Getting a DS Bike
 

My 10R is officially gone. I have put a deposit down on a Husqvarna TE630 and am having it shipped from about 450 miles away. The dealer is expecting them to start shipping to him tomorrow.

I'm a bit nervous about buying a bike with no dealer nearby, but I have heard nothing but good things about the older generations of the big husky thumpers (TE610) and feel pretty good about my decision.

I'm in the market for some DS riding gear, so if anyone has any suggestions, let's hear them!

I'm so sure there is a such thing as proper "dual sport" gear. I use street gear when I'm riding on the street and mx gear when I'm riding in the dirt. Anything "dual-sport" will be a compromise.

Yeah, that's the route I'm going. I'm keeping some street gear and plan on buying up some MX gear here shortly. I just have to figure out what fits right first.

First Gear is good
Aerostitch has some good stuff
Sidi has some good inbetween boots

Shoei and Arai both make decent DS helmets.

touratech and twistedthrottle has a bunch of accessories

dualsporttouring.com is another good site.

Dualsporttouring.com are fuck'n awesome.

I love my firstgear stuff... very well thought out IMO

I gotta figure out what motocross helmets will fit me. I have Shoei shaped head, love my RF-1000. I don't want to spend Shoei money on my first helmet though. I'd like to find something with the same internal shape for a lot less money. Local places have terrible selection.

The shoei hornet fits like a X-11. The Arai DS helmet would be more your shape.

so you need a "round" to "intermediate round" shape then.

I think so. Right after I posted that I started digging around to see if anyone has an index of internal helmet shapes. I'm not finding much information. I wish it was just a matter of trying on stuff locally, but I have two things going against me. The local selection sucks, and my head is huge.

webbikeworld usually tells you what the head shape of helmets they test are, but it may not be the most up to date.
sportbiketrackgear also usually gives the fit description if you watch the vids by Brian.