I just bought myself a decent starter bike to get into riding, but I suppose i should get a jacket and gloves but know nothing about good brands and what is worth the money or a rip off. Any suggestions on some good deals/ brands thats not gonna break the bank?

2/25/2007 7:59:47 PM

[Edited on February 25, 2007 at 8:17 PM. Reason : d]

2/25/2007 8:15:43 PM

anything joe rocket is good quality

2/25/2007 8:17:49 PM

^^lol, gg

maybe this will motivate you to definitely get some gear, not suppose you should.

message_topic.aspx?topic=353427

[Edited on February 25, 2007 at 8:19 PM. Reason : .]

2/25/2007 8:19:09 PM

thanks for the joe rocket recommendation, i don't really need the motivation i know its necessary, but I'm trying to find some sweet deals like the link to helmets for $70 that i saw last week, I'm looking for that with jackets and gloves, anyone?

2/25/2007 8:27:55 PM

just remember that spending an extra 1000 bucks on gear might save you 300,000 in medical bills

2/25/2007 8:33:24 PM

i've been in quite a few accidents. and only got rash on my hip from the jacket sliding up. and once on my palms from not wearing gloves

my frank thomas leather jacket is currently held together by fishing line. it has served me very well. I picked up a leather joe rocket jacket tho so ill be rocking that I'll let you know how it compares, it seems built well but frank thomas i think is a little bit better than joe rocket.

go to cycle gear in garner (right by state) and look at the jackets.


get a scorpion helmet at team power sports they are cheap and have the best quality for the price. i paid ~140 for mine new and it owned my 220 dollar icon. although icons do crash well mine survived 3 crashes.

[Edited on February 25, 2007 at 8:37 PM. Reason : d]

[Edited on February 25, 2007 at 8:37 PM. Reason : d]

2/25/2007 8:36:04 PM

just dont fall pussy

2/25/2007 8:50:14 PM

^hey good thinking asshat

i dont wear seat belts bc i dont plan on crashing, i also sold my air bag for cash money bc i dont need that shit.

2/25/2007 9:01:03 PM

newenough.com

got ym helmet and my jacket from there

That jacket saved me from a lot of road rash... but i also got my share too

2/25/2007 9:31:56 PM

Quote :

"just remember that spending an extra 1000 bucks on gear might save you 300,000 in medical bills"

tell that to BBR. Even if he wore every kind of protective gear on, none of that would have don't shit since he was t-boned in the leg. Maybe if he was wearing a titanium bear suit...

2/25/2007 10:08:21 PM

you never know dude

2/26/2007 7:21:35 AM

2nd the http://www.newenough.com , thats where i got my gloves and jacket

http://www.newenough.com/teknic_chicane6_jacket_page.htm

[Edited on February 26, 2007 at 7:28 AM. Reason : k]

2/26/2007 7:27:26 AM

you can go to cycle gear and they'll price match

2/26/2007 7:39:27 AM

Just remember: leather make you slide, textile makes you tumble. If you can afford leather it's much safer.

2/26/2007 9:26:29 AM

cycle gear pricematches?

2/26/2007 10:27:30 AM

I really like my icon gear, metal/leather gloves for winter and textile/leather jacket is good year around.

2/26/2007 10:38:37 AM

I'd recommend something like this...

2/26/2007 10:59:41 AM

MasterD86, I've got some Technic gauntlet-styled gloves i will sell for the cheep - size M

2/26/2007 12:31:39 PM

^^gg slap a dot on the back and your good

2/26/2007 12:54:54 PM

vlad, hop on your bike and i'll drive your SUV into you... lets test this theory out...

2/26/2007 1:17:11 PM

Quote :

"I really like my icon gear, metal/leather gloves for winter and textile/leather jacket is good year around. "

YOU DONT EVEN OWN A BIKE

2/26/2007 1:50:18 PM

You might want to spend more than $70 on a helmet. I know you are looking for deals, but you are talking about protecting your brain, so $200 bottom line is a good start. The HJC AC-12 is I think $280 msrp but cheaper at newenough.com.

Also, high density foam is the best thing that ever happened to motorcycle gear b/c it's the ONLY reason my left arm hasn't broken.

And from what I have seen Icon gear is made to look cool instead of perform well, so keep that in mind as well in your shopping. Your beginner gear should be right about $500 - a good $200 or $250 on a helmet, ~$40 in leather gloves, $100-150 in a jacket if you go textile, a good pair of over the ankle boots, and most people wear the usual thick denim jeans. If you can't afford $500 in gear to start, you shouldn't have bought a bike.

