The only thing about safety gear is that the more I have on, the safer I feel, the harder I push.
Wanna see me be carefull, I will go 100 yards down our gravel road to the neighbors in shorts and flipflops.
Full face helmet, leather riding gloves, leather work boots, jeans, and the Joe Rocket Armored riding jacket.
All the time.
I rode three blocks to the gas station once with NO GEAR what-so-ever and I felt naked and vulnerable. I need to wear the protective gear, plus I was just in a minor fender bender on the bike and I didn’t get a scratch on me 'cause I was geared up.
The boots are actually an important piece of protective gear. If you ever drop your bike, you can easily burn or break an ankle. I thought about that, and about how much I like to walk and run without pain, and bought motorcycle boots. They have padding over the ankles, unlike work boots.
Your logic seems pretty sound. 
I’ve seen a wide range of price difference in terms of boots – where does the difference lie? Are there brands to avoid?
I’m hoping not to spend a ton of money on the foot gear part. The store I was in this past weekend had boots for as little as $50, and one pair that I think was about $230 (although I’m pretty sure those were designed for off-road racing). I remain relatively clueless.
Don’t be afraid to spend a lot of money on boots!!! You get what you pay for and you NEED good boots. They are very important. I was going to buy Sidi Vertigos. My fiance wears Sidi and LOVES them. They survived a bad wreck. And the ones he has at least, you can buy replaceable plastic bits if you wear them out. I have heard decent things about Alpine Star too. I guess it depends on what feels more comfortable. But shell out the cash for quality boots!!!
I am not convinced that the more you pay, the better boots you get. I think that features vary and it depends on what kind of riding - and how much riding - you do. And as with any footware, fit is very important. Don’t buy boots that just have the features or looks you want; pay attention to how they feel! My boots were about $80. They are comfortable, fairly simple, but have good protection built into them. Unfortunately, in my experience, most shops don’t carry much stock for women and tend to ignore you when you go in the store. You can check around online but, again, I think it’s important to try them on.
And ps - a lot of people like leather for a variety of reasons, but most protective gear comes in synthetic materials too and can be just as protective or more so. This is a big controversy amongst bikers. My boots are synthetic.
Has anyone here tried one of the airbag equipped riding jackets? Something similiar to a Hit-Air. That’s the only one I have heard of, but there could be more, better brands offering a similiar product. I was thinking about ordering one similiar when I get my bike.
Never tried one, and I don’t know of anyone who has. I think part of the reason that no one has tried one is because I think they are connected to the bike so if you forget to disconnect yourself it goes off. Now it’s been a couple of years since I’ve even heard of one so they could have changed, but I still haven’t heard of anyone using them, and the mailing lists that I’m on people try everything.
My vote for the best piece of riding gear ever: The Aerostich Roadcrafter
I’m currently between bikes, but I used to commute year round here in Seattle and the Roadcrafter is what made it tolerable. The fact that you could wear regular clothes underneath and that it’s fully waterproof meant that I could wear a suit and tie or whatever and with one zip, go from crazy, soaked motorcyclists to dry, presentable office-guy. It’s fully armored at the shoulders, elbows, hips, knees and back. Plus you can load the pockets up with ice in the summertime since all the pockets drain to the outside of the suit.
I have a pair of Alpinestar Ridge boots (though mine are an older version without the zipper on the side). They’re a good boot for around $100. Waterproof, good protection, comfortable for walking once they’re broken in, and they don’t have the Power Ranger look that racing boots tend to have so they don’t look out of place when worn with jeans.
At a minimum, you want footwear that at least covers the ankle and has good traction. I know I’m probably going to take some flak for this, but for street use something like hiking or hunting boots really aren’t bad. In fact, they’re popular with dual sport riders because motorcycle boots usually have a stiff, smooth sole that’s not so good for traction on dirt or walking around the campground at the end of the day.
For starting out I would get at least a full-face helmet, a good motorcycle jacket, and a pair of good gloves. There’s nothing wrong with looking for bargains now and upgrading later. You can save money by going with textile gear over leather. Protection provided by modern textiles is almost as good as leather (in fact Aerostich suits are even certified for track use), but it’s often sacrificial whereas leather is more likely to be reusable after a crash. (YMMV, of course.) Keep an eye out for sales and closeouts this time of year - business is slow because the riding season has come to an end in much of the country and dealers need to make room for next year’s items. I also recommend checking out Newenough.com. They buy a lot of overstock and closeout items so their prices are really good, and even the prices on their regular first-run stuff are usually the lowest. Their service is also first class.
