I am a smaller guy small/medium jacket, 29/32 pants. Can anyone recommend some decent gear, doesn't have to be super stylish or anything, but I do want good protection. I live in Georgia and the temp is around triple digits for most of the summer , humid as well. I realize that fall is just around the corner. Being on a budget,I really need a jacket for summer heat I can always add a silk or thermal layer for cool weather riding. Thanks Db
Do you have a Cycle gear in your area, they aren't to bad for starters. One should try a lot on before pulling the trigger, then that way you'll know which way to head and what fits.
Unfortunately we lost a really good brand, Teknic, very affordable and good quality based on my own and other rider experiences. Based on reviews and videos from Sprotbike Track Gear, they are saying that AGV Sport seems to be the new replacement for Teknic, not the same company but in the same category. Although I have not had the best of luck with the Cycle Gear Bilt line, with maybe the exception of their heat-out and freeze-out gear, but their Sedici line seems a little better but I have not tried it personally. That being said it is a decent place to at least get sized up and get a better idea of what makes and styles fit you best. Once you know what size and brands fit you well you can probably look at Craig's List and eBay for better deals. Perhaps check out www.motorcyclegear.com and look at their customer's closet section. This is a section for used gear that is sold on consignment. Typically you only see good stuff here as they make sure what is being sent to them is in good shape before that will post it up for sale. Along these lines, checkout the closeout sections of some of the online retailers, you can find some really good bargains on good quality gear. As far as brands go, everyone will have an opinion so it'll be hard to say what the "good" brands are without someone saying contrary. Some will swear that Alpinestars is great and someone else will give their story of how their Alpinestars jacket was crap. You get the idea. With that, here are a few affordable lines that seem to be decent to good: Joe Rocket, Cortech, Scorpion, AGV sport, Icon, Speed and Strength. Hope this helps.
The budget stuff needs to be evaluated on a case by case basis. That said, Tourmaster/Cortech don't do too bad. I've had some Cortech boots for several years that have held up well. My brother went down in a Tourmaster ventilated jacket at 50mph. The jacket was toast, but my brother was fine. Those things are one use only type gear anyways.
Thanks for the links / advice. I Ended up getting a new fly racing Terra trek II (current model is TT 4) for what I felt was a good price. I would have loved to grab some hardly used gear out of the customer closet most jackets were $50-$100. But small is sometimes hard to find and the fly racing jacket had the features I wanted/ needed, looked at dozens of other closeout items and only one other was a small. The Terra trek line is well reviewed with the more recent releases having a taller collar and styling updates. Now that I have something that will protect my hide, I can take my time finding my next jacket and maybe have enough experience to know more about what works for me
