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Old July 29th, 2019, 07:44 PM   #1
wtfemery
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How should I deal with my gear while going to class?

Hey guys, So, If I can get my bike to run reliably (fingers crossed), I'll be using it as my primary way of transport from my apartment to my college campus (about 4 miles away) because parking passes are astronomically expensive for cars ($800+/yr) and I don't have that kind of money lol.

Anyways I started to wonder, What should I do with all my gear while I am in class for several hours at a time? I have a full face helmet and a CE armor jacket right now, and I'll soon have gloves, boots, and kevlar/armor pants once I get the bike running right.

I could wear the pants/boots in class, but what do I do about the jacket and helmet? I'll be walking several miles around campus all day and really just don't want to lug gear around the whole time. my '05 250R has the helmet lock, but I really don't know if that would actually deter thieves much, because it just locks the strap, and that helmet was exxpenssiivvee. Is there maybe some sort of cheap-ish bag I can put on the rear seat that locks holds everything securely?

I'd love to hear yall's methods for this. The cheapest possible solution would be the best for me as I'm broke af, but if I have to carry around a duffel bag I will because I'm not compromising my gear, and I really don't want it to be stolen.
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Old July 29th, 2019, 08:29 PM   #2
Triple Jim
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When I rode my '72 H2 25 or so miles to college, I just wore the gear and carried the helmet to class. Really, with just four miles you're probably better off riding a bicycle to campus unless the roads are just not safe for that. A motorcycle engine won't really even be warmed up in that distance.
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Old July 29th, 2019, 08:32 PM   #3
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When I rode my '72 H2 25 or so miles to college, I just wore the gear and carried the helmet to class. Really, with just four miles you're probably better off riding a bicycle to campus unless the roads are just not safe for that. A motorcycle engine won't really even be warmed up in that distance.
Yea, unfortunately the roads leading to campus are four-lane 45-50mph roads with no sidewalks or bike lanes. I'd wear my jacket but it is just armor with no extra material. It would look like I'm showing up to play hockey without a jersey.
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Old July 29th, 2019, 08:44 PM   #4
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4 miles and 45 mph roads? That's a perfect bicycle commute I'd kill for.


you won't even warm the oil in 4 miles if you take a vehicle with an engine. If you do wear the jacket and helmet, I have a novel idea; take them to class with you. Not that hard.
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Old July 29th, 2019, 09:23 PM   #5
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I've done a commute like that. The speed limit on my road is 55mph. There is a decent shoulder, and the new road has a bike lane. The old one didn't, and I ended up taking possession of the lane on my bicycle and letting cars pass when that was useful.

Though I agree a 4 mile commute is totally bicycle friendly. My commute during school was 4.5 miles to school, 6 miles to my hubby's office to meet him for lunch, and 2.5 miles back home. I was in good shape doing that.

If you do end up using the Ninjette, I'd get a bicycle cable lock, run it through your jacket sleeve and the chin-bar of your helmet, and lock it to the frame of the bike. More secure than the normal helmet-loop.
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Old July 29th, 2019, 09:31 PM   #6
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Originally Posted by CaliGrrl View Post
I've done a commute like that. The speed limit on my road is 55mph. There is a decent shoulder, and the new road has a bike lane. The old one didn't, and I ended up taking possession of the lane on my bicycle and letting cars pass when that was useful.

Though I agree a 4 mile commute is totally bicycle friendly. My commute during school was 4.5 miles to school, 6 miles to my hubby's office to meet him for lunch, and 2.5 miles back home. I was in good shape doing that.

If you do end up using the Ninjette, I'd get a bicycle cable lock, run it through your jacket sleeve and the chin-bar of your helmet, and lock it to the frame of the bike. More secure than the normal helmet-loop.
idk why i hadn't thought of that lol. I'll probably do that but with a thick chain to a bike rack too because there's an ongoing trend of mopeds and unlocked bikes being snatched at my school
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Old July 30th, 2019, 03:38 PM   #7
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While at university, I used locking top box on Interceptor. Fits jacket and helmet easily. Some of more square boxes can fit boots too.


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Old July 30th, 2019, 10:46 PM   #8
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See if there are lockers on campus that you can use. I paid less than $20/semester to use a locker and it was well worth it.
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Old July 30th, 2019, 10:52 PM   #9
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See if there are lockers on campus that you can use. I paid less than $20/semester to use a locker and it was well worth it.
Good idea! though the only lockers I can find are at the fitness center and that's an extra 25 mins after arriving to check in and out and walk over to the class buildings :/
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Old August 3rd, 2019, 06:37 PM   #10
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Originally Posted by wtfemery View Post
Good idea! though the only lockers I can find are at the fitness center and that's an extra 25 mins after arriving to check in and out and walk over to the class buildings :/
I've generally found the solutions for dealing with gear to be inconvenient, expensive, not secure, or some combination of those, but still generally more tolerable than driving for me. It's just a matter of what you find most bearable.

I've worn my gear to class a lot (and it always all comes with me if it's been raining).

I've left a giant motorcycle-specific duffel bag filled with my riding gear strapped to my bike with just a combo lock on the zipper but also pretty surprised nothing ever happened to my stuff cuz that wasn't secure at all. Wouldn't do that again tbh.

I've carried around a duffel bag full of my gear. Wearing the gear was easier for me than carrying it in a bulky bag.

I've seen people just lock their gear directly to their bike on the street, but I really don't trust people enough for that. Maybe your area is safer, but that wouldn't fly in some of the places I am in frequently.

I've ended up spending a ton more money on nice Givi luggage over the years because I go to enough things where I don't want to drag my gear around but still need it to be relatively secure. My current setup on my Ninja 300 allows me to store most of my gear (helmet, gloves, jacket, overpants) in a locking aluminum Givi trunk on my bike and then I either keep wearing my boots or switch to shoes and put the boots in my large backpack. That's the most expensive option though unfortunately.
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Old August 4th, 2019, 07:58 AM   #11
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Just wear your gear. School is supposed to be a place to get an education and any educated person knows that wearing gear for motorcycling is for a riders safety.
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Old August 4th, 2019, 08:02 AM   #12
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Well of course you know, put your gloves in your backpack, carry your helmet, if your boots fit in your backpack, put them in there and slip on some light extra shoes that you took with you in your backpack, if not then just wear your boots. Just keep your jacket on since you were wearing it on the motorcycle anyway so if it's hot to wear while walking to class, it was hot on the motorcycle anyway and when you get inside class, just take your jacket off and enjoy the AC. Huge run on sentence but you get the point.
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Old August 28th, 2019, 02:16 PM   #13
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I made up some wire cables and locks, and I run the cables through the jacket sleeves and the chin bar on my lid. If you make 'em long enough, you could do the same with a pants leg. Boots you either have to carry or wear, though there are some great boot options now that are more walkable. Gloves, same thing.
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Old August 28th, 2019, 04:37 PM   #14
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Hey, I’ve gotten some fun dates from just wearing my gear to class! Weeds out ones who aren’t any fun.
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Old August 28th, 2019, 06:16 PM   #15
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Hey, I’ve gotten some fun dates from just wearing my gear to class! Weeds out ones who aren’t any fun.
I need to go where this happens!
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Old September 11th, 2019, 03:31 AM   #16
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Or you can just wear shorts and flip flops. It’s only four miles, right?
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Old September 16th, 2019, 05:21 PM   #17
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My daughter rides about 6 miles to her college. She stuffs her jacket and gloves in her saddle bags, wears her boots, carries her helmet to class. She just wears regular jeans when she rides .
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