Newbie needing gear advice

[Lou Girardin]

When I went looking for leather gear in shops last year they had buggar all to choose from on the shop floor. Most of it on display was all synthetic which might be why a lot of people end up buying it? - not that buying it is a bad thing, just my observation.
.

The reason is that leather gear, especially full suits, don't sell anywhere near as well as cordura. So you stock what moves. It's all about profit centres.
We'd sell 4 or 5 times as many $1600.00 Spidi textile GT suits as we sell $700.00 leather kit.

[Quasievil]

Well truth be known I have both, textile and leather. If i was going to go touring around the south island for the month I would take the Textile and leather pants. Day to Day and day rides I always wear leather and if its going to rain I chuck a one peice rain suit in.

Im obviously leather Biased, thats not just because I sell it its because I prefer it, arent we lucky we have choices.

[Motu]

I don't dare look in the mirror anymore - this opens up a whole new world in clothing choices....

[Colapop]

so did you buy his gear colapop? or ae you just brown noseing?
also ive got all the quasimoto gear, and i love em to bits!!!. the leather jackets hotter than a textile

Yes I have bought Quasimoto gear. I have yet to purchase a bike to give a fully unbiased review but from everything that I've researched and heard anedotally they'll do me a treat.

[Colapop]

Who the hell wrote that Quasi blurb,it's fulla shit!

I reproduced that blurb without the knowledge of the writer. I reckon you get the best you can for the money you got.

[kickingzebra]

Hey guys,
The politics of it all aside, I can only share from my gear and crash experiences. Hope this is of some use.

When I first stared on bikes, I had a leather Jacket, Made in pakistan, and a huge rubber suit, black and very kinky looking. I used to wear it if it was pissing down, bloody thing made me sweat enough to not have bothered, but I suspect It would have been better than just jeans in an off.

After about a year, I bought a cheap bullson textile set, Arsed the bike a week later, wearing the full kit. The bottoms were more for rain than anything, and though they protected my ass sliding alright, My knee touched the road first, and it just ground through the pants, my jeans underneath, and a little bit of my knee in one impact.

The jacket on the other hand did bloody well, It has padding on the shoulders only, and it was a bit worse for wear, but that is kinda what it is for, to save the skin underneath, sacrificial anode etc. 200 bucks that set cost me. I thought that to be alright value.

When I bought some new stuff last year, after a few years with just the leather jacket, I bought a Neo Milano Jacket, with armour inserts, and matching pants.

Compared with all my old gear, they were supremely waterproof, save an annoying habit that the pants have of occasionally dumping a huge volume of water down my crotch quite unexpectantly. That onyl seems to hapen in huge rainstroms, that one should probably question the sense of riding a bike in anyway. (gosh darn weekend warriors!!)

I assed off at manfield wearing the pants, with the old leather jacket, Pants got one hole over the boot, and a tiny bit of scuffing on the thigh. They are still going to be perfectly usable, and as waterproof as before I suspect.

The Leather jacket on the other hand, though it had elbow pads of stretch panel, the way I slid, forced the sleeve up, and so my elbow and the track met. the slide burned a hole just below the thick elbow piece, result, a tiny pin prick of blood, a small burn (synthetic linings can melt under friction when sliding) and a bruise.

I also bought some Shift kevlar jeans, I haven't offed in them myself, but watching the videos of people that do (on the net), they seem to work pretty good. The only nit pick I would have with them is that they only have kevlar panels, on the ass, and on the knees down to the foot. They aren't completely kevlar lined. The Dragging jeans diagram shows they have kevlar on the sides of the thighs as well. I don't know if they are comfortable or what, but my shift jeans, I can just wear on the bike, and carry on wearing all day. They look fine, and are just a tad warmer and heavier than ordinary jeans. The kevlar is however interwoven with the jean fabric, so you don't feel any bulky panels or seams. They were 160 or so.

Gloves can be a pain, if you buy huge gauntlet type gloves, and the weather is hot, you're stuffed, but they might be waterproof (for a while anyway) Problem with the waterproof ones, is they have a waterproof lining, which isn't sewn into the outer of the glove, hence when you pull the wet gloves off, the two parts can separate, and that can be a real pain in the ass to get right again.

I now have two pairs, big ass winter gauntlets, for rain, or long rides etc, and some kevlar reinforced leather gloves, only one layer, for jaunts about town, or hot as weather. I suspect the main thing with gloves is to get a good fit, because if they are too big, you won't be able to have a good feel of the controls, and your fingers may slip off the brakes at the critical moment etc.

I opt for kevlar, simply because I used to wear these kevlar cut resistant gloves, working in a factory, and though they looked and felt just like thin cotton packing gloves, you could run a brand new stanley knife right across the palm of the glove, hard, and it wouldn't even pill the fabric, much less cut the hand underneath. So that was enough to sell me that the stuff would be better than nothing, and probably better than a lot of other things in a crash.

Summation; My key ingredients in motorbike cloths are waterproof, wind proof (good seal at the neck and front closure) and with the scar on my knee, I don't think armour pads are such a bad idea. In saying that, if you buy cloths too big, then armour etc will just slide off the part it is supposed to protect in a crash.

