Gear I bought

**Zukin** · 14th August 2006, 12:38

Hey all

As a Noob I thought I would post my experiences of the new riding gear I bought!
I purchased this gear for adventure riding, so hence why I went less road orientated.
Now I am not employed by any of these companies I have listed, just an honest report on good gear that I thought I would share with others that may be thinking of buying or upgrading their gear.
If you are considering any gear and are in or near Auckland I would suggest visiting the team at Motomail.
(not that I am so you can shop from home using your PC, in their online shop).
Their service is exceptional and really make Noobs feel right at home and dont offer biased views on any of the products there.

1 - Dririder RallyCross Jacket - You can see it here
I cant really say anything about this jacket, other than it is bloody brilliant.
I have used it only a few times and it has exceeded my wildest expectations.
Warmth - Incredibly warm and no draughts
Weatherproof - I haven't yet tried it in the rain, but brilliant on frosty mornings commuting to work, which is about 25km in a 100km zone
Features - Pockets galore, and just in the right places, even pockets do out your hands into that are fleece lined.
Upgrade Kit - Yep got that too and well worth it just for the thermal liner, really easy to put it all together, and yet so comfortable to wear, dont be fooled by its looks, it looks bulky and heavy but it isn't. It is very comfortable.
The Camel Back kit will be brilliant for the longer trips with juice or water

I love the collar, it is soft and comfortable, I tried a few on but the collar irritated the hell out of me.
It is really easy to put on and take off too which is a bonus, as some "other brands" I tried you almost had to be a contornisit to get out of it!

2 - Dririder Rallycross Pants
Again an excellent garment.
The legs are a little long for my short legs, but they are ok around the waist and thighs (I have a keg instead of a six pack)

Waterproof liner is yet to be tested.
They hug your body, so thin trou or shorts are the go.

3 - Nolan N102 Helmet - You can see it here
Again an excellent helmet.
I tried loads of them on and this is the one that just felt right!
It is great getting petrol, lifting the chin guard and not having to remove the helmet completely.
The sun visor is fantastic, just like sunnies when riding into a rising or setting sun.
It also acts like a peak, so I will see how that goes when it rains
Really comfortable and quiet when riding at 100km on the open road.
Has the ability to connect to NCom, Nolan's own communication device.

Links
www.motomail.co.nz
www.nolan.it - Have a look at the Nolan website, just make sure you select English otherwise it is very hard to read.
www.dririder.co.nz

I am off on a 4 day trip soon, so I hope to report back with a better detailed report then.
I hope the weather is good, but I am keen to try the limits of the gear out, but I suspect the gear will last longer than me in adverse conditions.

Cheers

**Lou Girardin** · 14th August 2006, 14:09

That's good kit you've got. Good choices.

**chris** · 14th August 2006, 14:53

Originally Posted by Zukin

Weatherproof - I haven't yet tried it in the rain

I have been using an 'on test' Dririder for about 18 months now. You'll love the way the rain runs down between the outer jacket and the inner liner ending up in your gloves. Other than that, great jacket which is also good in the forest.

**Sniper** · 14th August 2006, 15:05

Nice, but where did you bring it from? If you BOUGHT it I understand

**SDU** · 14th August 2006, 15:12

Sounds like you got a good kit.
I'd been keen to know how the pants are. Not just waterproofing, but if they are warm on the road & vented enough to be cool for the offroad stuff.
Enjoy your adventure!

**Lou Girardin** · 14th August 2006, 15:22

Originally Posted by chris

I have been using an 'on test' Dririder for about 18 months now. You'll love the way the rain runs down between the outer jacket and the inner liner ending up in your gloves. Other than that, great jacket which is also good in the forest.

That's why you wear the cuffs over your gloves.

**chris** · 14th August 2006, 15:25

Originally Posted by Lou Girardin

That's why you wear the cuffs over your gloves.

It doesn't help much.

**Ghost Lemur** · 14th August 2006, 16:36

I was going to start a new thread til I saw this one so will just add here.

I'm getting extremely annoyed at the state on bike shops in New Zealand.

While I can understand that due to our small population combined with motorcycling being a "fringe" activity, the shops can't afford to stock a substancial range of goods.

But that's no excuse for not having a reasonable online presence. You could argue motormail now does. While it's certainly 1000% better than it used to be (good work Dave

) it still pathetic in the range that's available to view. None of the others are even that good.

What does this mean?

Well, here I am starting to shop for gear. All I have to go on are overseas sites. While I can convert the currency, it doesn't give me a true idea of what I can expect to pay for things here, let alone if they are even available.

Already decided on the boots, Sidi Discovery/Courier seem to fill the DualSport category the best based on overseas reviews. Forget about finding even a mention on a new zealand site about them so I don't even know if they're available here.

To be honest, I'm seriously considering taking my money overseas, buying from the likes of motorcyclesuperstore.com or the uk one which keeps poping up in my searches. It doesn't seem to me like the new zealand companies want my money.

/rant

Nice gear though. Look forward to a post ride review.

**gijoe1313** · 14th August 2006, 18:00

I'm wearing my brother's old clobber at the moment (Dainese) and has been serving me well until I can invest and find other kit! This is great to read about as a noob!

**far queue** · 14th August 2006, 19:06

Originally Posted by serowdownunder

I'd been keen to know how the pants are. Not just waterproofing, but if they are warm on the road & vented enough to be cool for the offroad stuff.

Me too. I'm still looking around for some pants.

Hey SDU. Eric Woods have a range of sizes of the Dririder Rallycross pants if you wanted to try some on, and Superior have got some Moose adventure pants as well as the Thor ones that Lemans has got.

**Hitcher** · 14th August 2006, 19:19

Originally Posted by Zukin

As a Noob I thought I would post my experiences of the new riding gear I brought.

Gahhhh! No, you want to post your experiences of the riding gear you bought, i.e. paid money to procure. Brought is derived from the verb to bring, i.e. to take something somewhere. What a big difference one letter makes!

**merv** · 14th August 2006, 19:22

Hitcher are you not having enough fun these days to worry about such detail?

**Hitcher** · 14th August 2006, 20:30

I find that I can ignore increasing amounts of language abuse on Kiwi Biker (and elsewhere for that matter), but there are times when the old needle goes past the redline and I just have to pop a wheelie, grammatically speaking...

**BAD DAD** · 14th August 2006, 22:08

I found that there was no shortage of gear for sale when I last looked, just a shortage of cash in my wallet.

**SDU** · 15th August 2006, 14:56

Originally Posted by far queue

Hey SDU. Eric Woods have a range of sizes of the Dririder Rallycross pants if you wanted to try some on, and Superior have got some Moose adventure pants as well as the Thor ones that Lemans has got.

Thanks FQ. I'll check out the Hood's gear.
The Thor & Moose pants are all mens sizes & don't fit me. Besides Lemans & I can't go around in matching threads, what will people think

Fox have some girls adventure/ over boot MX pants but I haven't seen any here- they'd probably be pink

anyway.
Sadly look will be all I'll be able to do for now - the wallet won't open - its been raided too heavily lately.