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pik_d posted:I'm looking to pick up a helmet and jacket in the next month or two as later in the summer I'll be riding (on the back) with someone a few times. Flip up helmets are a matter of personal opinion. Consider, however, that your head is a particular shape and that you should get fitted for something that actually fits your head. The Symax may not. Go to a dealership or local store and get fitted properly. Icon gear isn't bad, but it has a bit of a reputation as squid gear. So does Alpinestar, to a lesser degree. If that doesn't bother you, then go for it...that's an expensive jacket, though, especially if you don't have a bike yet. Also, you'll bake in that jacket in the heat. Removeable insulation is good for the cold but unless your jacket is fully perf'd you'll bake in the sun, and even if it is you'll bake while you sit still. Helmets being worth more is a personal thing. If the symax fits you and the schuberth doesn't, it's not worth it...vice versa, it is. You need to go try on helmets. You wouldn't be able to find either the schuberth or the roof boxer at 95% of motorcycle stores in the US. Fant, all leather will stretch. My A* jacket is baggy as hell now 
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Apr 17, 2008 05:04
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In the bike gear world, is it better to go to big chain stores or local stores? Are there any chains that are known to be in that last 5% of carrying Schuberth or Roofs? When I get my own bike down the road, I'm looking for something like a 535 Virago, Vulcan 500/750 or another half-liter or so cruiser. What about Tour Master jackets for being less squid-like? To my untrained eye they look more suitable for what I want, though they seem to only come in black, which I'm not to keen on with the heat. I do plan on finding and visiting a store (Raleigh, NC area if anyone happens to be from around here and can suggest someplace), but I'd like to know what I'm looking for before I walk in the door.
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Apr 17, 2008 05:45
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pik_d posted:In the bike gear world, is it better to go to big chain stores or local stores? Are there any chains that are known to be in that last 5% of carrying Schuberth or Roofs? Big chain stores are good for a lot of selection, local stores are good for the atmosphere and the customer service. Most of the time cycle gear is staffed by incompetent morons, and most of the time your local shop will have some pretty knowledgable riders behind the counter, because they have to give you a reason to come back. Tour Master jackets aren't known for being squiddy...I really liked my cortech (tourmaster subbrand) jacket for my first jacket. It was bulky but it held up really, really well in 2 accidents. You should be able to find some of their stuff in colors other than black. Also, if you plan on riding casually, I'd point you in the direction of a modern textile jacket or a textile/leather jacket over a pure leather one. It'll probably fit your riding profile better and be more comfortable. Honestly, though, you should find something that fits and screw the rest of it. Remember, also, that sportbike jackets will be cut really short in the front to avoid bunching up. If you can, go to a dealership that stocks gear to or a place that has a bike for you to sit on to match the seating position to the right jacket.
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Apr 17, 2008 06:50
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pik_d posted:When I get my own bike down the road, I'm looking for something like a 535 Virago, Vulcan 500/750 or another half-liter or so cruiser. What about Tour Master jackets for being less squid-like? To my untrained eye they look more suitable for what I want, though they seem to only come in black, which I'm not to keen on with the heat. Who cares what's squiddy? (Actually squiddy would be flip flops and shorts like Shattner, but I digress.) If you like it and it's comfortable, don't worry about what other people are going to think. I cruise around on my Valk in a Joe Rocket jacket because it's really, really comfortable for my build. If some weekend Harley boys think that and my full face helmet ain't "biker" enough for them, they can let me know after they get their face reconstructed after a crash.
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Apr 17, 2008 15:10
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Don't worry, I'm not out to impress anyone, I just don't want to look like a total mong mixing stuff until there is no semblance of style or form at all. Also the bike I mentioned riding on later this summer is a Harley  so they may send me flying at high speed if I show up in SPEED DEMON JAPAN wear.How important is it for me to get boots or protective pants? I was talking to someone who's got a bike and he near about freaked out trying to beat it into my head that I need to get boots that go above the ankle.
