a pair of draggin jeans and a expensive jacket (amoured, waterproof) cant remember the name, T-shirt underneath it on a -3 day and you will still be toasty warm, or maybe i jus like the cold too much. I also have some amoured waterproof pants. I realy need to get a pair of leather so i can do some race track opendays.

FROSTY
28th July 2004, 21:02
The weather here in dorkland is too bloody unpredictable for leather usually.
I wear cudura trou and jacket -and just slide it all over my work clobber.
Cudura has plusses and minuses -pluses -a shit load more weather protection than leather. Minuses Cudura tends to be single crash only stuff-

erik
28th July 2004, 21:39
I've got a cordura jacket and pants. The pants are supposed to be waterproof, but I have found they are not! I've ended up getting a pair of $8 rainpants from the warehouse, melting the pockets shut, and wearing them over the cordura pants when it looks like it's going to rain. It's a nuisance, but it's either that or have embarrasing wet patches on my pants at uni or take an extra change of pants in. It could be that the pants only leak because of my bike, I think the bike directs air/rain down the back of the tank and into the crotch area, maybe with a bike with fairings the pants would be sufficiently waterproof.

Basically, I think if you get pants that are supposed to be waterproof, you should test them thoroughly on your bike in the rain soon after you buy them so that you can return them if they aren't waterproof. If they leak at the seams (like in the crotch area), I don't think there is anything much you can do about it. Water repellent sprays (like Gecko Guard and Watershield) don't help in that case.

HTH

greenhorn
29th July 2004, 08:44
I wear Armour-Tech gear, it's heavey duty nylon...possibly that codura stuff. It's good stuff but the draw back is it gets a bit smelly :mellow: It also has armour in it but to be honest next time I'm buying riding gear I'll buy leather b/c I wear it everyday. My theory is it's better to be over protected than not waering enough gear.

This is the only link I could find & it's not that good sorry.http://www.northacc.co.nz/site/pages/rgear.htm

So whats the story? Can this stuff be washed/dry cleaned?

Posh Tourer :P
29th July 2004, 09:08
Ok. I have slowly progressed in the gear stakes. I used to wear jeans, then it was jeans plus covering.
Firstly some thin nylon with brush cotton liner (enough to stop ragdolling), and I came off at 40 in the wet and only just got thru to my jeans on chipseal.
Then it was those in the dry and heavy duty PVC in the wet. Then when the heavy duty PVC was passed on, I went to light duty PVC with a pocket, which hardly ever got water in it, but the crotch split pretty easily, so wasnt very comfortable sometimes.
Then I got some wax cotton belstaff pants, which have been very waterproof if a little cold.
Finally, I have just bought some HD Nylon Fieldsheer pants with knee armour, which are not very waterproof at the moment, but are very good. Side zips up to mid thigh means no matter how big your boots are, they slip off over them very easily and you dont look stupid fighting with your trousers in public places :D

Always had a touring jacket and leather gloves to go with that, although I occasionally wore other, lesser gear when I was commuting in the summer heat. Dont do that no more, I'm too attached to my skin. I wouldnt wear leather personally, just because of the not waterproof/long time to dry issue..

Maarten

vifferman
29th July 2004, 09:23
So whats the story? Can this stuff be washed/dry cleaned?Well, I've washed my Teknic jacket several times (I HAVE to, it gets so bloody grubby commuting in all the traffic fumes, and like CSL says, it gets smelly). I just take out all the armour and the liner, and chuck it in the machine with some SnoSeal Sport Wash, which doesn't ferk up the breathability. Or at least - I used to. Now that it's been repaired and has leather bits on the sleeves and shoulders, and I've run out of Sport Wash, I just use wool detergent, like Softly or summat, and don't worry about the breathability, but spray the fooker with LOTS of silicon, as that's easier than separately treating the leather bits. It doesn't breathe that well with several layers on the arms anyway...
You're not supposed to dry clean the breathable Cordura stuff, or the stuff with Gortex-type liners, due to the breathability thing.
I dunno if anyone's tried this, but research I've done suggests the best way to clean leather suits is also to just chuck 'em in the washing machine! (Not that I've ever washed any leather stuff, apart from gloves and the leathery bits on my jacket. Takes an absolute age to dry....

