newbie question about riding gears, dont laugh!

**Vilicus** · 5th September 2005, 17:43

i am getting a bike soon so i feel necessary to ask some basic questions:

how do i carry the jacket, pants, gloves and helmet after i get off my bike?
i guess i cant just go to malls in riding cloths and holding a helmet with me.
and how about in hot summer? am i going to feel hot in a heavy jacket?

Thank you for answering the question...

**James Deuce** · 5th September 2005, 17:47

How would you feel spending six weeks in a burns ward having skin grafts because you didn't wear the gear?

Carrying gear and getting hot in Summer is part of the motorcycling experience. Don't make unnecessary, crippling, disfiguring injuries part of the experience as well.

**Vilicus** · 5th September 2005, 17:52

but how do i carry them?

1. get off from the bike
2. go to a toilet and get changed
3. put them into a bag and carry it with me
4. shopping
5. go to the toilet and get changed back
6. go home?

is that a right process?

**James Deuce** · 5th September 2005, 17:59

Whatever works for you man. I have a locker at work where I leave some work clothes and get changed there (obviously not at my desk

) and chuck the gear in the locker during the day.

You do get used to existing in your riding gear. I've just got some ankle high touring boots that look like black shoes under work trousers and I've ordered some Draggin' jeans so I can have some riding gear that looks like smart casual gear, but means I don't have to "defrock" whenever I go somewhere. I have a helmet bag so I can carry the Helmet easily and it won't get marked by everyday small collisions with furniture or shins.

You'll figure it out.

**dawnrazor** · 5th September 2005, 18:10

Originally Posted by Vilicus

i am getting a bike soon so i feel necessary to ask some basic questions:

how do i carry the jacket, pants, gloves and helmet after i get off my bike?
i guess i cant just go to malls in riding cloths and holding a helmet with me.
and how about in hot summer? am i going to feel hot in a heavy jacket?

Thank you for answering the question...

most folks will have two sets of bike gear, winter stuff and summer stuff, or at least jackets with termal liners that you can take out. I've got light weight leather gloves for summer and lined gloves for longer colder journeys. Most bikes will have a hook that you can clip the D-ring of you helmet strap into an then secure, don't do this if your out doors and its likely to rain or if your leaving the bike unattended for along time.
No one in a mall is going to stop you for walking around with a helmet and in biker gear, thats called social profiling and its illegal.
If you haven't bought your gear already, i'd stay away from the cheap leather jackets and pants, you are better off with cordora stuff, i've got some spidi stuff that wasn't that expensive and it perfect for the summer, has kevlar protection and all. Also if you can afford it, don't cheap out on the gear, the good stuff will last forever and in most cases you get what you pay for.
You might need to invest in a good waterproff back pack to keep your stuff in and keep wet gear, there are ones you can get specificially for bikes that will hold a helmet and jacket. I use mine for a spare pair of shoes.
Basic fact of life of biking, it comes with baggage. its alot to factor in when your buying a bike as well, but as the absolute basics you need a GOOD helmet, GOOD gloves, GOOD boots (not neccessairly proper biker boots although these are ideal 'cus they offer you ankle protection - even doc martens are better then nowt) and a good jacket with some sort of armour, a back protector is a good idea to. Lastly look at "draggin jeans", they do these jeans that look like joe publics, except they have kevlar in them and offer lots of protection in the case of a fall.

hope this helps

**crashe** · 5th September 2005, 18:10

Mate, it is just as easy to wear the jacket or throw it over your arm....
Use the helmet to carry stuff in when shopping.

Or get a big enough backpack and take that with you and when you get off your bike stuff your jacket into the bag.... You will get used to wearing your pants around the malls... after all you arent gonna be there all day are you.
As its a pain to take the pants on an off when you go into a mall for a short time... don't worry people are used to seeing us bikers wearing all the stuff, when they are walking around in a t-shirt and shorts in the summer.

Buy a jacket that you can take the liner out of in the summer months then you wont get too hot...

BUT Never leave the jacket/pants on your bike cos they wont be there when you get back to your bike.

Ask any questions you like ... someone on here will answer you...

**sunhuntin** · 5th September 2005, 18:33

crashe has it. i just wear my leathers while in town [sometimes take the jacket off and carry it if its hot, or store in the top box] keys are looped through the strap on the helmet [does up with velcro] and gloves go inside helmet or jacket pocket. only time i take my leathers off while in town are at the gym and work, and then the pants, jacket, gloves and sunglasses go in the top box, helmet on the helmet lock and keys in the storage shed. only time id consider leaving my leathers with the bike is at a biker rally, and then only if i can see them at all times.

**Drum** · 5th September 2005, 18:36

A lot of bike shops also have starter kits, which include all the gear: Helmet, Jacket gloves, pants and boots. You can exchange some of the cheaper stuff for better gear if you want to pay a bit more. Also, if youre buying a bike from a bike shop you should expect at least a 10% discount on the gear, maybe even more (double?) if the bikes brand new. Theres always the option of a lockable top box for your helmet, though not sure if these are rated as "cool".

