OT: What kind of gear do you ride with?

[Backwoodsboy]

Ive been into motorcycles for a while now, restored a 1973 Yamaha tx750.... WHEN I was 14. Ive always been aware of the proper attire to wear when riding, boots, jeans, jacket and helmet. But I will catch myself having to adjust my shorts down after they ride up and worry about my sandals angled the wrong way on the pegs so I dont create lift, joking, but I like to be able to hop on and ride, and thats usually what im wearing.

I see touring bikes going down the interstate with every piece of gear on you can think of, thats gotta be hot in 90plus deg weather. My question is, what do you guys usually wear?

My setup is seriously sandals, shorts or jeans, t-shirt with and icon asphault spine protector and my b-linc bluetooth helmet streaming music from my G1 which is velcrowed to my tank.

Another question, I lost some weight and im now looking for a leather jacket, would it be wrong to get an authentic Repsol jacket that doesnt say honda....?????? I didnt know if its a honda only thing.

[Meeni]

I wear complete touring suit, with knee elbow shoulder and back protection. I've been kissing the asphalt too recently to go naked. Yes, it is terribly hot (especially at traffic lights, riding over 40 mph is ok), but the spandex got to get rubbed gently on the macadam, not my skin.

[twodear]

As a minimum, due to the cooler weather where I was brought up, the minimum was jeans, boots, jacket. I only wore a helmet when my pop was looking.

Later, in the military, I wore a helmet of sorts 24/7, only because they forced me to. At this point, gloves were still the only optional thing as I'd grown accustomed to the other bits.

Now, I have difficulty walking up to one of my bikes without ATGATT.

soap box time: I've seen too many bad things happen to good people, fallen off too many times etc, to chance a mobility or life threatening injury merely because some of the gear might be occasionally inconvenient.

[Backwoodsboy]

I mean, I wear things that make me feel comfortable, Im not about to suit up in 90 deg weather and be cooking at stop lights, its bad enough the engine is air cooled. I dont see boots going well with shorts, and I like to dress light cause my leathers are heavy and bulky.

[TandemGeek]

Typically, full gear... even for the daily commute. Of course, I head to work at or before 6am and don't typically head home until after 6pm, so it's not nearly as hot at those times of day which makes summer-time gear a lot easier to deal with.

Shoei Multi-tech helmet, flipped open on hot days or sealed up with the PinLock visor on cold ones... down to near zero in the winter.

One of several textile jackets/pants with CE soft armor & back protector: Fieldsheer 4-Season waist-length mesh + pants in the summer, mesh + liner in mid-temps, Gerbings heated liner in the 40's. Full-length Fieldsheet Highland touring jacket with CE soft armor + lined Highland pants in 30s - 40's with Gerbings liner. Below freezing, Fieldsheet Highland one-piece suit with CE armor, quilted liner & Gerbings liner. Although, that said, I've been skipping the over-pants this summer... just too darn hot in the afternoons and too bulky to stuff into my city case.

AlpineStar gortex touring boots or Sidi Adventure boots... a hold-over from my broken ankle recovery. Hey, I started my rehab wearing Sidi Crossfires!

One of 12 different pairs of gloves, including Gerbing heated gloves in the winter.

Sound system is an iPod Nano/FM radio with ear phones and a wireless remote for on/off and volume control. I typically listen to NPR going to and from work, not music and never all that loud: just enough to cancel the wind & engine noise while retaining situational awareness.

As far as wearing "logo" apparel or 'race replica' apparel... what's the point? Frankly, unless someone's paying me to advertise their stuff, why would I dress like a rolling advert? I think I have one BMW ball cap and I merely tolerate the 'FS' logo on my riding gear, noting that my backpack hides it most of the time.

[MykolG]

I wear either jeans or my BMW City Pants [knee and hip pads], boots, "T" shirt, Joe Rocket Jacket [with shoulder, elbow and back pads], gloves and full face helmet. Hot or cold I won't wear shorts and no jacket. I was a medical photographer for 38 years and had to photograph many fools who thought "they" would not get hurt because "they" were better riders. Sorry guys, but I'd rather sweat than bleed. If you go down without any protection, you WILL get hurt. Usually BAD. Okay, I'm off my soap box.

[chewie]

Everything is leather unless it's really hot or it's a town ride then maybe the Kevlar pants come out

[IMG][/IMG]

high side at maybe 80kmh - landed on hip, then flat onto back and back of helmet slid till my boots dug in and then rolly pollied for a bit.

How do you think you would get on in shorts? They'd be still finding bits 2 years later...

In my accident:
No Jacket? skin ground down to the backbone, shoulder ripped open
No Leather padded pants? Smashed hip and skin ground down - severe loss of blood probably
No boots - snapped ankles as the feet gripped the asphalt - probably losing a foot if not both, palms gone

Ooh nearly forgot, I fractured my right arm in two places and also the scaphoid in my right wrist and that was with elbow, shoulder and back protection under the jacket...

and this was at 50MPH

Next question

[Guest24]

You can either dress for the 'ride' or the "slide." Me, I dress for the "slide." Believe it or not, I get hotter when I ride bare instead of the Kevlar/leather.

[Droptarotter]

My minumum is;

Boots, jeans, jacket, gloves, helmet.

When I commute I always use my Aerostitch Hi viz suit, Sidi boots,gloves, full face helmet.

On a day out riding the gear I wear depends on the temperature.

I use an Aerostitch one piece up to 80 degrees with Sidi boots, gloves, full face helmet.

Above 80 degrees I use a Revit vented jacket, Revit vented pants and Sidi perforated boots, summer gloves and full face helmet.

