Newbie questions about gear

[Mikkel]

Hi folks,

My first post here...

Riding a bike for the first time ever on the 14th of September - while doing the basic handling assesment - getting my Learner's license the 17th (the AA office was closed during the weekend...) and buying my bike on the 18th I must say I'm pretty new to this whole deal of motorcycles.

Until now I've made do with some rugged tramping pants, a windstopper fleece, my sneakers and the helmet I got along with the bike... Obviously, this is not good enough!

So, I've been poking my head into various bike stores around Christchurch to see what they have to offer and have reached the following conclusion:

I want:
A new helmet - proper quality and good fit.
A 2 piece leather suit with full waist zip and proper armor for shoulders, elbows and knees.
A pair of good quality boots with great ankle protection.

Now, the tricky thing comes along - what brands to choose... For leathers I've had a look at Rjays, Shift and Alpinestar. The alpinestar stuff seemed to be really nice stuff but is only available in black unless I fancy a ~8 week wait. Dunno if it colour is worth waiting for though - I'm not exactly very fashion minded.
Helmet wise I've found the best fit in a KBC and an Arai... "slight" price difference though - dunno if the Arai would be worth it.
For boots it seems Sidi would be the brand to go for.

Anyway, if anyone has got some good pointers or knowledge on various brands and features that I ought to take into account I most humbly request enlightenment.

Cheers
Mike

[yungatart]

Have you had a look at Quasimoto leathers?
More bang for your buck!
www.quasimoto.co.nz

[obstacle]

Splash out on the helmet and buy what you can afford with the quality you need for the rest of your gear. If you're going to be commuting i suggest not going the leather route as it's not at all waterproof. Cordura is the answer if you intend to ride in all weather.

Although if you're actually looking at buying alpinestars gear perhaps money isn't an issue so you should also be able to get some wet weathers to go over the leathers.

As far as boots go the Sidi's were the only brand that fit my kiwi feet. which is wierd for an italian made boot.

I personally wear gear from Quasimodo and i'm quite happy with it but if you want to try it on to see if it fits then you'd have to get to hamilton.

You've definitely got the right idea in getting some good gear though.

[SDU]

Welcome to the KB nuthouse.
Keep an eye on meetings for rides.
As for gear Your shopping list is right on, buy the best gear that you can afford that fits you comfortably.
Shop around town for fit & price. Don't forget Leather image on fitzgerald ave & Just motorcycles in new brighton.
Do a search here for gear threads for info on those brands. I haven't worn any of those brands so I'm not much help.

[Maverick]

Welcome to the world of biking!
I second the Cordura vote. While leather is better in terms of protection in an accident after an hour of light rain you will be soaked and will continue to be so for about 3 days afterwards (also leather leeches colour onto clothes underneath, pink stained shirts arent that fashionable). If it is an all weather, every day ride for you then get a decent set of cordura, that will suffice to save your butt in a low speed bin just as much as leathers.
Helmet? Get a decent lid but not top spec, KBC are a good all round. last thing you want to do is spend $500+ on a lid and have a minor "introduction" to the tarmac and have to replace it. I personally ride in Technic's Cordura and over a year on in my current suit, no leaks, still going strong.
Boots and gloves are vital. make sure you get ones with a "full waterproof membrane" nothing worse then being stuck hours from home in the pouring rain and being cold and wet. Saps your strength and concentration and makes you do silly things.
All the best with you shopping!

Mav

[Mikkel]

Thanks!
That was a pretty damn quick response time

I have had a look at the quasimoto website and their gear looks really nice. Unfortunately I haven't got the time at the moment to go to the Tron - also it seemed that their 2 piece products have been down-prioritised compared to their custom one piece suits - which looks absolutely awesome!

I do have a car so I don't see myself riding much on days with bad weather so I'll definately go for a leather set. What one can afford is a more complicated matter - I mean if I went out and spent top dollar on every single bit of gear it will ultimately subtract from another part of the toy budget So while I don't doubt that an Arai RX-7 helmet is better than a KBC TX8 - I'm just a bit unsure whether it's NZ$1000 better... And that kinda goes for the whole thing...

