Questions for those that ride motorcycles

"Stapleface-Now Hyphenated!" (patrickgruden) 06/12/2015 at 06:54 • Filed to: None

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Since I don’t have authorship privileges at lanesplitter, I figured I would ask everyone in oppoland.

I’m considering getting a bike, but was curious what kind of costs go in to a good set of gear.

First I need to take an MSF to see if I even want to ride, but assuming I do and I enjoy it, I’d want to get myself outfitted with proper SAFE gear. I kind of like my skin, and would like to keep it. So, is there anything to look for? To stay away from? Does it depend on what type of bike I would get (most likely cruiser)? I guess I’m just asking to be schooled on proper gear, and what kind of initial outlay one can expect when they're getting in to riding.

Justin > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 06/12/2015 at 07:14

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I paid $150 for my HJC helmet new from the local motorcycle dealer. They can be had for less on ebay though. My textile jacket was about $100. $200 should get you a nicer one though. I just added extra foam to mine in key places to make up for the thinner armor padding it came with. My gloves are $35 Icons. Otherwise just get a decent pair of boots that cover your ankles and remember to tuck in your laces after you tie them. Jeans don’t really protect you if you fall so you might want to get riding pants or simply buy some knee/shin pads to wear under them.

Also keep in mind that textile typically breaths better and isnt as costly as leather but leather being a natural material is going to have thicker fiber which will handle contact with the road serface better.

450X_FTW > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 06/12/2015 at 07:28

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You get what you pay for. That being said dirt is WAY more expensive than street. Dirt you’re going to fall, going to crash, way more than street. So for street:

Bell Adventure helmet - $200

Leather jacket - $180

Boots I wear my Gaerne motocross boots since I ride supermoto. $430

There’s plenty of cheap used gear out there too. I wanted the lightweight that offers most protection.

But for dirt, it’s well over $1000 for all my gear.

Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! > 450X_FTW 06/12/2015 at 07:37

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Funny, I would think dirt would be cheaper, just because you’re falling on dirt and wouldn’t need as much protection. Learn something new every day.

BloodlessWeevil > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 06/12/2015 at 08:04

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“Does it depend on what type of bike I would get (most likely cruiser)?”

The road will not be any softer. The gear you wear depends on the risk you are willing to live with, not what bike you ride. I would budget around 1000 for a decent set of gear. I say that because you might end up wanting two of some things, summer/winter jacket for instance. You will also need to replace your helmet regularly. The shelf life for helmets is five years, but less if you use it often.

Do you know the SV Wrangler? He wrote a few posts about gear a while back.

Gear 101: http://oppositelock.kinja.com/motorcycle-gea…

Gear 102: http://oppositelock.kinja.com/motorcycle-gea…

450X_FTW > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 06/12/2015 at 08:10

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I’m sure it’s all about how you ride too. I do some racing (for fun) and we ride fast thru the woods so gear is necessary. Boots, helmet, goggles, chest protector, neck brace, elbow guards, under shorts for thigh and tail bone protection, knee guards.

bob and john > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 06/12/2015 at 08:23

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Achem

gear 101: http://oppositelock.kinja.com/motorcycle-gea…

gear 102: http://oppositelock.kinja.com/motorcycle-gea…

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 06/12/2015 at 08:43

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I did most of my shopping in a sweet spot right before the riding season started up here so I got some killer deals on my gear. A jacket + 2 helmets was only 500$ gloves and boots were about 150$. When NY pants finally come in those are another 99-150 for lighter armored ones. I wouldn’t go cross country in them but for in town riding they should hold up. At least, I hope they hold up better than normal Levi’s.

Santiago of Escuderia Boricua > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 06/12/2015 at 08:45

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Probably 500-1000. Go for an ece helmet that fits well. Try to get used gear if you know your size. I’ve gotten two good leather jackets used. One on a forum and one from a friend. Get really good gloves, since you instinctively put your hands out when you fall. Boots I went with Bilt, the cycle gear brand, for like $70 new. Jeans are OK for low speed crash, but I went down at around 40 or so and scraped up my knees really bad.

jariten1781 > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 06/12/2015 at 08:56

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Does it depend on what type of bike I would get (most likely cruiser)?

On the street sticking to legal speeds? Nope...not unless you get into the ‘style’ of your bike. Good gear is good gear.

If you track/race/trail ride/whatever there’s specialized stuff you’d want to look into.

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 06/12/2015 at 09:02

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Buy a new helmet...if you aren’t picky about the look you can usually get a good one for $100 or less by looking at close out deals or the likes. The rest of it (gloves, jacket, pants if you want) you can pick up off craigslist usually for a pretty good deal. Also get a good pair of boots if you don't have them already (you don't need motorcycle specific boots, they just need to come up over your ankles)

Patrick Nichols > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 06/12/2015 at 09:43

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Check out Wes’ blog he has pretty much everything you need to know. I started looking here:

http://indefinitelywild.gizmodo.com/everything-you…

I’m in the same boat as you, I’ll be taking an MSF course soon and looking for a used dual sport shortly after that.