**froggyfrenchman** · 5th September 2005, 18:41

winter... take off helmet, jam gloves into it, undo jacket and leave on
summer... gloves in helmet, jacket thrown over sholder.

Youll figure out what works for you.. i wear work boots everywhere, including riding smaller trips, so theyre not a problem. My fiancee craays a bag to put all her gear into.

Everyone does somethin diferent, as long as youre wearin all the gear when on the bike it dsnt matter how you do it

**James Deuce** · 5th September 2005, 18:53

Sorry to buttin there crashe, but don't put stuff inside your helmet. The lining in there (not the fabric, the polystyrene) is designed to absorb impacts and protect you from concussion and worse. Damage that and you risk injury or worse.

For those of you who putt your gloves in there (and I admit I still do this as a conditioned habit) the carbon fibre and metal bits and bobs can damage the liner too, plus they have bits of stinky dead bugs on them and then you go and put your head in there. ewwww.

**cowboyz** · 5th September 2005, 19:08

while at work I have a locker that I keep everything in.
I don't do the town shopping thing at all so I never really thought about it. What do you shop for when your going home on a bike anyway? Its not like you have a boot to put the stuff you brought in?

**crashe** · 5th September 2005, 19:15

Originally Posted by cowboyz

while at work I have a locker that I keep everything in.
I don't do the town shopping thing at all so I never really thought about it. What do you shop for when your going home on a bike anyway? Its not like you have a boot to put the stuff you brought in?

I do a lot of shopping when I am out an about on my bike.

Foodshopping goes into my backpack... lou paper strapped to the pillion seat.
Clothes shopping is fun stripping on an off clothes and then you have to put all ya riding gear back on... then the new stuff goes into my backpack.

In fact my backpack gets lots of use.
I tend to take my backpack with me everywhere just incase I grab something and need to bring that item home...

**sunhuntin** · 5th September 2005, 19:50

i put my shopping in the top box. i often have a backpack with me [gym gear] and always carry stretchy cords to bungee stuff to the brackets if needed. dont often buy more than i can carry....what doesnt fit in the box gets bungeed on or else shoved down my jacket. i buy while considering space at the same time, so dont buy a trolley load at a time.

one guy at work i know has a huge backpack with him at all times. this can be slipped over the sissy bar or on his back. he usually stuffs bags of sugar, spuds or loo rolls under the sissy and bungees them on, then stuffs the pack with whatever else, and any excess he puts in shopping bags and ties to the backpack. really very educational watching him at times, lol.

w have lockers at work too, but they are about a 10 min walk from where i work and park the bike, so its easier to leave it all with the bike and safer too. the storage shed gets locked, so in foul weather my lid can go in there, s we arent allowed to carry anything bigger than a handbag through the store and have to leave it at reception. not my idea of safe. lol.

**Ixion** · 5th September 2005, 19:58

I do shopping when on the bike. I wear either a Cordura or leather jacket, and cordura leggings. Boots are either calf length work boots or riding boots. I wear light "ordinary " trousers under the leggings.

So: Quick trip to the supermarket - helmet off, gloves in helmet, keys clipped to D ring. Leave jacket and leggings on, do shopping , stow stuff . On BMW . 'tis easy, just throw shopping in luggage. On Li'l Ratty, I have a back pack cargo netted to the seat and shopping goes in that.

If it's a more formal social occasion, dinner etc, then I remove leggings, and stow either in luggage or backpack. If I'm wearing leather jacket I'll usually leave it on, it looks OK for any but the most formal occassions. If fabric jacket, in the luggage or backpack. Trousers over the boots, they look like shoes. Take the backpack with me (usually I'll take the BMW for such occasions though - OK it's a bit of a special case for a bike)

Never had any issues carrying the helmet, I'd have some words if anyone questioned it.

If you wear light trousers under leggings you don't need to go to a toilet to get changed.

**Vilicus** · 5th September 2005, 20:08

Originally Posted by sunhuntin

i put my shopping in the top box. i often have a backpack with me [gym gear] and always carry stretchy cords to bungee stuff to the brackets if needed. dont often buy more than i can carry....what doesnt fit in the box gets bungeed on or else shoved down my jacket. i buy while considering space at the same time, so dont buy a trolley load at a time.

one guy at work i know has a huge backpack with him at all times. this can be slipped over the sissy bar or on his back. he usually stuffs bags of sugar, spuds or loo rolls under the sissy and bungees them on, then stuffs the pack with whatever else, and any excess he puts in shopping bags and ties to the backpack. really very educational watching him at times, lol.

w have lockers at work too, but they are about a 10 min walk from where i work and park the bike, so its easier to leave it all with the bike and safer too. the storage shed gets locked, so in foul weather my lid can go in there, s we arent allowed to carry anything bigger than a handbag through the store and have to leave it at reception. not my idea of safe. lol.

thanks everyone! some of your answers are really helpful and inspiring, btw: sunhuntin, is that a GN250 shows on your pic? is that a nice bike?

i am thinking about getting either a 2005 GN250 or a 2004 GSX250 for my first bike, GN costs 3000, and GSX costs 6000. which one is more practical for my situation? (little riding experience, but thirsty for a good looking performance bike and the most important: definitely want to live longer than a week!)