Protective Gear Recommendations

[music man]

I looked around and did not see anything like this on here and thought it could end up being very informative and save a lot of us no gear havin' fools from buying junk that doesn't work. From what I have read (which could be completely inaccurate) leather is about the best way to go, but if we leave out leather what are the best materials as far as abrasion resistance, comfort, breathability and cost effectiveness.


So this is a question first of all for my own personal gain, but I figured if I did it like this and started a specific thread on just this it could be a very good place for all newbies and people wanting to get the right and safest gear to come and get some very good ideas.

If this is already been discussed to death on here and I just missed it just tell me I am a dummy and need to learn to use the search better.


Later :rawk:

[roscosmom]

Thats my question....it gets really hot and humid here in south louisiana! leather is not the best apparel during our summers. the winter and early spring would be fine to wear leather (and I will buy a leather riding jacket before it gets cold) but what can we wear thats safe and breathable? if i wear leather in the summer i will literally pass out in mid ride! lol
:blush:

[Sarris]

There are a bunch of ATGATT, helmet, gloves, and riding jacket discussions under this "Safety First" topic.

Just read this topic or do a search. They have beaten this horse to death.

Just for y'alls info, I don't do ATGATT. It's too damn hot in the Tampa Bay area, so I ride in leather bike boots, jeans, t-shirt, and half helmet. I adjust this to a 3/4 helmet, leather gloves, & heavy leather jacket when it gets below 55 degrees or so in the winter. I've been down badly only once in 35 years of riding, and it cost me 6 months in a wheelchair so I consider myself fairly lucky. I am also a very conservative rider.

I know I'll take some shizit over this, but my its ass, and my choice. In the end, freedom of choice is what riding's all about isn't it?

:oops:

[roscosmom]

I believe we make our choices in life. And with those choices are consequences...good and bad. SO, if you choose to ride that way its your choice and thats all that matters...right? I'm a newbie and will make choices as I become more experienced...good and bad ones I;m sure....but choices all the same!

[Water Warrior 2]

The amount of gear or lack there of that you wish to wear is definitely a personal choice. Less gear is an added amount of risk in case of mishap. More gear means you might walk away rather than be carried away from a fall. For you folks in hot climates there is a multitude of warm weather gear that offers protection and ventilation for cooling at the same time. Mesh riding gear with armour will not break the bank and can be comfy to wear. Leather is the best for abrasion resistance but warm weather will be your enemy in most cases although there are some leather jackets and pants with vents. I personally wear a mesh jacket with armour and a pair of Joe Rocket Alter Ego pants when the temps go up. They also have liners in case of rain and will also cut a cold wind when needed. Another alternative is armoured jeans. Anyone interested in a good selection to help make a decision might go to New Enough.Com . I have bought much of our gear there and have been happy with their products. Even with the USPS charges to the GWN we save a fair bit of money.

[music man]

This is exactly what I was wanting is to open a discussion about the kind of questions I am about to ask. The mesh riding gear you have, what kind of protection is it gonna offer if you hit the pavement sliding. Is it just holding the protective armor in place on the important parts, and the rest of you is gonna still look like you got attacked by a cheese grater.

[rayzuki]

Is it just holding the protective armor in place on the important parts, and the rest of you is gonna still look like you got attacked by a cheese grater.

probably. I have a firstgear mesh jacket. It has armor in the elbows, shoulders and spine. The rest probably won't hold up but I can't take wearing the leather here in the summer. To hot and humid. This is a good alternative (at least that is what I tell myself)

[patrick_777]

I have a FirstGear mesh jacket too, and I think honestly think it keeps me cooler than going without it (no direct sun exposure). Since you can literally see through it, I hold no fantasy that it'll hold up to a long drag over pavement, but I'd like to think the points of major contact, where the CE armor is, would add to the survival chances. I have an Alpinestars leather jacket in the mail right now, so I'll be pretty much set for the autumn/winter except for overpants.

