Gear Need-to-Knows
 

Besides that you'll need 8million dollars, what else is there?

I was at Cycle Gear a while ago trying on jackets and gloves and what not, to get an idea of cost and fit. I was told that the jackets should be very snug, very little room to move around. Because of that, even the Extra smalls were too big on me. if this is true, it will be SO MUCH FUN finding good gear.

Also, I believe it was Icon they said was the vanity gear and on the tag even said don't wear for protection? (I know Nee will know what I'm talking about, we had this talk on the other board).

What brands are the best?

What materials?

Gloves are hard to find too. I have tiny hands but long fingers. So if the glove fit my hand the fingers were too small and vice versa.

Anyone know where I can get "gear for freakishly deformed people"? :D

Leather offers the best protection.

You will need a helmet. leather gloves, gauntlet style with reinforced knuckles.
A leather jacket with CE armor, a back protector, leather pants, again with CE armor, and some good booths that go above the ankle. Thats the minimum set.. As far ad brand, find what fits you the best.

Yeah, the guys said leather. it'll be hot as balls, but I'd rather have skin really.

go on www.motorhelmets.com they have a large selection at reasonable prices...

jackets should be snug, as should helmets. (uncomfortably snug at first)
Most brands are good, Icon, Joe Rocket etc...
Materials for jackets come in textile, mesh, and leather. and sometimes a combo of each.

Leather will provide the best protection, but will be hot, textiles that have kevlar can also be protective, and more light weight. Mesh is exactly how it sounds.

Helmets that are good, Arai, Icon, etc.. check the site for some prices and selection. :dthumb:

yes sir! :dthumb:

You can get perforated leather. That will help to keep you cool.

You can get textile that will save your ass. It just doesn't hold up as well, and may not be track legal.

Icon's stuff is decent. Some of it is really nice. I like they're Accelerant jacket.
Alpinestars is very good gear. Joe Rocket and AGV and Cortech. Sidi boots. Shoei and Arai Helmets... All the big names make good stuff. Go find what fits you.

The girls spoke earlier of curb sqirrels who wear "gear" that's really just for show. I know this stuff exists and would like to avoid it like the plague. What's the point spending the EXACT SAME AMOUNT of money for something that won't save your ass just cuz it's pink? Oy

I agree with everything you said except this. Jacket snug, yes- but not so tight you can't breathe. But mainly, helmets- snug, yes- but not uncomfortable. If it's uncomfortable, you won't want to wear it. It shouldn't be able to move without your head moving. Wear it around the store! Any pressure you feel should be even all the way around your head. Shouldn't be any painful spots, or places where it's really loose.

:drool::whistle:

just kidding...
yea, doesnt make sense

yup... i agree. i just meant by the fact that the padding will make it more snug at first, and with use will break down...

When I was at Cycle Gear a few months ago the guys pointed it out to me on a couple of the girl's jackets. The "armor" was like pieces of plastic, and there was a tag on it that said, "Not to be worn as protective riding gear" or some such. And it was the same price as all the real jackets, I was like.... WHAT?!

Apparently, people are that F-in stupid? Oy.

The I would avoid Icon anything. Even though some of their stuff is ok, it still has squid and curb squirrel written all over it. There are exceptions of course, and thats just my opinion. There are several riders here that love there stuff.

Yeah, I was told something similar. Not that it will necessarily be uncomfy, but that the padding will eventually mould to your head and thus fit "better"

Make sure the armor you get is CE approved.

i like their mainframe helmets. but thats pretty much it.

Yeah, it was an Icon jacket. I guess the name says it all, right? LOL

Didn't fit me anyway. The XS jackets were still too roomy.

Now will that be like the DOT helmets and say it in a prominent place somewhere on the gear/tags?

wow...they should try 2 custom form fit ya! :lol: how tiny are ya? :lol:

Yes there should be a tag on it that says CE Approved.

I design my own clothing for this exact purpose. But I don't think that a corset will do me too good in a bike accident, so I can't make my own gear. Darn.

