Universal : Riding Gear Thread

[satyenpoojary]

Thanks a ton Satyen. So if i order riding gear and say, tires online, apart from duty what else would i pay (shipping of course, what amount of taxes would i pay, octroi?, etc.?)

Depends on the mood of the customs and postal officials usually... its a location based fixed % from place of "landing & dispatch" ... a bit complicated and confusing...

[pc2211]

Hi Guys, some input needed.... travelling to KL on thu... looking for a complete set of riding gear..any idea if i will get anything worthwhile there?

if any of you know specific places in KL where i could go, would be of great help.

Thanx in advance.

[Sunnyside_up!]

@ Argee - Buddy, if you want to try out the A-stars jacket, both SenthilDSK and Hellsangels of Chennai XBHP have the same jacket - I don't know their sizes, but you will definitely get an idea, so give them a call.

Between the jackets, I would definitely suggest the Mesh A-stars for the Chennai climate. The Nero's definitely cannot be as comfortable to wear as a full mesh version. The A-stars jacket can take an specialist back protector at any time, so you can order one and pop it in when it arrives - in the meanwhile, the supplied foam protector will give you at least basic protection.

That said, AFAIK, no back protector except the armored ones can actually prevent your back flexing the wrong way in a crash - and even they are limited in their efficacy because of the way that they are worn. The regular protectors provided in most jackets are for abrasion resistance and to protect your spine from scraping against the tarmac.

The A-stars waterproof pants are not a good idea in my opinion for regular use. Ravi who joins us regularly when we do Ninja's only rides has a pair and they are quite warm to wear according to him. Also, the knee protectors are very basic foam. He has replaced them with CE hard protectors, but they are flappy and cannot be fitted properly. Their only real attraction in my opinion would be abrasion protection, since they are not even padded.

I would suggest a sturdy pair of jeans ( Draggin Jeans is the world leader in casual motorcycle clothing with Kevlar and Dyneema, the World's Strongest Fibre, forming its revolutionary lining ? ) with a pair of bionic knee pads for the Chennai climate - even Cramster (as suggested by Neil ) would do the job well. I crashed two weeks back and though I shredded my jeans, my Cramsters kept my knees safe - not a scratch - didn't even feel the impact. Oh - and I wear my knee-pads under my jeans.

As for gloves, I would recommend a quality pair since any crash is going to have you contacting the road with your hands - I would recommend the A-stars SP-X - very well designed and made - you can check this out with Senthildsk again - he has a pair.

Hope this helps.

P.S. - Also suggest that you look at a pair of quality boots - they've saved my feet twice in the last two weeks!!

[aargee]

travelling to KL on thu... looking for a complete set of riding gear..any idea if i will get anything worthwhile there?

Kochi - Planet DSG; call up Mr.Sabu (098447373966) in advance & ask him to get the stocks that you intent to buy.

@ Argee - Buddy, if you want to try out the A-stars jacket, both SenthilDSK and Hellsangels of Chennai XBHP have the same jacket - I don't know their sizes, but you will definitely get an idea, so give them a call.

Thanks for the pointer; will check them out before transfering the money; either ways, DSG is least interested in business too

Between the jackets, I would definitely suggest the Mesh A-stars for the Chennai climate.

Model?

The Nero's definitely cannot be as comfortable to wear as a full mesh version.

Correct & I've ruled it out from my list

The A-stars jacket can take an specialist back protector at any time, so you can order one and pop it in when it arrives - in the meanwhile, the supplied foam protector will give you at least basic protection.

Agreed

That said, AFAIK, no back protector except the armored ones can actually prevent your back flexing the wrong way in a crash - and even they are limited in their efficacy because of the way that they are worn. The regular protectors provided in most jackets are for abrasion resistance and to protect your spine from scraping against the tarmac.

Err...are you saying the CE protected accessory doesn't help as much as a armoured ones? But the armour from A* is way too expensive; it comes in the range of some 16K or so.

The A-stars waterproof pants are not a good idea in my opinion for regular use.