I read that (in the US at least), skin costs about $1000 per square inch to have grafted. Pretty convincing argument for protecting it.
Another thing to consider is that the time most people DON'T wear their gear is on the short trips around town. Coincidentally, this is when you're at most risk (most accidents happen within 15km of home?) Of the 4 "offs" I've had in the last 5 years (since moving to Auckland - none in the 25-30 years before that), all were within a couple of km of work, and in town. Of those, I wasn't wearing leather trou in 2 cases, and was lucky it was only my trousers that got shredded and not my legs.:whistle:

White trash
29th July 2004, 09:28
ive got a pair of draggin jeans and a expensive jacket (amoured, waterproof) cant remember the name, T.

Belstaff! It's the best damn textile gear made.

Makes Spidi, Clover, Dri-rider all look average.

Another good one if you think you'll crash alot (like me) is "Hit Air).

Airbags are inflated the instant you're thrown from your bike. Once deflated, you back 'em away back in the jacket, replace the gas cannister and you're set for crashing again.

Only $900 which is about on par with any excellent touring jacket.

vifferman
29th July 2004, 09:30
Belstaff! It's the best damn textile gear made.

Makes Spidi, Clover, Dri-rider all look average.

Another good one if you think you'll crash alot (like me) is "Hit Air).

Airbags are inflated the instant you're thrown from your bike. Once deflated, you back 'em away back in the jacket, replace the gas cannister and you're set for crashing again.

Only $900 which is about on par with any excellent touring jacket.Do they do inflatable helmets?:wacko:

greenhorn
29th July 2004, 12:12
Belstaff! It's the best damn textile gear made.

Another good one if you think you'll crash alot (like me) is "Hit Air).

Airbags are inflated the instant you're thrown from your bike. Once deflated, you back 'em away back in the jacket, replace the gas cannister and you're set for crashing again.


That Hit Air jacket sounds really good. Thanks WT, just the sort of info i was after. Do you have any link to it? Where abouts does the gas cannister fit in the jacket?
Such a good idea its a wonder no one thought of something like that a long time ago.
It reminds me of a mate of mine who just finished doing up an old Holden. He's got the classical modified look going on with the slightly larger diamater wheels at the back. I like the car but dont really go for that look and told him so. He informed me that he didnt do it for looks, it' really for fuel economy. Because the wheels are larger on the back it has the effect of the car allways traveling slightly down hill, thus he reckons he gets awesome fuel economy.
I wonder why more people dont do that, i would even work the same for bikes too i guess?

riffer
29th July 2004, 12:52
Because the wheels are larger on the back it has the effect of the car allways traveling slightly down hill, thus he reckons he gets awesome fuel economy.
I wonder why more people dont do that, i would even work the same for bikes too i guess?I have a 17" on the front and an 18" on the back, and my bike uses no more or less gas than any other 750... :Pokey:

SILVER SUZI
29th July 2004, 12:58
My best suggestion would be go check out Moto Mail, or the likes. They have heaps of gear. Iv'e got jacket and pants from them, just goes over what I'm wearing (I work in an office). I look a bit like the michelin man, but at 6ft 2 tall, 5ft wide (in my gear) no one disses me. :Pokey:

MikeL
29th July 2004, 13:33
The weather here in dorkland is too bloody unpredictable for leather usually.


I have found that leather will cope quite well with intermittent or light rain - particularly in summer, but even at this time of the year it's not too bad for short distances. I commute from Onehunga to the CBD and always wear leather pants. Only if the rain is heavy will I bother to put the plastic overpants on. Likewise I wear my leather jacket most of the time. If the leather is a bit damp by the time I arrive at work it will dry out in the office during the day. Frequent applications of Dubbin are quite effective at providing moderate water protection, but there are limits. If it looks like heavy or persistent rain I wear the Teknic jacket instead. For long rides where there's any possibility of a real soaking I always wear the Teknic.

greenhorn
29th July 2004, 13:49
I have a 17" on the front and an 18" on the back, and my bike uses no more or less gas than any other 750... :Pokey:

Thats wierd... I'd say the laws of physics would demand that you'd get better fuel economy as your always traveling slightly downhill.. :whistle:

750Y
29th July 2004, 13:52
...It reminds me of a mate of mine who just finished doing up an old Holden. He's got the classical modified look going on with the slightly larger diamater wheels at the back. I like the car but dont really go for that look and told him so. He informed me that he didnt do it for looks, it' really for fuel economy. Because the wheels are larger on the back it has the effect of the car allways traveling slightly down hill, thus he reckons he gets awesome fuel economy.
I wonder why more people dont do that, i would even work the same for bikes too i guess?

