recommend gear for new rider

[LEMON8]

I'm in the process of picking up gear. Not trying to break the bank all at once here. I understand gear saves lives and etc.

I picked up the bike middle of april. Did my MSF course and got my lincese and insurance. I just ordered new tires, spark plugs, filters and chain lube. Gotta get the bike ready first.

I just ordered the most important gear which is the helmet scorpion exo700.

Next up is either a jacket or nice gloves and boots will follow ( i have hightop nikes) that i'm using as my motorcycle shoes for the time being.


Leather jackets are normally about $300. I dont know my size or anything so i would go local for this. Any recommendations on budget minded leather jackets? Should i look into the textile jacket since i'm more budget minded?

[Toogoofy317]

Motorcyclegear.com has some kicking deals right now! the speed and strength gauntlets they have for $20 are great I got a pair for Christmas  Get a cheap textile jacket make sure it's got CE armor in it. Joe Rocket, Cortech, and AGV are great brands. Also, wait on the leather and find a deal when it comes along. That is what I did and I picked up a kick a$$ leather suzuki jacket from one of the guys here $50 and shipping. You can get some decent boots at cyclegear.com for like $40 and a couple of folks here have picked them up and like them!

The way I look at it is even though I spent a few hundred on gear it is much cheaper than paying for an injury. For example you can get some Sidi boots fr $200-300. When I dropped Flick on my ankle without boots it was $2,000 ER bill and two months of PT. So, in perspective $300 is not that much! I guess the analogy would be it's like insurance.

Mary

[LEMON8]

$300 isn't much when u compare it to an injury.

I paid for the bike, 200 tires, 400 insurance, 300 to register. 150 for helmet.this is calling one month. My pocket is hurting. I want to still be safe but trying to save some money.

[Trwhouse]

Hi turtle,

I also recommend Motorcyclegear.com, which used to be called NewEnough.com.

They have great prices, particular on their clearance items.

I've bought most of my armored textile jackets and pants there.

I really like the Joe Rocket and First Gear brands.

Look for waterproof jackets so you don't need to wear raingear over it.

Also look for liners that zip out (you'll be happy you did) and thick armor on the elbows, back and knees (if getting pants too).

Make sure you get great gloves, which need to have a long gauntlet over your wrists so they protect you. You want to have gloves that are long enough so they stay on your hands in the event of a crash. Your hands will be the first thing to hit the asphalt/concrete and you want to really protect them as best as you can.

You're doing the right thing investing in good riding gear.

Best wishes,

Trwhouse

[MistahT]

I am also a new rider of about 6 weeks. I got most of my gear from MotorcycleSuperstore.com. I ended up getting a cheap helmet from them, a pair of Fieldsheer pants ($145), Icon Tarmac boots ($125 I love them and wear-all-day comfortable), and some Icon gauntlets ($130) with titanium for the wrists and knuckles. I also just ordered a magnetic riding bag. But then I got properly fitted for a scorpion helmet ($200) and an Icon jacket with armor ($200) at a local store.

So including the first helmet I'm into my gear a grand BUT I see it as peace of mind. I'd rather go down looking like IronMan and be fine than go down in a cool shirt and shorts and get messed up. I even gear up when I'm going half a mile down the road for a gallon of milk.    SAFE > SORRY

[Twisted]

I'd rather go down looking like IronMan and be fine than go down in a cool shirt and shorts and get messed up. I even gear up when I'm going half a mile down the road for a gallon of milk.    SAFE > SORRY

So I am guessing you like your milk huh?   

I would definitely include a jacket,gloves and some decent kevlar pants as must haves to ride with your helmet. 

[MistahT]

I'd rather go down looking like IronMan and be fine than go down in a cool shirt and shorts and get messed up. I even gear up when I'm going half a mile down the road for a gallon of milk.    SAFE > SORRY

So I am guessing you like your milk huh?   

I would definitely include a jacket,gloves and some decent kevlar pants as must haves to ride with your helmet. 

My wife and her sister are SCARY without their coffee in the morning. 

Some of you guys know what I'm talking about. No milk and sugar, no coffee, and I suffer! So yes, it's a necessity!

[kluge9]

I look at it this way... Even on the hottest of days, I would rather be sweating in all my gear than relaxed in the air conditioning of the ICU

[DoD#i]

$300 isn't much when u compare it to an injury.

I paid for the bike, 200 tires, 400 insurance, 300 to register. 150 for helmet.this is calling one month. My pocket is hurting. I want to still be safe but trying to save some money.