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Apr 17, 2008 16:44
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pik_d posted:Don't worry, I'm not out to impress anyone, I just don't want to look like a total mong mixing stuff until there is no semblance of style or form at all. Also the bike I mentioned riding on later this summer is a Harley It is a very good idea. I prefer textile overpants for around town, and over the ankle boots. Chaps...well, if you don't like your bum, then I suppose those are acceptable. On really short rides, i'll squid it in sneakers and jeans, but for anything involving freeway use, I'll put on the textile overpants and boots. New enough is a good resource for boots, just pick something that won't look too absurd and ideally has some sort of internal support framework. I don't know how available those are in more...sedate styles though.
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Apr 17, 2008 17:02
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pik_d posted:How important is it for me to get boots or protective pants? I was talking to someone who's got a bike and he near about freaked out trying to beat it into my head that I need to get boots that go above the ankle. http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=236225 Bike falls, its most likely going to fall on your legs and feet. pr0zac fucked around with this message at 20:39 on Apr 17, 2008 |
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Apr 17, 2008 20:28
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Well you've got me convinced, and I like the look of Touring Master's Nomad boots. Also where can I find good quality, touring styled, armored, perforated leather jackets that aren't black? Same for textile pants it looks like. Everything is black except the TURBO RACE MASTAZZZZ NEON BLUE type stuff.
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Apr 17, 2008 21:35
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What's the general opinion on pants like these, where they're denim outside, protective inside. How are they in hot weather vs. regular jeans? http://www.newenough.com/protective_apparel/textile_jackets_and_pants/cortech_by_tour_master/mod_denim_motorcycle_pants.html Are there other street-style pants like the Cortech ones?
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Apr 17, 2008 21:48
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I came across these, though they're not quite as discrete as the Cortech ones.
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Apr 17, 2008 22:03
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pik_d posted:I came across these, though they're not quite as discrete as the Cortech ones. But I'm not sure if the denim thing is sufficiently better than normal jeans to make it worthwhile.
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Apr 17, 2008 22:23
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chryst posted:What's the general opinion on pants like these, where they're denim outside, protective inside. How are they in hot weather vs. regular jeans? Ok, they are better. I know this because...I dragged a knee for the first time in a set of jeans just like those. I was doing around 30mph, and smacked my knee into the ground. Yes, I was (am) a dumbass squid. My knee basically bounced into the ground and i immediately pulled it back up, so it was only on the ground for maybe a quarter second. The jean material instantly tore open and shredded, and the kevlar/textile underlayer showed minor wear. They will be better than normal jeans in an accident by a long stretch...but consider this: You have one pair of reinforced pants...how often are you going to wear them? Every day? Also, if you ride a sportbike, they're going to be cut really, really long, to cover your ankles, which can be a little irritating off the bike. I wore mine for awhile, and then eventually gave up on them and just wore normal jeans, and then finally got some textile overpants. If you lay out the cash for a couple of pairs, then maybe it'd be worthwhile...but you're still going to tear up your knees going into the ground with no hard armor. Tradeoffs...
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Apr 17, 2008 23:09
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Z3n posted:Ok, they are better. I know this because...I dragged a knee for the first time in a set of jeans just like those. I was doing around 30mph, and smacked my knee into the ground. Yes, I was (am) a dumbass squid. My knee basically bounced into the ground and i immediately pulled it back up, so it was only on the ground for maybe a quarter second. The jean material instantly tore open and shredded, and the kevlar/textile underlayer showed minor wear. They will be better than normal jeans in an accident by a long stretch...but consider this: I guess I'll eventually get some overpants, but I like riding the bike to clubs and parties and stuff, (and waiting till I'm sober before leaving, naturally) and I'd rather not be so conspicuous even after the jacket's off.
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Apr 18, 2008 00:40
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Holy poo poo, this is brilliant. Long-johns made from solid 100% knit Kevlar. Now ALL my pants are motorcycle pants. And yeah, you can add knee armor too if you care about your kneecaps. Whatever. And they're made by Draggin' Jeans, who I've heard good things about. Finally, gear that covers my balls with Kevlar. Took 'em long enough.