Well, I have huge knockers but a tiny frame. Clothes are difficult to fit. I also have wide hips but no ass, so my shape is funky.

My chest is a 36-38" but my waist is like 24". Then my hips are 34-36" again. If it fits one part of me, it doesn't fit the other. The jackets I tried were just snug enough in the chest, but the arms and waist were baggy.

Goody. I prefer not to trust salesmen. Some of them know what they are talking about, others just want to make the sale, you know? So I can say, is this CE approved? And they'll say yes just so I buy it. Next thing, you're scraping me off the highway.

:drool::drool::drool:





:whistle:



:sorry:

ahem... yea, makes sense you'd find it hard to fit.

I think you'll have good luck with Alpinestars, as it runs very small, AND comes in an XS. Their jackets are definitely petite-friendly.

You may want to look at brands that are sized like clothing (i.e. 2, 4, 6, 8) rather than the S, M, L, so you can get a more precise fit (Teknic and G Line by Hein Gericke are both sizez this way).

As for gloves, I've found that Icon's ladies gloves run very tiny and with freakishly long fingers (no joke :lol: ). And they do offer XS's in their ladies' gloves.

As for the "not intended as personal safety gear" or whatever that disclaimer said, yeah, it's always baffled me, but I also haven't seen it in a while. I believe it was intended just as a "CYA" (so people wouldn't sue them if they went down in some Icon gear and got hurt) but who knows :shrug:

As for materials... well, while mesh offers the lowest level of protection, realistically, you're in Florida, so you're going to want one. It's just the way it is. Riding in much more than mesh in summertime here is just ASKING for heat stroke, IMO. So, make sure it's got CE approved armour in the shoulders, elbows and back (not just the dual density foam)

From least to most protection, it's:

Mesh
Textile
Leather (cow)
Leather (roo)
Leather (stingray...i.e. Held gloves)

Perforated leather is a good happy medium, in that it'll give you good protection while still allowing you to breathe (somewhat).

LOL. I end up looking like this:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...prtty/gear.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...rtty/gear2.jpg

The shoulder guards were on my elbows. LOL

When ladies' gear first started becoming more readily available, it was primarily offered in pink and baby blue. :puke: I can see both sides of this: I mean, if a girl's objection to wearing gear is "it's not cute," and a hot pink jacket gets her to wear some, then by all means, go for it. On the other hand, there does seem to be a stigma associated with wearing super girly gear, and you might get some flack for it, or find you're not as respected among riders in your area (it might also get you some extra harassment at traffic lights, etc... :lol: )

:lol: cuuuuute.... :lol:
thats too funny...

It's gotten better. Just keep shopping. I've found Joe Rocket and Power Trip (same company, different labels) have ample boob room, but then they're good about having wasit and hip adjusters so you can get the right fit.

If it looks cute AND protects me, rock on! As long as it doesn't look like a shit stain, though, I'm ok. There seemed to be a lot of options for girls' styles, so I should be ok to find something, as long as I can stomach the super neon colours. Ugh.

oooh, yeah! Cycle gear had limited in stock. And it would be pretty annoying to have them order a bunch of shit just for me to try it on... Anywhere else where they might have more variety for girlies?

Teknic, Alpinestars and Cortech all tend to have more subtle styling, in basic colors (black, white, gray, red, blue). Really most ANY brand will have these colors, it's jsut that the bright stuff is what they tend to market more. :shrug:

Anyone make purple?! :drool:

purple?

Just hit up every motorcycle dealership or shop in your area. There's also a couple good places in Orlando and Daytona (I know that's a ways for you, but it might be worthwhile). There's Seminole Powersports in Sanford (just north of Orlando), and a good Cycle Gear just down the street (there's either two or three CG's in the O-town area). Then up in Daytona, you have Cycle World (big dealership), Cycle Image (lots of Alpinestars stuff) and The Helmet Shop (lots of Power Trip and Joe Rocket).

