April 5th, 2011, 03:26 AM | #1 |
User Title Free Since '12
Name: Floyd
Location: Barbados
Join Date: Dec 2010 Motorcycle(s): '10 Ninja 250R Special Edition Green Posts: A lot.
Blog Entries: 13
MOTM - Feb '12
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Worst Piece of Gear You Ever Bought
Time to confess. We've all made bad purchases at some point in our lives. Either a badly designed or manufactured product, something horrible looking, something WAY too expensive for what you got or something that was crap for safety. Even better, something that was all five. Post your gear mistakes here. Points awarded for the most spectactularly failed gear purchase.
Here is mine: Alpinestars Parlor Boots. I thought, hey, I can wear those to the office on my commute and it will ensure that I am ATGATT, and no one will know I'm wearing a motorcycle boot! Well, I'm an idiot. They have almost no protective value, probably less than a pair of high tops. And after a month of wearing them, they started to fall apart, with the glue holding the upper to the sole disappearing. They are really uncomfortable, a tad too small in the toebox but somehow they once actually fell off when I clumsily tripped. They have little chance of staying on in a crash. Cost $175. The Parlor is just a terribly, terrifically, spectacularly bad piece of motorcycle gear for a bad price. Lesson learned - wear a real boot and change at the office.
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"Improvement makes straight roads, but the crooked roads without improvement, are roads of genius." — William Blake |
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April 5th, 2011, 04:23 AM | #2 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Aditya
Location: Bangalore, India
Join Date: Feb 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2010 Ninja 250R (for the weekend's) and the Suzuki Fiero for office commute. Posts: 80
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I bought a pair of locally available knee guards from a company here called Cramster. Fondly referred to as Crapster in my riding group, these knee guards gave in on the first use itself.
The rivets on the side popped out when i knelt to take a picture from my digicam. Flashback... I have a riding jacket (with armor) from the same company and although the finish is not great, the jacket is just acceptable. I had to get an exchange on the jacket as it started tearing within a weeks use. The replacement jacket has lousy velcro straps but otherwise is just OK. I wanted to go for the Alpinestars Boinic Knee guards but for a little over US$ 100 i was skeptical (its a small packet of money here ). These Crapster knee guards cost me around US $ 30 and i knew that if it went kaput i could chuck them and go with A* considering 30 USD was not a big deal. After they gave way, i went back to the store and got a refund after some argument and picked up the A*'s immediately. I am happy with the A* knee guards but the velcro is showing signs of weakness after almost 8 months of use. The straps come undone but not an issue to fix. I can buy a velcro strip for a dollar and fix the issue BTW, here is a link to the crapster knee guards - http://www.outdoortravelgear.com/pro...rs/55/142.aspx |
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April 11th, 2011, 08:36 PM | #3 |
ninjette.org guru
Name: Jonathan
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Join Date: Mar 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250 Posts: 398
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For me it'd have to be the Icon Stryker knee pads. Extremely expensive compared to other knee pads and it failed pretty badly when you try to put a normal pair of pants over top (street riding. They'd be great for the track). And it arrived broken, so I was able to send it back after doing a review of it.
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=68385
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From here...to everywhere! |
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April 12th, 2011, 03:24 PM | #4 |
ninjette.org member
Name: David
Location: Castle Rock CO
Join Date: Apr 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Yamaha FZ6 Posts: 42
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Icon Field Armor shorts. No real protection at all and they are sized way too big.
http://www.amazon.com/Icon-field-Arm.../dp/B002LKIGG2 |
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April 12th, 2011, 03:35 PM | #5 |
ninjette.org certified postwhore
Name: Eric
Location: Iowa City
Join Date: May 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2008 Kawmeracchi 350 2010 Project X Posts: A lot.
Blog Entries: 54
MOTM - Sep '18, Feb '16
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I WON a leather motorcycle jacket at a bike show. It had hard elbow pads. The jacket fit well and was OK till I crashed. When I landed on my side. The hard elbow pad broke my ribs. It was a very slow low side . I dug the center stand in going around a corner. How's that for bad safety gear? It caused an injury.