/M

[NZsarge]

Hi folks,

My first post here...

Riding a bike for the first time ever on the 14th of September - while doing the basic handling assesment - getting my Learner's license the 17th (the AA office was closed during the weekend...) and buying my bike on the 18th I must say I'm pretty new to this whole deal of motorcycles.

Until now I've made do with some rugged tramping pants, a windstopper fleece, my sneakers and the helmet I got along with the bike... Obviously, this is not good enough!

So, I've been poking my head into various bike stores around Christchurch to see what they have to offer and have reached the following conclusion:

I want:
A new helmet - proper quality and good fit.
A 2 piece leather suit with full waist zip and proper armor for shoulders, elbows and knees.
A pair of good quality boots with great ankle protection.

Now, the tricky thing comes along - what brands to choose... For leathers I've had a look at Rjays, Shift and Alpinestar. The alpinestar stuff seemed to be really nice stuff but is only available in black unless I fancy a ~8 week wait. Dunno if it colour is worth waiting for though - I'm not exactly very fashion minded.
Helmet wise I've found the best fit in a KBC and an Arai... "slight" price difference though - dunno if the Arai would be worth it.
For boots it seems Sidi would be the brand to go for.

Anyway, if anyone has got some good pointers or knowledge on various brands and features that I ought to take into account I most humbly request enlightenment.

Cheers
Mike

An Arai is ALWAYS worth it, sound like you've got some disposable cash. Black is the most practical colour for bike gear but A stars do some coloured jackets. DON'T skimp on gloves either, Sidi make nice boots for sure, but there are many good brands like A stars, Gaerne, Oxtar, Puma etc...Frank Thomas make some good looking kit too but bottom line, protection first fashion somewhere further down the list.
If you've got the time have a good look around, don't just limit yourself to locally either, you never know when a bike shop somewhere else might have just what you're looking for in stock.

[NZsarge]

Have you had a look at Quasimoto leathers?
More bang for your buck!
www.quasimoto.co.nz

Yeah, some of their new line is righteous looking too.

[GaZBur]

Check out the synthetic jackets. I use a reasonably priced Dri-rider jacket. They perform just as good if you off and are so superior in the wet to leather. Leather takes forever to dry, needs much more maintenance and smells. I still use leathers for racing - but only coz I have to - I feel the synthetics like Codura and Kevlar are superior for road riders. For boots get light ones with good ankle protection as thats where the worst damage can be. Welcome and enjoy - just above all else make sure you get stuff that fits well as most of the stuff on the market is well designed and tends to last.

[The Stranger:Me]

I want:
A new helmet - proper quality and good fit.
A 2 piece leather suit with full waist zip and proper armor for shoulders, elbows and knees.
A pair of good quality boots with great ankle protection.

Now, the tricky thing comes along - what brands to choose... For leathers I've had a look at Rjays, Shift and Alpinestar. The alpinestar stuff seemed to be really nice stuff but is only available in black unless I fancy a ~8 week wait. Dunno if it colour is worth waiting for though - I'm not exactly very fashion minded.
Helmet wise I've found the best fit in a KBC and an Arai... "slight" price difference though - dunno if the Arai would be worth it.
For boots it seems Sidi would be the brand to go for.

Anyway, if anyone has got some good pointers or knowledge on various brands and features that I ought to take into account I most humbly request enlightenment.

Cheers
Mike

If your helmet fits and money is an issue keep your exsiting one for now. Your head aint worth much. No seriously, surely it will be complaint with acceptable NZ standards and as such will offer pretty good protection.

Leather is not waterproof, but you will usually get half an hour at least before you start getting wet and wets need not be expensive. Leather though is primo for protection and Quasi in my experience is bloody good gear. I say my experience because I have tested it personally more times than it should be tested, it lasts. I have seen way more exensive brand name leathers destroyed first bin on 2 occasions.

