What kind of gear do you wear?

[music man]

I just wanted to get a better idea of what all the people on here that say they ATGATT wear, you never know you might open some peoples eyes (like me) to some ideas and alternatives they weren't aware of.

I will start. When it is cool enough I wear a leather jacket, blue jeans, lace up boots, non protective winter gloves, I started out with a half helmet, then moved up to a 3/4, now I wear a full face helmet (I had a problem with wearing a full face at first, so I slowly eased myself into it).

When it is in between hot and cold I switch to a armored mesh jacket, different gloves, blue jeans, the same boots and a full face helmet.

When it is summertime I wear a t-shirt, full face helmet, gloves and the same boots.

The only constant I have is I NEVER ride without a helmet, I always wear blue jeans and boots, and I always wear gloves, I like the grip I get better and my hands don't seem to get vibrated as bad. I don't really wear blue jeans for protection from the pavement(because they offer none), I wore shorts a couple of times when I first started riding, and I didn't like it, rocks, bugs, rain, tailpipe, they all suck when you are wearing shorts (plus you can't really wear boots with shorts).
The only thing I would like to change is I would like to buy some protective pants of some type, since I wear pants all the time anyways i could easily wear those comfortably.

I am not asking this to start a fight (although I know it probably will) but to genuinely find out what everyone on here is wearing when they go out on there bike, and if they wear it all the time or if they are like me and flip flop back and forth, depending on the weather.

And on a side note, I also NEVER go anywhere without my trusty mp3 player, gotta have the tunes.

[blaine]

In the warmer weather I wear a half helmet,blue jeans,biker boots,(black of course,wear them all the time on or off the bike)and a black vest.When the weather gets cooler I add a jacket with zipp out liner,a pair of chaps,and gloves.
:cool: :roll:

[Water Warrior 2]

Hmm, what do I have ?
Moto specific water proof riding boots. Tall so they protect as much shin as possible.
Pants. 1st pair were Joe Rocket 5.0 water proof, wind proof pants. Too hot for anything considered warm weather. 2nd, JR Alter Ego pants. Textile with removeable portions revealing mesh inserts. I threw the rain liner away.
Jackets. JR again. First was a textile jacket with no water proofing and a few vents. Came with an insulated vest. Second jacket is mesh that breathes quite well. Threw away the rain liner too.
Rain suit from a work wear house. This is my fav. Stops the wind, rain and covers the entire body if you are suddenly into cooler or rainy riding.
Gloves. JR insulated waterproof gloves that have been worn twice in 4 years. A good glove but I don't like them. Some kind of ventilated armored gloves bought this season and I keep for very hot temps. My fav glove are Red Wing gauntlets that have a light thinsulate lining and are extremely comfy and don't mind getting wet. No armor but the leather is good quality and would take some abuse.
Helmets. Have bought 4 in 5 years. HJC CL-14 was the first. Bought a cheaper make as a back-up a year later and took it back the next day. The label said it was already 5 years old. #3 was HJC something or other. It became my primary hat till the back-up expired and I tossed it. #3 became my back-up and my primary is now a flip face HJC CL-MAX. My next hat will be another flip face. All of my helmets have been full face/flip face.
Hearing protection. Yes that too. Foam ear plugs work well for me and the noise is lower and less fatiguing on a longer ride. Any ride out of this small town is a longer ride in my opinion.

[Water Warrior 2]

Crap, I missed some stuff. Cold temp stuff. TourMaster heated pants and full jacket liner. Also heated insoles. Bala clava too just in case. Light cloth gloves that fit well in my Red Wing gauntlets. Merino wool socks for all riding, hot or cold temps.

[music man]

Bala clava too just in case.


I have one of these too, but it doesn't get much use, because even when its cold here, it is still overkill most of the time to have it on.

[alanmcorcoran]

I'm not consistent. Here's my current "Full Battle Rattle" with options.

