Gearing up.....

[Slingblade92]

I'm looking into buying a 500 sportbike. Seeing as how this is my first bike, I'm going to need to get some gear. Any suggestions on helmets/gloves/jacket? ex What brands tend to hold up better in the event of a laydown? I'll mostly be doing just here and there driving (ex school and work), and the occasional trips to H & G town.
Thanks.

Danny

[Solracer]

get leather....and if you cant stand the heat, get preforated leather.

[BigComfy]

what solo said .... and if not buy mesh pants/jacket (all together for about 200-250 bucks

[JJO]

+1, buy leather if you can afford it. If you can't, don't buy a bike. Buy your gear FIRST.

[rickykline]

gear is way more important than the bike.. buy a leather jacket gloves and a GOOD HELMET.. i dont care what anyone says nothing is better than a shoei or arai..

[thatboygeorge]

werd all u should need is a good jacket gloves and a lid man and WEAR it everytime u ride!!! and get it b4 u get a bike and take msf 1st

[Btrthnezr3]

Yup...I'm in agreement.
I still don't have a bike but have all my gear.
My friends are all making fun of me but I'm not laughing...I know I did things the right way. If you do it the other way around (bike first) you're gonna be tempted to ride without being prepared and you're lible to hurt yourself.

And yup...take the MSF.
It is very helpful and helps you get your license easier.
I took it and wouldn't have had it any other way.

[Slingblade92]

I am planning on taking MSF before I purchase the bike. Gotta have the gear first. I'm older and hopefully thinking wiser as my plan is to get the gear, take the MSF, then get the bike and practice like mad on it. I'm actually figuring on purchasing a bike by the start of summer. Figure between now and then I'll be able to get the gear and get the MSF. I don't think I'll be able to afford full leathers....gotta go to a few stores and see what fits as I'm a fairly big guy (6'1", 270ish)....then gonna check on ebay to see if I can get a good deal on new gear. I will not take any chances on used gear unless I absolutely know the full history of it and seeing as how none of my biker friends are as big as I am, it's new stuff all the way.

Thanks again

[chasee69]

if you buy you're gear first how can you be sure it matches your bike so it looks all nice and pretty :gesture:

[rickykline]

what a poser thing to say...

[Slingblade92]

Can't go wrong w/ all black :laughing6

[rickykline]

EXACTLY

[thatboygeorge]

maybe i should start wearin my gear.....?

[rickykline]

yeah... maybe..

[chasee69]

what a poser thing to say...

even rossi like to match :keke:

[Btrthnezr3]

Haha...you guys are crazy!

[thatboygeorge]

Haha...you guys are crazy!
naw yall girls are crazy yall think yall can drive but then yall think yall can hop on a bike???...lol im j/j ur prolly a better rider than me

[rickykline]

those gay guys on westimer were better riders lol

[thatboygeorge]

and u kno all about how those gay guys ride

[rickykline]

long story some gay dude stalled his bike on westimer and almost dropped his bf.. thought it was you and jake... guess not.. lol

[Chris24]

dude, you should come to my store (details in sig) , hang out...check out the gear, try stuff on, watch some DVD's with us...lol. we can show you a good deal of whats available so on...

^ totally agree with whoever said shoei is the best. i went to one of their seminars, it was the shiznit. i learned so much about how they make shoei's, they are awesome. the x-11 is the best, its expensive, but worth every penny. the TZ-R is also not bad as an entry level shoei, ive thought about getting one, but ill probably just save my $ till i can afford the x-11.

one thing to think about when getting a jacket is weather or not your going to do track days...i love my icon motorhead jacket, its awesome for the street, but now im going to end up getting a 1 peice leather suit for the track...if i had thought about it a little more. i might have gotten a two peice leather that'd be good for street and track.

just my $0.02

[zero4o3]

as far as gear goes i would go check some stuff out at the shops so you have a good idea what size you need, then check out the closeout gear on this site
http://www.newenough.com/product_department_closeouts.htm
before you go buy anything. i have gotten most of my gear threw them and have been pretty happy with it so far

[BigC]

That's cold man............LOL

[Slingblade92]

I get paid this Friday, figure I'll start off w/ the small stuff. Gonna go to a few different shops and pick up some gloves. Been doing some looking on ebay and whatnot so I can get an idea as to what I like and will still do the job of protection.

[Challen]

First things first.........DO NOT buy your gear until you take the MSF Basic RiderCourse.

1) You'll discuss gear during the class, including what to look for in good gear.

2) You can talk to your Instructors during breaks. See what they wear and why. Ask them what they recommend and why.