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April 12th, 2011, 05:37 PM | #6 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Jeff
Location: PA
Join Date: Apr 2010 Motorcycle(s): 08 R6 Posts: 224
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probably a pair of shift textile gloves...really not any protection...i know rock some nice rev'it leather gauntlets.
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April 12th, 2011, 07:14 PM | #7 | |
User Title Free Since '12
Name: Floyd
Location: Barbados
Join Date: Dec 2010 Motorcycle(s): '10 Ninja 250R Special Edition Green Posts: A lot.
Blog Entries: 13
MOTM - Feb '12
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Quote:
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"Improvement makes straight roads, but the crooked roads without improvement, are roads of genius." — William Blake |
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April 12th, 2011, 07:14 PM | #8 |
The Sportisi Master
Name: Matt
Location: Chico
Join Date: May 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2008 Ninja 250 Posts: A lot.
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Anything with frank thomas in the title
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Sportisimoto USA is born. |
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April 17th, 2011, 03:15 PM | #9 |
ninjette.org guru
Name: gitoy
Location: rpv, ca
Join Date: May 2009 Motorcycle(s): 04 ninja 250, 05 zzr 600 (sold), 07 cbr600rr Posts: 319
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mesh cortech pants and mesh joe rocket jacket...bought them for the summer but realized i'd rather be hot than get road rash...the mesh was so loose the armor would shift...i did use the armor for my leather jacket so not a total loss...
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April 17th, 2011, 05:47 PM | #10 |
User Title Free Since '12
Name: Floyd
Location: Barbados
Join Date: Dec 2010 Motorcycle(s): '10 Ninja 250R Special Edition Green Posts: A lot.
Blog Entries: 13
MOTM - Feb '12
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I'm with you on the mesh cortechs, I tried some and hated them. But I love my Joe Rocket Phoenix. It's a tradeoff, but with the cordura on the key bits and the CE armor, it does its job reasonably well. Given the complete sweatbox that is the tropics, it's a must have item down here. Haven't had issues with armor shifting during a getoff - both it and abrasion resistance patches work fine (and sadly, I have conducted some inadvertant testing ). Can't blame you for wanting something more substantial, I'm continually toying with picking up a Roadcrafter for better abrasion resistance.
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"Improvement makes straight roads, but the crooked roads without improvement, are roads of genius." — William Blake |
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April 19th, 2011, 02:51 PM | #11 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Glenn
Location: San Diego
Join Date: Apr 2011 Motorcycle(s): 06 Daytona 675, 09 Ninja 250 Posts: 41
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Joe Rocket Gloves... My one and only lowside thus far... palm of my hand hit the ground, almost instantaneously the glove disintegrated. The palm hit the ground for a fraction of a second and I was left with a bloody, road-rashed palm...
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April 19th, 2011, 03:18 PM | #12 |
User Title Free Since '12
Name: Floyd
Location: Barbados
Join Date: Dec 2010 Motorcycle(s): '10 Ninja 250R Special Edition Green Posts: A lot.
Blog Entries: 13
MOTM - Feb '12
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Which model of gloves? I had a lowside in my Joe Rocket Phoenix gloves and they held up like champs. Wondering if it is a different glove, or if quality is just uneven batch by batch, in which case I won't replace these (that I'm loving so far.)
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"Improvement makes straight roads, but the crooked roads without improvement, are roads of genius." — William Blake |
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April 19th, 2011, 07:43 PM | #13 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Kevin
Location: Bellingham, WA in the Nice COOL Pacific Northwest
Join Date: Mar 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250R Limited Ed Posts: 103
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I know a lot of people rave about them, but it would have to be an Aerostitch suit. When i first got it it was winter and the suit was supposed to be weatherproof. NOT. It leaked like a sieve, leaving me damp and miserable at work. Then spring and summer hit. Great googly moogly that thing was miserably, unbearably, unFREAKINGbelievably HOT. Heat stroke inducingly HOT. I sold it and bought a Motoport Kevlar setup...SOOOO much better!
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April 22nd, 2011, 08:35 AM | #14 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Glenn
Location: San Diego
Join Date: Apr 2011 Motorcycle(s): 06 Daytona 675, 09 Ninja 250 Posts: 41
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The ones I was wearing were the SpeedMasters... Could have been a bad batch but obviously gave me a negative perception of their products? If the gloves couldn't hold up to split second contact with pavement or blame it on poor Quality Management, still no excuse for my road rashed palm... I will never buy JR again...