Well, then, take the advice offered (go to newenough, under their new name) and skip the $300 jacket - you can cover a lot more of your fragile self with $300 there.

I seem to have gotten a completely different take on things from the MSF than you did - I had almost all the gear bought before I bought the bike, and I spent more on gear than I did on the first bike. At that, I cheaped out on pants at first and regretted it for several weeks of not sitting down after demonstrating that jeans are not that tough when exposed to asphalt at 30 mph.

Ask any of the folks that have broken an ankle about just how silly you'll look in hightop nikes with a 470lb motorcycle on top of your foot. And how many times in the following 2 months you'll curse yourself for riding in sneakers...

Head to toe, and don't neglect the hands. None of it does any good at home in the closet, so:

All the gear all the time. Around the block or across the country. You have no advance notice of when you'll need it.

[Fausty0]

Motorcycle gear.com and bike bandit.com have some great closeout deals the last couple months. I spend, just on all my gear ( jacket with liner, helmet, gloves), around 350 bucks.

[plewis51]

All the gear all the time (ATGATT) as DOD states. This is my second season riding and I am upgrading my gear. When I first started I took the MSF course, received license, found bike and purchased. I had the bike in my garage for just over 1 week while I accumulated all my riding gear. Picked up a HJC helmet, textile jacket, and gloves from my local bike shop. Rode that way with just jeans for the season. Then, a friend had to lay his bike down at 25mph. His jeans were shredded and his road rash was painful!!!! I couldn't believe it. So the start of this season I picked up the following to upgrade my gear:

Scorpion EXO-500 Ardent helmet
Scorpion Hat Trick Jacket
Scorpion SG Gloves (longer at the wrist)
Sliders 4.0 Kevlar Motorcycle Riding Jeans (Normal jeans won't survive at the critical point of knee and arse)

I picked my recent purchases up through a combination of local dealer, motorcycle-superstore.com, and bikebandit.com. Good luck with everything and be safe!!

[loco]

I bought my Joe Rocket jacket on E-bay.  I paid $80 for a new discontinued model.  I really like it and has all but the back armor.  I also got my Scorpion EXO helmet on E-bay for $80, brand new display model still with protective film on face shield.

I always check E-bay for deals, don't always buy there, but sometimes I find real good deals.

Chad

[LEMON8]

is motorcyclegear .com  really nice with returns and exchanges, i know their site says no restocking fee. If we go over $89 we get free shipping even on return items but i think we have to pay to ship the items back to them correct?


I didn't realize textile jackets could be had for $100 or less. I guess i can start off with that this season and get a leather next or when it gets colder.

[StevenDavisPhoto]

buy good gear. it'll be a lot cheaper than hospital bills.

[jfoley]

I just started recently as well. I had a fall on a dirt bike years ago wearing just a bathing suit and flip flops, road rash is not fun.

Helmet, boots, pants, jacket, gloves. I purchased through revzilla.com and bought mostly revit gear since it fit my body better.

The most important thing to remember is to pick comfortable gear, if it isn't comfortable you won't wear it. Below is a list of the things that I picked up initially. I have worn them from 50 to 90 degrees. I will be getting another jacket that is heavier, I didn't realize how cold it can get on a bike!

Shoei quest helmet
Revit air jacket
Revit rotor pants
Revit fly gloves
Dainese race torque out boots

[Toogoofy317]

Yes, newenough/motorcyclegear has a great exchange policy. I agree with others that one should probably purchase gear before purchasing a bike! I just financed my jacket, gloves, and helmet in with Flick but have picked up a lot in total I have like four jackets, two pairs of pants, pair of boots, and two helmets, and gone through 5 pairs of gloves wore out one and lost one. As of right now I've got the S&S gauntlets I mentioned earlier and a pair of shorter Icon gloves. No one ever pulls out of the house thinking I'm going to wreck today Let me put on my gear. Although we should think that way!

I just had surgery Thursday to finally repair the damage in a mishap 3 years ago. Was riding to a friend's house after Easter service the car in front of me kicked up a piece of tire the size of a softball and it caught me in the AC joint. The armor of my GxAir took the brunt of the blow. I'd guess if I didn't have my jacket on it would have knocked me off the bike. I kept going thinking wow that's not as bad as I thought it would be but within a couple of minutes my hand went numb. I pulled into the ED they did x-rays and I seperated the AC joint the ED Dr. was floored I didn't come off of the bike! While the gear didn't protect me from all injury it really cut down on how bad it could have been.

Mary