I have ommited several key pieces of gear. Gloves and jackets are so common and plentiful that I don’t really feel like its worth sharing. I also haven’t found the “one” yet in these areas. Comment below what jackets/gloves you ride in!
Helmets first
I have had many, many cheap helmets. They’ve all worked (I guess). Contemporary speak will tell you to fork all your hard earned candies for the best in the biz. I go against this notion. If you spend somewhere between two and three hundred, you will have plenty safety if you look for a helmet that is DOT approved. I know Europe has about 7 other appreviations available, at 5X that cost. I will say, this Sedici Sistema II is pretty slick. I’ve used it for about 10K miles of riding, at least 40% being fairly serious offroad. It doesn’t have the best ventillation, but its modular! At a traffic stop, the latch mechanism works great, as well as the shaded partial visor. Its easy to clean and set up to use your choice of bluetooh set-up. Its a bit loud, but we will cover that next.
Ear… Plugs!
I was late on this one, and recieve a bit of flack from my group of riders for it. But gosh, I did NOT realize how loud riding a motorycle is. Any motorcycle at sustained speed is bad for the ole malleus, incus, and stapes. I had a lot of my nuke (Navy) guys telling me about, “try it, you can hear your music/com’s better at speed.” Which seems so counter intuitive, but don’t knock it till you try it! They make speciality plugs that block out certain “zones” of sound. Pinlock is a common and available offering at cycle gear (no affiliation.. or with any riding gear). This simple component elevated my riding experience, and also decreases fatigue (I know, i’m crazy!), but try it! You will be healthier and happier for it.
Pantelones
I haven’t tried many riding pants. In our genre of riding, leather is too restrictive and hot. From my research, mesh offers the best protection with “some” elements of comfort in mind. I also didn’t want to spend a ton of money on Klim gear (which has questionable reviews from what I have seen). I chose Sedici (again), primarily because in the US, cycle gear is the most approachable store that lets you try things on. The Avventura pant is very 4 season friendly. For around $200, you can have a winter pant (secondary “heat” layer), a rainproof pant (waterproof layer) or utilize vents and just sweat somewhat in the summer. All while maintain hip and knee protection CE1. They’re not the most comfortable, but they work well, and are highly adaptable. Storage is solid, though the upper zipper pockets on hip require two hands for operation. Also, order a size or two up from your standard. The legs are on the smaller side.
Pro’s
- Great adjustment in the hips and waist (3 locations via hook loop system)
- Great armour protection for the price
- Adaptive: 2 Removable inner layers with nice zippers
Con’s
- Not super comfortable
- Zippers are reliable, but require holding fabric (2 handed operation)
- They get hot in the summer
Booters!
A bit of “prespeak” here, I am not a fan of street/touring/”adv” boots. The latter being some odd pseudo amalgamation of the prior two. If you’re doing any off-roading, I can’t suggest anything less than full on motocross boots. Dirt bikes cause enough lower leg injuries, with another 200 plus pounds, riders need all the protection you can get. Something like crocs work great, can throw them in a tank bag to slip on during down time. The majority of motorcycle injuries happen in the lower extremities. I personally vouch to spend a bit more on this segement of gear due to this. I LOVE my Gaerne SG-12’s. They are expensive, but i’ve had them for 8 plus years. I’ve went thru a lot of gear, and I don’t think I would benefit from replacement yet. Mileage unknown, but its up “there.”
Pro’s
- Tanks, they last forever
- Straps are replaceable
- Great protection, and STIFF
Con’s
- Price
- Long break-in