1) Scorpion Mesh jacket (exoskeleton?) - with or without liner depending on temps. Wear over one, two or three polyester underlayers.
2) Tourmaster rain overjacket. If raining or gets cold - acts as a good layer with the mesh jacket.
3) If I'm touring or going on a Long Pointless Ride, I wear Tourmaster Caliber pants. Waterproof, lined, armored - liner if applicable (cold.) If local time wasting or commuting, I wear jeans.
4) For local cruising I wear Alpinestars Ridge waterproof, zip-up/velcro over the ankle leather boots. For camp/touring, Lowa Renegade waterproof (Gore-tex) over the ankle hikers.
5) 3/4 Scorpion helmet for short local rides. Full Face flip up Arai helmet for freeway riding. the Arai helmet is very comfortable, much quieter than my HJC, fits better and has better ventilation. Prefer the full face when out on the Kawa as it has a minimal windshield and the Arai handles the wind a lot better than the 3/4.
6) Various gloves. I like the Icon Pursuit? also have some humongous cold weather gloves with fingers the size of hotdog buns. The big gloves have zip pockets for weatherproof booties.
7) Max-it head gator (gaiter?) (when cold.)

I also have a heavy leather armored Motorhead jacket (Icon) that I don't wear that much anymore.

[Water Warrior 2]

[quote="Water Warrior":3rxpxngj] Bala clava too just in case.


I have one of these too, but it doesn't get much use, because even when its cold here, it is still overkill most of the time to have it on.[/quote:3rxpxngj]
Yes, most of the time it is just along for the ride in a case. But on ocassion there is a crispness to the air. Depending on the air flow on some bikes you can get a chilly draft on your neck which is very annoying and uncomfortable. A turtleneck T-shirt normally does the job well enough. I was quite surprised how well a bala clava works to retain heat.

[alanmcorcoran]

Check these out - I discovered them for skiing but they are perfect for cold weather motorcycling too...

http://www.maxit-inc.com/products/headgator.html

[dentheman]

I wear a Bell Ghisallo helmet, Aerotech jersey, Pearl Izumi shorts with padded seat, Specialized gel palm gloves, Pearl Izumi shoes with Shimano cleats.

[Fish Baseball]

Well the full winter kit
- boots, either lace up over the ankle hiking variety or the 3/4 calf "biker" style
- kevlar jeans, with knee and hip armour
- leather chaps , they cut down the wind chill on your legs at midnight when I'm riding home after work
- hooded jumper
- mesh jacket, with back, sholder and elbow armour
- patch vest. Again, weirdly much more visible than a high vis.....
- full face helmet. I admit that a 3/4 or less helmet would be "cooler" but after my first birdstrike I came to realise I don't mind my face remaining looking the way it does. :)
- Balaclava, also known as the head sock. Tucks into the top of the jacket, stops cold air getting in around my neck.
- Gortex lined leather gloves. Armored as well, a bit on the chunky side but warm.

So in short, I don't like the cold (lowest it gets to here in Melb AU of a night time is a fresh -3 deg C)

Summer kit
- same boots
- same kevlar jeans
- t-shirt
- lightweight armour jacket (its a mesh shirt with back , sholder, chest, elbow armour and a kidney belt)
- always with the patch vest
- full face helmet
- camel back (gotta keep hydrated!)
- leather armored gloves

Yes, it does take a little bit of time to get ready to ride, even in summer, but the alternative is not worth thinking about.

[Water Warrior 2]

A big + for the kidney belt. I forgot to mention mine. They do add strength to back muscles on a long ride. Also great for off roading and such. Even the cheaper ones at Home Depot are good. Years ago I had one that was armored and very hot but a few offs in the dirt proved it's worth.

[dentheman]

This is a very informative thread for someone like me who is just doing the research on what gear to get. However, I am surprised that a coolong vest and helmet cooler are not mentioned.

[Water Warrior 2]

Good catch on the cooling vest and hat color. Never bothered with a vest but my main helmet is white primarily for visibility and may be a tad cooler.

