Show us your gear !

[Alex_D]

I started riding at the end of last summer (my xs400 is my first bike) and since i never really did any long rides I have to admit I didn't really buy proper gear. I had a helmet and thats pretty much it!


Show us what you have!

Myself I got a Bell Classic 500 flat black, I love it for city riding and short rides because its really light

I also got this Shoei GT-Air for christmas, im going to be using it on my longer/highway rides

So now i'm shopping for a jacket at least and a good pair of gloves!

 

[Lou Ranger]

I recommend you never ride without boots which are high enough to cover the lateral malleolus (big round bump on the outside of your upper ankle).
If you go down with boots, you'll just scuff up the leather. Without high-cuts, even a minor sliding fall could result in a skin grafts and ligament reconstruction.
Same idea with gloves - it's not the place to cut corners.

 

[16VGTIDave]

I'll second what Lou wrote. When I was researching gear, I read that the most common injury is to the feet and ankles, then hands. I started riding with cowboy boots, then a decent pair of motorcycle boots. I now have a pair of Alpinestars Toucan boots. I don't think I have to worry about foot or ankle injuries now. New and better gloves will be bought in the spring.

 

[MrYeats]

here is some of my gear mostly for pickin and grinnin and fishin

 

[Recreateme]

I've spent the summer picking up gear here and there. If you think its excessive then you need to do some more research on what happens when you lowside doing 80km/hr + (i'll give ya a hint, it involves lots of surgery!)

Helmet - Icon Alliance Dark kit - Love it, fits well, ECE and CE rated and comes with tinted shield.

Jacket (1) - Scorpion Torque (Hi-Vis) - My sense of style told me to get the blacked out version of this (it looks fantastic) but my sense of self preservation decided i could sacrifice a bit of style points to live a full life. This is my main jacket. It has back, shoulder, and elbow armor and removable thermal liner.

Alternative Jacket for short stylish rides that make me feel like its the 70s and I'm a badass - 70s Sears Robuck cafe style brown leather. This is the actual jacket i bought on Etsy for like 45$, this is not me, just some dude modeling it for the page. Fits great, very warm and thick, great for fall and spring or cold nights. I am considering getting some armor to wear under this, maybe just a back pad..we will see!

Boots - Gaerne GX-1 - Yes, they are very 'motorcrossy' but also very protective. I wear these everywhere. If i need shoes at my destination i bring a backpack. They are comfortable easy enough to walk in if i need to pop into shops or a bite to eat. I'd rather have people look at my boots then my casts if i go down. These boots also preform great off pavement, which is a plus.

Pants - On order a pair of overpants by Tourmaster. They look like back pants so no image. They have removable hip and knee protection. These can stuff into my backpack after i take my shoes out at my destination so no need to walk around in them. Pants or overpants are a MUST on a motorcycle (for me at least) sliding on pavement and your jeans will be worn through in like 2 seconds and after that its all skin sooo PANTS!

Gloves - Chances are that if you're going down, you're gonna put your hands down.. I have these River Road Twin Iron Gloves that i really like. They are cheap, protective and very comfortable and the RR customer service is phenomenal! I called them once with a problem with my gloves and they just sent me a new pair free of any charges so now i have a backup lol

I am also planning on picking up a cheap set of knee/shin pads to wear under my jeans if i ever go without the overpants, you can get pair from Shift for like 15$ so why not eh!? I am looking into a sportier pair of gloves since my River Roads dont really match my jacket lol

 

[Scorpio1963]

Alex with helmet being black does it breath or give you any air flow up there.Looks like it be realy hot.

 

[Alex_D]

if you are talking about the Shoei, i wouldnt b able to tell you, its still winter here and i havent tried it yet! although there is plenty of vents and the reviews are really good!

 

[Recreateme]

I think he means the classic looking bell. They look cool, but i like my face too much to ever feel comfortable wearing one :/

I have wondered how hot those get as well. Since they have no vents like Scorpio said, the sun must cook it and then trap all the heat inside...

 

[Scorpio1963]

I was talking about the newer helmet,those make me feel clostrofobic lol.I like wearing my open faced helmet with the visor but I know its not the safest helmet I should be wearing.

 

[Recreateme]

Oh, sorry.

The newer ones (at least mine) has great ventilation, and can keep you warm with cold winds.