2/26/2007 2:00:05 PM

scorpion exo 700 is much better than hjc crap and cheaper. less than 200 around 180. 140 or less for the exo 400

2/26/2007 2:11:59 PM

When i started

I got

Frank Thomas jacket for about 200
cheap gloves (25 dollar roadgear)
expensive gloves since cheap ones sucked ($100)-worth every penny
Teknic Violator Boots $100
Helmet (came with bikes so far, are HJC, ive actually tried on some shoei and stuff but honestly havent been as happy with fit). I would make sure its Snell AND DOT approved whatever you get.

My opinion on helmets as a noob, is that fit is probably most important, from my understanding if it meets certain requirements it meets them. I mean really what goes into a helmet?

Its foam, and some palstic or fiberglass, or possiby kevlar. the outer shell is for the intial impact/puncture/some abrasion , i guess it could be arguned that a better substance would protect better.

I dont see how you woudl spend more than $30 bux for everything, the rest is just a paint job. You do pay alot for the brand, but you can bet that there are lot more riders riding HJC or KBC or watever than with 500 dollar shoei or Arai, or Shark helments.


If HJC and KBC (or other cheaper helmets, whcih are highly used wernt protecting people you would see a recall or alot of stuff about them. yea the racers use the big names, but they are also tryign to save every ounce, cant deal with the wind noise, and need better comfort and better fit than someone who just rides.

My next purchases are probably going to be a back protector (dont want to get paralized) and a pair of joe rocket alter ego pants.

Try stuff on, i ordered my stuff online but not before trying stuff on in the stores. Comfort is a big issue on a bike especially if you intend to drive long distances.

2/26/2007 2:18:04 PM

if you go to VIR when the big boys (AMA superbike / supersport) guys are there, there are plenty of vendors with plenty of gear for you to try on at a very reasonable discount

plan ahead

you can also get your worn out, sweaty helmet liner replaced there if you cant do it yourself

2/26/2007 2:22:12 PM

u don't have to spend 300 on a helmet. I bought an exo-700 for 180 and its the best bargin helmet with a lot of features. The exo-400 weighs a bit more but have just about the same features for about 120-160 depending on graphics and where you buy. They have removable in-liners, anti-fog windscreens (that actually work), usable air vents and are fairly damn comfortable. Not to mention, when I shopped around last month for a new helmet, I saw a few racers over at cornerspeed(VIR) who have tested the exo-700 helmets personally. Saved their lids and because they aren't that expensive, it's not as a big impact to your wallet when you get a new one.

http://www.scorpionusa.com/products/street.html

I also have two HJC helmets that I don't really like. I also have a cheap KBC that seems to be better then the HJC's, but its wrecked and now my bicycle helmet. The HJC's are less refined then the exo-700 I have now. It's like a big jump in comfort. Not only that but every time I turn my head in the HJC's, the wind sheer feels like it'll snap my neck. The 700 doesn't a really big impact from the wind when you turn sideways looking behind you for a car and such. Even at high speeds.

Once you start spending 140 for a helmet, anything above that will be spend on features, comfort, and decals. A $100 helmet will perform just as good as a $500 helmet as long as it's snell and DOT approved.

2/26/2007 2:31:31 PM

Wow seems like you guys are severely hating on HJC based on personal preference. So I will say I have been thoroughly satisfied with my HJC AC-11 for almost 2 years. It vents extremely well and doesn't fog up with the nose guard in place. I wear ear plugs when I ride long distances and it doesn't catch the wind and snap my neck ever. That helmet has over 10k on it and I'm satisfied, so find what fits best for you.

Also, there has been a report on helmet safety where the brands that had the HARDEST outer shell had a greater risk for brain damage - so paying for a $500 helmet isn't just brand name, it's repeated testing of the most efficient and protective outer shell and foam combination. I read that in a magazine over 2 years ago, so who knows what advancements they've made by now.

2/26/2007 3:05:46 PM

just go ahead a get a shoei, and if your gonna get one get it from ron ayers. Best prices by far..

http://www.ronayers.com/index.cfm

i have a rf-1000, and love it.... you brain isnt something you should me around with

2/26/2007 3:14:47 PM

my personal experience with hjc is the liner sucks, it falls apart. the screens always fogged on me and the visors constantly broke and were a pain to remove. i've owned the 200+ dollar hjc's before as well. they simply didnt last for me. the scorpion is the only helme that has lasted.

i need to get new liner for it though wearing my neck sock during the winter stretched the liner out and i need to replace it for the summer to have a tighter fit.

2/26/2007 3:44:47 PM

with motorcycles the padding inside can be built for soft impact, hard impact or medium impact. shoei's etc are built for hard impact in most cases. scorpion is mid to hard. u usually want mid to hard not super hard impact tho bc ur pretty much pwned then anyway

2/26/2007 5:22:38 PM

Sixth.