Yeah, the color. I see blue and pink and red and white. No purple. What gives?!

Icon does (sorry :lol: ), and then I know the Joe Rocket Phoenix 2.0 for ladies (mesh) comes in Purple (I have it in white and I LOVE it... it has three sliders across the back to get the waist and hip fit just right)

I'm not opposed to traveling. I'll be making frequent trips to Tampa, so Orlando isn't a big deal. I'd rather make the drive to get the right jacket than be lazy and not be happy/safe.

But the mesh is less desirable in the way of actual protection, right?

generally the major manufacturer's gear colors tend to go with the basic bike colors - red, black, blue, Kawi green, yellow, gray.... then like I said, the girly colors are pink and blue.

There's a REALLY cute new A* jacket in mesh or textile that's gray with gray/black camo inserts, or green with green camo (not purple, but it's cool they're finally doing something OTHER than pink and blue :lol:)

:lol: im lookin too i dont see any

Yes, but again, being realistic, you'll need one here, esp in South Florida (between the heat and the traffic, you'd die if you tried to wear leather ALL the time). I've got two meshies actually (and a textile, and a non-perfed leather)

Someone explain me the difference between mesh, textile and leather.
This'll be a good thread for beginner gear if it keeps going. I'll ask all the dumb questions :D

Leather is leather, textile is what they call ballistic nylon and mesh is perforated textile.

Mesh is just that - you look at it and you can see through it if you hold it up to light. And there are varying qualities - some will be tighter knit (smaller holes), which will give better protection, but allow a bit less air in (Alpinestars mesh seems to be pretty tightly knit).

Textile is a tighter woven fabric - no visible holes in it. It doesn't breathe particularly well, so you want to look for one with lots of zippered vents (Cortech has some great ones... Chris and I each have a Cortech textile and LOVE them). It's VERY comfortable though, and lightweight (but doesn't allow air to pass through, other than the vents... suitable up to about 80 degrees).

Leather is just leather. But you want to look at the tag to see what KIND of leahter. MOST of it will be cowhide, but there are some companie (higher end, more expensive) that produce stuff from Kangaroo leather (particularly gloves), and then companies like Held supplement cow leather with sting ray hide on the impact areas of their gloves.

I meant a real explanation. Like diff in weights, protection, price (if any). Stuff like that. I know what the materials are by themselves and can pretty much gather my own conclusion to some extent, but I'm playing newb. And like I said, this thread could later be used by other people who may not make clothes for extra cash on the side.

Like that! lol Does the difference in leather offer difference in protection?

Mesh will only protect in the areas where the guards are, I would imagine? Textile similar to mesh, but with more in the way of protection from road rash. If you slide far enough, though, it will eventually wear through, right?

I wear my Cortech textile in 95+ but we also don't have the humidity that you do. Also some companies like Teknic use goat hide for some of their leather products.

Totally depends on the brand. I think typically mesh will be least expensive, textile in the middle, and leather the most expensive, but it's going to depends on the brand, and the armour.

Mesh is super light weight, and actually so is textile (I actually think my textile is more comfortable than either of my meshies in that regard). Leather is heavier, and will vary GREATLY from one line to the next. My Joe Rocket leather was glove soft the day I got it, whereas Chris' A*'s leahter was really stiff and needed a lot of breaking in.

Yeah, apparently roo and stingray are supposed to be tougher, and more resilient in a slide.

Mesh will protect to some degree all over, but mainly the armoured areas. There've actually been people who claim mesh will melt and fuse with the flesh because it heats up in a long slide on asphalt, but I don't know how true that is, or how often it happens.

My rule of thumb is this: if I'm just commuting to work, my lil 12 mile commute where I'm not riding like a bat out of hell, and it's 90000 degrees out, I'm wearing mesh. On the other hand, if I know I'm going on a long sunday ride where I'll be riding HARD, then I might think twice and opt for something more protective.

WOW.... nope, no can do here. 80 is really about the limit and mine has LOTS of vents.