[Quasievil]

CHCH is a bit of a distance from the tron for sure, however we can offer you a fit guarantee, ie if it doesnt fit we will change it for one that does, this rarely happens as we are clever buggers and know what we are doing , all we need is your chest size, your height and your Jean size, thats it, if I get it wrong I will send down the right size (I never get it wrong)
The Jackets and Pants have certainly not being proritized down, infact our best spec gear is the Racer 9 Jacket and the Pants, these are very highly specd with KNOX Armour etc, the other Jackets in the new range are also very highly specd (higher than most) and WILL offer you the best protection you will find especially for the money.
Good advise above so its all been said, LEather or Cordura thats the decision, if you want either I can deck you out for as little as $300 up to $2000, but I can promise you , you WONT have an issue and if you have a prob let me know IM here

hope we can help

Thanks!
That was a pretty damn quick response time

I have had a look at the quasimoto website and their gear looks really nice. Unfortunately I haven't got the time at the moment to go to the Tron - also it seemed that their 2 piece products have been down-prioritised compared to their custom one piece suits - which looks absolutely awesome!

I do have a car so I don't see myself riding much on days with bad weather so I'll definately go for a leather set. What one can afford is a more complicated matter - I mean if I went out and spent top dollar on every single bit of gear it will ultimately subtract from another part of the toy budget So while I don't doubt that an Arai RX-7 helmet is better than a KBC TX8 - I'm just a bit unsure whether it's NZ$1000 better... And that kinda goes for the whole thing...

/M

[Weaver]

I bought Ixor pants and jacket not that long ago, and I would not recomend it. Within a week one of the zips on the side of the pants broke. I got them replaced and just last week the main zip on the jacket broke
I got some Sidi boots and i'm very happy with them. Very comfortable and can be worn for long periods of time

[unrealone]

I've had these two peice Shift Leathers for a year and a half now, wear them day in and day out. Very impressed, stitching is still going strong. I wear them in the rain, I've been absolutetly saturated in them and the stitching isn't rotting at all (which is what usually happens).

I had them two nights and I got hit by a car at an intersection. Full impact of the car to my right knee and the big pads did a brilliant job. Didn't feel a thing! My mate also had the same set and wrote of his motorcycle on some pretty shit road surface in these and they saved his life big time.

$1199 RRP when I bought 'em

I've just bought Sidi Vertigo Corsas which I must say have to be the best and most comfortable boots on the planet. These were $699 RRP.

I had some really basic shift gloves with the suit which were easy to slip on, but fell to peices from day to day use. I've been using Ixon gloves for around 10 months now and they're very nice and comfortable with great protection. These are around $249 RRP.

I hear the Ixon leathers are quite good, but from my friends experience not so good. The stitching fell apart around 3 times on his set. (Jacket, Pants and Gloves).

Can wise, I've been using Shark. Easy to change visor system and they fitted my head better than HJC. Also had a more streamlined look to them. I've got the S800 version, roughly a year ago now. Can't remember price though, maybe $400?

[sAsLEX]

If you're going to be commuting i suggest not going the leather route as it's not at all waterproof.

BOLLOX.

It can be I commuted for four years in Auckland shite weather in a leather jacket that kept me dry! And my ten dollar Whare yellow pants.....

Leather also lasts after a slide or 3, normally looks better

[Mikkel]

Thanks for the awesome feedback folks. It's great to see that many responses in such a short time.

And Quasie - I'll PM you about it

I still have a few things left that I have to try out before I can make any decisions, but I shall keep you posted. For now it seems that I can feel comfortable dishing out some money for a pair of Sidi boots at least. The 2 piece leather suit is nailed down - now it's a matter of brand and model... As for helmets, I'm still uncertain whether it's worth it to go for the very very expensive Arai - I kinda guess I should buy something cheaper to start off with and then consider getting a really nice brain bucket when I've gotten more experience and will be going faster. I will need a new helmet though since the one I've got fogs up badly and is noisy like you wouldn't believe it.