Bought first bike need armor

1794 Views 20 Replies 15 Participants Last post by leaftye, Feb 27, 2009

ridesyeti

Discussion Starter · Feb 27, 2009

I bought my first bike. An 01 SVS. I'll post photos when I get her home. I'm stoked to start riding but I want to get full armored gear. Give me some ideas what I should look for. Brands, styles ect. I need to stay with reasonable prices, probably middle of the road gear.

I'm thinking I want an armored jacket which is relatively visible but not obnoxious lime green or something. Boots that would look good in jeans or dress slacks. For pants I'm thinking something that can go over my dress slacks for commuting but will provide protection. Would I want another tighter fitting pair for noncommuting riding? Full face helmet. I'm wonder about a visor set up versatile enough for low and high light conditions. I'm in the Front Range Colorado area so we get a huge array of conditions. On the same day it can be hot in the plains and cool in the mountains. Winter days can be very temperate or cold.

Ridesyeti

1 - 20 of 21 Posts

dream36realms

· #2 · Feb 27, 2009

I am less of a brand specific guy and more of a price location guy. with that said I shopped around all over and found www.newenough.com as one of the best sites and they donate a dollar if you buy from them to this site. three items I was planning on buying from them popped up for sale slightly used on here and I purchaced those but my second pair of boots came from them.

Brand of boots I prefer is Puma, Sidi, A*
same goes for gloves
Scorpian makes awesome helmets and have a gear line as well so look into them they have the interior sun shield that is pimp
from what you are describing some good mesh pants would be best imo

etham

· #3 · Feb 27, 2009 (Edited)

I have reviews of my Rev'it! Ignition jacket and Arai RX-7 Corsair helmet on my blog. I recommend both. Check the link below in my signature.

FYI, if you fold your slacks like you would to hang them up, then roll them up like a poster starting at the belt you can throw them in a 1 qt ziplock and keep them in a bag or saddle bags. They will get super wrinkled under riding pants (and static-y).

andyauger

· #4 · Feb 27, 2009

Any name-brand textile gear should work fine. Alpinestars, Joe Rocket, etc. New Enough is a good source. The most visible color is yellow.

Decent textiles aren't very expensive, they're waterproof, you can get a fit that literally lets you wear a suit underneath (which I've done) and still works for day to day riding. Armor in that type of gear is good enough for everything but track days.

My favorite gloves are Helds, but they aren't cheap. They last like iron, though. My favorite boots are Sidis, but againg they aren't cheap.

Yenool

· #5 · Feb 27, 2009

I had been searching for a tex jacket for warmer weather riding and I couldnt pass on this deal...
http://www.newenough.com/closeouts/bargain_basement/teknic/freestyle_textile_motorcycle_jacket.html
They say it doesnt flow air freely but it's gotta be better than my thick black Frank Thomas Leather and for $60 it's a steal.

sagvr4

· #6 · Feb 27, 2009

this bike happen to be blue with lowers?

Yaozer

· #7 · Feb 27, 2009

etham said:
FYI, if you fold your slacks like you would to hang them up, then roll them up like a poster starting at the belt you can throw them in a 1 qt ziplock and keep them in a bag or saddle bags. They will get super wrinkled under riding pants (and static-y).

Good idea, but how easily do the pants fit into a quart zip lock bag?

ridesyeti

Discussion Starter · #8 · Feb 27, 2009

sagvr4 said:
this bike happen to be blue with lowers?

Actually its a red 01 SVS from The Springs. I felt really good about purchasing from the sellers, a couple really into riding but who decided more upright bikes suit them better. I had originally planned on going with an naked SV with its slight more upright position. I just completed the MSF course and I have a ton of road bicycling experience, but will learning to ride in a hunched over position be hard? I'm thinking eventually I'd like to throw some saddle bag on the SVS and tour. Is that realistic? Or would/could I want to put more upright handle bars on the SVS like those on the SV?

Ridesyeti

r3t1awr3yd

· #9 · Feb 27, 2009

There are armored jeans and khakis out there. They're a little pricey but worth it if you ask me.

