My riding gear, if anyone is interested

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nickjtc
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My riding gear, if anyone is interested

Postby nickjtc » Fri Jul 21, 2006 10:49 am

I'm always curious to see what other riders wear, and how it compares to my stuff. Until the end of last summer I was a riding instructor, and so spent a lot of time on the bike. Being of the "I'd rather sweat than bleed" mentality I always ride in full motorcycle specific gear, whatever the weather....and it gets up to the high 30's c hereabouts in the summer!

From the top:

Full face helmet, ALWAYS. Either a Bell fixed front or (if I'm instructing) a HJC flip-up. Earplugs on all highway rides.

Either, Teknik synthethic jacket and pants, with appropriate 'armour', or First Gear one-piece leathers. Depends on my mood and where I am going. Got the leathers at the Vancouver Bike Show for a stonking deal: $300, with a recommended retail of $900.

If it is really cold I wrap a thin scarf (which I've had for 30+years) around my neck to keep the draughts out.

Electric vest for the early spring or late summer rides.

Gauntlet-type summer waterproof synthetic or elkskin roper gloves.

Sidi, 'On Road' boots. Waterproof but breathable. I've had them resoled once and they've done over 100,000km. Very comfortable for walking or standing on a hot parking lot all day. They have never leaked, even in the most torrential downpours.

I use inexpensive waterproof jackets/pants, that pack up small in the tank bag.

I only discovered heat late in my riding career and am amazed at how much nicer riding is when you are not clamped to the bike in paroxisms of hypothermia. Hence the electric vest. I like to have heated grips on my bike, too, but haven't fitted them to the 650 yet.
.....to be myself, a pattern for others.

1979 CB650
1971 Norton Commando
1968 CB175

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Ibsen
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Postby Ibsen » Fri Jul 21, 2006 11:42 am

I use an Aihro full face helmet, Cordura armoured jacket and trousers, racing boots and gloves with kevlar protection. And I always wear earplugs.
Sometimes I use a 2 piece leather and an open face helmet.

And I always have a "Full Rain" one piece rain gear, and a pair of waterproof gloves, with me on longer trips.
Last edited by Ibsen on Fri Jul 21, 2006 12:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Chris
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Postby Chris » Fri Jul 21, 2006 12:08 pm

Wow, sounds like you ride pretty safe and comfortable. I'm a 'newbie' rider this year with limited funds for gear.

Right now, my first and only helmet is an open face that I wear with safety glasses or a face shield depending on the weather and speed. Friggin rain hurts at highway speeds. Large bugs too. And they taste funny. I plan on buying an HJC CL-MAX modular helmet when I get some extra cash. They retail for about $180 but I've found them in eBay stores brand new for $120.

For the jacket, I blew $200 on a Brando type motorcycle jacket. No padding in it though. People think I'm insane for wearing it in Summer heat, but I figure sooner or later I will fall down and when I do I don't wanna be that dummy in the tank top and shorts. Besides, when it gets uncomfortable I just think about things like the troops over in the Iraqi dessert and my own time in similar situations, like years of factory welding in full gear. In the factory I couldn't even have a fan on me because it would blow away the shielding gas and ruin the welds. Sometimes I even had to crawl inside things and weld. So, riding a motorcycle with the wind in my face aint so bad. It's the stops that get hot 8) That said, I'm seriously considering one of those kevlar mesh motorcycle jackets with the padding and all, but right now I can't justify $300 on what looks like half a jacket.

On my hands I wear Mechanix gloves. They arent real thick... I don't think they're even real leather, but they should offer a little protection if/when I go down.

On my legs I wear jeans. I know they don't off much protection in a slide, but they're better than shorts.

Usually, I'm commuting to work through town(which is what I originally bought the bike for) so I'm wearing my steel-toed work boots. I own a pair of harness boots, but hardly ever wear them. The work boots seem more comfortable anyhow. Probably because I wear them all day. If I even start to ride my bike with any piece of gear missing or unfastened, I feel naked and uncomfortable, like driving without my seat belt or working without my safety glasses/earplugs :lol:

Currently, I don't own any rain gear. So far I've been caught in 2 downpours and several light sprinkles. It feels great after a day in the factory, but I will get rain gear eventually along with a set of bags for stowing such things.

I haven't ecountered cold since this is my first year, so I'm not sure what I'll do to cope just yet. I'm thinking a turtleneck or a scarf will be in order and maybe a pair of Carhart overalls? I'll have to get back to you on that.

So, you're a riding instructor? I was gonna take a riders safety course here in NY, but the bastards want $275 for the basic 16hr safety course. That's 8hrs. classroom/8hrs. riding and it's located 2 counties away from me on a weeknight so I'd have to take off from work. I think that's a little too much for my wallet/schedule considering I live a stones throw from PA and their safety course is $free to PA residents. You'd think that if the great state of NY wanted their riders to be safe, they'd do the same, but it's not so great a state when it comes to how they love to bleed us. Maybe when I win the lottery.
1980 CB650c

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nickjtc
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Gear.