It’s true that you get what you pay for, but it’s an exponential scale. A $200 pair of boots is better than a $100 pair, but not twice as good. When you move up in price what you’re usually paying for are bells and whistles. For example, a Snell-rated $500 helmet isn’t going to protect you any better than a Snell-rated $150 helmet, but it is going to be lighter, have better ventilation, and have extras like an anti-fog shield insert, fancy graphics, or a removable liner.
I believe these are operated by a tether, no?
Kevbabe and I use a wired intercom that rides in the tank bag. If I had a nickle for every time I forgot to unplug when dismounting, I’d have…well $.50 at least.
Maybe if I knew my jacket was going to explode if I did that, I might be more careful, but I have to think it will be a common occurance with those things.
Also, the injuries I’ve seen happen to friends were NOT related to blunt force to the body type trauma. Turning into the Michelin tire man might actually cause more injury if it causes you to roll instead of sliding across the pavement.
Anyway, I think the airbag jacket seems to be an answer to a question that is not being asked.
Oh man, have I got the gimmes! Esp. after that freezing ass wet trip up the California coast I took last New Year’s (which I still wouldn’t trade for anything; it was a religious experience).
14+ years on the road experience here. I’ve gathered together some top notch gear a little at a time. Start with a helmet, gloves and jacket. Better and more as you can.
*
I cannot, shall not and will not leave the house without a helmet, gloves and jacket.* I have several to choose from, here are my favorites.
My helmet is wonderful Shoei. I’d be happy with something less expensive but I have a pumpkin sized head and a big nose. Comfort was key here (after Snell raitings and such.)
My jacket is the Aerostitch Darien with the fleece electric liner. Damn I’ve worn a couple of few jackets, this is the cat’s ass.
I alternate between some nice Joe Rocket gloves, or Olympias or kangaroo skin Kuchataini’s. (sp?) Gloves are a big deal to me. Imagine running down your driveway as fast as you can and throw yourself on the ground hands first. See how you feel. Gloves are # 2 after a helmet to me.
My boots are another indulgence. I’ve been known to wear sneakers the five miles to the local corner store. For commuting to work or a long ride I wear boots. Some wonderful SIDI’s. The review I read before I bought them was “stand in the bathtub dry.” Worth every penny.
For spirited riding with the lads on back country roads I do wear a back protecter.
Food for thought. I’m not going to fall down. I’m prepaired for the little old blue haired lady in the Lincoln Town Car knocking me down. (Been there done that.)
Helmet, gloves and jacket. All the time everytime. 90 degrees out or not.
Cheers, and keep it pretty side up.
I’m pretty sure I saw this suit save a live. The fellow was piloting a sidecar rig and went wide in a right hander. He contacted a guard rail and went over it. The gurdrail was supported, not by wood posts, but by steel I beams.
Where he went over, a sharp corner of the I beam went into his abdomen. The aerostitch was tough enough that it only ripped for maybe 3/8 inch, allowing that corner to cut only 1/4" or so deep.
That was enough to open up his gut for 6-8" , but no internal injuries.
There was an extremely steep hillside, the reason for the guardrail. JW kept moving, and creeping down the hillside. I used a rope to tie his aerostitch to the guardrail, which made recovering him much simpler when the ambulance finally arrived.
Because this happened in a faily remote area, the ambulance showed up around an hour after the crash. A EMT team showed up another half hour later, to finally remove him from the hillside, and take him a coupkle miles to a site where a helicopter could land another half hour later. Without the protection of the aerostitch suit, I’m pretty sure JW wouldn’t have lasted.
I’m pretty sure he made it. The worst of the damage was to his leg which got trapped between the bike and guardrail. He was in pretty OK shape when we visited him in hospital a week after crash.
I like deerskin gloves. Thin as paper, soft as Kleenex, strong as leather.
AXO RC2 (old shit now anyway) motocross boots suck. Everyone says they hurt your right ankle, and they ain’t lying.
HJC helmets are now every bit as good as Arai and Shoei. Joe Rocket has gotten very good as well.