Aargh!!! I'd only 2 things on mind...
1. Abrassiveness
2. Covering the knee cap; I'm little silly to say that I don't like to wear a knee cap that is exposed rather would like to cover it up
3. No separate tie up required, like, if the knee cap is attached to the pants, all I need to do is simply wear the pants instead of tieing up knee caps each time.
But I'm surprised to see your comments against them!!!

Ravi who joins us Their only real attraction in my opinion would be abrasion protection, since they are not even padded.

Ok, I'll give another throught before finalizing

I would suggest a sturdy pair of jeans ( Draggin Jeans is the world leader in casual motorcycle clothing with Kevlar and Dyneema, the World's Strongest Fibre, forming its revolutionary lining ? ) with a pair of bionic knee pads for the Chennai climate

Ok, I'll have a look at the jeans
Edit - I guess this is not available in India yet; I've folks going to US this month end for a period of 2 months, let me see if I can get it through them.
Edit - Sorry; not my cup of cake; did you see the prices? $270 odd for a biker jeans!!! way too expensive.

even Cramster (as suggested by Neil ) would do the job well.

Zaphod & you've given enough proofs; besides its a statement from Neil, so no looking back. Though I do not like Cramster, I'll make an exception on this one.

Oh - and I wear my knee-pads under my jeans.

This is what I wanted to avoid doing everytime

I would recommend the A-stars SP-X - very well designed and made - you can check this out with Senthildsk again - he has a pair.

Well, I finalized upon DSG carbon; no A* with gloves, they cost like bomb. I guess DSG is almost the same as A*

P.S. - Also suggest that you look at a pair of quality boots - they've saved my feet twice in the last two weeks!!

But no riding boots FOR SURE!!! I want Woodlands; but the models I like are like 2-3 years old ones which are no longer being sold these days.

[Sunnyside_up!]

Kochi - Planet DSG; call up Mr.Sabu (098447373966) in advance & ask him to get the stocks that you intent to buy.

Err......I thought KL was Kuala Lumpur...

Model?

The A-stars T Breeze

Err...are you saying the CE protected accessory doesn't help as much as a armoured ones? But the armour from A* is way too expensive; it comes in the range of some 16K or so.

Well, if you're serious about serious back protection, then that's the way to go.

Aargh!!! I'd only 2 things on mind...
1. Abrassiveness
2. Covering the knee cap; I'm little silly to say that I don't like to wear a knee cap that is exposed rather would like to cover it up
3. No separate tie up required, like, if the knee cap is attached to the pants, all I need to do is simply wear the pants instead of tieing up knee caps each time.
But I'm surprised to see your comments against them!!!

Actually dedicated and properly fitted knee-pads will do better than some protectors flapping around in your pants - so....

Ok, I'll have a look at the jeans
Edit - I guess this is not available in India yet; I've folks going to US this month end for a period of 2 months, let me see if I can get it through them.
Edit - Sorry; not my cup of cake; did you see the prices? $270 odd for a biker jeans!!! way too expensive.

Lol!

Well, I finalized upon DSG carbon; no A* with gloves, they cost like bomb. I guess DSG is almost the same as A*

No offence to DSG - but IMHO there is simply no comparison in build quality.

But no riding boots FOR SURE!!! I want Woodlands; but the models I like are like 2-3 years old ones which are no longer being sold these days.

Woodlands are great hiking/all-purpose footwear but to compare them with dedicated riding boots?

[aargee]

Err......I thought KL was Kuala Lumpur...

Oh!!! May be I overlooked

The A-stars T Breeze

Yeah, but that's the one I'm buying!!!

Well, if you're serious about serious back protection, then that's the way to go.

Anyway, not now!!!

Actually dedicated and properly fitted knee-pads will do better than some protectors flapping around in your pants - so....

No offence to DSG - but IMHO there is simply no comparison in build quality.

Woodlands are great hiking/all-purpose footwear but to compare them with dedicated riding boots?

See, actually these are for everyday use, does anyone use A* for everyday use? Not sure. Besides, riding everyday with all gears imagine everytime, twice a day I've to wear & remove...
1. The jackets
2. Knee pads
3. Pants
4. Riding shoes (and wear the formals)
And not to mention the gloves!!!