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April 22nd, 2011, 09:56 AM | #15 |
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Name: rock
Location: greenville, south carolina
Join Date: Jun 2009 Motorcycle(s): black Posts: A lot.
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HJC helmet. Most unconfortable pos helmet I've ever worn. I think it's a cl-15.
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Always get a second opinion because most of these people are makin' this stuff up |
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April 22nd, 2011, 10:28 AM | #16 |
Love Rival
Name: Brian
Location: Western PA
Join Date: Jun 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2008 Ninja 250r Posts: 449
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+1 I'm pretty sure mines the cl-15 too and the f*cker whistles like a banshee. Hate.
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“Comparison is the thief of joy.” -Dwight Edwards |
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April 22nd, 2011, 10:58 AM | #17 |
Ninja Dog
Name: Brady
Location: Sunset, UT
Join Date: Dec 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2011 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14 Posts: 186
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Worst gear that I have bought was the Icon Field Armor Knee/Shin guards. They didn't fit me at all.
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ALL YOUR NINJA ARE BELONG TO US! |
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April 22nd, 2011, 03:37 PM | #18 |
ninjette.org member
Name: David
Location: Castle Rock CO
Join Date: Apr 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Yamaha FZ6 Posts: 42
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April 22nd, 2011, 04:01 PM | #19 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Barak
Location: South-Central PA
Join Date: Feb 2010 Motorcycle(s): 09 Ninja EX250-J Special Edition Posts: 71
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Shark S650 Helmet. The thing has terrible aerodynamics. It somehow managed to suck all manner of bugs, dirt, etc... into my eyes. So I fashioned a chin pad out of some cloth and stuffing to alleviate the problem. Unfortunately now the faceshield fogs up really bad. And don't even get me started on how LOUD that thing is. After trying my brothers HJC I realized that the ear numbing jet-blast experience that I had accepted as normal was nothing of the sort. No wonder some people dare to ride without earplugs.
I am currently working really hard to convince my wife to let me get a Shoei. |
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April 18th, 2012, 03:48 PM | #20 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Steve
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Join Date: Oct 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2004 Moto Guzzi V11 LeMans, 2001 ZZR250 Posts: 38
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Tour Master Elite rain suit. Zipper broke off taking it out of the package.
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April 18th, 2012, 03:58 PM | #21 |
CVMA / AFM / M1GP #250
Name: Steve
Location: Los Angeles
Join Date: Sep 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2009 Ninja 250r, 2011 Zero S, 2009 KLR 650 Posts: A lot.
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My alpinestars GP-pro gloves. Turns out they were the chinese knockoffs that look nearly identical, except for being really really thin. So I went and bought my current best piece of gear: the Held Phantom gloves, things are SO badass.
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April 19th, 2012, 08:33 PM | #22 |
ninjette.org guru
Name: Darren
Location: Sandy Springs, GA
Join Date: Apr 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2012 Yamaha FZ6R, 2014 Suzuki GSX-R600 Posts: 299
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Alpinestars T-Omega Air Flow Jacket. Bought in November and now the glue that holds the velcro on has given way. I tried to glue with some fabric glue and it keeps coming apart. My cheaper Sedici jacket is holding up better.
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April 19th, 2012, 09:12 PM | #23 |
Revolver Wario
Name: Jeffrey
Location: La Palma, CA
Join Date: Jan 2009 Motorcycle(s): 2003 Ninja 250 Posts: 198
Logo Dude
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Mine was an HJC helmet, which got stolen after I downed my bike for the first time. It felt really heavy and was huge. I don't miss it at all, have a RF-1000 that is 1000x better.
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April 21st, 2012, 01:13 AM | #24 |
ninjette.org member
Name: Kristoffer
Location: San Jose
Join Date: Apr 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2008 Ninja 250 (sold) Posts: 110
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My AFX FX-90 helmet. Other than the front vent breaking from just using it, I read about the founder of AFX admitting the helmets aren't the greatest choice for protection (???). Can't say I feel very safe using it. But I can't really expect more for a $100 helmet I guess, it's my first one.