Man, with all due respect... it is Your mate who is the classic not his car.
Dam that is one of the funniest things i've heard in a little while.
There is some truth the the larger diameter wheels eg 15" instead of 14 or 14" instead of 13(depending on which model holden it is).
Effectively it lowers the gear ratio so that when travelling on the open road at say 100kms he is now pulling less revs which equates to engine working less & therefore using less gas.
I think he is winding You up(hill) 8-)

Kwaka-Kid
29th July 2004, 13:53
Ive tried a range of the gear... Orina, Dririder, spidi, spool. All in all the dririder was the best (nylon style gear) for all conditions although mainly streaked ahead of hte rest in the wet (didnt let anthing in till i put holes in in).

What have i personally settled on? a Pair of Levi Red Tabs, aplne star boots (more enduro style, dont let anyhting in!)the Orina jacket (cordura) and a pair of 3m thermal gloves or whatever.
sometimes if the weather is looking really good then my 4year old pair of Globes take to my feet in place of the boots, they let air thru quite nicely and cool my feet down.

All in all dude if you aint travelling for more then 20 odd mins i find jeans rocks! i get saturated in jeans and it doesnt get that cold. and you can wear them at work (more places) as with the casual shoes. - just dont go 1 piece leathers as its a load of effort and they are not usually very warm or water-proof + all the dudes at work would prolly call me a poser (in saying that its not going to stop me bringing me new leathers in oneday soon!)

Ghost Lemur
29th July 2004, 13:56
That Hit Air jacket sounds really good. Thanks WT, just the sort of info i was after. Do you have any link to it? Where abouts does the gas cannister fit in the jacket?
Such a good idea its a wonder no one thought of something like that a long time ago.
It reminds me of a mate of mine who just finished doing up an old Holden. He's got the classical modified look going on with the slightly larger diamater wheels at the back. I like the car but dont really go for that look and told him so. He informed me that he didnt do it for looks, it' really for fuel economy. Because the wheels are larger on the back it has the effect of the car allways traveling slightly down hill, thus he reckons he gets awesome fuel economy.
I wonder why more people dont do that, i would even work the same for bikes too i guess?

Sounds very similar (if not the same) as
this (http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Clothing-footwear/Leathers-jackets/auction-14014565.htm) .

greenhorn
29th July 2004, 13:59
Man, with all due respect... it is Your mate who is the classic not his car.
Dam that is one of the funniest things i've heard in a little while.
There is some truth the the larger diameter wheels eg 15" instead of 14 or 14" instead of 13(depending on which model holden it is).
Effectively it lowers the gear ratio so that when travelling on the open road at say 100kms he is now pulling less revs which equates to engine working less & therefore using less gas.
I think he is winding You up.(hill) 8-)

Nah mate, your making it too complex, its nothing to do with gear ratio's and stuff. Its basic physics innit? Higher at the back lower at the front means your vehicle will have a tendency to roll down hill. :whistle: :whistle: :whistle:

750Y
29th July 2004, 14:01
um yeah 8-)

greenhorn
29th July 2004, 14:01
Sounds very similar (if not the same) as
this (http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Clothing-footwear/Leathers-jackets/auction-14014565.htm) .

Man do i feel like a dork... thought WT was having me on...

White trash
29th July 2004, 14:18
Man do i feel like a dork... thought WT was having me on...

I sell the fuckers. Awesome fun when someone tryiong one on and you pull the rip cord.

They almost shit themselves.