Yeah. I'm worried about the heat, I admit. I mentioned that to the CG guy and he said something that did make some sense. Something along the lines of, no matter what you wear, you're sitting with an engine between your legs and you're going to be hot no matter what. Might as well be protected, too. Or something?

when you're sitting, yeah, but when you're moving, your body stays cooler in something that breathes, be it mesh, or vents.

You could always start with a well vented textile for your first jacket, and then if it becomes too hot to bear, look into adding a meshie later. You're going to eventually build a gear wardrobe.

So does mine. :nee:

Some planning involved here. If I'm not going to have the best protection, I'll have to make sure I don't do any serious riding. Like no long trips, or high speeds, etc. I can do that....

You can wreck 100 feet from your house. I wear all of my gear all the time. I don't make considerations depending on the type/length of ride. The only exception is I don't wear my race style boots to work, but this season I plan on doing so.

Oh don't get me wrong - good textile DOES provide good protection. There's a company called Aerostitch that makes these really nice once piece textile suits intended for touring. You'll see people put 10's of thousands of miles on those, which I don't think they'd do if they weren't adequately protected. But you will want to invest in leather eventually, too.

Oh I know. But there is a big difference between wrecking on the highway at 80, and on a side road going 30. That's what I mean. I would always wear my helmet and gloves, this is really just about a jacket. But this may all change depending on what I can find that even fits!

Yeah, I'll get leather for sure. But it's just an unsafe to pass out on your bike from heat exhaustion, so I don't think I can wear leather all the time. I'll prolly only go as "low" as textile with vents though. For some reason mesh just doesnt sit right with me. no idea why, though.

A lot of people don't like it, and some people ONLY wear it. Get what fits you well and makes you feel confident and safe.

If i had one of these I wouldn't have to worry about falling off. :D

Quality leather won't be that hot. Especially if it's good, perferated leather. Believe me. I live in Vegas heat and only rock an Astars one-peice.

Jacket Helmet and Gloves at a minimum always! And pants depend on in town or getting down!

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the humidity in Vegas next to none. Never been, but I know in some of the states below it the weather is hot as balls, but with almost no humidity. The humidity makes the big difference.

You're probably right about the humidity being worse. There' spractically none in Vegas. But it gets 110+. Humidity is gonna get you no matter what you're wearing. Might as well wear leather. Or a solid leather/textile combo.

Humidity is a great thing!! It alows sweat to do its job!! Over here in the sand its like 120 in the summer with no humidity so sweat evaporates before it can cool you down!!

I would kill to have that many choices of shops. The dealers around here are tired of seeing me and not selling anything. Mind you, I wouldn't go so far as moving to florida...
I saw one of those at an Apriia dealer up here. Nice looking jacket. The men's version looks pretty good too- no camo though:skep:
That sounds like a good plan for your area. Of course, to hit the track, you need leather. Up here, I just wear my leather all the time and I don't have to sit in traffic much. I open my vents and wear a minimum of clothing under my jacket to stay cool.
Back roads at 80 are much more fun. I know what you mean though, doesn't matter how hot it is, I would feel extremely unsafe in mesh.
That's just wrong... Sweat evaporating cools you. Sweat stuck to your body because the ambient humidity is too high makes you miserable.

you got it backwards holms...

Yeah, guess I do, but its jus so dam hot in irak that sweat cant save you!!!

I wear leather. All the time. Only leather. Some perforated, some vented. All Dainese. Injuries are injuries whether they happen on the freeway or on a side street. Textile is a one time use jacket - I wouldn't want to take the risk the ONE TIME goes into my skin. My skin, my choice... your skin, your choice. I'll just post up my stance on it, and my experience with horrific situations - and kindly guide you toward leather - and ONLY leather.

Heat. Whatever. I was at the track all day today - it was 93 and humid. Full suit of leather. Perforated, but still leather.

My favorite quip... someone always asks in the 100+ weather "Aren't you hot in that?" My reply: "I was hot before I put it on, I'd like to stay that way."