Definitely run to NewEnough.com . They're prices and customer service are both unbelievable.

hsilman

· #10 · Feb 27, 2009

ridesyeti said:
Actually its a red 01 SVS from The Springs. I felt really good about purchasing from the sellers, a couple really into riding but who decided more upright bikes suit them better. I had originally planned on going with an naked SV with its slight more upright position. I just completed the MSF course and I have a ton of road bicycling experience, but will learning to ride in a hunched over position be hard? I'm thinking eventually I'd like to throw some saddle bag on the SVS and tour. Is that realistic? Or would/could I want to put more upright handle bars on the SVS like those on the SV?

Ridesyeti

meh, it's really not that agressive a riding position. It's somewhere inbetween the handle bars and a gsxr.

I'd definitely recommend a crampbuster(just google it) for any long, straight riding(highway or such). other than that, as long as you have some upper body strength and aren't leaning on your arms the whole time, you'll be fine.

etham

· #11 · Feb 27, 2009

SV650Naked said:
Good idea, but how easily do the pants fit into a quart zip lock bag?

Depends on how big the pants are. I'm talking about the big bags that are about 12 inches by 9 inches. You can fit half a chicken in one easily.

ridesyeti said:
I had originally planned on going with an naked SV with its slight more upright position. I just completed the MSF course and I have a ton of road bicycling experience, but will learning to ride in a hunched over position be hard? I'm thinking eventually I'd like to throw some saddle bag on the SVS and tour. Is that realistic? Or would/could I want to put more upright handle bars on the SVS like those on the SV?

I love my curvy S. I had a problem with my wrists hurting at first one my usual 2 hour route, but I've been working on my riding posture and holding myself up with my back instead of my arms and that has helped tremendously (with the added benefit of fewer sit-ups to keep the gut under control). I was in the exact same position as you this time last year. I recommend practicing.

I do think I will be getting a dedicated tourer, though, when we move to the burbs and have a garage. My wife is much less comfortable than I am on the SV.

greencountry

· #12 · Feb 27, 2009

ridesyeti said:
Actually its a red 01 SVS from The Springs. I felt really good about purchasing from the sellers, a couple really into riding but who decided more upright bikes suit them better. I had originally planned on going with an naked SV with its slight more upright position. I just completed the MSF course and I have a ton of road bicycling experience, but will learning to ride in a hunched over position be hard? I'm thinking eventually I'd like to throw some saddle bag on the SVS and tour. Is that realistic? Or would/could I want to put more upright handle bars on the SVS like those on the SV?

Ridesyeti

I was in the same situation, I bought my SVS for touring and found the SVS clip-on bars to be too low. A lot of people have converted their clip-ons to either the naked or a third-party higher-rise handlebar. I went with LSL's kit (spieglerusa.com and follow the "handlebar riser kits" link). I like it a lot. You'll have to choose whether you want to dive in the deep end and DIY or have a professional do a reliable conversion/install for you. I had a pro install the LSL kit and am very happy I did. He had to disassemble part of the front fork, install longer brake lines (included in the LSL kit), and drill the new handlebar.

As for riding posture, regardless of whether you get taller handlebars, Google "master yoda riding position" and practice practice practice it. I learned of it only after my first long MC trip while I was trying to figure out how to ride without serious wrist and joint pain. One of my elbows still pops from last summer's bad riding. I've got several years of on-again off-again mountain biking, and the way you hold yourself up on an MC is significantly different from on bicycles. The uber short version: minimize the weight you put on your arms. Use your legs and back to hold yourself up (I've been visiting the gym all winter

). At higher speed, the wind will help.

Check out the Sport Touring category on this site, there's a ton of info there on touring with the SV(S).