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April 21st, 2012, 10:19 AM | #25 |
Jigglin' your Jiglets
Name: Sean
Location: San Jose, Ca
Join Date: Jun 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2009 K1300S, 2013 Ninja 300, 2011 Ninja 250R, Faster than Unregistered's ninjette Posts: Too much.
Blog Entries: 1
MOTM - Apr '13
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Ok I didn't buy this but c'mon
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If the Ninja 250 doesn't have enough power for you, then you don't know how to ride it. AFM #676 Supersports are for n00bs |
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April 21st, 2012, 10:54 AM | #26 |
ninjette.org sage
Name: W
Location: Austin, TX
Join Date: Mar 2010 Motorcycle(s): 2010 Ninja 250R (sold), 2012 Tuono V4R Posts: 512
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I bought a Fieldsheer vest that you soak in water so you can be a lot cooler on hot days. It was the worst waste of $30; it does not work in 100+ degree weather. (Basically, it evaporated so fast it wasn't even funny.)
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2010 Kawasaki Ninja 250R - "Aria" (sold) 2012 Aprilia Tuono V4R - "Perrine" Proof that Harleys and Ninjettes are friendly with each other |
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April 21st, 2012, 11:11 AM | #27 |
Super Noob
Name: Alex
Location: Mobile, AL
Join Date: Oct 2011 Motorcycle(s): '09 Kawasaki Ninja 250R, '84 Honda Spree 50cc Posts: A lot.
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Delkevic Knee/shin guards. I chose them to be the worst piece of gear I've ever bought not because of a design flaw or false advertisement on their part but because I nearly lost both my feet due to prolonged blockage of my blood vessels by the straps. I, until very recently, used to wear them together with my alpinestar boots and well, to my chagrin, these guards weren't meant to be worn with race boots and after about a month of wearing them, I started experiencing severe cramps in my legs to the point of making walking a torturous undertaking. All my fault but for all the pain they caused me, they sure as hell deserve the title of THE worst POS gear I've owned so far. (currently awaiting the Icon ones, and hopefully they'll fare much better)
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April 21st, 2012, 11:16 AM | #28 |
ninjette.org certified postwhore
Name: Morgan
Location: A city twinned with Kawasaki
Join Date: Nov 2011 Motorcycle(s): '08 Ninja 250, 2010 STR 675 Posts: A lot.
Blog Entries: 1
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Lidl (German cheap goods store) waterproof gloves, they had a bit of armour, were warm & actually waterproof but became sweatboxes, the lining came loose stuck to my hands when taking them off & they began to stink.
I worked in a bio lab & there were a few older bikers there who suggested putting them in a biohazard bag & leaving them in the -70 over the weekend, that worked for a while but they began to stink again within a couple of weeks. Replaced them with a pair of A* Apex drystars which have done 2 winters daily commuting & are still in very good condition, never let in a drop and are reasonably warm (15 miles at 60-85 mph in 1°C (windchill at that speed is -17°C/ 2F) my fingers started to get cold, but that's to be expected |
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April 21st, 2012, 11:43 AM | #29 |
User Title Free Since '12
Name: Floyd
Location: Barbados
Join Date: Dec 2010 Motorcycle(s): '10 Ninja 250R Special Edition Green Posts: A lot.
Blog Entries: 13
MOTM - Feb '12
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There is another thread on most ridiculous gear that some of these would fit well in.
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"Improvement makes straight roads, but the crooked roads without improvement, are roads of genius." — William Blake |
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April 21st, 2012, 02:35 PM | #30 | |
Blue Shell magnet
Name: Nolan
Location: Northwest Washington
Join Date: Aug 2011 Motorcycle(s): 1997 Ninja 250 Posts: 816
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Quote:
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April 21st, 2012, 03:20 PM | #31 | |
ninjette.org member
Name: Kristoffer
Location: San Jose
Join Date: Apr 2012 Motorcycle(s): 2008 Ninja 250 (sold) Posts: 110
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Quote:
http://www.revzilla.com/ece-2205-motorcycle-helmets Looks like our cheap purchase was good after all. I suppose I should research more before making judgments. A friend of mine bought a Scorpion helmet as his first, they seem really underpriced for the quality. |
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April 21st, 2012, 03:26 PM | #32 |
wat
Name: wat
Location: tustin/long beach
Join Date: Sep 2009 Motorcycle(s): wat Posts: Too much.