Need to knows?

You need leather (perf'd in your case, since you're in a hot climate).
You need it to fit.
You need to wear it all the fucking time with very few exceptions.
You need armor, CE rated or better (CE level II can absorb more impact). (all decent gear will come with CE armor already...)
You need a helmet that fits and passes all the common standards (this is the place NOT to cheap out).
You need to find good deals on high quality gear if you're tight on money, not normal deals on cheap shit.




edit:
Here's my getup... it does street and track duty until I can afford a custom one-piece:
HJC AC-12 Carbon Vader Helmet
AGVsport Torino Jacket
Dainese Airspace 2 back protector
Teknic Chicane Pants (full circumference zip to jacket)
Added hip armor in pants (saved me a bruised hip at the track methinks)
Teknic speedstar knee pucks
Sidi Vertigo Air boots
Held Phantom gloves

I've been in pretty nasty humidity and heat... it's not fun if you get stuck in traffic... but if you're moving, it's fine. Just stay hydrated.

http://i243.photobucket.com/albums/f...0302081300.jpg

Also, when riding in the city for short distances, low speeds (<20mph), and hot weather, I'll wear:
Same helmet
Joe Rocket alter ego 2.0 textile/mesh convertible jacket
A* smx-plus short gloves
Hiking boots
Jeans

That's a chance I understand and am willing to accept. If I have a problem in the city, it would probably be a car hitting me, in which case my gear wouldn't do much to save me from the impact. No fucking way in hell am I leaving the city in that gear though.

Yeah, hot is better than hurt. Just drink water, it doesn't matter how hot you get. Sweat happens, yes your shirt may be a bit nasty when you take off your jacket and you may get a bit of swamp crotch, but I;ll take a shirt wet with sweat over wet with my blood any day.

Besides, do you know how good you ladies look in tight leather? :lol:

If it weren't for the heat factor I likely wouldnt even consider anything but leather. But it's a fact of Florida living, so I gotta look at all the options.

OSP- was it you that said, "Sweat wipes off, road rash doesn't"?

I personally have seen people's textile jackets that have gone down... most hold up pretty well... unless they went down at high speeds (70+) then usually the asphalt wore through and gave them a nice tattoo

I think as long as your not doing any high speed runs Mesh and textile will be fine.... but you gotta keep in mind... that your right wrist will turn on it's own... even if you say your just gonna cruze... your right wrist has final say... and for me... it was usually 15-20 over :lol:

Hey RIDER,you met my former gf. she was 5'2" 115lbs 34C wore 0/1 jeans and fit Icon xs jackets,no prob. Did you try Icon Female riding gear? BTW what's up with all the Icon hate PUNK!!!! I dropped at 100 mph wearing an Icon Superduty jacket. No damage to skin.

I cage at about 15-20 over, so I know I'll likely ride at about that, too.

yeah you'll find it's easier to speed on a bike... even a 250. especially with your size.

I'll pull on the throttle just a TAD too hard and the bike will go flying and I'll just fall off the back. LOL

uh... not on a 250... :lol:

That was some funny shit, when my buddy was showing me the ropes on the cbr1000, he was like, "pull back on the throttle" and this being my first throttle pull I'm completely oblivious to how sensitive they are and VROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM the bike goes. Thank christ is was in nuetral and didn't go speeding off. It took me a bit to regain my composure though, I was damn near falling over laughing for a good 5 minutes.

:lol: yeah you wouldn't have gone far if that bike was in gear... It on the other hand... would have done somersaults down the street.

250's you don't need to worry about that... you still need to respect it... but it's not gonna throw you off the back. hence why we recommend them to new riders so strongly.

so when are you think'n you'll be on two wheels?

Within a few months, barring any uber emergencies that sap my income.

nice... I can't fuck'n wait to get back to my bike... I've been jones'n like crazy just to sit on her:panic:

That's what she said! :rofl:

now if you could just introduce me to her... :lol:

I've discussed this with many-a-human in the past. I've lived all over the country in Hot HOT and more humid than Florida can deliver... I'll still only wear leather. Florida heat vs Texas heat isn't much different... other than we hang over 100 longer.

