protective gear don't leave home without it.

I wear tex jacket, gloves, boots, tex/kev pants and full face helmet. Head to toe. I feel so much better with my whole body covered. I did use to wear jeans instead of protective pants. Not any more though. Heck, even if I'm riding over to a friend’s house 10 miles down the rd I'm covered head to toe. I do need to get some gauntlet style gloves though.

No matter how convenient it is NOT to put on full gear every time, think how convenient it will be to walk away if something happened. That's the way I look at it.

I was at a red light and some dude beside me in the passenger seat of a new Acura TL gave me the thumbs up. I pulled up my face shield and said "thanks, just got her" ( just got my 06 pearl white VFR three months ago). He said "No, I was complimenting you on the full gear".

 

Yes, some good points in the last few posts...
Full gauntlet gloves are an overlooked area I feel...your wrists are a very delicate area...get an artery severed there and you just may bleed to death...use good gloves.
And the take home message in many posts here is that there is gear that is both cool and safe. Perf leather is a great thing. And the "air" boots made by Sidi are amazingly ventilated. I have the Vertigo Air and they are the cat's meow. Heat is no reason not to be protected.
Plus, we look so butch in all that protection...chicks dig it!

 

My ensemble is complete. I added the Astars armored jeans today, I am now covered head to toe.

 

If it's too hot, your not going fast enough!!

LOL seriously though. If I'm just going around town <35mph I wear my leather jacket, helmet and gloves. Out on the road I have the protective pants and boots also.

I admit I have ridden a couple times in the 100+ temps with no jacket. And you know what I noticed?? It's HOTTER WITHOUT my jacket. The sun beating down on my back is just uncomfortable. With the jacket on it shields me from the sun, and once you hit 35mph it starts injecting the air through the jacket and lifts it off my back just enough to keep cool air flowing through it. I have to unzip the jacket about 5 inches to get this, but it's very effective. My jacket also has vents just below the shoulders that help shoot air down my back.

 

:jaw::shocked: :tsk: :tsk: :laser: :lock1: :heh::yo:

 

Full Leathers (two piece)
all day, every day.

I've been down with
and without

without hurts more without a doubt.

There's no such thing as a good pair of jeans
sliding on the tarmac--
they lasted no time

and they flapped along with the raw meat on my leg
on the freeway all the loooonnng ride home.

On hot days I put a large flexible ice pack on my chest under my leather jacket.

It's cooler than an air conditioner in a cage.:wink:

 

I am going to get some boots soon any suggestions? I looked around and found Sidi boots that looks nice but are they comfortable?

 

I wear a Protective armoured jacket text or mesh depending on temp. I wear a full face helmet. I have three pairs of gloves that also go with the temp. I am constanly shopping for gear. I need a good pair of pants and boots still. I am hard to fit in both wich is why Im still looking.

Like I told the customer in front of me in line at the dealership that complained about the cost of the gear as well as the need for all of it.

You don't need any of this stuff to ride a motorcycle. You only need this stuff when you fall off of a motorcycle.

You can ride with this stuff for years and years and hopefully you will never need it but in the 2 seconds that you do need it, you will be happy you have it.

 

Comfort is subjective. You really have to try them on for yourself. I am an example of a hard to fit person. I like the SIDI and Garne boots but the ones that fit best also make me look like I am off to the track. Most often riding boots pinch and are very uncomfortable (a distraction). When I do find a pair that fit, I loose feeling for the controls. For this reason I am still in search of a good set of boots. I am concerned about buying online beacuse of being touch to fit and the shops around here do not stock many boots.

 

In the single only street crash I've had in nearly 21 years of riding, I landed FACE FIRST on the bumper of a parked car. I was wearing a 50DM no name discount rack helmet, an armored cold weather ensemble German company called POLO ( www.polo-motorrad.de ) & my Corcoran Matterhorn steel toe/shank miner's boots.

I walked away from this crash without so much as a bruise.

The helmet actually structurally failed, meaning the shell broke apart & some of the styrofoam was torn out. I showed it to the staff at the POLO shop & they said that's what I get for buying cheap crap. It's been Arai ever since. I still have every single thing I was wearing that day except for the helmet. I donated that to the Wing Safety Office of Ramstein AB.

If you really need convincing that gear is a good idea, maybe you're not quite smart enough to be a rider to begin with?

KC-10 FE out...
lane: :usa2:

 

I have a pair of the Sidi Vertebras
and they are totally comfortable--
only thing is they squeak like crazy when you walk

So don't wear 'em to work if you're an assassin...

I recently got a pair of the Oxtar evo's
(now called TCX)
and they're more comfortable than any tennis shoes
I've ever had.

 

Boots

Sidi Boots or Alpinestars? Anyone have any suggestions?

 

I wear gloves, boots, Joe Rocket pants & jacket and a full face helmet every time I ride. I have been hit by huge bugs, rocks, bird crap and even bits of garbage thrown from car wheels. I may not look cool, I may get too warm sometimes...so what. Nobody is going to think I am cool in a hospital bed.

 

For me wearing good gear also inspires
confidence to quickly hang off, swerve, brake, evade, etc. (ad lib to safety)
in those emergency situations...

If I hesitate for a second
with the possibility of that precious raw flesh
dragging asphalt

precious time, ground
and a whole lot more
could be lost.

 

It`s funny I always wear the jacket, gloves and helmet but for some reason last week I went for a 5 minute ride to my brother`s house and on the way back my front tire blew out and I was not wearing my gloves, ouch!!!!!!!!!!!!! WEAR YOUR GLOVES, PLEASE it hurts.:frown:

 

No one has mentioned ear protection. As I commute on the highway, I was faithful for the first year, wearing ear plugs, but have to admitt, have been real bad with that. I don't think it is an issue for most who ride the city streets but if you do a lot of highway driving, earl protection is a must. The unfortunate part with hearing loss, is that we loose hearing years after we have abused our ears.

When you are driving your cage, put the window all the way up, or all the way down. Opening your window just and inch or two while on the highway, is very damaging to your hearing. I have lost some of mine but fortunately the loss is minimal:director: Some people think my hearing impairment is selectivehwell: :yell: :blah:

 

For goodness sake, guys protect your earl. Like Randy said, "earl protection is a must!" I can honestly say, I never, ever ride without making sure my earl is taken care of.

 

So today I got out of bed around 1pm (gotta love shift work) and decided it was a great day to ride. So I get all geard up.

Ya know, I couldn't help but wonder..

Is this what Robo Cop felt like?

:biggrin:

 

KC: I like your last comment. I still try to convince the ones that may not be that smart...maybe their mama will thank me one day...

 

How coerrect you are ... I never ride more than a few mins without my ear plugs. EAR Plugs are a must. The low frequency ossilation of the ear drums is just as damaging as loud sound.

I wear a nice pair of silicone ear plugs with a protection rating of 26. I find that protection ratings of 30 and above make it dificult for me to hear the traffic and sirens around me.

As a matter of fact this shoudl be a separate thread.