gear

[aff-man]

sorry guys i know there is a discussion on this somewhere but i can't find it. Anywho after getting the chills from riding in jeans and after urging from coldkiwi to get some riding pants to complete my gear what is best. What are the pro's and cons for either leather or synthetic and where to go. I saw some nice hjc pants in mt eden m-cycles but a bit on the costly side i'm looking at about $200-$250 being a poor student and all.

[SpankMe]

I have a DriRider jacket and it's great. It synthetic and warm and cheap.

[bikerboy]

I've seen some leather pants at Holeshot for $199, and i'm sure you can get similar at other places for $200.
I have found the synthetic are great for waterproofness but warm on average days, plus they tend to be more expensive

Motomail also has a reasonable selection.

[Redstar]

go to the Warehouse and get two sets of thermals all up 50bucks
a pair if waterproofs 40bucks now your dry and warm if a little un accident protected.
so get some inline hockey knee pads 12bucks and for 102buck your superman. sure you look like a pillock but if you have 1200buck for the good stuff then do that instead.
in place of the thermals you can wear ladies tights.
but A&E will think your a pervert? nice feel though

[Dave]

If you wish to stay warm-sit inside by the fire,if you wish to ride a motorcycle-wear the best protective gear money can buy.
I just went down the road in a $2000 set of spidi leathers and I tell you,If i was still wearing my previous leathers (still a reasonable set) I would be spending several weeks in hospital.
Before you look at the cost,think about how much money you'll earn if you cant work!
By the way,Thermals under leathers with a thick coat overtop will keep you plenty warm.

[bikerboy]

AMEN Brother!

[Mitch]

WELL SAID DAVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How much is your ass worth to you??  None of us (I would hope) would ride in a $10 helmet, the rest of your gear is just the same!! 

[andy1]

i had a accident as u might know, i wearing my brand new arai helment. thats all i could think about in the hospital. $1000 down the fuckin shitta. but it still saved my life. got k.o thou. worth the money!!!!! another guy i know had a crash was wearing a hjc helment and the fuckin thing came off his head!! dont buy hjc!!! the strap broke and the helment was in bits!!! he is now in taiwan getting treatment. ask for more info.

does anyone wear techinc??? wkid dont u?? i think ur suit is good and doesnt have the problem. its just the 2peice suit, its white black and purple. the thing comes apart very easy. turns out that after techinc made it they had problems with the stitching. and recalled some models to fix it. but some got onto the market. i was lucky enough to crash in one! i now have big scares on my arm and leg. thank u technic!
i have photo's of the suit after the accident.
laterz

[Redstar]

$2000 bucks um well if I had that kind of dosh I'd do the same but then you can buy a lot of bike for the price of the gear.
I'ts true that how much is your life worth. but if you put safety above all then. don't ride bikes at all buy a volvo and get the best of safety with air bags and abs and crumple zones and all!
I see bikers in shorts and Jandles now that is silly!
Ride in accordance with you gear.if you have crap gear ride like a granny.I wear leather all second hand $400 all up.
Steel toes there cheap.
and thermals. I have a cheap helmet. true but its got the safety approval requirments and I recon its OK but I wont really know til its tested. the problem with lids is even the top price ones say if its droped replace it. Did the hjc quoter ever drop it prior to the disitergration?
I bet ya did?

[bluninja]

A strange conundrum...why pay enough for a decent bike to buy gear that you'll have to replace after probably one accident ? If you are constantly coming off your bike you'll need it to keep you alive. If you hardly ever crash, then the cost is spread and the gear will proabbly last longer.

If you screwup and have your own accident then paying for repairs and new kit is part of the learning curve. If someone else takes you out then you claim for bike and kit off them......and if the do a runner hope your insurance covers everything.

Basically money can be made, and bikes can be repaired or replaced far easier than fixing a broken rider. I guess if you don't bother with good kit, then you'll be off the road much longer when you do have an accident, so I guess it's a self managing system. What I don't like is people with bald tyres and unserviced brakes and suspension that are accidents waiting to happen...who may well injure other people when they have the inevitable crash.

TTFN

 

[Redstar]

good point. I am a bit shy on gear but my bike has all the service up to date and good rubber/brakes and a gold adjusted chain you can call me shabby but not stupid.

[SPman]

These days I'd rather wear $4000 worth of gear on a $500 bike than $500 worth of gear on a $4000 bike!

[wkid_one]

I agree - why waste money on shit gear you have to replace often....if you buy good gear it is likely to last you a long time....negating the initial high upfront cost.

However - you need to remember that gear is not going to save your bacon 100% of the time, but good gear reduces the chance of injury signicantly.  Why is gear so expensive?? Two reasons - 1.  The companies that spend shit loads of money on R&D and top quality materials will naturally charge you more - but you get the benefit of there efforts.

2. Tariffs/Duties/Mark-Up....Take Dianese leathers - wicked - but not worth the money in NZ because no one is prepared to import them (or can) at a realistic price. 

You need to have a realistic look at what you are buying - Spidi are good - but wickedly overpriced in NZ - same as Arai....why because there is limited distributorship in NZ.....we pay too much for them in NZ in comparision to overseas.  We also have less access to a full range of accessories in NZ - and limited options changes it to a suppliers market (natural supply and demand principals - supply down - demand up - equals higher price)....if you look in UK mags - they have 100's of manu. of leathers to choose from - we have a handful.

Look offshore when buying things - you will be surprised at how much you will save - and DO YOUR RESEARCH!

Don't buy shit gear - you only have one head for example - and very seldom get the chance to say - 'Oh Fuck - I wish I had spent $300 more on a helmet'.

[Redstar]

Yeah right you look real cool in your expensive stuff on a moped!

[Marmoot]

AGV stuffs are good and used to be really cheap (until they got out the X-vent helmet and mark up the price by 100%)....

I crashed in my 2-piece AGV twice. TWICE BIG TIME. the last one knocked me off (ask Andy1 if you don't believe me). Totalled the bike in both occassion, fixed it again, got on the road again.
No scars, no broken bone (well, one broken pinky finger on the first crash), no wounds, nothing.

Arai is definitely worth the price....comfortable too.

Sidi boots are great. My legs are still intact.

Gloves, I trust Teknic. On the first crash I used $75 Tek.Lightning. No stitching broken. The second I used Tek.Violator, no stitching broken either.

What about the bike? Honda. It is virtually indestructible

Now....if I hadn't been wearing my leathers...........