I've seen mesh that got destroyed, and it really doesn't have to do with the speed as much as the surface you hit. Mesh will *grab* the surface imperfections long before leather will, perforated or not. Just because it's available... doesn't make it a good idea.

Ballistic nylon is also another choice - but it's about the same expense as leather.

I bought my first set of leathers in 1992. Those leathers had itty bitty teeny tiney vents on the back of the leathers with about a dozen perfs in the elbows. THAT was hot. Now, there are so many vent options... maybe I just look at what WAS, and what I have now is SO much cooler.

You have a TON of options out in front of you... try them on, again and again. Time is on your side.

I agree,try things for yourself. Some of these guys are so super opinionated,that if you listen to them you'll... 1. only use 1 brand of tires, 2. only buy one size and type of bike, 3. only use one or two brands of helmets, 4. only use one or two brands of gear,etc. In my experience here,and on the old site,they give opinions against gear they've never tried just based on perception. "Icon is squid gear","GSXRs are for squids",etc. I personally own a number of Icon jackets and gloves,I've crashed wearing Icon and it has held up quite well. In fact,my Icon Neo-Daytona held up better than my Dainese did in a similar type crash! My D jacket fell apart at the seams wear they joined different pieces of leather together and that was a $500 jacket. I'd rather see you buy a nylon mesh jacket and wear it all the time vs a heavy leather jacket that you'll be tempted to leave at home on hot days, 'cause you, "aren't going that far", or "you won't be riding that fast". I always wear something wether it's my leather,my textile/leather or my nylon jacket. I suggest you do the same.

thought about taking it out in the snow for you the other day, but i got busy. sorry.

MistressMaygin,

Let me try to make it succinct for you:

1. Any protection is better than no protection.
2. More protection is better than less protection.
3. Good protection is better than mediocre protection.

We'll first go into the pricing, then types of materials & applications and then we'll talk about sizes and brands.

Pricing - how much are you willing to spend? Budget it out and then worry about what you should get. I personally would recommend around $1500. That sounds a lot but it's to deck you out from head to toes. Besides, how much is a trip to the dermatologist cost for skin repair? We're not even talking about broken bones yet.

I'd recommend around $300-500 for a high quality helmet. Helmets with fancy graphics cost $100-250 more than the same model with solid color. I'd even go further and recommend Arai brand. Why? They have multiple shapes of heads and many sizes. If you can't find any of the several Arai models to fit you, something is wrong. I'd recommend a full face helmet for total protection.

I'd recommend good leather gloves (perforated if need be but your hands don't really get that hot) that are gaunlet style - goes past your wrists and up the bottom part of your forearms. Gloves are very tricky to find fit for. You'll have to try and try and try and try. They should fit you fairly snug. A good pair of gloves should set you back around $80. We're not talking about hard core racing gloves here but good street gloves. I'd recommend Olympia, AlpineStar, Cortech/Tourmaster. If you feel like a millionaire, shell out for Held. Or BMW brand. Go to a BMW dealership and check out their gears. Their gloves are Euro-fit so they tend to be skinny with long fingers. You'll see me referring to BMW gears quite a bit after this.

Boots should be heavy leathers with above-ankle for protection. Preferrably modern-style riding boots with hard ankle protection instead of just cruiser-style boots. However for women, cruiser-style boots usually have high heels and thick soles. Might not be a bad idea as a starter pair while you're getting used to riding a bike. For cruiser boots, it's hard to beat Red Wing boots. They are famous for work boots for a reason - tough leathers. For riding boots, SIDI, AlpineStar, Oxtar (aka TCX) are known for making riding boots. You don't need the racer-style boots for street riding or sport riding. A decent set of boots should cost around $100-200. Once again, check out a BMW joint for their women's boots too.