As for armor, yeah newenough was where I've gotten my stuff too. There are different philosophies about what kind of gear to get and how much. Me, in the interest of saving money, I got as versatile jacket and pants as possible. Got Tourmaster's Flex 2 jacket that converts all the way from mesh for hot summer to textile with padded lining. I've used it for short jaunts in 30-ish weather. Pants, I got Joe Rocket's Alter Ego pants, they are really adjustable for different climates too and easy to wear clothes under or tighten a few velcro straps and they're snug enough for no clothes. Boots, I got really lucky, I got Icon boots that look basically like Timberlands. I hear the performance boots - the plastic hardshell kind - are pretty uncomfy for walking around in, so I wanted a walk-friendly pair. They were on clearance on motorcycle-superstore.com, not sure if you can find them now.

Oh and CONGRATS! ;D

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RacerXJ

· #13 · Feb 27, 2009

I went with Cortech gear. It's an offshoot of Tourmaster. I've been really happy with it so far. Good quality and really flexible. With the same pants and jacket I've ridden in 35-98 degree weather. It's pretty reasonable too. What also helped me when I was looking was http://sportbiketrackgear.com. I've bought a couple things there. Their prices aren't always as good as newenough, but they have a lot of good video reviews. It'll give you good idea of features and benfits of a wide range of gear.

canyonchaser

· #14 · Feb 27, 2009

ridesyeti said:
I bought my first bike. An 01 SVS. I'll post photos when I get her home. I'm stoked to start riding but I want to get full armored gear. Give me some ideas what I should look for. Brands, styles ect. I need to stay with reasonable prices, probably middle of the road gear.

Ridesyeti

My advice would be;

As you choose your gear and set your budgets keep in mind a study that was done by a bunch of medical folks who went and rated the importance of safety gear based on how little trauma it would take tor result in permanent injury. Make sense?

They rated gear as follows.

1. Helmet (duh)
2. Gloves
3. Boots (this one surprised me)
4. Jacket
5. Pants

As such, I only wear the best helmet the world has ever known. Arai.

I wear road-race full gauntlet armored gloves
I wear Puma 1000 V2 Road Race boots
I wear whatever jacket - I prefer leather and hate mesh jackets. But I don't think I've spent more than $100 on a jacket in five years.
I usually wear blue-jeans or Carharts for pants, but have some riding pants that I got on closeout - but I rarely wear them.

dp

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hsilman

· #15 · Feb 27, 2009

ugh I wish they made riding pants that were comfortable. They probably do if I'm willing to spend a lot of money, but all of them are too big or too small/fit weird. I picked up a pair of A* over the winter, but I think they'll be too baggy. GAR!

canyonchaser

· #16 · Feb 27, 2009

I have a $300 pair of riding pants and they are pretty good, but I agree with you, mostly riding pants are not so good. But thats why I like these so gosh darn much!

http://www.canyonchasers.net/reviews/clothing/carhartt.php

dp

hsilman

· #17 · Feb 27, 2009

canyonchaser said:
I have a $300 pair of riding pants and they are pretty good, but I agree with you, mostly riding pants are not so good. But thats why I like these so gosh darn much!

http://www.canyonchasers.net/reviews/clothing/carhartt.php

dp

yeah I was thinking about those, I saw your thread. Definitely better than plain jeans, which do nothing but make you feel better.

yakimushi

· #18 · Feb 27, 2009

I'll chime in another rec for Held gloves. They're pricey (in fact they're the most expensive bit of gear I've bought, including lids LOL) but they are so worth it.

Scorpion helmets are a good deal if you like the fit. Comfy, most parts are replaceable, washable liner, etc.

Moto gear is pretty seasonal. Check places like newenough.com and motorcyclecloseouts.com for last years line at steep discount.

jameswing

· #19 · Feb 27, 2009

I have a pair of tourmaster overpants that I wear. I love them they fit well (if not a little short), My pant are never wrinkled (I only buy wrinkle free stuff). Got them for $116.

greencountry

· #20 · Feb 27, 2009

Do a lot of research on helmets. Make sure you get one that fits your headshape. My first helmet was the wrong shape, felt fine when I put it on at first but there were mild hotspots. After an hour I would get a ridiculous headache from the pinching.

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