3) If you take the course from us, you'll get coupons for 10-15% off to Cycle Gear, Honda of Houston, and Motorcycles Unlimited. All of which sell quality gear at good prices. You could almost save the price of the course just with the coupons alone.

Challen
Lead Instructor
www.awesomecycles.com
Houston's Largest Awesomest Motorcycle Riding School

[B.S. Motorsports]

gear is way more important than the bike.. buy a leather jacket gloves and a GOOD HELMET.. i dont care what anyone says nothing is better than a shoei or arai..

Yea who cares what all that reserch said if ricky says there the best then they are....

[Slingblade92]

Challen, you say don't buy gear until I take the MSF, however, the MSF that I'll be attending states you must have your gear for the class. I'll be taking the MSF here a San Jacinto College, Central Campus. Their course starts Friday night from 6PM-930PM, then again on Sat and Sun from 730AM-330PM.
I don't think I could find a shop that is open that late or that early.

[AliceInChains02]

Don't feel pressured into spending a lot of $$$ on your helmet by the posers. There's no proof that Arai or Shoei is any better than HJC, so you can decide for yourself whether you think more expensive means more protection or not. I'd like some kind of proof, personally, if i was going to be spending that much extra.

[AliceInChains02]

Challen, you say don't buy gear until I take the MSF, however, the MSF that I'll be attending states you must have your gear for the class. I'll be taking the MSF here a San Jacinto College, Central Campus. Their course starts Friday night from 6PM-930PM, then again on Sat and Sun from 730AM-330PM.
I don't think I could find a shop that is open that late or that early.

Gear for MSF? Beginner's course??? I don't think so. You may have to wear like, a long sleeve t-shirt, pants, boots that go above the ankles, and maybe some leather gloves I think.

[xtalman]

Helmets: I've had KBC and Arai. My next one will be a Shoei X-11.

Jackets: You'll want a mesh one for the summer. I prefer Fieldsheer's mesh stuff. Leather is best, but too hot in the summer.

Gloves: I have Held Kryptons. They replaced Dainese X-1 Pelles which I was not impressed with.

I'd add motorcycle boots to your list. I have Sidi Vertebra II's, and they not only protect your feet, they also make shifting a lot easier.

Which 500 are you looking at? Not a bad choice for your first bike.

[Slingblade92]

Called the school earlier today. Requirements include : Helmet, gloves, over the ankle shoes/boots, long pants, and a long sleeved shirt. So, no riding jacket required, but the gloves and helmet are a must.

Looking at a Ninja 500R or a GS500E/F, also keeping an eye out for a good deal on a 250R

[zixx6r]

For msf you can wear just work gloves or jersey gloves.

I like these gloves, I can vouch for them they are very good:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/TEKNIC-VIOLATOR-PRO-GLOVES-NEW-BLACK-YELLOW-MEDIUM_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ50425QQitemZ8041 090966QQrdZ1

Cheap because it's an old style. but very protective.

[JJO]

For msf you can wear just work gloves or jersey gloves.

I like these gloves, I can vouch for them they are very good:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/TEKNIC-VIOLATOR-PRO-GLOVES-NEW-BLACK-YELLOW-MEDIUM_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ50425QQitemZ8041 090966QQrdZ1

Cheap because it's an old style. but very protective.

Kangaroo leather is the shiznit

[Slingblade92]

I was actually looking at the ICON Pursuit gloves. Any thoughts/reviews/ideas on those. They look fairly decent and appear to be able to offer good protection.

[TRD23]

[QUOTE=Slingblade92]Called the school earlier today. Requirements include : Helmet, gloves, over the ankle shoes/boots, long pants, and a long sleeved shirt. So, no riding jacket required, but the gloves and helmet are a must.

i took msf at san jac. They let u ride a 250 and they supply bucket helmets for you. I just got setup vision boots from motocycle unlimited..supposed to be good boots and price...should be coming in tomorrow!!!!! so excited.... and you get 10% discount.

[Slingblade92]

Picked up my gloves yesterday...Got a set of Alpinestars SP-S from Cyclegear. Next up is the jacket.....and from the prices, it'll be about a month before I get that money together :(

[PETE]

just dont buy a bike, just buy some nice gear and roll up to PP1 in your car and have a cup of coffee...=P

[Slingblade92]

The bike is actually the last thing I'll purchase. Now that I've got gloves, jacket and helmet are up next. After those, it's on to the MSF course. After that's completed, I'll start looking for a bike. It's going to take me until probably June/July to get it all done, but I fell I'm going about it the right way.

btw, what is PP1?

