Newbie questions about gear

[SVboy]

I have cordura SPOOL gear-and it is fine, but I wont rave. After 18mth-12000km-quite a few loose threads-but seems waterproof and sound.SPOOL sports gloves are serving me well though.
Yes, I have Sidi touring and sports boots-seem very good.The big news[In my little life!] is the new Quasi gear. I am very impressed with the overall quality. If I could have afforded alpinestars, I would have bought them. I could not, but am well pleased with the jacket and pants from the Quasi couple. Great price and service. When the first jacket was to small-sent it back-next size is just fine, and exchange, no issue.

[QMOTO]

The big news[In my little life!] is the new Quasi gear. I am very impressed with the overall quality. If I could have afforded alpinestars, I would have bought them. I could not, but am well pleased with the jacket and pants from the Quasi couple. Great price and service. When the first jacket was to small-sent it back-next size is just fine, and exchange, no issue.

Cheers Bro for that, Hope you enjoy it.

Aplinestar PSSSSTTTT , over priced.............quasi gear is better ..........................way better.

[discotex]

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.

Buying a helmet is kinda like buying a bike IMO. Don't go nuts on your first one.

Until you've been riding for a while you won't know what you really want in a helmet. Is comfort your #1 priority? Is wind noise a big deal? Is fogging an issue for you? How much weight can you put up with? Do you prefer flip face? etc...

Any of the ~$250+ helmets should protect your head 99% as well as a top Arai or Shoei would. In my opinion the difference is largely in ergonomics and style.

My next helmet will probably be in the $800+ range but it's not to make me feel safer. It'll be to be quieter and vent better (if possible as they're opposing forces) and hopefully I'll manage a pinlock visor for winter riding.

[MotoGirl]

Any of the ~$250+ helmets should protect your head 99% as well as a top Arai or Shoei would. In my opinion the difference is largely in ergonomics and style.

I agree. My $500 Shoei was no worse than my $1,000 Suomy Hodgson replica. I only got the Suomy because it has reeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaally cool graphics.

I also own a two-piece Alpinestars suit and it's fantastic. It's got a few vents in it, but I've never got saturated when I've been caught in the rain. I'm going to tour the South Island next year so I'll buy myself a rain suit to go over top of it.

[90s]

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

You should doubt.
Helmets that meet the codes (generally SNELL and DOT) are pretty much as 'safe' as each other - in fact technical reports you can access through KN posts often find some of the high-end lids not performing as well in accident testing as cheaper lids ... but they all do the job.

Any lid that is a bad fit will not do the job well.

What you are paying for is:
1 - marketing - which is not important unless you want certain grpahics and the image factor
2 - comfort, shape, lightness, ventilation, materials, wind-noise etc etc.
These are important - which is your priority for 'best'?

Your head is not my head. A $200 lid might fit me comfortably but a $1000 lid might not fit you at all. So try try try.

Finally I would get a HJC carbon if I could afford it. No contest. Money doesn't seem to be an object for you, so try helmets (with your jacket and gloves on), and ride them if poss. to get a feel for weight and wind noise. Make sure you try the carbon too.

[90s]

Oh, you don't seem to taken by the cordura route, but I have not been pleased with the lower end dryrider stuff (which I got after quite a few recommendation of it over armourtek etc stuff).
I have a mid-range jacekt of theirs and that seems OK, but have returned some of the cheaper stuff due to leaks.

[Mikkel]

Finally I would get a HJC carbon if I could afford it. No contest. Money doesn't seem to be an object for you, so try helmets (with your jacket and gloves on), and ride them if poss. to get a feel for weight and wind noise. Make sure you try the carbon too.

Not an object - that's not correct. I still have to get mylady's approval before I go out spending big. With me being a student it's not like I have a huge cash inflow - but we have some savings from our earlier professional work.

But if I get $500 worths more protection by buying a $500 more expensive suit then I know that I can justify that. I don't care much about fashion, but I do care a lot about safety and comfort (e.g. I use both helmet and backshield when I go skiing - and I also drive a car with abs, airbags and a radar detector ).

I think I've decided to go for a $300 helmet to begin with - I won't be going crazy fast anytime soon and if I should have an off then I won't be too gutted having bashed a crazy expensive state-of-the-art helmet. Boots-wise I've decided to go with Sidi since they're the only one I've found comfortable so far.

