Do These Chaps Make My Butt Look Cute?
 

I am preparing to return to motorcycling after thirty years away. I've got a Bell helmet I paid good money for a couple of years ago for AX (Snell 2005), and now I need a face shield for it, if I can find one. So....I stopped by a popular Harley Davidson dealership yesterday to ask. I asked about that, and about leather pants (I have a jacket but no pants).

Helmet: They just started carrying Bell helmets. The rest of their brands are unfamiliar. (junk) They had helmets for well under $100. Of all their helmets, only one was Snell approved (one of the Bells, of course).

Pants: No leather pants. No super-fabric, waterproof, padded pants. They had chaps, though.

So I guess what I learned is this......today's Harley riders are not into motorsports. It's a posing thing. They don't sell speed equipment. They sell costumes. The place was crawling with faux-badass-biker guys and their beotches.

fringe..
your chaps must have fringe..
do consider a Flo-Max logo on the jacket as well..

Rika

Haven't been on a bike in years... but back in the day helmets had a shelf life... you might want to check into that.

And it is required to wear a thong under your leather pants... or so a friend tells me. :D

Riding was a lot different 30 years ago.

In '77 I rode from Burlington Vermont to Jackson Hole, Wyoming in 52 hours, because I had to. The only "shops" I was interested in sold motor oil and spark plugs.

Now days, every Wednesday night, my neighbor puts on a white T-shirt, leather vest, scarf cap and jeans and "rides" down to the local Wawa (7-11 type store) to hang out with other "bikers" and drink coffee.

It's different.

Oh yeh, I still have that bike. Its been stored for the last 28 years.

Motorcycle helmets are usually preferable to car helmets due to venting, shield size, etc. Arai and Shoei are two big makers, and I love my Shoei RF1000.

There are tons of good non-leather solutions. I wear either over pants (if commuting) or more touring type pants. Rev'it stuff is great. I like this guy - great service (REV'IT Gear | BEACH MOTO). Don't forget *real* boots and gloves as well.

Try a BMW bike dealer they actually sell decent riding gear. I have really liked my First Gear jacket/pants.

Oh, and I would recommend the Motorcycle Safety Foundation for a riding safety course to brush up on your skills!

what is the value of yer head?

well, remember who you're asking :p

Do NOT use a car helmet for the motorcycle. The construction and shock absorption qualities are entirely different.

PLEASE!!!

There have been tests on helmets several times I can remember that compared expensive helmets to cheaper ones. The conclusion was that price had nothing to do with level of protection.

Expensive might get you a fancier paint scheme, maybe a higher comfort level, but not necessarily more protection.

BTW motorcycle helmets are designed (and tested) different than car helmets. A car helmet has to take multiple hits before falling apart (like in a roll) so they don't absorb as much impact from each hit.
Motorcycle helmets are designed to take one big hit, so they do that better.

Seems to me that if you own a Harley, you're a biker by definition....

You can get all the stuff you need online for a WHOLE LOT LESS MONEY Supe. :)

try vanson for leather pants...you can provide them measurements and they will tailor them for you before shipping

ive been happy with HJC helmets...very affordable and well built..dont use a car helmet

take the safety course before getting back out there...i suspect the amount of obstacles you will be trying to avoid has increased tremendously since 30 years ago...and with the invention of cell phones and ipods...things have gotten out of hand.

my bike is currently for sale....due to job loss...but i suspect i will be retiring from the sport. im tired of not knowing if im going to make it home for dinner

I still use my car helmet and it stinks. Way too much road noise, zero aero and the visor area seems smaller than similar bike helmets.

Shameless plug, a friend sells Vanson stuff if you are interested in good stuff at a fair price.

Check out newenough.com for gear.