Buccaneer
XS400 Enthusiast
OK having more or less got my bike sorted I'm hoping to be back on the road imminently!
Today girlfriend & I went to local Yamaha dealer in Worthing to see about lids for 2 and a jacket for her (she doesn't want to wear leathers if at all possible). I was already lucky finding a really heavy duty bikers leather jacket second-hand in Brighton - it was in very good condition and they only took 40 quid for it. Ta very much 'Immediate' in Sydney Street, nice one!
Anyway, the dealer spent most of the time moaning about how everyone comes into his shop trying things on in order to then eff off and buy them online. I can appreciate how annoying this must be to someone trying to run an honest business, but on the other hand it's not a great way of making new friends and getting a nice friendly buzz going either!
I haven't been riding for 15 years but before that was keen and had done a fair bit of general riding and touring. Then I had a couple of AGV full-face fibreglass lids, and I'm sure back in the 80s they only cost about 50 quid, but maybe my brain's on the blink! Certainly I never dreamed of buying cheaper lids then.
OK to the point at last. Is there genuinely a major safety difference between polycarb and fibreglass lids for moderate speed riding? We shouldn't be going much over 70 mph ever, probably more like 50 to 60 two-up maximum most days.
Is 220 quid a sensible MINIMUM (our dealer's best quote) price to pay for a full face fibreglass lid? A quick look on eBay soon revealed some AGVs around 150 quid but then again it's not sensible to buy critical safety gear off eBay. We are minded to buy from a local dealer, but not if it's a terrible rip off. Will try some of the scooter places in Brighton next to see about their prices.
Sturdy boots are essential (found out the hard way before), we both have strong walking boots already and plan to use those at least to start with. If we end up doing lots of miles we can maybe step up to biker boots later.
What do people think about riding in jeans (maybe 2 pairs). It's all I ever used back in the day and pretty much got away with it then... buying leather trousers for 2, what with fibreglass lids, jackets, and other gear, the costs could really get steep. Probably about as much as the bike cost anyway! On the occasion I really did my ankles in that was about a 40mph spill, had 2 pairs of jeans on, and I remember my knees hurting a bit, but it really wasn't too bad... just lucky I suppose!
Almost every day it seems some idiot goes by on a huge race bike dressed only in a tee shirt, shorts and trainers. Makes me shudder every time!
Cheers all for any inputs especially on the lids, trousers and what are sensible prices.
Today girlfriend & I went to local Yamaha dealer in Worthing to see about lids for 2 and a jacket for her (she doesn't want to wear leathers if at all possible). I was already lucky finding a really heavy duty bikers leather jacket second-hand in Brighton - it was in very good condition and they only took 40 quid for it. Ta very much 'Immediate' in Sydney Street, nice one!
Anyway, the dealer spent most of the time moaning about how everyone comes into his shop trying things on in order to then eff off and buy them online. I can appreciate how annoying this must be to someone trying to run an honest business, but on the other hand it's not a great way of making new friends and getting a nice friendly buzz going either!
I haven't been riding for 15 years but before that was keen and had done a fair bit of general riding and touring. Then I had a couple of AGV full-face fibreglass lids, and I'm sure back in the 80s they only cost about 50 quid, but maybe my brain's on the blink! Certainly I never dreamed of buying cheaper lids then.
OK to the point at last. Is there genuinely a major safety difference between polycarb and fibreglass lids for moderate speed riding? We shouldn't be going much over 70 mph ever, probably more like 50 to 60 two-up maximum most days.
Is 220 quid a sensible MINIMUM (our dealer's best quote) price to pay for a full face fibreglass lid? A quick look on eBay soon revealed some AGVs around 150 quid but then again it's not sensible to buy critical safety gear off eBay. We are minded to buy from a local dealer, but not if it's a terrible rip off. Will try some of the scooter places in Brighton next to see about their prices.
Sturdy boots are essential (found out the hard way before), we both have strong walking boots already and plan to use those at least to start with. If we end up doing lots of miles we can maybe step up to biker boots later.
What do people think about riding in jeans (maybe 2 pairs). It's all I ever used back in the day and pretty much got away with it then... buying leather trousers for 2, what with fibreglass lids, jackets, and other gear, the costs could really get steep. Probably about as much as the bike cost anyway! On the occasion I really did my ankles in that was about a 40mph spill, had 2 pairs of jeans on, and I remember my knees hurting a bit, but it really wasn't too bad... just lucky I suppose!
Almost every day it seems some idiot goes by on a huge race bike dressed only in a tee shirt, shorts and trainers. Makes me shudder every time!
Cheers all for any inputs especially on the lids, trousers and what are sensible prices.
Will roll down to local Aldi, got good cheap stuff there before. And check out ghostbikes as well.