Currently I need to try on some stuff a store is bringing down from Auckland and then I'll evaluate and decide whether I'll go for Shift, Alpinestar or Quasimoto leathers.

[diddie17]

I've just updated all my gear thanks to Quasi

I could afford Alpinestars, but had problems with the wait and the colour issue and Spidi had exactly the same problem. I could have ordered one of the different colours with a reasonable wait, but if it didn't fit then I had to buy it anyway as the shop couldn't send it back to the distributors. I looked at buying from the US, but the risk with sizing really wasn't worth it for only a few dollars saved.

I ended up going with the racer 9 leathers from Quasi and I can guarentee you won't be disappointed with the quality and armour. It really is superb kit. Paula and Bret are great people to deal with too.

Having said that I wouldn't use it as my only gear. The leathers go inside the boots and so in the wet the water would run down into your boots. I've got some Spool cordura gear that I use if it looks like rain. I'll update that next year before the winter as it's starting to let a little water in. Also I run a set of race type gloves for the dry and some waterproof gloves for when it's wet.

Anyway, I went with the Racer 9's and the race gloves from Quasi which are superb. I went with the Sidi Vertigo Goretex which I'm really pleased with and an Arai Viper GT (long oval shape fits my head better) which again is good.

Only downside of the leathers is that having just got the Superduke and still getting used to it, I'm struggling (especially with the weather) to get my knee down and so the sliders are still looking depressingly new

[Mikkel]

Sounds awesome. Whatever I get I'm sure my knee slider will look absolutely spotless for quite a while - unless I mess something up.

The Quasi gear looks really good - I'm just a bit puzzled why they don't put a full circumference zip in the racer jacket and pants.

[diddie17]

I'm just a bit puzzled why they don't put a full circumference zip in the racer jacket and pants.

There is a full circumference zip in both jacket and pants on the Racer 9 gear. Quasi will probably explain this better than I can, but - The racer 9 gear is not strictly speaking 2 piece leathers in that you buy pants and jacket that fit each area rather than the 2 piece which you buy to fit your whole body. There is a full zip, it's just that when you do it up fully there is no guarantee (depending on sizing) that both ends will finish at the same point.

There is the centre back zip which I do up and then I tend to zip the full circumferance zip somewhere between a half and a third of the way up which should stop the jacket riding up at the front in the event of an off. I guess it will be better on one side than the other though. I'm sure in the event of an off I won't remeber which side though

The difference is that with the Racer 9 IMO you get a better fit as you don''t have to compromise between jacket and pants, but you don't get the zip that goes all of the way around without an overlap or possibly underlap (if there's any such word).

Quasi?? some help here. I don't think I'm doing a good job of explaining

[Quasievil]

Sounds awesome. Whatever I get I'm sure my knee slider will look absolutely spotless for quite a while - unless I mess something up.

The Quasi gear looks really good - I'm just a bit puzzled why they don't put a full circumference zip in the racer jacket and pants.

Hiya. yes it has a full circumference ZIP, but they are not a two piece and therefore dependant on ZIP length they may not match precisly, ie Jacket Zip may be slightly longer.
We hope to have the Zips rationalised soon

[Winter]

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

I've got some quasi gears, and can't recommend his stuff enough.

He got the fit right first time for me too. Def worth a look.

[Mikkel]

Hiya. yes it has a full circumference ZIP, but they are not a two piece and therefore dependant on ZIP length they may not match precisly, ie Jacket Zip may be slightly longer.
We hope to have the Zips rationalised soon

Sounds good - anyway I guess it's nothing you couldn't get fixed to be spot on from a clothing alteration place for ~$50.

[Quasievil]

Sounds good - anyway I guess it's nothing you couldn't get fixed to be spot on from a clothing alteration place for ~$50.

Exacery, probably less actually

[smoky]

And Quasie - I'll PM you about it

Good move, he decked 4 of my friends out, and myself in leather, and he's right, he gets the right fit. You won't get the thickness and quality you get from him for the same price anywhere - about $700 sorted for two piece, boots and gloves.
I ride rain hail or shine, it has to be a heavy rain fall and be sustained for a while before I start to feel any mosture thru the leather?

for helmets, I'm still uncertain whether it's worth it to go for the very very expensive Arai - ... 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.

$499 for a good SHOEI Raid II - fit in an anti fog $45 - and it's all sorted.