Question about Riding Gear

[Adam0431]

Hey everyone!

I am now the proud owner of a new 07 GS500f and cant wait to get it out on the road! (of course the day after i bring it home its pouring)

So i wanted to just post a quick question to get peoples opinion, since I haven't ridden in about 10 years I need to get a new jacket and gloves (already picked up a helmet).

I was just wondering if anyone had some recommendations? I have tried on a few Textile jackets with armor that looked nice, unfortunately at 6'4" the sleeves were to short on an XL.

Any one have ideas on brands that make jackets for taller people that are under $200?


Thanks, much appreciated!

[Roadstergal]

Textile is good if you're going to be riding in the rain a lot, but consider leather.  Nothing abrades as well.  If you're doing textile, I've had good success with Cortech.

For leather, generally speaking - IMO, Teknic is an undervalued gear maker that makes good stuff for not too much money.  I've been whelmed with the quality of Icon, Joe Rocket, and Alpinestars gear I've had.

Nothing beats going to a brick-and-mortar store and trying a variety of brands on.  We're all proportioned differently, even between the different tallies and different shorties.  Unfortunately, I am not in a position to give a personal recommendation to a tall person with long arms.   

Get good boots and pants as well.  My rule of boot is, if you can hold the foot of a boot in one hand and the shin part in the other and bend it back and forth, it's a sign that it may not protect your ankle from a force that's trying to break it.

[ineedanap]

I've had that problem too.  I'm a size large build with size xl length arms.  Most of the ICON coats in an xl are a 35 inch sleeve (sizing is on their website).  I have a 36 inch arm but my ICON Automag fits fine in the sleeves, just a little big everywhere else.  I've seen some really good closeout prices on their other styles recently.  

[murf425]

I'm 6'5" and wear a 36/37 shirt sleeve.  I bought an Icon Hooligan jacket in XL at our local store.  It fits fine when standing, but with my arms stretched out to the bars it hits about an inch above the wrist.  I don't personally care about that, but if you are really hard up on sleeve length, then look elsewhere.

[Adam0431]

I gotta say, I love this site! not only have i found a ton of ideas for things I want to do to my GS, but on my first post I got some great ideas and quickly.

Thanks guys! (and girls)

[Hawk996]

Congratulations on your purchase and welcome back to 2 wheels.

I personally prefer  leather and have had a lot of luck with the "Tour Master" line.

I paid about $200 for the Coaster II a couple of years ago:




So far so good, easy to keep clean, comfortable and armored up pretty well.

[ineedanap]

did you see that tourmaster makes tall people jackets?  Here's one example

http://www.tourmaster.com/xcart/catalog/Pivot-2-Jacket-p-231_3.html

[Infinite Dimentia]

Ya just need ta hang around with rich riders for a couple months... they tend to like to upgrade their stuff frequently to the latest & greatest which is a good thing

I scored an HJC armoured leather jacket in MINT condition.... for $70 

[ecpreston]

IMO, Teknic is an undervalued gear maker that makes good stuff for not too much money. 

Agreed. You might want to check out the leather Teknic Chicane. You can buy last year's model all day on eBay, new for $150 or less. I had one for a while, great jacket, and the sleeves were surprisingly long enough for me (6'2 , 36inch sleeve length). Vented so well I didn't mind wearing it on 90+ deg days. It was a size 46, and the 46 alpinestars I wear now (only because it has a 360deg zipper so I can make it into a suit for the track) definitely doesn't fit me as well since the sleeves are shorter. 



The Tourmaster sounds like a good idea too, though I have no personal experience with them....

For gloves, get something gauntlet style (helps make up for slightly too short sleeves) with lots of armor. Like these:
http://www.newenough.com/closeouts/bargain_basement/teknic/speedstar_motorcycle_gloves.html
or they have some Tecknic Violator gloves for $75.

Good leathers and real gloves turn this:

into fun! 

[wladziu]

I paid about $200 for the Coaster II a couple of years ago:

+1 on the Coaster II, but I can't speak for the XL arm length proportionality.  The cuffs on mine comes down just slightly past the wrist.  Held up great on my latest slip-and-slide, though the little strip of black trim running down the arm frayed a little.  Lots of zippered vents and a zip-out liner. 

[Toogoofy317]

I wear the Cortech GXAIR which is very nice down here in the Florida heat and hummidity. It is great because it also has leather in the back, elbows, and shoulder. I also have an Axxo armor shirt that is really nice in the summer. I do wear a long sleeve shirt over it for extra slide protections but the armor straps really well as tight as you want it so I don't think it'd go any where.

The gloves I use are the Fox bomber ones. They are not gauntlet but I don't have the long arm deal so it works well for me and they are $35 at the dealership.

Mary

[Hawk996]

I paid about $200 for the Coaster II a couple of years ago:

+1 on the Coaster II, but I can't speak for the XL arm length proportionality.  The cuffs on mine comes down just slightly past the wrist.  Held up great on my latest slip-and-slide, though the little strip of black trim running down the arm frayed a little.  Lots of zippered vents and a zip-out liner. 

Same here on the sleeve length.  I am 5 11 and the sleeves come down about 1 inch below my wrist.  Glad to know it holds up in a crash.  When I fist got it I thought it was to heavy, all most uncomfortable, but it broke in quickly.  Another plus: it looks bad ass unzipped cruising around the patio at the bar.  Ha 

[Adam0431]

hey guys, gotta say again this site rocks!

thanks for the tips everyone... I ended up picking up a craigslist special  (posted about it here -- http://gstwins.com/gsboard/index.php?topic=47321.0 )

maybe next year i will upgrade, but you can't beat $50!



and RE: Infinite Dimentia .... I'm one of the tallest guys I know at 6'4" and definitely the tallest guy i know that rides... lol

[bill14224]

Hi, Adam!  Welcome to the board, and I'm glad you got back into riding.  So did I recently.  I don't have any clothing suggestions for someone your size because I'm only 5'9"!

But I'd like to thank you for serving our country.

You'll like it here.  Lotsa great folks, and not too many numbskulls!

Oh, and when I was a kid, I rode with a guy who I grew up with who has since moved West.  Last time I saw him he was 6'7" and weighed 250.  I can't remember for the life of me what exactly he rode, but it was a small two-stroke twin.  Picture that!

[jrains89]

I'm 6'1" and my wing span is 6'4", i found that joe rockets fit me very well, i have a large and the sleeves come about an inch past my wrists in riding stance, which is perfect for me. My jacket was $180, on sale for $130, couldn't tell you what model but it's not leather, it's perforated something, and is amazing. Great sleeve length.

[SteveM]

The Icon jackets seem to have longer arms than most I've tried but they do seem to fit smaller. I normally wear XL but found that I needed XXL to fit. Most jackets these days seem to have a ton of hard armor built in that doesn't suit my style. At 50 I'm a bit too old for that suit of armor style and prefer something simpler. I found a nice lightly used Suzuki jacket and pants on a local free for sale forum for $200 Cad.