Also just FYI, lanesplitter isn’t a reader run blog like Oppo and all their contributors are paid.

BJ > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 06/12/2015 at 09:43

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As others have mentioned, you get what you pay for but, as in all things, there is a point of diminishing returns. Get a good helmet that is DOT and Snell or ECE approved, and make sure it fights tight. A loose helmet is useless and uncomfortable at speed because it’ll rattle your head in the wind. Some helmets are more round, some more oblong, try different models until you get it just right. You will be able to get something safe for less than $300. http://www.motosport.com/blog/u-s-and-c…

Gloves. GET GLOVES. GET SOME DAMNED GLOVES! I can’t believe how many people I see riding in full gear (helmet, pants, boot, back protector) on a sport bike with NO FUCKING GLOVES! I just don’t get it. Buy two sets, one that is well ventilated and armoured for hot weather, and a set of heavy leather gloves or gauntlets for cool weather (depends where you live).

Boots - I always wore laced up leather work boots, not ideal. Again, see what your budget will allow but a proper motorcycle boot with a heel will give you better control on the pegs and protect your ankes and toes.

Pants - As was mentioned, jeans don’t protect you from much. If you’re only tootling around town at 30 MPH or less, you can get away with it, but don’t be surprised when you end up with a branch or motorcycle peg sticking into your fleshly legs from a “minor” wipeout.

Jacket - Depends on the type of riding you’ll do, but a proper armoured jacket (elbows, shoulders, and back) can be safe, comfortable and practical at the same time. Shop around, try lots of different models.

Drop by your local motorcycle shop and talk to the floor staff, let them know what you’re looking to do and even if you’re not buying today, they can show you a lot of different products and you can start making a shopping list.

Have fun, and keep the shiny side up.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 06/12/2015 at 11:17

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PANTS!!!! GET SOME DECENT PANTS!! Lots of guys will buy the helmet, jacket, gloves, and

boots, then wrap their dumb asses with a pair of Levis and call it good. The table shows the results of the Taber test where they mounted the material to a board and counted the number of revolutions it took for a rubber emory wheel to wear through. You can see that plain old denim is the worst thing you can put on if you want to prevent road rash.

I like Aerostitch gear since most of their products are designed to be worn over your street clothes. If you don’t want the extra layer and like the style of jeans, there are several manufacturers making kevlar-reinforced jeans.

There is an excellent review over at BikeBandit .

StndIbnz, Drives a MSRT8 > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 06/12/2015 at 14:18

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In all honesty, budget an extra $1000 for all of the gear you will need. You can probably find some sales and spend less than that, or over it, but its a good number.

For reference, here is my stuff:
Jacket - $400
Riding Jeans - $250
Gloves - $140
Boots - $230
Helmet - $300

I’ve upgraded a few things over the years and started out with a cheaper jacket and hand me down gloves, but you get the idea.

www.sportbiketrackgear.com has good sales and a very good selection.

TheOnelectronic > Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! 06/12/2015 at 17:16

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A lot has been covered already, but I’ll throw in some things that I haven’t seen mentioned;

1. Textile jackets are nice and cool, but if you get a cheap one they can melt when sliding. You DO NOT want your jacket melted into your skin. That sounds very, very unpleasant. Although they’re pricier, look for something that uses kevlar.

2. It’s amazing how much motorcycle gear is out there that isn’t going to do you a bit of good in a fall. Try to find reviews on stuff, make sure it’s decent quality.

3. Beyond just safety, gear is going to make your ride more comfortable. A helmet will keep the wind out of your face, a jacket will keep your shirt from flapping around and riding up your back, gloves will keep the grips from digging into your hands, and actual motorcycle boots make shifting/standing/walking the bike much more comfortable.

4. Something like 70% of impacts to motorcycle helmets occur around the chin region. 3/4 and 1/2 helmets may look cool (to some) and may seem more comfortable while not moving, but you’re sacrificing a lot of protection.

5. Leather is hard to get wrong. As long as it’s a decent thickness and has quality stitching, it should hold up well in a crash. Finding gear that’s armored will make a difference, too.

6. Watch out for cheap gloves. A lot of them have a very thin leather palm with the rest being textile. The biggest risk is if you’re sliding on your hands, even if the leather holds, it might tear the stitches or the textile part and come free.

7. If you absolutely want to be as safe as you can be, check out Motoport. They custom make jackets, pants, and gloves to your size out of a Kevlar mesh that (they claim) is 10x stronger than leather. They’re also massively armored with a unique non-newtonian 3-layer armor compound. I’ve had people swing a baseball bat across my chest and barely even felt it. It’s amazingly comfortable and cool as well. The downside is it’s expensive as shit and it looks incredibly stupid.

Stapleface-Now Hyphenated! > TheOnelectronic 06/12/2015 at 18:32

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You know, I’m fully willing to look like a dweeb if I don’t have skin hanging off my body