Advice for a new gear shopper.

[Little Joe]

Iron pony motorsports www.ironpony.com is another good site. I got a set of fully armored AGVsport gauntlet gloves for under $40 from them.

-Joe-

[smakawhat]

Originally Posted by mssdrider

just an FYI...my bf just got the forcefield back protector...looks exactly like the joe rocket one...maybe you should check it out! it's MUCH nicer than my dainese...

That's cause it is the same one Only difference is the J-Rocket is considerably cheaper than the standard T-Pro. But it's discontinued..

[Ride.]

Originally Posted by GoIllini

$1K on gear? Yeah, skin grafts are expensive, but I'm not sure if they're that expensive.

I personally thought $1k was a conservative estimate.
EVERY TIME I ride, I am wearing more than $2,500 worth of riding gear. And that's not even all the gear I own. Between a 1-piece suit, 2-piece suit, leather pants, leather jacket, several pairs of boots, several pairs of gloves, multiple helmets, and back protectors. If I put the least expensive of each piece together to make a "uniform", it'll add up to well over a grand.

New riders need to be prepared for this. Way too often I see noobs getting brand new sportbikes then saying they don't wear pants and boots because they "can't afford them right now". Dumbasses.

Helmet: The most important thing is how it fits YOUR head. Try on several makes and models, as they are all for different head shapes. Your helmet should fit TIGHT when new. It will break in with time and should still be very snug. That's a proper fitting helmet.
Expect to spend at least $300 in this department.

Jacket: Make sure its leather with armor in the most crucial places.
Expect to pay $400 for a good quality leather riding jacket.

Gloves: Gauntlet style - over the sleeve. They fit best over sportbike style leather jackets with a "race cut". These jackets have tapered sleeves that fit tightly around your wrists. Many jackets are bulky around the wrist and allow for a pretty uncomfortable fit when used in conjunction with gauntlet style gloves. Make sure you try on the gloves and jacket at the same time.
Good gloves are around $75 - $100. If you spend more, you pretty much get what you pay for. That goes for ANY riding gear. The best gloves I've ever had cost $195.

Pants: Make sure they are leather, and preferrably zip up to your jacket. Or a 1-piece or 2-piece suit is better. You're not going to be wearing your leather riding pants OVER other pants, so you want your pants to fit tight. When it comes to trying on pants and jackets, its best to put them on then sit on a sportbike in your normal riding position. That's the position you'll be in when you need your clothing to fit the best.
Pants will be around $300. And 1 and 2 piece suits run $500 - $2k plus.

Boots: Tennis shoes.

J/K
Race style boots that cover the ankle and part of the calf. They should fit over your leather pants, or [shriek: under your jeans ].
Boots of the proper style are around $200.




I'm a gear nazi and have a gear fetish. So feel free to PM me for any specific questions.

[GoIllini]

Originally Posted by Jonny Thrice

I'm a n00b as well, but I think I got some pretty good gear...all from newenough.com (except my helmet)

-Moto GP Corkscrew. Great jacket....surprisingly not that hot!

-Joe Rocket Blaster perf leather pants. This felt REALLY weird at first, especially with all the padding/armor, but they broke in quite nicely and are quite comfortable.

-MotoGP gauntlet gloves. I forget the name exactly, but they were in the closeout section of newenough

-SIDI Strada Tepor Evo boots. Expensive, but one of the best boots on the market. GET REAL MOTO BOOTS! Theyre almost like ski boots, and should help alot in a fall...so you wont twist your ankle or hurt your shins.

-ARAI Signet GT helmet. I originally bought a used Shoei helmet, which was fine, but later I found it it was an older model..REAL old...like 1999. Apparently, helmets expire after a few years. I found a slightly used ARAI online (one of the bext brands out there), so I tried one on at a local shop and loved it! Heres my tip. Go to a REAL store and try on as many helmets from different brands as you possibly can, and choose the one you like the best, regardless of price. You're gonna be wearing this thing on your head all the time, so you really gotta be comfortable with it. Make sure it has no annoying pressure points, that the eye port is big enough, etc.... If you want, you can remember the brand/model/size of the helmet and order online. But I recommend NOT ordering one if you havent tried it.

Some of the info that comes out of the MSF and other sources of biking wisdom is that you should always buy a helmet new. The reason is that a drop from as little as a few feet can seriously damage a helmet, and you don't know what's happened to it in the past.

You may want to consider having the helmet inspected by Arai.