[Sc0]

You don't need professional riding gear before the MSF class. Work gloves and boots with jean and a long sleeve shirt will do fine! Loaner bucket open faced helmets are available at no cost. The class teaches fundementals and do's/dont's on motorcycles, after all if you don't like the idea of a bike you won't have to offload all the extra gear you bought... ALSO, at the end of the class you get some coupons for discounts from CycleGear and Motorcycles Unlimited. (or at least when I went through it) Those coupons can save you A BIT of money on gear.... I took Challens class back in Jul/Aug last year so things might have changed.

As for the moron who said Arai and Shoei are the best, go somewhere else and blow your smoke. Guess MotoGP people should throw away their Suomy's and grab one right away? Anything that carries a SNELL or BSI is great, the rest are just preferences for $$$. I personally wouldn't want to wear a helmet rated by DOT only... Scorpion helmets are new to the market and the price is appealing so they might be worth looking into as well as HJC and KBC. Be sure to find a shop that knows what they are doing before purchasing a helmet. If it doesn't fit and you find out later on, be prepared to shell out more $$$ for one in the proper size.. the same goes for gloves. MU is very helpful in this regard.

I have a Suomy, purchased through Patrick at a rather nice discount... I dropped it once and cracked the vent which is glued to the top and for $25 it is replaceable, the liner is fully removeable for cleaning/replacement, the two covers that go over the visor pivots are replaceable if you are careless when reassembling, the airflow is impressive and NOISY so earplugs are a must. It's not the best helmet but i'm sure it will do what it's made for quiete well. The fully removeable liner would be a MUST have in my book, helmet hygiene is a nice luxury to have available...

[99BlackR1]

leathers look great but are extremely hot during the summer. the mesh jackets (some) have just as much protection as the leathers because of the padding. sooner at later your going to hit something while you're sliding across the ground.get a leather if you have the money and don't mind wearing it during the summer, properly worn. this means fitting correctly and zipped up. Leathers are great but the new technology that have been put into the new mesh jackets lately are awesome. a co-worker of mine took a fall on a gsxr at 110 with a mesh jacket on and got no roadrash, it didn't go through the inner layer, and no broken bones.

[Slingblade92]

Guess I'll call the school tomorrow and find out what's the deal. When I called them a few weeks ago, they said you had to have a helmet. Now I'm getting that open faced ones will/should be provided.

[RACER X]

MSF class info

http://www.motohouston.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2577

who are you taking the class from?

[Slingblade92]

I'll probably just end up taking it from San Jacinto College, Central as that's very close to me. Haven't been able to get ahold of them today to ask about the helmets and such though.

[RACER X]

if your interested, i teach MSF class at spring branch ISD, the next 2 weekends for that fact, and the school DOES supply the helmets........$180 713-365-5660 bingle/I-10 area

[B.S. Motorsports]

Yea but i would bring my own helmet those things are nasty.....

[Slingblade92]

I'm interested in taking a course. Your class is a little too far for me. I work Friday evenings til 6, and there's no way humanly possible I'd be able to make it out there by 630. Not to mention I gotta save up the money for it.

[RACER X]

I'm interested in taking a course. Your class is a little too far for me. I work Friday evenings til 6, and there's no way humanly possible I'd be able to make it out there by 630. Not to mention I gotta save up the money for it.
the course is now 2 days, sat 7-5 and sun 7-3:30ish

[TXswoldier]

Racer X since you actually teach a MSF class what are your thoughts on the class here at San Jac Central in pasadena?? That is the closest location to me?

[RACER X]

i'm sure they are fine, i don't personnally know the inst. there. but many of them float all over the city. the material is the same.

if you go there to learn you will. if you go there knowing everything, you not gonna learn anything.

[Slingblade92]

Ah, last I saw it was still 3 days. Can you send me a PM w/ how long you'll be doing it out there? I'll have to wait like 2 weeks or so til I can get the money, but I think it'd be cool to be taught by someone who I've actually been conversing with.

[RACER X]

just got my schedule today at work, and thats where it;s at. i'll post it up tom. i'm scheduled teach 5x in the next 3mos. and i may pick up a class in a weeekend or 2 in there somewhere.

[fuknrobert]

chris,

cycle gear at almeda didn't even know how to install a windscreen lol...

[Chris24]

chris,

cycle gear at almeda didn't even know how to install a windscreen lol...


...ehhh...whats to know...you put the bolts through the holes...:tard:

but for real, if you need help putting on a windscreen ill give you hand.