2/26/2007 5:28:07 PM

not to dis the HJC helmets, but for the same quality, you could get a scorpion for half the price. The HJC I have are about 2-3yrs old now. The white 'bitch helmet' is fairly nice for $40 used I got, has leather lining and a tinted screen, but doesn't do much for venting. I have the black raven HCJ and that was a decent helmet, but it was finiky at best; got that free with the RR. On both, the windscreen would fly open when I turn to one side at highway speeds. The exo-700 doesn't do this and stays where it is, no matter what position you're in, even at normal highway speeds.

Pretty much everyone that I've talk to about scorpion helmets have been very satisfied with the helmet.

2/26/2007 7:40:13 PM

http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/gearbox/motorcycle_helmet_review/index.html

2/27/2007 2:54:48 PM

I like my scorpion exo-700...

personally tested and will be getting another one as its replacement

2/27/2007 8:28:38 PM

i got new pads for my exo 400....desert camo bhwhaha



woulda done leopard skin but they were out



[Edited on February 27, 2007 at 8:42 PM. Reason : d]

2/27/2007 8:42:04 PM

oh man, you're lucky they were out

2/28/2007 1:32:52 AM

yeah, the leopard inliners have been out of stock for 6 months at least. Guess all the black ppl want them to match their fuzzy leopard custom skins on their bikez. rockzors...

2/28/2007 10:15:29 AM

Thanks for all the response, when I bought the bike it actually came with a HJC helmet that fits well, it is DOT and Snell approved. I'm most concerned with the jacket and gloves right now, but am prob planning on getting a nicer helmet in the future. I'm thinking textile not leather because I would rather tumble and quite frankly I don't think I would look right in leather (if it were necessary I would wear it though). I don't want anything flashy I'm more of a plain black kind of guy. Maybe something along these - http://www.cyclegear.com/spgm.cfm?L1=3&L2=10&L3=23&L4=&item=SUL_651-5002_G - lines....

3/1/2007 10:58:55 AM

leather jackets look much better IMO compared to textile. textile looks cheap and is. it will only hold up through one wreck.

also everyone complains about getting hot in leather. just take the liner out.. i never get TOO hot in it. unless it's 90-100 degrees out.. but hell that's understandable.

3/1/2007 11:20:05 AM

what type of bike did you get? Want to go riding some times, still on the green level myself.

3/1/2007 12:27:07 PM

I got a '91 Honda Nighthawk, it's only 250cc but thats all I need to get to campus/ learn how to ride, I've taken care of tags and insurance but I still need to get my permit or license, prob just gonna get the permit for now. but yea I'm down to go riding sometime.

Good info on the textile only making it through 1 wreck, I may need to reconsider, does anyone know a local store that has a lot of options for good deals with informative/ helpful people working there?

3/1/2007 3:58:20 PM

Cycle Gear Inc
336 Tryon Rd
Raleigh, NC 27603

(919) 329-7858

3/1/2007 4:01:28 PM

Is the driving test at the DMV difficult for bikes if you aren't very experieinced yet, or is it like a car and you can pass being the worst driver on the road possible?

3/1/2007 4:05:25 PM

depends on the person

3/1/2007 4:33:52 PM

good gear is worth it's weight in gold. i've been in 4 wrecks, and walked away from all of them.

i'd get a set of 2 piece leathers of your choice, gauntlet type gloves (Teknic Violators are good bang for the buck), and a good helmet. i also wore a spine protector if i was gonna really go out and haul ass, but some leathers have them built in now. i also have Teknic boots, but that's prob lowest priority if you have any other boots you can wear.

3/1/2007 4:46:05 PM

your gear should not cost more than the bike though

3/2/2007 3:00:27 AM

A smaller bike will help youa lot for the test.

3/2/2007 8:06:08 AM

^ A 91' Nighthawk 250cc is relatively small. What else would you have him get, a Ninja 250 or DRZ200 or something?

^^ My gear cost more than my 1st bike. I think that's a very bad statement. Don't skimp on gear just because your bike is cheap, the cost of the bike won't make any difference if you fall. Even now, my gear is a significant portion of the value of the bike. I wear ~$1,500 worth of gear when I'm riding hard. So do most of my friends, and I've seen some of them take nasty falls with incredibly little damage. It won't always save you (BBR was screwed no matter what, for instance), but it will certainly help.

[Edited on March 2, 2007 at 9:21 AM. Reason : .]

3/2/2007 9:15:16 AM

johannah is right, dont go cheap, that stuff saves lives

3/2/2007 9:15:26 AM