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Apr 19, 2008 12:49
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Nate Falls posted:Holy poo poo, this is brilliant. The place that manufactures Draggin' Jeans is about an hour or so away from me in NC. Lots of people around here swear by them, so I was thinking about taking a trip out there to the factory and looking through their "scratch and dent" section. Some girl at the MSF was wearing them and she said they put perfectly good jeans on deep discount because some of them got screwed up around the ankle (which is going to be protected by my boot anyway). I imagine that with the armor inserts they make for Draggin Jeans they wouldn't be bad for something to ride around town in.
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Apr 19, 2008 16:03
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Nate Falls posted:Holy poo poo, this is brilliant.
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Apr 19, 2008 16:54
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My problem with those liners (and pants without a 360* zipper in general) is they completely negate the protection on your torso. In my fall at 25 mph I had a jacket on with those "attach to jeans straps" hooked to my jeans. Tore right through those, jacket rode up, and I got a nice amount of rash on my back. Jeans held up fine, so did the jacket, but I was still hurting for the next week because of the lack of attachment between the two. Just something to consider.
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Apr 19, 2008 17:38
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pr0zac posted:My problem with those liners (and pants without a 360* zipper in general) is they completely negate the protection on your torso. I really like wearing my leathers with the 360 degree zipper. everything just stays put. My new Olympia stuff only has a 6 inch zipper. I hope that that plus the 3/4 legnth jacket will be enough should I meet the ground. It is comfortable walking around with that zipper, though.
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Apr 19, 2008 18:55
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rope kid posted:Nice. I don't even wear my Draggin' Jeans anymore because I don't like the cut. And because I lost 2" off of my waist. Yeah, the cut is one of the main reasons I don't have any Draggin' Jeans--I'm pretty sure tapered leg hasn't been remotely acceptable since some point in the 80's. Would it kill them to make something in a remotely fashionable cut?
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Apr 20, 2008 12:17
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Nate Falls posted:Yeah, the cut is one of the main reasons I don't have any Draggin' Jeans--I'm pretty sure tapered leg hasn't been remotely acceptable since some point in the 80's. Would it kill them to make something in a remotely fashionable cut? I'm still trying to figure out what a "tapered leg" means in jeans. However if it hasn't been acceptable since the 80's I probably own a pair. 
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Apr 20, 2008 15:20
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Ripoff posted:I'm still trying to figure out what a "tapered leg" means in jeans. However if it hasn't been acceptable since the 80's I probably own a pair. Straight cut - jeans are cut straight to fit the knee and ankle, same snugness at knee as at ankle Boot cut - jeans are slightly flared to allow for a boot to go under them. Flare cut - jeans are flared more to allow hippies something to swish about in. Tapered cut - jeans are narrower at the ankle than they are at the knee. Gross. Hammer pants are a hyperbole of tapered cut trousers, if that helps any. teknicolor fucked around with this message at 15:41 on Apr 20, 2008 |
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Apr 20, 2008 15:30
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How well do the helmets with the flip-up chin piece work with glasses? I'm looking for a new helmet (mostly since I dropped my cheap starter one onto concrete, dammit) and would like to not have to try and thread my glasses on through the hole in the front of the helmet anymore. 'Tis a pain in the rear end. The flip-up ones look like I should be able to put the helmet on with the glasses in place and then flip down the chin piece, has anyone here tried that? I'd go try them on but I won't be home for a couple of weeks, but I certainly will then. I'd just like to know before I go out there if that's something reasonable. Also, I know Shoei and Arai to be good, but who else? My old one is a full-face Fulmer, DOT and Snell, is that the big thing to look for or are there other little bits to check while shopping?