If you get a good one, they will have adjustable vents that funnel the wind around your face and head and out the rear constantly moving air while preventing wind burn, or a broken jaw in a crash.

 

[angrybuddha]

I always recommend gloves boots and helmet as the bear minimum. Other than that my usual gear is pictured below!

 

[16VGTIDave]

Here is my current gear list:
Schuberth S1 helmet, rare black, yellow, silver stripe pattern. With Sena SMH5-FM Bluetooth headset.

Alpinestars Messenger jacket, similar to this:

Alpinestars S-MX 2 Air Carbon gloves:

Aerostitch AD1 Gore-Tex pants:

Alpinestars Toucan Gore-Tex boots:

 

[iamunique127]

Alternative Jacket for short stylish rides that make me feel like its the 70s and I'm a badass - 70s Sears Robuck cafe style brown leather. This is the actual jacket i bought on Etsy for like 45$, this is not me, just some dude modeling it for the page. Fits great, very warm and thick, great for fall and spring or cold nights. I am considering getting some armor to wear under this, maybe just a back pad..we will see!

I've been looking for my jacket like that all winter. I got it in the 70's and had it for years but don't know what's become of it. For a few years it was my primary riding jacket.

I'm afraid I looked about as dazed as that model at the time, too.

A few years ago I bought another just like it in black that I use now.

 

[16VGTIDave]

I forgot to mention I now wear ear plugs. NoNoise brand motorsport specific ear plugs.

I was skeptical that these would work as advertized, but read enough positive reviews on them to pay the price and try them. And they are worth the money! I won't ride without them now. I can ride all day and my ears are not ringing when I get off the bike. A quick run down the street used to have my ears ringing for hours afterwards. I can listen to music or talk on the phone, and hear the sweet song of 10,000 RPM all in comfort now.

Do your future self a favour and wear hearing protection of some sort when you are riding, or anything else loud for that matter. It is your hearing tomorrow that you are ruining today. Think you are too cool for ear plugs? How do you feel about hearing aids and constant ringing in your ears (tinnitus) that keeps you from getting a decent nights sleep? For the rest of your life. Think it won't happen to you? Yeah, I used to think I was invincible as well.

I wish I'd known how disruptive hearing damage is to everyday life many years ago. Learn from my mistake, protect your hearing.

 

[iamunique127]

I wish I'd known how disruptive hearing damage is to everyday life many years ago. Learn from my mistake, protect your hearing.

I agree with you 100% Dave. Not hearing well is a bitch.

 

[iamunique127]

I picked up a new helmet at a swap meet last weekend. The guy said he bought all the stock from somewhere. I've seen him selling them through the winter on the local Kijiji (like Craigslist in Canada). He had a few left and was blowing them out at the swap meet. They were all brand new and he had MX, open face, full face and modular ones for sale, all with tags, boxes, etc.

He happened to have my size in my preferred colour

It's a LS2 Modular.

I'm seeing them sell online for around $170. I paid $25. They were selling like hotcakes and I count myself lucky to have gotten it.

It's a far better helmet than the HJC I have been using. All the features work smoothly with gloves on, it's snug and quiet with great ventilation. I can even put it on with my glasses already on my face. Bonus.

My wife's first question when I got home was "are they hot". Hmmm, I never thought of that.

 

[Scorpio1963]

The way things are going on bike this year Im not going to need it

 

[willem]

(made to measure ear protection: well worth the money!!)

shoes are something like this. I know they're not the best for riding, but I need to walk on them as well and I think motorcycle-specific boots are overrated (I saw what little they do when your bike falls on your foot from up close). Unless you're getting fully armored ones like dave has of course

Looking at my stuff now I may have to consider buying some stuff that's not black in the future

 

[iamunique127]

Nice gear there, Willem.

You just reminded me, I have some made-to-measure ear protection from my construction days. They are "tuned" to block out harmful soundwaves but to also allow through others such as talking. I tried to get them tuned to block out my wife's voice but the guy said I'd have to bring her in to get it right. I'll have to give them a try on the bike.

 

[willem]

thanks
Yea I initially got the ear plugs for playing with my band (when that still existed) Yea it's nice that you can still hold a conversation and hear what the guy behind the gas station counter is telling you to pay also they are comfortable