[EricKC]

Ok. The boot thread and recent events like I said got me thinking about more gear to wear. Yeah I have survived a bad wreck but I was also under layers of clothing and a helmet. And I honestly believe if I was wearing good gloves I would have walked away from that thing without a scratch.

I want to start with a jacket. Educate me with your reccomendations.

 

[silent_R1]

http://www.newenough.com/teknic_lightning_jacket_page.htm

i actually have/had this jacket in black already and it is nice. i have crash tested it as well and it survived very very nicely. Another one I ride with Heather, she recently bought the same jacket but we both paid about 100.00 more than newenough.

or if you prefer textile:

http://www.newenough.com/joe_rocket_reactor_s_jacket_page.htm

here is another leather jacket, chad has this one I know you've seen it (he has the blue R6 that is usually right behind Joe's tail:

http://www.newenough.com/alpinestars_tz1_jacket_page.htm

here is one I like:
http://www.newenough.com/alpinestars_stunt_jacket_page.htm

basically Astars is great, Vanson if you can afford or Dianese are both great jackets, the tecknic is pretty good. Basically you want thick cowhide with hard armour. I really recommend the leather over the textile, but even that is better than nothing. When you are ready for gloves (I think the first link I posted offered those up as a bonus FYI), we'll hit them up too.

Check out Spooners shop too, I"m sure he has some great deals. Personally I would stay away from the Icon jackets (no offense Spoon) just b/c the quality isn't as high as the bling bling factor. my .02

 

[EricKC]

Sweet thanks. I actually like that all black teknic and the all black astar like Chad's. Biggest thing I am worried about over the internet is sizing.

Anyone with expereince with the Vanson?

 

[Spooner]

Like silent said-go for hard armour if at all possible. The astar jackets are killer and I keep them in stock. Also look for ventilation-perforation is a must around here, especially if this will be your main jacket. If you are looking to do trackdays in the future then look for 360* zip compatibility to pants as well.

Check the quality of the leather-you want thicker drum dried leather that is at least double stitched in all areas, if not triple. Also any patches or logos should be sewn in on top the leather, not as part of a seam. I know I am forgetting a lot of stuff to look for, but I am sure guys like joe or king will help out with the rest of the details.

-Spooner

 

[spdfreq]

I got a joe rocket speed master and i like it but the hjc i had before was more reasonably priced ventilated better and the leather was thicker the armor is better in the jr but for the money i liked my hjc my 2cents

 

[EricKC]

I'm kinda leaning toward the apstars.. too bad the one I really was digging isn't perforated. Nothing like weeks like this (not couting today) to make you think about that perforation.

I'm going try to swing by your place at some point in the morning of this week but I dunno if I am going make it or not. Plus I have no idea when I can get one, won't be at least I get back from CO. But I want to check out the stuff.. plus I might as well check out the store too..

Better be a good store too.. making me bust my ass up from Olathe for

 

[O.W. Kenobi]

You can't beat mesh jackets for summertime. It will encourage you to wear your gear, even when it's really hot outside. I'm using a Fieldsheer Mach One, and I really like it. Joe Rocket makes a mesh jacket that lots of people wear also. Make sure that it's well armored and that it fits well. It'll only be good for one fall, but it'll only cost around $100, so it's worth it, IMO.

 

[gixerking]

i dont have a perfed suit so i dunno how much different it is from a perfed unit. i personally havent had any abnormal heat issues while wearing teh suit in 100degree heat. i can however tell you that my head and face got unbearably hot before the rest of my body at a trackday that i was using my shoei helmet before i got my arai. the rest of the trackdays the fatigue got me way before heat ever did. i have seen on occassion the perfed guys getting a tad chilly no some nights. :lol maybe its non-perfed is the lesser of the 2 evils :dunno

 

[Spooner]

King-your suit has a coolmax liner I believe-which helps a lot. Astar does that a lot as well. I would never buy a suit that wasn't perfed-most of the time I am wearing my suit its hotter than hell out, like trackdays. Most of the perf'd jackets have a liner anyways, so its not that big of a deal. When i am at the track I rarely take off my leathers because I never overheat in them-perforation is a gift from god!

-Spoons

 

[gixerking]

heh unzip it a lil while cruising...beats any perferation you will get :lol

 

[Squid Killer]

I think I own about a dozen riding jackets. The one I use the most is my Vanson perfed leather. It has a great fit.

 

[Lok]

I've got a Spidi Norick jacket for sale if your interested, if not thats cool. I would suggest you look into Spidi gear too. Great quality products, I'd rate it up with Alpinestars.

 

[gixerking]

oh yeah failed to mention my suit is a spidi and i love it

 

[silent_R1]

yeah, my suit is Spidi, I totally forgot about that. I love my suit...it makes me happy ...sorry <slap, slap> okay back to reality...the spidi line is really nice to Eric, you couldn't go wrong with it either.

 

[EricKC]

*head explodes*

 

[blueyedevil]

I use a Joe Rocket Blaster jacket non-perf and love it. Does get a little hot during summer days but oh well. I can deal with sweating some better then shivering.

 

[smokenjoe]

Look for a jacket with double stiching heavy zipper Ykk prefered(strongly) a minimum of 1.1 MM cow leather and good padding. Fit is also vey important you dont want it too loose as it will flap in the wind and the armor might not be in the correct position when you fall.