[LilNinja77]

Mesh jackets are a bit of an oddity. Yes, they have armor; but the body of the jacket (which keeps the armor in place) will shred upon impacting the road. Personally I won't wear mesh, but as you may have noticed, I like to err on the side of safety. I've said up here before, if I ever stop caring about myself enough to wear mesh gear, I'll just not wear gear at all. I'd rather know that I'm not being smart, rather than trying to trick myself in to believing otherwise.......just my opinion. Not trying to bash anyone who does wear mesh gear, I mean it's better than nothing and since some people honestly believe it's "too hot for gear" I think it has its' place in the market

For myself, if it's too hot for gear, it's just too hot to ride......period. I say that 'cause by time it's that hot, I wouldn't feel safe riding to begin with.....heat can make your mind to some funny things and operating a motorcycle is already dangerous enough without throwing that in the mix. FWIW, wearing gear in the heat actually keeps you cooler than just wearing a t-shirt and shorts. With proper gear on, your sweat gets trapped and performs its' function----to cool you off. Without gear the sweat is taken off of you before it has chance to cool you, since the air hitting you is already so hot.

Most people confuse sweating with actually overheating, but it doesn't work that way........just because the fan on my bike turns on doesn't mean the bike is overheating, it just means it's hot. The biggest thing to help keep you cool in the heat while riding is being hydrated. Invest in a camelback, really everyone who rides in the summer should have one. As long as you're hydrated, everything else will be fine. Another trick a friend of mine showed me is this: Take a bandana and pack some ice in to the center of it, and twirl it around to make a little pouch of ice. Tie it around your neck so that as the ice melts the cold water will drip on to your chest or back (you choose, I like chest personally). If needed stop at a gas station and re-wet or re-ice the bandana.....it really works great!

I know, someone is thinking......but what about the shirt you're wearing, it'll get all wet. Well, if it's really that hot outside, you'd be a fool not to bring a spare shirt anyway because of all the sweating you'd be doing.

Just my .02
Ride safe

[LilNinja77]

Also, for anyone who thinks leather is too hot.........ever try perforated leather? It's essentially a leather jacket with hundreds of little holes so that the air penetrates it. If you'd like a pic I could try and get a decent one of my Joe Rocket jacket, just don't know how well the perforations would show up on the camera.
Ride safe

[Easy Rider]

Mesh jackets are a bit of an oddity. Yes, they have armor; but the body of the jacket (which keeps the armor in place) will shred upon impacting the road.

That depends upon what it is made out of. Some textiles are VERY tough (Kevlar).

[patrick_777]

Mesh jackets are a bit of an oddity. Yes, they have armor; but the body of the jacket (which keeps the armor in place) will shred upon impacting the road.

That depends upon what it is made out of. Some textiles are VERY tough (Kevlar).

I was just about to mention that. Icon threads Kevlar into some of their textile jackets, and there are plenty of others that do the same.

[LilNinja77]

Yes, I was aware of certain textile jackets having the kevlar in them, but couldn't remember seeing any mesh-style jackets with the kevlar. If you know of some please post it up, I was just going from my own (sometimes spotty) memory. I don't mean to sound so negative towards the mesh gear, it's definitely better than nothing and many people wear it.
Ride safe

[primal]

You know, if I can wear a leather jacket in 90+ degree weather in humid (90+%) WV summer days, anyone can. Honestly, the only time I even NOTICE the heat is when I'm stopped.

[Easy Rider]

You know, if I can wear a leather jacket in 90+ degree weather in humid (90+%) WV summer days, anyone can. Honestly, the only time I even NOTICE the heat is when I'm stopped.

Well that's really not good advice. Your personal experience may not be typical of everybody.

Everybody reacts differently to excessive heat. Heat exhaustion is not pleasant. I had a bout of it when I was about 12, watching a 4th of July parade. Since that time, I am even more sensitive to heat than most people......and that was 50 years ago!!

So......everybody probably should try vented leather if you can (or racing kevlar if you can afford it) but not everybody will be able to tollerate it. For those who can't, it can be a safety and health issue, equal to or worse than falling off the bike.

[Badbob]

In the summer. I'm more afraid of heat stroke than crashing. You could do both so not over heating is a big deal for me.

[Easy Rider]

In the summer. I'm more afraid of heat stroke than crashing. You could do both so not over heating is a big deal for me.

