I'm curious about what safety gear I should buy and I was hoping I could get some feedback.

Helmet - This is a given. Full face with proper DOT and SNELL ratings

Jacket - Another given. Leather or mesh? I am leaning towards leather for abrasion protection.

Gloves - Another given. From what I've heard from friends with a lot of riding experience they lean towards cheaper ones and replace them when they wear out. But comments and product suggestions are appreciated.

Footwear - Some say regular boots are fine. But I am inclined to get purpose built boots. I love driving in driving shoes, so I reason that I'd rather ride a bike in purpose built shoes. Same as above, comments/suggestions are great.

Spine Protector - Not needed for my basic riding school, but is this something I want to invest in? Will they typically fit under most jackets? If I want to order the jacket online how would I be sure it will fit underneath? Same as above, comments/suggestions are great.

Pants - Should I buy leather pants to start with or wait a while? I've heard jeans are ok. Or they make jeans with reinforcement. Same as above, comments/suggestions are great.

Full Leathers - Are these necessary starting out or more of a down-the-road purchase? Same as above, comments/suggestions are great.

Sorry for so many threads. I just want to make sure I go into this as informed as possible and I find with some things, a thread with back and forth to be a lot more helpful than reading articles on the web (although I'm doing that as well).

 

I prefer leather since it can take more abuse. As for a spine protector, ask for one gratis when you get the jacket and you could get it for free. When you're trying out jackets, try gloves and make sure they fit with the sleeves of the jacket. Always wear gloves - they protect the only skin you can't graft if you fall.

The big thing for helmets is fitment - make sure its very snug as it will conform to your head and get looser with time. Get good boots with ankle protection that will work on a bike - no steel toes since they can hamper your ability to shift imo. Regular boots work fine for daily riding and can be worn in other circumstances.

I wear jeans around town, but I'm not knee dragging to the grocery store parking lot. Leather pants and full leathers are for serious riding in my book, although some people wear full leathers all the time.

Remember, the main key is to wrap yourself in another protective layer to take the abuse before your skin does. Cover everything up at least, armor on top of that.

 

Thanks.

So, leather palmed gloves? I tried on a few pairs last night when I went to buy my helmet, but didn't buy any of them. Just wanted to get a feel for size.

Any brand suggestions on the jacket?

 

Leather pants and full leathers are for serious riding in my book, although some people wear full leathers all the time.[QUOTE]

Who schedules their crashes? Do you only buckle up only for short drives? Not meaning to call you out - I just disagree.

As for leather gear, you may want to consider two sets. A full leather, non-perforated set for colder temps, and a perforated set for warm/hot weather. I absolutely love my Vanson Pro Perfs, and people always ask me in summer "aren't you DYING wearing that??" When you hold it up to the light, you can see right through it. It honestly feels like your riding with a T-shirt and shorts.

Jeans offer very little protection.

Don't skimp on gloves, Look for quality gloves that have a leather band that runs from the fleshy part of your palm to the thumb and crosses over to the index finger. This could save your thumbs in a crash. It helps them from being removed from you hand. Also get quality boots - over the ankle.[I]

 

I'm definitely a big supporter of leather all the way. I've walked away from a couple low sides at the track without a scratch thanks to that beautiful cow hide protecting my hide. Textile works, but I've also seen them fail miserably. Get yourself a good leather jacket with armor, some leather gloves (gauntlets are the best protection), a full face helmet and some riding boots, and then for convenience's sake get yourself some textile pants to throw over your jeans or whatever. Jeans are just as useless during a crash as a t shirt is, gravel and asphault will eat right through them.

Also things that people don't really mention but is important with leather gloves. Either buy gloves where the pinky and finger next to it are joined together or tape those two together.

I've seen my fair share of dismembered pinkies. Its natural to try and stop yourself or prop yourself up with your hand, and on a bike the pinky is the first to go.

Morbid yes, but just giving you some food for thought that will hopefully help you determine how you want to protect yourself.

 

The finger comment was a little gross, but inspired me to spend the extra $30 to get gloves that join those 2 fingers.

 

Nothing is better between you and the road than dead cow. But definitely consider your intentions, but maybe you're too noob to really know how you'll ride.

I ride year round, rain or shine, so I find a high-end (Motoport) textile suit is better for me. I can't wear leather, even vented leather, on 105 degree days and I never liked cowhide in the rain either. So, for me, the textile suit I always wear beats leather I wouldn't always wear.

Bike clothing is one of those things that you learn to prefer. I suggest to new riders that they don't over-spend on their first set but rather just be sure the quality is okay. First Gear or Olympia are a lot cheaper than Dainese brand for example but still appear well-made to me.

I wear $180 Held gloves but I wouldn't say you should necessarily buy those (love the kangaroo palms for feel-with-protection). I wear a touring style boot because I want something waterproof and protective that I can also walk around in (not as protective as a high-end exoskeletal racing boot that sucks @ss for walking around in).

 

Some say those gloves that join two fingers will cause you to break both the ring finger and pinky instead of just breaking your pinky. That's why not all high end racing gloves have this feature.

Leather or textile riding pants is highly recommended. If you must wear jeans, atleast wear some knee pads underneath them.

 

So let me ask you guys a question about pants - can you buy pants that you wear over shorts that will offer good protection? Pants that can be worn over jeans or without? I'm not married to jeans, its just what I've always worn for riding around town.

 

I ride in full leathers. Always.