My Complete Acquired Gear. What do you think?

[BLUEONION]

(Almost complete) Newbie here and have been slowly purchasing gear. Feel free to give me your thoughts on how I did and your positive/negative experience with the items I have. I also hope this will help others get a general idea of what you can buy for the money.

I will be purchasing a 250 soon and most driving will be commutes around town and to work, I will only ride in the spring/summer during daylight hours. I expect most rides to be in the 75-100 degree range.

Here are my Gear: (All purchased new)
Helmet: Shoe RF1100 $300
Jacket: Joe Rocket Reactor 2.0 (Mesh with Leather areas) $165
Gloves: Held Phantom II $209
Shoe: Alpinestar SMX Plus $240
Pants: Icon Compound Mesh Overpant (with Leather areas) >> (WIll BUY SOON) $150

TOTAL: $1000 +-

[kirk595x]

Originally Posted by BLUEONION

(Almost complete) Newbie here and have been slowly purchasing gear. Feel free to give me your thoughts on how I did and your positive/negative experience with the items I have. I also hope this will help others get a general idea of what you can buy for the money.

I will be purchasing a 250 soon and most driving will be commutes around town and to work, I will only ride in the spring/summer during daylight hours. I expect most rides to be in the 75-100 degree range.

Here are my Gear: (All purchased new)
Helmet: Shoe RF1100 $300
Jacket: Joe Rocket Reactor 2.0 (Mesh with Leather areas) $165
Gloves: Held Phantom II $209
Shoe: Alpinestar SMX Plus $160
Pants: Icon Compound Mesh Overpant (with Leather areas) >> (WIll BUY SOON) $150

TOTAL: under $1000

Looks good so far and Kudos for making your protection a priority ATG-ATT! Sometimes you can find alot of good gear on Craigslist for a great deal cheaper than New.

[BLUEONION]

Thanks ^

[atticus27]

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sgv...268122902.html

[JELY1990]

^From the 209 I believe he's in the Central Valley.

You're getting some nice gear Phil

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by BLUEONION

...........I will only ride in the spring/summer during daylight hours. I expect most rides to be in the 75-100 degree range...........

All good options !!!
Consider some hi-viz color to wear over the torso if colors are dark.

[BLUEONION]

Originally Posted by Motofool

All good options !!!
Consider some hi-viz color to wear over the torso if colors are dark.

My helmet is yellow along with the gloves...... A yellow outer hi-viz over the jacket will complete the look.

[JohnnyBravo]

Looking good. You got bright flashy colors I the helmet and jacket range I hope, it helps folks to see you better

[Snake]

You picked out some great gear. Have you had the chance to attend a a riders course yet? Also some pics of your gear would be great to see.

[BLUEONION]

Originally Posted by Snake

You picked out some great gear. Have you had the chance to attend a a riders course yet? Also some pics of your gear would be great to see.

I took the MSF and now have the M1 license.

[Snake]

Originally Posted by BLUEONION

I took the MSF and now have the M1 license.

Good... Very smart man. You got your training and gear first before purchasing the bike. Most people put the cart before the horse and get the bike first. Way to go!!!

[BLUEONION]

Originally Posted by Snake

Good... Very smart man. You got your training and gear first before purchasing the bike. Most people put the cart before the horse and get the bike first. Way to go!!!

Thank you, thank you. Now I have to be smart on the roads as well....

[csmith12]

Not bad... not bad at all.

[alex.s]

good lord, you spend almost as much on gear as i do!

[Ralgha]

You got new SMX Plus boots for $160? That's a hell of a deal, who's your dealer?

[BLUEONION]

Originally Posted by Ralgha

You got new SMX Plus boots for $160? That's a hell of a deal, who's your dealer?

Dang! Sorry, typo it was $260...actually $240, now fixed in original post.

[alex.s]

how are you liking the held phantom 2's? have you tried the 1's? they were great for crashes. i'm curious about the 2's. they will probably be my next glove but i'm not sure since i haven't tried them. i don't think i will wear out my current gloves very soon but i'm still very curious about them. post a review when you get a chance.

[BLUEONION]

Originally Posted by alex.s

how are you liking the held phantom 2's? have you tried the 1's? they were great for crashes. i'm curious about the 2's. they will probably be my next glove but i'm not sure since i haven't tried them. i don't think i will wear out my current gloves very soon but i'm still very curious about them. post a review when you get a chance.

It will be here from UPS on Monday. I don't have a bike yet, so I can only share my opinion on the quality, feel and fitment of them.