Blog Entries: 5
MOTM - Oct '12, Feb '14
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for my first track day, my kobe suit hadn't shipped yet, so i bought (and promptly returned) a cheapo bilt suit. what a piece of ****! don't buy bilt.
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April 23rd, 2012, 07:37 PM | #33 |
ninjette.org guru
Name: David
Location: Florida
Join Date: Oct 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2008 Kawasaki Ninja 250R Posts: 357
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Fox Racing Titan knee and shin guards. I barely ever use it, and only for the long trips. I lost one of the pieces that holds the straps in, and I'm not too confident it will save my knees if I crash.
Definitely buying motorcycle pants once I save up. |
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April 26th, 2012, 08:42 AM | #34 |
1/4 English, 3/4 Kick Ass
Name: Jeremy
Location: Dayton, OH
Join Date: Sep 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2002 Triumph Speed Triple 955i, '05 Suzuki SV650S(retired), '11 Ninja 250R(sold) Posts: A lot.
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My first helmet being the Xpeed XF705 was extremely loud, very unstable at highway speeds and had no ventilation...worst POS for me anyways.
I've got a Shoei RF1100 now, there is literally no comparing them, since shoei is just that good. |
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April 26th, 2012, 10:46 AM | #35 |
Jigglin' your Jiglets
Name: Sean
Location: San Jose, Ca
Join Date: Jun 2011 Motorcycle(s): 2009 K1300S, 2013 Ninja 300, 2011 Ninja 250R, Faster than Unregistered's ninjette Posts: Too much.
Blog Entries: 1
MOTM - Apr '13
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I heard the RF1100 is not that quiet, especially compared to the RF1000 which got replaced by it
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If the Ninja 250 doesn't have enough power for you, then you don't know how to ride it. AFM #676 Supersports are for n00bs |
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April 26th, 2012, 03:58 PM | #36 |
Guest
Posts: n/a
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Cortech latigo air boots. 150 dollars, supposedly amazing boots but the zippers on both were screwed. Hope my alpinestars dont **** the bed after 10 seconds.
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April 26th, 2012, 04:18 PM | #37 |
Which pedal is the gas?
Name: Devin
Location: Knoxville, TN
Join Date: Mar 2012 Motorcycle(s): '09 Ninja 250R SE Posts: 192
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Xelement perforated leather "racing" gloves
http://www.leatherup.com/p/Motorcycl...ves/47640.html I bought these based on them being really cool for summer riding and the really high reviews on the site. Plus, they were cheap and only needed to last until I decided what I really wanted in a glove. Welp, fast forward to a week into wearing them and the left glove's velcro strap just fell "out" of the seem while cynching it snug, NOT tight, just snug. The right side did the same about 2 weeks into wearing them. The left glove continued to deteriorate even though that hand sat in my lap most of the time while riding my cruiser. I finally got around to getting decent gloves when I got the Ninjette. Pic: notice how the left glove has a HOLE where the seem used to be (finger seen underneath) and the palm is coming loose. The right glove (underneath) still has the palm intact and you can see where the stitching is *supposed* to be on the left one. |
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April 26th, 2012, 04:23 PM | #38 |
Which pedal is the gas?
Name: Devin
Location: Knoxville, TN
Join Date: Mar 2012 Motorcycle(s): '09 Ninja 250R SE Posts: 192
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I guess they figure "that hand doesn't do much, let's save some thread there."
They did feel nice and have good grip, too bad about the poor stitching. |
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April 26th, 2012, 06:41 PM | #39 |
Guest
Posts: n/a
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April 26th, 2012, 06:43 PM | #40 |
Which pedal is the gas?
Name: Devin
Location: Knoxville, TN
Join Date: Mar 2012 Motorcycle(s): '09 Ninja 250R SE Posts: 192
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You must not know his story. Yes. I would recommend checking out his thread(s) as he has "created" a way to continue to ride.
Edit: http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?p=437020 Last futzed with by DevinWolfe; April 26th, 2012 at 06:49 PM. Reason: Edit : sounded condescending |
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