Postby nickjtc » Fri Jul 21, 2006 1:51 pm

At risk of sounding like a safety nerd....just a fyi.

One of the US bike mags did a comparison test of the abrasion resistance of various clothing materials, by dragging sacks made of each material, full of flour (or somesuch), behind a truck, at a set speed. The length of 'drag' before the sack wore through gave a comparison of the abrasion resistance of each material.

Worst: jean denim (about 2' before wearing through)......so a person is no better off, in this scenario, than if they wear shorts.

Best: competition weight leather (about 80' before wearing through)

In-between: good quality synthetic material.

As an instructor it was routine to watch jean clad students fall off on the parking lot at virtually no speed; they would invariably wear through their jeans and skin themselves.
.....to be myself, a pattern for others.



1979 CB650

1971 Norton Commando

1968 CB175

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kbailey
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i feel like a dare devil

Postby kbailey » Fri Jul 21, 2006 8:25 pm

I have been riding for about 6 years now, mostly commuting to work. A couple longer trips (sorry a nighthawk just aint a touring bike). I regularly wear jeans, a t-shirt, and a HJC full face helmet. I have a leather jacket that I wear when its cool to cold but it is not a motorcycle jacket by any means. I suppose if I had hundreds of dollars to spend I might get more gear but I'm sure I would only ride it on trips that would include quite a bit of hy-way or interstate speeds.

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Chris
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Postby Chris » Fri Jul 21, 2006 10:42 pm

Hmm, only 2 feet? Damn. Point taken. Maybe some chaps would be in order. What was the speed of the test?
1980 CB650c

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Abrasion resistance: speed of experiment

Postby Guest » Sat Jul 22, 2006 12:53 am

If I remember rightly they did the test at 50mph.

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nickjtc
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Training cost/gear cost

Postby nickjtc » Sat Jul 22, 2006 1:02 am

When I worked for the Kelowna Safety Council, here in BC, the course fee was $650cdn for three weekends of training.

Whether that can be considered expensive depended on the individual students viewpoint. Most felt that it was worth every penny. Just as with the ongoing discussion about what we wear when we ride, it all boils down to what your own personal limits are, and whether you think that appropriate training cost/gear cost is important to you as a rider.
.....to be myself, a pattern for others.



1979 CB650

1971 Norton Commando

1968 CB175

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Vatch
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Postby Vatch » Sat Jul 22, 2006 8:51 am

I've been riding on and off for about 12 years. My gear HJC full face helmet, leather riding gloves with palm and knuckle padding, winter riding gloves are padded leather gauntlet style with water proof slip on covers, jacket is leather 'Brando style' with removable insulated liner, pants are Draggin' Jeans (knees and butt are reinforce with Kevlar), and lace less boots on feet (either old engineer boots or work weight ropers). Other than the gloves and helmet, I have no other armor.

For the rain I have a pair of slip on nylon over pants. They used to be waterproof, but last time I used them they were not. I now have a cheap rain suit to put on over the gear, it has yet to be tested. I don't mind the rain unless it's below about 8C. In the winter, I use wool long underwear tops and bottoms and a wool sweater with a high zip up neck. Those sheep know what they are doing. I have heated handgrips on my '99 Kawasaki. They help a lot during cold weather, and I will ride down to about -8C. I'm not sure the cb650 could handle the power needed to operate heated grips. That's OK because the Honda does not like to start when it's cold.

I will be looking into some upgraded protection for better cold weather and rain protection.

I agree, jeans alone do not do much; the 2' of protection is sobering. I've tested this by dropping a bike going 50mph about 10 years ago. The pants ripped. The jean jacket did not rip, but I had heat burns on my arms and elbows. The engineer boot saved my ankle on my left foot. I'm sure if I had sneakers on I would have lost bone. Part of the damage from a slide is from heat, and cotton offers little protection in terms of dissipating heat. Full face helmets are important. Studies suggest 30-38% of damage to the head is sustained in the face and chin area.

Armor is probably the way to go. Even if your skin is saved bone and joint contusions can result from a good smack, as was the case with my left ankle.
'99 1500 Drifter

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Cteodorski
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Postby Cteodorski » Tue Jul 25, 2006 10:08 am

I'm so glad to hear you guys saying all this. I seem to be alone in my small group of friends -- in that I wear and endorse wearing the right gear. I'm always amazed when I see guys in shorts, tennis shoes, and t-shirts flying around town. I can only imagine how they would look spread across the pavement.