Jackets and pants can be either leather or textile. I'll cover mesh separately. Leather is made out of leather: cowhide, kangaroo, deer, ostriche, ray, shark, snake, etc. Textiles are made out of some types of nylons (cheap nylon, cheap Cordura, fancy Cordura, Kevlar laminated, etc.) Leather is better...to a point. I'd take an Aerostitch brand textile suit over an Icon suit or Joe Rocket suit any day. I'd take a BMW textile suit over the same any day too. It's not even the thickness or the grade of leathers but also of the stitchings. If the seams bust when you slide on the ground then all those fancy leathers ain't gonna help you much. That's why you want to buy motorcycle leathers and not just any leathers. And when you hit the ground, you're gonna impact something, so get jackets with armor if possible (preferrably CE Level II rated armors at shoulders & elbows with back as option for the jacket and knee cups for the pants with the optional hip armors).

Generally speaking, leathers are heavier, less comfortable and hotter and miserable in the Miami area because of the high humidity. It's easy to say that it's better to sweat than bleed than actually doing it. If you go out on a weekend ride then that's a fine statement to make. But if you commute and get stuck in traffic and your body overheats because of the leathers, you're going to either pass out or lose concentration and crash. In this case, leathers didn't do you any favor.

Textiles offer less abrasion resistance, but lighter and cooler. You pay for convenience with less protection. Try to stay away from cheap nylon and at least go with heavy Cordura. Aerostitch is well known for their textile gears. BMW's textile gears are also top notch. BMW gears tend to be more "fashionable" too. They take the image thing very seriously and try to design gears that you can wear off the bike without looking too much like a street racer or a Baja rider. Cortech/Tourmaster textiles seem to be OK, as are Field Sheer and AlpineStar, but frankly I only trust myself to BMW textiles.

Mesh. There are several types of mesh gears. Cheap nylon mesh that are slightly better than T-shirt, textile outfits with patches of nylon mesh at the torso area and knees, etc., or fancy mesh gears. Cheap nylon mesh are abound from Joe Rocket, First Gear, Icon, Field Sheer, et al. Dainese makes a textile/mesh combo jacket and I think that AlpineStar would offer this sort of combo. The BMW AirFlow is another combo. I think that for Miami, a textile/mesh combo might be better than 100% textile or 100% mesh. It's not too hot there but you do want some decent airflow in order to mitigate the humidity. Then there are the fancy mesh. I only know of two outfits that have fancy mesh: BMW and Motoport. These meshes are made out of heavy textile or kevlar. They are not as good as leathers but they are easily as good as fancy textile.

But what about denim/khaki riding pants? that's your call to make. Regular denims and khakis don't last much more than a few feet of sliding on pavement. Riding denims are a little bit heavier but not that much more. BMW used to have riding pants that look like denim but it seems like they had phased it out. Too bad. Do I have denim riding pants? Yes, I do and I wear them if I were to ride a few miles around the neighborhood. If I were to hit the freeway or highway at all, riding pants (either textile or leathers) are what I wear.

Let's talk about you, Mistress Maygin, in particular. You have quite of a curvaceous figure (:drool:), so it will be tough to find a jacket that would fit you right. Try the Field Sheer women's jackets (I'd suggest the Alpina leather jacket or its textile version). They cut it to be a bit generous on top, with a flare at the hip and cinch at the waist.

I personally would suggest that as a beginner, you deck yourself out from top to bottom and worry about the "cool" or "chic" look later when you are a better rider and have to worry less about going down. Maybe then you would consider wearing denims.

I can tell you that a BMW textile jacket of some sort would run around $500 and the pants would run around $400.

Riding apparels are meant to fit snug but not tight. Gloves should be snug. Boots should fit like regular boots. Helmet should be tight but not to the point of giving you headache or pinch your cheeks so hard that you can't breath. There should be no gaps around your head.

Motorhelmets.com will sell you with good discount if you were to contact them and tell them that HT sends you. I spend thousands of dollars with them so they give a little extra discount to the people that I send their way. They're very close to me and I know the sales people personally.