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Apr 20, 2008 15:47
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teknicolor posted:Straight cut - jeans are cut straight to fit the knee and ankle, same snugness at knee as at ankle I guess I can see why they do a flare cut (I'd assume it tucks into your boots easier) but that sounds really dumb looking. Also I'd guess that you want them to tuck into the boots because if they draped over I'd be worried about them pulling up if I fell and slid feet-first.
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Apr 20, 2008 16:12
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The US site aren't the only manufacturer of kevlar lined jeans. In fact, the australian 'draggin jeans' site (http://www.dragginjeans.com.au/) has a bunch of different styles and types of normal-looking kevlar-lined pants. Jeans, cargo pants, zip-off's, even khakis/chinos. These pants are actually pretty good looking, if they weren't $235. Stupid american dollars. http://www.flexegate.com.au/cgi-bin/djstore/m_silverbk.html?id=kWGnffPf&mv_pc=198
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Apr 20, 2008 16:52
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EvilDonald posted:How well do the helmets with the flip-up chin piece work with glasses? I'm looking for a new helmet (mostly since I dropped my cheap starter one onto concrete, dammit) and would like to not have to try and thread my glasses on through the hole in the front of the helmet anymore. 'Tis a pain in the rear end. The flip-up ones look like I should be able to put the helmet on with the glasses in place and then flip down the chin piece, has anyone here tried that? As I understand it, that's pretty much the whole point of those flip-up helmets. One of my MSF instructors had one that he flipped over his glasses with ease. Apart from DOT and Snell, you're mainly just looking for fit & finish. Snell won't certify those flip-up helmets yet though.
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Apr 20, 2008 17:01
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Fantastipotamus posted:The US site aren't the only manufacturer of kevlar lined jeans. In fact, the australian 'draggin jeans' site (http://www.dragginjeans.com.au/) has a bunch of different styles and types of normal-looking kevlar-lined pants. Jeans, cargo pants, zip-off's, even khakis/chinos. My Shift Lodown kevlar jeans look pretty dsmn good, if it helps, and they're only $70, although the Kevlar portions aren't quite as thick as I've seen in some other brands. But hey, they look good. 
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Apr 20, 2008 17:50
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Nate Falls posted:My Shift Lodown kevlar jeans look pretty dsmn good, if it helps, and they're only $70, although the Kevlar portions aren't quite as thick as I've seen in some other brands. But hey, they look good. I bought a pair of these for my fashion concious brother. He wears them plenty and thinks that they look pretty hot too. WebBikeWorld did a write up on them a while back http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-jeans/shift-lodown-street-jeans/
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Apr 20, 2008 18:43
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Nate Falls posted:My Shift Lodown kevlar jeans look pretty dsmn good, if it helps, and they're only $70, although the Kevlar portions aren't quite as thick as I've seen in some other brands. But hey, they look good. I've been considering these as well as the Torque model. My biggest concern is the lack of armor (or ability to add armor). Ideally I'd like at least knee armor. I guess they're still better than the regular jeans I usually wear any way you look at it.
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Apr 21, 2008 01:50
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Drunk Pledge Driver posted:I've been considering these as well as the Torque model. My biggest concern is the lack of armor (or ability to add armor). Ideally I'd like at least knee armor. I guess they're still better than the regular jeans I usually wear any way you look at it. Wear motocross knee/shin guards under them? Or the low-profile Icon ones, those aren't bad either. Yeah, it'd be nice to have some knee armor sometimes.
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Apr 21, 2008 10:43
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Yellow power ranger checking in. Don't mind the helmet hair or my tired eyes. I look much better in real life.
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Apr 25, 2008 00:05
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I have a Ducati S4RS and I am looking for a rack of some sort for tethering a backpack to when I don't feel like wearing luggage.I went to the dealership today, and one of the employees recommended a company from new zealand called something like venture packs, but nothing seems to be turning up. Do any of you know anything good I could use for this purpose. Names, links, and manufacturers are welcome. thanks
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Apr 27, 2008 04:16
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Frog Strips posted:I have a Ducati S4RS and I am looking for a rack of some sort for tethering a backpack to when I don't feel like wearing luggage.I went to the dealership today, and one of the employees recommended a company from new zealand called something like venture packs, but nothing seems to be turning up. Do any of you know anything good I could use for this purpose. Names, links, and manufacturers are welcome. Givi makes a rack for almost all of the bikes out there.