They are good quality jackets though, not that I'd ever own one personally.

greenhorn
29th July 2004, 14:27
I sell the fuckers. Awesome fun when someone tryiong one on and you pull the rip cord.

They almost shit themselves.

They are good quality jackets though, not that I'd ever own one personally.
why not? (ten characters)

magnum
29th July 2004, 20:40
hi,wont trust anything but leather,some second hand suits are quite good,go for a recognised brands and check all stitching,if it looks cheap and nasty it probably is.try trademe or ebay.recommend good boots and gloves also.

Bob
29th July 2004, 21:15
If any of you guys ride into work, what protective gear do you wear?
I'm looking to buy some and i'm wondering what do most people go with?
I'd look a right dork in leather pants where i work but they seem to be good protection and a bit cheaper than some of that more techo stuff you'd wear over the top of your work trou and remove when you got to work. Or maybe there are leather pants that would go over the top of your trou, its just that i havent found any big enough.
Someone mentioned to me you should go for tight leather pants so you dont "rag doll" if you come off. Not totally sure what that meant??
What sort of prices have you paid for your gear? I dont care at all about style but being a new guy i'm pretty much terrified of coming off so i'd like top notch protection to help my confidence.
Being mainly a commuter i'm not going to be racing around at incredible speeds so whats your experience with keeping ya pants on?

Depends on the time of year.

For three months of the year, I wear Hood jeans - I think the closest company that does something similar to you guys in NZ would be Draggin'.

Basically they are a heavy denim jean, lined with Kevlar - they've tried a 1/4 of a mile 'drag test' (ie, weighted the jeans to replicate body weight) and the denim wore away, but the Kevlar lining was intact.

In the colder, wetter months, I wear waterproof, thermal lined trousers from a company called Bering. The thermal lining is removable, so I only use that when it gets seriously cold.

I've also got different jackets for Winter/Spring jacket and Summer/Autumn. the Winter/Spring one is made by Bering and is designed to work with their trousers.

My boots and gloves are used all round.

This is a link to Draggin's Australian site (http://www.dragginjeans.com.au/) - hope it is useful.

Firefight
29th July 2004, 21:35
:crazy: Did I mention Chicks in leather ? :shifty: :love: :love:


F/F :wacko: , (oh shit did I say that out loud ?)

Milky
29th July 2004, 22:43
I never was convinced about those draggin jeans... they seemed to me as if they would just tear on NZ chip seal, rather than the smooth concrete of a drag strip... But then again I could be wrong <_< anyone willing to do a test for the rest of us fellow motorcyclists? It would be for the greater good...

Bob
30th July 2004, 06:48
I never was convinced about those draggin jeans... they seemed to me as if they would just tear on NZ chip seal, rather than the smooth concrete of a drag strip... But then again I could be wrong <_< anyone willing to do a test for the rest of us fellow motorcyclists? It would be for the greater good...

Admittedly, this is drag test of Hood jeans (ie. the ones I have), but it should show you just how good Kevlar (they call it Aramid as it means they don't have to pay DuPont lots of money just for using the word Kevlar) actually is.

This is a link to the drag test review (http://www.hoodjeans.co.uk/html/drag_test.html)

Hope this is useful - having been riding in them for about 9 months (weather permitting), I love the things. No, I've not taken them down the road (and have no intention of doing so!) - I leave that sort of thing to people who can afford to test things like that!

NordieBoy
30th July 2004, 08:45
I have a 17" on the front and an 18" on the back, and my bike uses no more or less gas than any other 750... :Pokey:

That'll be why my XR uses a lot of gas!
23" on front and 18" on back.

Well that saves money on the tuneup then :D

riffer
30th July 2004, 09:22
That'll be why my XR uses a lot of gas!
23" on front and 18" on back.

Well that saves money on the tuneup then :D
And probably explains why its a hell of a lot easier to wheelie an XR than it is to wheelie and FZR too...:disapint:

White trash
30th July 2004, 09:38
why not? (ten characters)

Ummm.......Because I *think* I look cooler in leather. I'm soaking wet, freezing cold so I definitely am cooler.

scumdog
30th July 2004, 22:20
Yup no chance of them coming off wearing that :no:
I agree, the ultimate in pant security.