Yea. That's what I was trying to say! :)

This is what I have:
http://www.power-trip.com/products.cfm?products_id=1041

About $140 from a dealer. I like it.

[primal]

Well that's really not good advice. Your personal experience may not be typical of everybody.

Everybody reacts differently to excessive heat. Heat exhaustion is not pleasant. I had a bout of it when I was about 12, watching a 4th of July parade. Since that time, I am even more sensitive to heat than most people......and that was 50 years ago!!

So......everybody probably should try vented leather if you can (or racing kevlar if you can afford it) but not everybody will be able to tollerate it. For those who can't, it can be a safety and health issue, equal to or worse than falling off the bike.

Well, there's a difference between not wearing gear for the sake of staying a bit cooler versus avoiding heat stroke, etc. Obviously if you are predisposed to heat exhaustion, etc then yes, you gotta take care of that first. My comment was aimed at those who choose not to wear gear because its an inconvenience for them in the heat, not those who are particularly sensitive to heat. Thats all I was trying to point out. :)

[rayzuki]

Everybody reacts differently to excessive heat. Heat exhaustion is not pleasant. I had a bout of it when I was about 12, watching a 4th of July parade. Since that time, I am even more sensitive to heat than most people

I can 2nd that. I was taken to the hospital when I was 16 for heat exhaustion. Now I don't handle the heat to well. I will be ready to pass out from the heat and my wife says she is just fine. No way can I handle a leather jacket in the summer.

[Badbob]

They do make jackets that are a combination of leather and mesh. I have a Power Trip jacket that has leather down the back of the sleeves and across the shoulders. The only thing I don't like about it is that it doesn't have a liner of any kind. On long summer trips I had to carry another jacket for rain or cold.

[LilNinja77]

FWIW, I'm the most heat sensitive person I've ever known. It's a very common thing for me to be sweating from heat, while everyone else in the room is complaining that it's too cold. Conversely, I've been known to be running aorund in a t-shirt and shorts while it's snowing outside. That doesn't keep me from ATGATT though, I know what heat exhaustion feels like and I know what just being hot feels like....there's a difference. It's been said before, better sweat than blood.
Ride safe

[Water Warrior 2]

For those of you interested. New Enough. Com now has Technic Warrior denim jeans on sale. Far better than regular jeans. Take a look.

[Badbob]

FWIW, I'm the most heat sensitive person I've ever known. It's a very common thing for me to be sweating from heat, while everyone else in the room is complaining that it's too cold. Conversely, I've been known to be running aorund in a t-shirt and shorts while it's snowing outside. That doesn't keep me from ATGATT though, I know what heat exhaustion feels like and I know what just being hot feels like....there's a difference. It's been said before, better sweat than blood.
Ride safe

Sounds like me. I start to sweat around 68 degrees. I need to move to a cooler place.

[Jer]

What does "ATGATT" mean?

[Sarris]

All The Gear, All The Time

It's an MSF thing. I don't do it. Too damn hot for me.

:)

[Jer]

Cool. Thanks.

I'm struggling with this.

I don't want to be uncomfortable either. But I suppose being injured is far more uncomfortable than being a bit warm on the way to and from my destination.

I'm new to all this. Havent even gotten my license yet. Getting my plates tomorrow. So far just practicing turning and stopping in the street in front of the house. All 0-20 mph stuff. I have my helmet. Got some rugged boots. Wearing jeans.

When I decided to buy the bike I figures helmet, jeans, gloves, boots would be enough. Since I'll be commuting at 0-45 mph all the time.

But the more I read the more I'm uneasy about that. I suppose thats a good thing!

[alanmcorcoran]

Jer,

I'm a noob too. Only other "dangerous" thing I do is skiing, and, from what I can tell, skiing is picking daisies compared to motorcyclng.

I'm in Southern California. I think Florida is hotter than us (cause of the humidity) but, trust me, it's frigging hot here: 90+ inland most of the summer.

I have a full helmet, reinforced gloves, an icon jacket with plastic body armor and steel toed boots. The jacket and the helmet have venting and, as long as I'm going, I don't get that hot (I tolerate heat relatively well.) I do start to fry sitting at lights. I don't zip the jacket all the way up until I get out of town.