[dentheman]

Good catch on the cooling vest and hat color. Never bothered with a vest but my main helmet is white primarily for visibility and may be a tad cooler.
I had decided on a white helmet for visibility and possible cooling, but in the last couple days I found that several big name helmet makers have neon green or orange hi-viz helmets. (Examples: http://www.revzilla.com/hi-viz-neon-motorcycle-gear) They would certainly be very visible in daylight, but I wonder if the white might be better between dusk and dawn, and maybe the best overall. As far as temperature control, I am looking on-line at Coolzone's phase change helmet cooler. It's just a round pad looking thing that you throw in the fridge or freezer to charge it.

The top of my head is where I sweat the most and where the body heat seems to gather and dissipate for me, so that's the first area I would try cooling, then maybe a cooling vest if needed.

[Water Warrior 2]

Not familiar with a helmet cooler but It sounds interesting. A Neon helmet is just outrageous. Really eye catching during the day. Don't know about after dark but reflective tape will stick to any colored helmet so problem solved. 3M tape from Walmart works well on my helmets and bike. Not expensive and can be replaced cheap enough if it gets scuffed up with time. I spent big bucks on other industrial reflective tape and the difference was not worth the added cost. It didn't stick to the hard cases as well as 3M.

[clarkperez]

Fish Baseball wrote:
Well the full winter kit
- boots, either lace up over the ankle hiking variety or the 3/4 calf "biker" style
- kevlar jeans, with knee and hip armour
- leather chaps , they cut down the wind chill on your legs at midnight when I'm riding home after work
- hooded jumper
- mesh jacket, with back, sholder and elbow armour
- patch vest. Again, weirdly much more visible than a high vis.....
- full face helmet. I admit that a 3/4 or less helmet would be "cooler" but after my first birdstrike I came to realise I don't mind my face remaining looking the way it does. :)
- Balaclava (http://www.jcwhitney.com/balaclava/b2036j1s9.jcwx), also known as the head sock. Tucks into the top of the jacket, stops cold air getting in around my neck.
- Gortex lined leather gloves. Armored as well, a bit on the chunky side but warm.

So in short, I don't like the cold (lowest it gets to here in Melb AU of a night time is a fresh -3 deg C)

Summer kit
- same boots
- same kevlar jeans
- t-shirt
- lightweight armour jacket (its a mesh shirt with back , sholder, chest, elbow armour and a kidney belt)
- always with the patch vest
- full face helmet
- camel back (gotta keep hydrated!)
- leather armored gloves

Yes, it does take a little bit of time to get ready to ride, even in summer, but the alternative is not worth thinking about.

This is a great list to note! Thanks for sharing mate.
By the way, for me wearing Balaclava is an ideal choice to add warmth and protection from wind without the bulk.

[Strelok]

I always wear long pants and I always wear a Helmet. Even in the heat of Texas.

:)

[geezer]

when hot i like to where shorts, for optimal airflow to the legs and ball area. and flipflops breathe so well for sure. next i top it off with a wife beater and bandana and go riding!

[advant63]

the geezer rocks the boat. :rawk:

i usually wear black leather, gloves jacket pants and combat boots as well as a neck protector. i have both light and heavy textile gear for extremes in temperature but it rarely gets out of the closet. black helmet. i almost always take my rainsuit out with me in a backpack. a cheap two piece in yellow. :2tup:

[alantf]

and flipflops breathe so well for sure.

Forgetting the safety issue for a moment (I don't really want to forget it, but neither do I want to tell anyone what to wear for their riding :tdown: ) but how the hell do you change gear with flipflops, and better still, how do you keep them on? :cry:

[geezer]

alan do you know what the word humor means? no i dont where short, no i dont wear flip flops!

[alantf]

Ah..........Trouble is - I see so many idiots over here that DO ride in shorts & flipflops (even riding crotch rockets) that I accepted your statement as reality :2tup: (and,yes, I have seen them concentrating on keeping their flipflops on rather than concentrating on their riding) :)

[Strelok]

...next i top it off with a wife beater...

That always cracks me up when I hear that term to describe sleeveless t-shirts.

I pretty much have the philosophy ( for the Bike & especially a Caged Vehicle )
that I want enough clothing that if I have to walk home from an inoperative
mode of transportation that I don't freeze or I am too uncomfortable. I
almost always have Rain Gear on me at all times so for that reason
I am looking at upgrading my Saddlebags to larger hard ones.
For Shoe wear I always wear something I can run in and
not have something that will fly off if I am running
from Dogs, Gangs, etc.( Been there done both )

There was a Bike Rally in my Town just this
weekend with 50,000 Motorcyclists. Of
course there were several deaths.
Every one of them were not
wearing Helmets.