I'm relatively new to riding but my riding gear includes:

Full face helmet (SNELL)
1 of 2 Tourmaster synthetic material jackets both with armor, one is more for colder weather the other is for hot weather (perforated)

I'm going to be buying something for the bottom half of me in early August (for now, I've been riding with those 2' to ass jeans). I'm not sure what it should be, I've looked at chaps, but they offer no ass protection. I'm unsure about the kevlar padded jeans (I like the look but do they offer the protection?).

Anyone have any suggestions for pants? Any place online that offers great deals?

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nickjtc
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Location: Kamloops, BC, Canada

Riding gear

Postby nickjtc » Tue Jul 25, 2006 12:17 pm

When you choose your riding gear I believe that you should be thinking about the 'anatomy' of a typical get-off.

Whether you hit something (like the four-wheeler who turns left in front of you) or whether you come off due to inattention (misjudging a decreasing radius corner, perhaps) the end result is usually the same. There is an initial impact where you hit the car/road/tree/deer followed by a slide of some length before you come to a rest. The gear we wear has to protect us against both components of the get-off.

Gear which protects against abrasion (such as kevlar jeans) is certainly better than nothing, but if it does not protect against that initial impact you stand as much chance of serious injury as if you were wearing regular street wear. Modern 'armour' is very effective and can be quite unobtrusive

Of course, in reality, there is very little that wll save us in the event of a catastrophic accident. Taking a moment to review our gear choices could mean the difference between walking away from a get-off with minor bumps and bruises, and having to have months of skin grafts to replace abraded tissue. When I watch the racer guys get up and walk away from huge get-offs I am amazed at how competent modern gear can be.
.....to be myself, a pattern for others.



1979 CB650

1971 Norton Commando

1968 CB175

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DammitDan
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Postby DammitDan » Fri Aug 18, 2006 9:47 pm

Looks like I came in late to this conversation... But here goes.

For trips of any distance i put on my Fox Creek sport riding jacket (1.6-1.7mm rough cowhide leather [read: extremely heavy]), long tight-ish jeans, elk hide goves, full face flip-up Nolan N102 (i love this helmet), and my old Asolo hiking boots.

For shorter trips, or for trips with lots of stop-and-go I'll usually drop the leathers and go with a t-shirt. However, I've experienced firsthand the effects of falling off at 45+mph. So I always wear the gloves, boots, and jeans.

And just to let you know, if I had been wearing shorts instead of jeans the day I wrecked, my legs would have been much worse mangled than they were (I had some scrapes but no road rash). My lower back on the other hand... Wish I had been wearing something a bit more substantial than a white undershirt.

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bandwidth69
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Postby bandwidth69 » Sat Aug 19, 2006 10:44 am

Hi. Like the majority, I wear a full face helmet on top, scarf in the winter. T-shirt, sweater, hoodie top (thin cotton jacket type) or similar and a standard "biking" jacket. If its wet I'll put a PVC jacket (usually bright yellow!) over the top of that. Great for riding, no good for walking about in! I'm a jeans man too, though in the winter I'll put on a pair of "track suit" thick cotton trousers underneath them, slip on waterproofs over the top in wet weather and ankle length boots - though I'll wear two pairs of socks in the winter! Standard biking gloves, not leather gauntlets, but synthetic insulated things that do the job. I want to cry when i see guys in shorts passing me on the dual carriageway. turns out I'm not much better protected myself am I? Thanks for the info! :wink:
i dont watch big brother

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Vatch
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Location: West Virginia, USA

Postby Vatch » Sun Aug 20, 2006 7:06 am

Many years ago when I first started riding I bought this black leather vest. Back then I thought I wanted a Harley. Never wore it much as it offers little to no protection. for years I hung onto the thing and did not wear it; I don't have a need to look like a tough guy. Funny thing is, the vest does have a use. Here in southern WV the summers are hot and humid relative to the northern latitudes I am used to. My heavy leather jacket is too much for around town rides and I have not gotten anything suitable for summer riding. I tried the leather vest and it works pretty well. If it cools off at night the wind protection on the chest keep you warm enough (with gloves on of course). Plus the thing is made of buffalo leather, so I guess if I did go for a slide my back should be protected.

Over the last 2 years I stated putting motorcycle type patches on it. Why not, right? Maybe it's a hold over from my days as a boy scout. Anyway, I've got the SOHC patch on there, so no worries.
'99 1500 Drifter

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arcangel
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Re: My riding gear, if anyone is interested

Postby arcangel » Fri Feb 13, 2009 10:59 pm

I just got some new textile pants with armor from river road they are not to bad but there sizes are small.
I ware a size 29 in the wast I bought size 30 thinking they would fit,
well fit they do but boy are they very tight. can't even get my hand in the pockets well guess they will do tell I can get some new larger ones.
the ziper was kinda weak as well the handle came off 1st time I ziped them up but I was able to tighten it so it would stay on.
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