[jeffb502]

Great start! Looks like you're making good choices. I like that your mesh gear has leather built in to the impact areas. I wish I had bought that type of gear first. I'm lucky living near the coast where the full leather gear is comfortable year round. I'm currently using:

Helmet: Shoei Qwest Overt
*Helmet (backup): KBC VR

Jacket (Warm weather): AGV Sport Topanga leather perforated
Jacket (Cooler weather): AGV Sport Willow leather non-perf
Jacket (Cold weather/not really using anymore): Fly Racing Butane textile
*Jacket (Super hot weather/not really using anymore): Fly Racing CoolPro Mesh

Gloves (Most used): Fieldsheer Apex 2.0
Gloves (cold/rain): Racer Voyager
Gloves (not really using anymore): Fly Racing Rumble
*Gloves (not really using anymore): River Road Mystic Leather Mesh

Pants (most used): AGV Sport Willow leather (Non perforated)
Pants (cold/not really using that much): Tour Master textile over pants
Pants (not really using that much): AGV Sport Kevlar Cargo pants
*Pants (never used unless under overpants): Generic blue jeans

Boots (most weather if I like them): TCX S-Race (in the mail)
Boots (hot weather/current go to boot): Bilt Trackstar
Boots (cold/rain): Tour Master Solution WP 2.0
Boots (zipper issues/not really using that much): Cortech Latigo Air
*Boots (no longer used for MC): Danner Acadia

*= Used for MSF class

If you had that gear at the MSF class then you were definitely geared up well. I had way more safety gear than most of the people in my class, almost to the point where I felt out of place, but I've always been a bit of a safety/equipment nerd in most things I do.

I did (entry level) gear first, then MSF class, then bought the Ninja and started acquiring more gear as I started finding out what my needs and wants are. My needs and wants are still evolving, and out pacing my income. I'm justifying buying safety gear on credit by telling myself it's cheaper and less painful than skin grafts. I hope I never have to use it though.

I think my next purchase will be a leather race suit...I'm doing my research now and waiting for a while until a good deal pops up. My next short term task is to get the 360 degree zipper from my Willow pants sewn in to one of the leather jackets. Right now I can only use the short zipper attachment that attaches the back of the jacket liner to the top of the pants. For people that have done this before is it something any dry cleaner/alteration place can do well or should I take it to a more specialized leather worker (like a boot repair person) to ensure the stitching is solid enough to survive a slide? There's a place near me that does boot repair that I'm thinking about talking with about that.

[BLUEONION]

^ You've got good taste. I also considered the Shoei Overt when shopping for helmets because of the hi-viz yellow but with nice graphics along with it. I also considered the TCX S-Race boots as well but were slightly more than what I wanted to spend.

[jeffb502]

For anybody that's interested, here's the Qwest Overt in stock at $300 on closeout:

http://www.motorcyclegear.com/street...rt_helmet.html

And the TCX S-Race at $230 on closeout:

http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/tcx-s-race-boots

$240 for the SMX Plus is a great deal. RevZilla wants $270 for them on closeout. I decided at $40 cheaper the TCX was a good option. If there was only a $10 difference I might have looked closer at the Pluses. With the Pluses I especially like the stretch panel on the zipper, since I don't live close enough to any stores with these types of boots in stock to make it practical to go try them on.

[rasta]

I give you an A. Why only riding in summer/spring? We live in Cali bro, great weather year round. For example, I wore a tank today, January 4th

[BLUEONION]

Originally Posted by rasta

I give you an A. Why only riding in summer/spring? We live in Cali bro, great weather year round. For example, I wore a tank today, January 4th

..probably can push it to Fall/Winter as long as it is nice and sunny. I do not want to ride late in the day or nights for safety reasons....

[tfkrocks]

Originally Posted by BLUEONION

..probably can push it to Fall/Winter as long as it is nice and sunny. I do not want to ride late in the day or nights for safety reasons....

What specifically about riding later in the day or at night makes you feel unsafe?

[BLUEONION]

Originally Posted by tfkrocks

What specifically about riding later in the day or at night makes you feel unsafe?

It would be my inexperienced riding skills along with other vehicles' inability to see me.

[rasta]

Originally Posted by BLUEONION

It would be my inexperienced riding skills along with other vehicles' inability to see me.

Both good reasons I think. Riding a motorcycle is dangerous enough, no need to put ourselves in uncomfortable situations when we're still learning the basics. Soon I'm sure you'll be ready for it. High visibility gear will help others see you at night

[tfkrocks]

Ok yeah holding off the night riding while you're learning is good. I was getting the impression that you wouldn't ever ride at night period. Get creative with reflective tape when you do feel ready to ride in the dark

Spring will be here soon though so you probably will have gained plenty of riding experience by next fall/winter.

[csmith12]

Originally Posted by BLUEONION

It would be my inexperienced riding skills along with other vehicles' inability to see me.

When your ready.... I hope you find great peace while riding at night. I used to just cruise about 11:30pm on a warm summer nights to kill the last bit of stress of the day.

[nickjpass]

Sometimes spending less doesn't mean you get less protection.

[BLUEONION]

Originally Posted by alex.s

how are you liking the held phantom 2's? have you tried the 1's? they were great for crashes. i'm curious about the 2's. they will probably be my next glove but i'm not sure since i haven't tried them. i don't think i will wear out my current gloves very soon but i'm still very curious about them. post a review when you get a chance.

Check out this review from one of our fellow members:
http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=154719

[alex.s]

check the bottom of that page you linked

i post alot.

[BLUEONION]

Originally Posted by alex.s

check the bottom of that page you linked

i post alot.

..yeah, I know. I've seen your posts there but thought maybe you had forgot

[alex.s]

i did forget, but still... jon doesn't know anything :P


(just kidding jon, i still <3 ur tiny azn ass)

[Boom King]

Nice job on the gear. I'd suggest upgrading the back protector and maybe go with a CE rated chest/back combo. Moisture wicking base layers and synthetic blend socks will help you stay cool in the heat.