I work about 4 miles from my house, a relatively tame route, all 45mph or less. So I wear jeans to work. But when I am going out to "practice" in the canyons, I wear medium weight kevlar padded pants with armor in the knees (and hips and shins too, I think.) Jeans are better than gym shorts, but from what I've read, not much better.

I don't know if any of this stuff is gonna save me if I hit a car or a guardrail, but I think it may cut down my skin loss considerably if I slide out in a turn. Even if it doesn't keep me from breaking my neck or legs, I feel more confident (less anxious) with it on, so that alone motivates me to wear it. Plus, I gotta admit, I take a certain perverse pleasure in heading down Harley lane looking like the biggest pussy on wheels. That's right MF'ers, I'm on a 250 going 50 miles an hour in the slow lane and fully armored. Later on, I may even sit down to pee! Look, I just used my turn signal!

I also take guidance from the xcrossers and xgamers. These guys can outride me with their pinkies and they all wear full on gear.

Hope this helps.

[Jer]

Plus, I gotta admit, I take a certain perverse pleasure in heading down Harley lane looking like the biggest pussy on wheels. That's right MF'ers, I'm on a 250 going 50 miles an hour in the slow lane and fully armored. Later on, I may even sit down to pee! Look, I just used my turn signal!

I'm with ya there man.

Let em laugh. Let em shake their heads. F-em!!!!! When they are laid up in traction at the hospital, we'll be hitting on their ladies!!!!!!! \m/ \m/

[Jer]

I went and tried on ther Joe Rocket XL Phoenix 5.0 at the local dealer tonight.

Great fit! Nice Jacket!

$169 firm.

Looks like $144 at the online stores. I have a couple of pending questions for some eBay buyers........

[patrick_777]

$169 firm.

Looks like $144 at the online stores.

Watch out for shipping charges. They're probably not going to make up the $25 difference, but the overall savings may be less than you think.

[Jer]

Right.

Honestly if I cant save 20% or more I'll go locally.

Saving $25 on a $170 jacket isnt worth not building the relationship with the local store.

I used to be in sales. Electronics and home theater. We'd have people get quotes from us, buy online, then come to me for help hooking it all up.

I'm not THAT GUY!!!!!

[patrick_777]

I'm just going to quote myself from the other thread. (http://www.gz250bike.com/viewtopic.php?p=9144#9144)

The constant problem with buying gear online is fitting (especially ebay). If it doesn't fit well, or at all, you're pretty much stuck with reselling it yourself instead of returning. Not a problem for some, but if you don't want to go through the trouble and don't want to collect gear that doesn't fit, then you should try something more return-friendly, or personal. Craigslist is alright because you can usually fit gear before you buy, but there are more risks associated with that than eBay or a brick & mortar shop.

I've said this before in the other thread too, but I'll reiterate it here. I believe unless the price is substantially different online, you should always try to buy from a brick & mortar store. You can usually get good deals there, and sometimes can negotiate for an even better deal. Additionally, you support your local economy, and can keep good personal contacts with your community riders. The better the personal connection is to that community, the more likely they are to help out in many ways other than just a discount on gear or services.

[Jer]

I've said this before in the other thread too, but I'll reiterate it here. I believe unless the price is substantially different online, you should always try to buy from a brick & mortar store.

Yup. I agree 1000%.

I wont buy something I havent tried on. And if I cant save 20% plus I'll buy locally.

[Water Warrior 2]

Buying locally does have it's plus and minus values. Tires in the GWN are as good as gold to the dealer. That said, I just put new rubber on the 650. Went local to support small business and I know and trust them. Could have saved some money shopping across the border but if something is wrong with the tire after it is delivered I have to pay shipping to return it. So much for saving a buck or two. I would also have to pay for mounting and balancing again. I know my local dealer will take care of me with little fuss or bother. As for clothing we buy local or deal with deal with a reputable seller like New Enough. Their prices will make up for the outrageous taxes and tariffs at the border. We also check for shipping cost and type of shipping too. UPS has their own version of rape and pillage at the border. USPS works well if available.