At the end of the day, an old friend used to say, it ain't going to stop a mack truck hitting you, but for anything else, it should be better than nothing.

[ZeroIndex]

wise words kickingzebra...

[Blairos]

If you are going to run with the synthetic stuff, the homework I did before getting mine was based on the "how long is this stuff going to last if I end up scraping my arse/legs/elbows down a road?"

The homework I did meant the gear was a little pricier, but it all conforms to the European "CE" safety standards (which I believe are the toughest in the world) and is full of Kevlar armour etc.
As usual, this inexpensive CE "label" ends up commanding a higher price for this gear, but I just closed my eyes and handed over the money
Just my newbie 2 cents worth...

[Quasievil]

If you are going to run with the synthetic stuff, the homework I did before getting mine was based on the "how long is this stuff going to last if I end up scraping my arse/legs/elbows down a road?"

The homework I did meant the gear was a little pricier, but it all conforms to the European "CE" safety standards (which I believe are the toughest in the world) and is full of Kevlar armour etc.
As usual, this inexpensive CE "label" ends up commanding a higher price for this gear, but I just closed my eyes and handed over the money
Just my newbie 2 cents worth...

I have CE approved armour in my leather gear and the gear is made to these demanding standards, so there ya go it doesnt have to cost alot eh?
I even got the CE certificate to prove it

[Teflon]

I've crashed in textile and leather gear at similar speeds. I ended up with road rash on my arms, stomach, back with the textile jacket.. with full leathers not a scratch.. these were low speed crashes to.

So if you don't mind the feeling of skin against tar seal, buy textile.

[Teflon]

I have CE approved armour in my leather gear and the gear is made to these demanding standards, so there ya go it doesnt have to cost alot eh?
I even got the CE certificate to prove it

Sounds like you have quality gear. Depending on costs to modify my full leathers (to fat), i'm interested in buying full or two-piece suit.

I'll let you know in the next few weeks..

[chickenfunkstar]

Hi girls and boys, .....
, haha.

When I first started I got a textile jacket, helmet and some cheap chunky gloves. I used to wear (and sometimes still do) some waterproof snowboard pants over jeans if it was raining. I've added to my gear collection over time, now I've got the same helmet, 2 pairs of gloves (one summer, and the chuncky old ones) 2 jackets (one leather, one synthetic) and 3 pants (leather, synthetic and draggins jeans) and boots. Depending on the weather, where i'm going, temperature etc. I choose different gear as appropriate. Regardless of what you choose to buy (maybe have bought by now) you don't have to be stuck with it for ever.

Having said that i'd probably get a textile jacket if I had a fairly limited budget. They're comfortable, reasonably water proof and usually very adjustable depending on temperature. (its easy to take the liner out when its hot and easy to wear a jumper underneath when its cold). Most jackets will make you feel like an oven when you're just standing around and not riding. If you do get a leather jacket make sure you sit on your bike with it on to see how it feels. Some leathers can have a 'sports cut' which would be uncomfortable on a bike with a riding position like the GN.

Which uni are you at? I'm at auckland uni, Yellow SV.

[badmofo]

Thanks for all the advice guys, I got a Spool textile jacket and teknic pants. I got an HJC CS-12 helmet in the end, thought it was pretty good for $110. Got some thin ish gloves so I can still feel what i'm doing. Still working on my confidence, I've been up the motorway a few times and it's all good, just gotta work on the rush hour stuff, I hate all the stop starting and I'm a little anxious about zipping up the white line like everyone else does. I hope you're right AVRFLR about not getting a ticket for doing over 70 cos it's too dangerous going that slow and the stupid cagers sit on your rear wheel.

I'm at auckland uni too chickenfunkstar, what you studying?

[ZeroIndex]

Thanks for all the advice guys, I got a Spool textile jacket and teknic pants. I got an HJC CS-12 helmet in the end, thought it was pretty good for $110. Got some thin ish gloves so I can still feel what i'm doing. Still working on my confidence, I've been up the motorway a few times and it's all good, just gotta work on the rush hour stuff, I hate all the stop starting and I'm a little anxious about zipping up the white line like everyone else does. I hope you're right AVRFLR about not getting a ticket for doing over 70 cos it's too dangerous going that slow and the stupid cagers sit on your rear wheel.

I'm at auckland uni too chickenfunkstar, what you studying?

I'm using the QUASiMOTO Racing gloves, and I've got so used to the feeling of them that even pushing the bike around (to put it in the garage at night) feels weird. There's plenty of feeling in them and they will protect you well if you bin it.

With regards to the going on motorways etc, if it's just a small distance on a regular basis, do 80 - 95km/h (that's what i do), or if it's longer distance, like a bike run, just take the 'L' plate off for the day

[Freakshow]

It is getting chilli out there and I have see all threads about cold hands etc. But what I want to know is about keeping your face and neck warm. I have had a search around and had little luck with this one, I guess for most it is simple, wear a balaclava. But I have tryied that and my glasses keep fogging. Does anyone else have this issue and any suggestions products they recomend???