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Apr 27, 2008 04:59
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Frog Strips posted:.I went to the dealership today, and one of the employees recommended a company from new zealand called something like venture packs, but nothing seems to be turning up. I think that employee said Ventura, not Venture.
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Apr 27, 2008 12:55
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I put about 100 miles in this weekend in my new Alpinestars NYC jacket and Dainese Slash gloves in the 95+ degree heat and was quite comfortable. The gloves in particular are amazingly soft and allow you to retain dexterity, but are armored and thick enough that I feel safe. Good stuff. The only thing I don't like about the NYC is that it doesn't have any way to connect to a pair of pants. Can anyone recommend a pair of pants (or preferrably overpants) with armor that ride far enough up the back to help avoid what pr0zac went through? I've been riding around in jeans and a pair of tennis shoes, and I feel like I need more protection. I've been riding in a borrowed HJC helmet with a pair of aviators stuck in through the visor, but I'd rather not have glasses inside my helmet in the long run since I like my eyes. I've got a Shark RSR2 on order. Does anyone have experience with Shark's various tinted visors? What happens if you get caught after dark with a dark tint, do you carry a clear or just ride home with the visor up?
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Apr 28, 2008 04:16
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I think I need to buy some leather 
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Apr 28, 2008 04:24
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crabrock posted:I think I need to buy some leather What were you wearing before?
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Apr 28, 2008 04:55
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jeans and a sweatshirt because i'm an idiot.
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Apr 28, 2008 05:29
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Bruinator posted:I put about 100 miles in this weekend in my new Alpinestars NYC jacket and Dainese Slash gloves in the 95+ degree heat and was quite comfortable. The gloves in particular are amazingly soft and allow you to retain dexterity, but are armored and thick enough that I feel safe. Good stuff. The important thing with overpants is zipping them to your jacket. Find some pants you like, pick them up, and take them to a tailor and get either the pants or the jacket altered so you can zip them together. Carry around a clear visor, makes life a lot easier. Otherwise you can suck it up with the tinted one, but I've done late night rides with a tinted visor and trust me when i say it sucks balls.
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Apr 28, 2008 05:52
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crabrock posted:jeans and a sweatshirt because i'm an idiot. Oh, okay. I wasn't sure if you had some poor quality gear that I should stay away from. But, speaking of that, did I make the right gear choice? My helmet and gloves are just fine, but I've got a few questions: I bought a Joe Rocket superstock textile jacket. It fit well, felt durable, and was pretty cheap compared to the leathers. Not to mention lighter. I figure that it's a good choice with Summer coming up. Good choice? I also bought some mesh Phoenix 2.0 pants. Now, they're labeled as over-pants, but are they okay to wear without anything on underneath? How much protection will mesh provide, given true textile in the contact points with some CE armor? I don't intend on going very fast for a while, and again, the hot months are coming up. Ohio gets humid, on top of that. Should I get true textile pants instead? And, with boots, I got some Alpinestars. Will I need to worry about the more "casual" ankle cut, versus the really big boots/shinguards that other people make?
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Apr 28, 2008 06:00
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Z3n posted:The important thing with overpants is zipping them to your jacket. Find some pants you like, pick them up, and take them to a tailor and get either the pants or the jacket altered so you can zip them together. Altering the jacket is a good idea. I kind of wish I paid more attention to the zipper, I was more concerned with staying cool and having enough armor than how it connects to a pair of pants. Odds are the pants wouldn't have matched anyway, so it's not a big deal. Otherwise the jacket is great, the waist cinch straps make it fit well for those of us who require a bigger jacket size without a huge beer gut.
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Apr 28, 2008 06:31
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