I use a pollypro undershirt, cycling shorts under my gear and I am comfy in hot weather as long as I am moving.

Cheers.

[BumbleBeeR11s]

Too often I see squids dressed to a beach party riding crotch rockets.
Min for me if fully padded jacket, cevlar denim with proper boots and gloves. even if its 90F out. I value my skin more than my sweat!
I've been down twice....
It is not IF, it is WHEN


Ride safe ...

[cageyar]

I wear my full gear, Corsair, Joe Rocket, Alpinestars, Sidi, Ku****ani every time I get on the bike. If it's too hot to ride in reasonable comfort with my gear, I don't ride. I don't commute or run errands with my bike because I don't find that enjoyable. I only ride for the ride itself or for a destination like Indy which is the same thing to me.
I have the scars and lingering damage from when I didn't have the same ethic about gear.

PS: For some reason the edit program thinks the name of my gloves is offensive!? Ku****ani Oh, I see. Contains the word $**t

[PFFOG]

AGATT, Heavy Held leather coat, Alpinestar leather pants, Sidi or Oxtar boots, Held Phantom gloves, Arai Helmet. Only change in hot is JR perforated leather coat and pants.

[Guest24]

Richard, which Arai size and model do you wear? I've got a relatively new Quantum II that really is the wrong size for me. Don't ask how I got talked into thinking it was the correct fit.

[Backwoodsboy]

I totally agree with the dress to ride/dress to slide part. Knock on wood I havent gone down in a turn, but I also don't use all of my tire, I usually get made fun of when I get new rubber cause theres still tits on the sides. Ive seen way to many things happen and I cruise around turns but rocket out of them.

[Guest24]

Originally Posted by Backwoodsboy

I totally agree with the dress to ride/dress to slide part. Knock on wood I havent gone down in a turn, but I also don't use all of my tire, I usually get made fun of when I get new rubber cause theres still tits on the sides. Ive seen way to many things happen and I cruise around turns but rocket out of them.

I recommend that you go to a track day and get comfortable riding on the sides of your tyres. It's not unsafe. But, get the right riding gear before you go because it IS required. BTW, what exactly do you ride? If I read your threads correctly, you are on a late model R12RT.

[Fenring]

I have 2 sets of 2-piece textile suits from IXS, one is all-weather type, good for winter and most of fall and spring. Another is IXS Air model that has meshed areas on the inner sides of arms and legs and that helps a bit during summer. Normally I wear boots, but during summer sometimes switch to regular sneakers. Sometimes on short commutes I replace suit pants with "Spool" denim pants with protectors and cordura (good for about 15 minutes of rain, and the're pretty comfy off the bike). Arai RX-7 Corsair helmet worn at all rides, with no exceptions. Dito for gloves.

I've fallen once from the bike. At about 100 kph, hard braking before the turn and front slipped. I slid on the asphalt app. 20 meters and then somersaulted into the corn-field that was a meter or more below road level. I consider myself very lucky because I landed on relatively soft ground and there were no concrete or metal rails on the road to mash me up. Still the suit was torn on a hip and elbow all the way to the skin and I got some roadrash and some bruises, but nothing serious. The bike was in much worse shape than me. I figure that if I wore no suit that day, I would leave half of my skin on the road and probably broken a hip, shoulder and elbow. The helmet was also substantially scraped on one side at chin level so without it I'd probably look like that guy from "The Box" now. Scary stuff.

If there was rain-proof leather, I'd wear that instead.

I've noticed that in hot weather the real heavy sweating starts only after I park the bike and start undressing, even if the ride is a town commute with heavy traffic.

[RIQUE]

I've learned from the wise on this forum. Helmet (Caberg), Jacket (Xelement Armoured), Boots Joe Rocket. and a pair of thick jeans if I ride within city limits. IF I travel I put on a pair or armoured Xelement Pants. Oh and proper gloves of course. I do this every time. No exceptions.

[Backwoodsboy]

Originally Posted by Nail24

I recommend that you go to a track day and get comfortable riding on the sides of your tyres. It's not unsafe. But, get the right riding gear before you go because it IS required. BTW, what exactly do you ride? If I read your threads correctly, you are on a late model R12RT.

I have a r12s, Im the kind of person that pushes the limits till I find them, so taking it to the track would not be a good idea. Im more of a straight line guy. I have a one piece suit that ive worn maybe 2 times at the drag strip and thats about the most ive been decked out, suit, helmet, gloves, boots only to run 2 times before they told me to get a NHRA id.

[PFFOG]

Originally Posted by Nail24

Richard, which Arai size and model do you wear? I've got a relatively new Quantum II that really is the wrong size for me. Don't ask how I got talked into thinking it was the correct fit.

For my fat head, XL

[CowboyKyle]

I have a terrible vision of sliding the bike out and my knee hitting pavement... I don't think in terms of a terrible accident, but even doing 25 mph, sliding your knee on the pavement for 5 feet will rip skin down to the bone... that will hurt like hell and take forever to heal... I get paranoid when I run to the store in helmet, jacket, gloves, boots and only jeans..

usually it is a JR alter ego jacket for hot days (aprillia leather jacket for cool weather or WST), JR gloves (changed to Held for cooler weather, and Held air gloves are currently on order), Arai full faced helmet, JR alter ego over pants, and Sidi vertigo boots.

bruises and broken bones don't frighten me... road rash does... and that $hit scars... A woman at work told me last week about her son who recently was in a very bad accident in Brooklyn had skin grafted because of road rash on his arm.... Also, that pants really aren't that warm if were very light pants underneath. it is the jacket that gets hot and my feet... probably need better breathing boots for the commute!