:roll:

[geezer]

i like how you did that sterlok, lol anyway, sometimes i go barefooted on those really hot days oh but dont worry i have one of those covers for the shifter so i dont hurt when my bare skin hits it.
yes and i called it a wife beater just to get some kinda responce workdeded like a charm. btw i watched the poptart cat good stuff my man

[Strelok]

geezer~

You should post a picture of yourself wearing the flip-flops, wife-beaters and with
no helmet up in the Pics section so we can watch those not in on the joke go wild.

:popcorn:

[mrlmd1]

Were the deaths from accidents or beatings during fights?
If you do get into a fight, you are safer with the helmet on, unless you use it to bop somebody else on the head with it.

[geezer]

strelok im on it! :lol:

[savrip]

Vega Summit 3.0 V-com Helmet (http://www.vegahelmet.com/summit3.0_V-com.html) Pearl White
Harley Davidson leather jacket, lightweight thin liner
Jeans (looking for cheap chaps)
Steel Toe Shoes (Wal-mart special)

[lenkf]

I'm 3 months+ after heart surgery. First thing I bought when I could ride motorcycle again was chest armor. Duh, why didn't I have this before? My old Tourmaster jacket has shoulder elbow and back armor, but not a chest plate. My new armor included better spine protection than the Tourmaster jacket so I removed the back protector in the Tourmaster. I also have over-pants with hip and knee protection but only wear that on long freeway trips over jeans especially if it's cold.

For close by in town trips <50mph, I wear a plain leather jacket over my new chest/back armor and jeans, with sometimes a high neck scarf in low temps. They "say" most accidents happen within 5 miles of home. But I think that stat is for cagers many of whom really aren't paying attention as we all know :)

I use 3/4 helmets, one with face shield one without and choose depending on which motorcycle or planned speeds. bugs and birds and cold and dust can hurt without face shield. I also use ear plugs at high speeds to block wind noise in order to hear more important close by sounds from the motorcycle (and keep my musician hearing in tact).

fred (in SoCal where winter is not so bad and we can motorcycle nearly every day)

[Water Warrior 2]

Most accidents happen within 5 miles from home. Yeah they do but the cagers are running into smaller items like motorcycles, bikes and kids on skate boards. Please dress for the crash not the time or distance from home. You can be hit by some one blowing a stop sign a block from home.

[greatmaul]

Hi! Older thread I know, but I really love my gear! :)

I got a one piece Cortech by Tourmaster riding suit. It's wind/water resistant and great for commuting because the legs zip all the way up the sides, so I can literally step into it and I'm ready to ride and then step out of it and I'm ready to go to work. (I really wanted an Aerostich but who can afford that??)

It has full armor: back, shoulders, elbows, hips, knees, and I've upgraded the armor to add hard armor from ebay on top of the soft ce armor that was already on there. Hard armor is better for abrasion from what I've read, and the soft is better to prevent broken bones.

Helmet is Scorpion EXO700 full face Snell approved, though these days I wish I had something brighter like neon, or maybe modular, and maybe bluetooth so I could pipe me some NPR in there. Boots are very tall Sidi waterproof riding boots, very protective and completely waterproof. I have Freeze-out thermals and Cortech titanium knuckle gloves with thinsulate lining. Also, have a neon reflective vest but don't always use that anymore.

My old gear had an armored jacket, armored pants, armored shorts underneath that, and knee pads, but it just took too long to get on and off, couldn't go anywhere on my lunch at work. Now I can just slip into the suit and I'm off. (by "slip into" I sometimes mean hopping on one foot and bending and cramming myself into it, but still...)

[JWR]

Good for you on spending the money for full gear.
:2tup:

[Water Warrior 2]

Good stuff. Now you are dressed for the ride and the slide. Your other gear was good too but time consuming. I can definitely relate to that.