But if you were to want to save all the hassles of hunting for bits and pieces of gears, just go to a BMW dealership and the knowledgeable sales people will hook you up. BMW has a line of female gears that's guarantee to fit most women who aren't fat. These sales people can measure you up and consult the charts if they don't have the sizes in stock. And if the gears don't fit, they can exchange for ones that do. Just remember that the blue/white propeller Roundel means that it ain't gonna be cheap. It will be good and it will be right, but it won't be cheap.

It's not ridiculous at all to have a set of basic gear that costs nearly $2000. It sounds a lot but how valuable is your skin? You're one sexy young woman. The last thing that you need is a bunch of nasty scars heaven forbids you get into a crash.

I'm glad this is the succinct version!!!:whistle:

For once we agree...

FN- very well written :dthumb:

MMaygin- Check out the Alpinestars (A*) Stella Corset jacket. It has a pretty generous cut for chest and hips, and the corset lacing lacing combined with the draw straps and hip zippers make it easy to fine tune.

I believe it's "Sweat dries faster than blood." There's also "Gear is cooler than asphalt." :D And there's "If it's too hot to wear gear, it's too hot to ride."

Now matter how ya phrase it, the point is the same. :dthumb:

fnfalman knows his gear. Listen to him!

I have a short, 10 min ride to work. If it's hot, I wear some burly Danner boots, jeans, leather gloves, a mesh jacket and (of course) my helmet.

If I'm going on a longer ride, I wear my 2 piece Joe Rocket leathers. It gets over 100º F and humid here as well. I still wear the leather. It's not perforated, and only has a vent in each arm, and two in the back. My whole suit is solid black. I wanted white to help me stay cool. But, good luck finding that. Black is everywhere and is generally the cheapest color to get.

The only time I get hot is when I'm in town, in traffic. As long as I keep moving, it's not too bad. I wear a 100oz. Camelbak on rides to stay hydrated.

:werd: Camelbacks are GREAT for long hot rides.

I bought one yesterday!

Now there's one piece of equipment I've never tried. I always thought it was unnecessary considering that you have to stop every couple hours or so at the most. Heck,I don't ride more than an hour or so without stopping anymore...getting old! Maybe,I'll try it though.

I have done a lot of mountain biking in my day. I didn't buy the Camelbak for my motorcycle. I had one from my mountain biking gear. I use mine every day. I take it to work, even. I am constantly drinking water. It's not unheard of for me to empty that 100oz before I'm done with work for the day. Then, I go home and drink more water.

If you're wearing a leather suit on a hot day, you should be constantly sipping water. You dehydrate faster than you think.

Yup!!! I got my 1st camelback issued to me by the army 5years ago when I enlisted!! And have loved them ever since! I have em in every size from concealable under my jacket to big back pack!! I love them and go no where without one!!

Down here, it's a lifesaver (literally) on beastly hot days.

:werd:

we got them for mountain biking, too, but found they work just as well for a long, hot summer ride.

Enter Dainese... water in the *hump*

http://tinyurl.com/2kavrl

KICK ASS!!!!!!

She was right, but I like those too.

there are several race suits nowadays that have camelbak-type bladders in the speed hump. I have a Camelbak that I take with me when I go offroading or on long touring trips.

The mesh gears come in handy in stop & go traffic, so if you're a commuter then that's nice to have, but if you're going to do long rides even in hot Arizona desert summer, it's better to wear full textile or even leathers with vents so that you can get that cooling effect from your sweat. Otherwise, the sweat dries off too quickly with the mesh gears when you haul ass on the long rides.

Now that's an excellent point!!!:dthumb:

That is pretty awesome.

that's awesome. I just have a regular camelbak though. Everything straps down really tight so it doesn't move at all. And a trick for the bladders: When you fill it up, hold it upside down and suck all of the air out of it. It gets ride of all of the sloshing and shit.