[Palleomortis]

Is that an avarage price that you've simply found to be true when you shop, or is that effected by personal preferance? Example, I have found plenty of helmets for under $300 dollars, do these ones tend to be lesser quality? The Jacket and pants sound right, but then I've also found plenty of gloves that run more around $100, as well as the boot. That cuts off about $400 dollars just from buying things that arn't 2-3 hundred instead of 1-2 hundred. Is this a stupid n00b move to buy the cheaper stuff, or is this stuff still going to protect me?

[mssdrider]

Originally Posted by Palleomortis

Is that an avarage price that you've simply found to be true when you shop, or is that effected by personal preferance? Example, I have found plenty of helmets for under $300 dollars, do these ones tend to be lesser quality? The Jacket and pants sound right, but then I've also found plenty of gloves that run more around $100, as well as the boot. That cuts off about $400 dollars just from buying things that arn't 2-3 hundred instead of 1-2 hundred. Is this a stupid n00b move to buy the cheaper stuff, or is this stuff still going to protect me?

Well, study is that a $100 helmet doesn't protect you any less than a $600 as long as its DOT approve, though I would suggest looking at helmets that are SNELL approved also. The more expensive helmets have different options: more vents, lighter, different graphics, etc. Also, everyone have different shaped heads so may fit differently (i.e. I love my Shoei but find that Arai's don't fit me as well, etc.)

[Jahx]

You dont need to spend 500 on a helmet. Scorpion makes several helmets in the 150-200 range that fit my odd shaped head really well, as does HJC.

You are new to the sport, so I would recommend a good starting setup to be;

A helmet (I love my Scorpion, but look at HJC as well.. really the best advice has already been given.. go to a stealership and try on a dozen helmet brands and find the one that fits best)

expect to spend about $200.

Gloves are a must, you need your hands, so a guantlet type sport glove is best.

expect to spend about $50

Boots .. well.. as someone who has been on the receiving end of a catastrophic ankle injury (Crushed by a forklift), I have a thing about ankle protection.

Expect to spend about $150

Pants and Jacket, Get leather. Its hotter, requires upkeep, and is more difficult to clean than mesh or textile, but when you go down, its worth the extra cost and aggravation. I recommend a 2 piece suit to start, as you dont have to worry about mixing and matching brands, it works outta the box. You dont know if your going to pursue this sport for the rest of your life or not, so start with a suit from joe rocket, not aerostitch..

Expect to spend about $600

Get a rainsuit. Not a poncho, or a trashbag, get a rainsuit that will last you. Some argue for the one peice, but as a tall guy, I prefer the two-piece suits more.

Expect to spend about $60

Get a tank/and or tailbag. You want to ride you bike? Get some way to carry stuff. A good expandable tankbag can hold a lot, and a tailbag/saddlebag setup can carry even more.

Expect to spend about $50


Grand total to completely outfit yourself for riding? $1100. Now keep in mind you can do it for less. Newenough has a closeout section ya know
I set a friend of mine up with

HJC Helmet (85 dollars, closeout)
Joe Rocket Rio Mesh Jacket (70 dollars, closeout)
Joe Rocket Phoenix Mesh Pants (60 dollars closeout)
Joe Rocket Reactor Boots (70 dollars, closeout)
Joe Rocket Gloves (40 dollars closeout)
Joe Rocket Manta tankbag (35 dollars closeout)
Tour Master 2pc Rainsuit (60 dollars)

Total cost was $428 plus about 30 in shipping fees.

Now he isnt as well protected as with a leather suit.. but if he goes down, he should have his skin left. I would rather see a rider spend 500 and get fully outfitted than see them with just a really nice jacket and helmet.

Just my 2 cents.

[mssdrider]

Originally Posted by smakawhat

That's cause it is the same one Only difference is the J-Rocket is considerably cheaper than the standard T-Pro. But it's discontinued..

the Joe rocket is discontinued??? really???? my best friend just got it for her boyfriend. Check with charlie at Parts 411. That's where she got it!

[smakawhat]

well looks like she might have lucked out and still found one.. I'll check out the site thanks!!

[LittleRedRider]

newenough.com is great and the staff is even greater. Local shops do not carry many women's clothing. I've had to send back a jacket and pants for another size. I've emailed newenough about sizing help and received a response within a business day. They even let me make a return past 30 days. A lot better service than their other online competitors.

[Palleomortis]

Well, thanx all. All help is nice to have. One last question, by get a tank, is that just another saddle bag type thing, or is that a different idea?

[mssdrider]

Originally Posted by Palleomortis

Well, thanx all. All help is nice to have. One last question, by get a tank, is that just another saddle bag type thing, or is that a different idea?

kind of. Saddle bag goes on the passenger seat, tank bag goes on top of your tank... (kind of a duh explanation huh? hehe...sorry... )