Woodland is fine, but wouldn't wear everyday to office. That's why I prefer just 2 or 3 wears, jacket, pant & gloves, so that the pant contains the knee protection & jacket contains the elbow, shoulder & back protection.

PS - On a lighter note, imagine the quality of gears worn compared to the puny little Rx, people would really lol!!!

[aargee]

Need Help - Guys, do you know who else stocks A* in India apart from Planet DSG? The response is more than worst with Pune DSG. Can someone help me pls? Tks.

[pc2211]

Kochi - Planet DSG; call up Mr.Sabu (098447373966) in advance & ask him to get the stocks that you intent to buy.

Err......I thought KL was Kuala Lumpur...

My error

Meant Kuala Lumpur... any idea about stuff there?

[Sunnyside_up!]

Need Help - Guys, do you know who else stocks A* in India apart from Planet DSG? The response is more than worst with Pune DSG. Can someone help me pls? Tks.

AFAIK, DSG is like a superstockist for A-Stars in India - everyone else takes stock from them and therefore likely to be more expensive.

[sheelpriye]

Man, I envy your riding gear. Can you post the stuff on the riding gear thread, do that I may oggle at it.

On Nikhil's demand--
JoeRocket.com (I have in full black)

JoeRocket.com

Pictures by sheelpriye - Photobucket

Alpinestars isn't featured anywhere as I got a fake one.

Shoes-
WOODLAND

Will get a JR or Alpine Stars next.

[Sunnyside_up!]

On Nikhil's demand--
JoeRocket.com (I have in full black)

JoeRocket.com

Pictures by sheelpriye - Photobucket

Alpinestars isn't featured anywhere as I got a fake one.

Shoes-
WOODLAND

Will get a JR or Alpine Stars next.

Since your gear is waterproof, get the JR Sonic boots.

A question - how comfortable is the jacket in warm weather? And the pants? Are they ok for warm weather too?

I'm a JR fan too and have their jacket, gloves and boots. Not sure which pants to buy though - so your feedback would be helpful.

[n_aditya]

I am looking for waterproof boots (since i cant invest in 2 pairs, i'd rather just buy a waterproof pair) and have zeroed in on the below 2 brands.

1. RJays H2O Boots (5.9k INR)

2. JoeRocket.com (8.5k INR)

Please review the features and help me decide. I was interested in the Joe Rocket but the RJays H2O seems to be better in terms of protection (i'm not too much into looks, protection matters more for me).

Here are the differentiating factors between RJays and Joe Rocket (protection features).

RJays:

• Reinforced toe and heel protection
• Ankle and shin plated protection

Joe Rocket:

• Reinforced padded shin with hook and loop closure
• Padded ankle area
• Molded plastic side impact protection

Please help me decide between the above two boots. Intending to make the purchase by this weekend.

I am leaning towards RJays since it has plated protection compared to the Joe Rocket that has only padded protection. Plus RJays is cheaper by 2k.

[sheelpriye]

Since your gear is waterproof, get the JR Sonic boots.

A question - how comfortable is the jacket in warm weather? And the pants? Are they ok for warm weather too?

I'm a JR fan too and have their jacket, gloves and boots. Not sure which pants to buy though - so your feedback would be helpful.

I like Super Street more.

Jacket is comfy, it has a winter liner, you can remove them.

Pants have a water-proof liner & w/o removing the liner you CANNOT wear them in summer, even in a climate controlled environment. Which means they do the job in freezing winters.

I wanted to get the Alter Ego as it appeared cooler, but functionality wise Ballistic rocks.

I would say, money well spent.

[Sunnyside_up!]

Here are the differentiating factors between RJays and Joe Rocket (protection features).

RJays:

• Reinforced toe and heel protection
• Ankle and shin plated protection

Joe Rocket:

• Reinforced padded shin with hook and loop closure
• Padded ankle area
• Molded plastic side impact protection

Please help me decide between the above two boots. Intending to make the purchase by this weekend.

I am leaning towards RJays since it has plated protection compared to the Joe Rocket that has only padded protection. Plus RJays is cheaper by 2k.

Buddy,

I did a lot of research before buying my boots and these are some of the protection features that I learned a boot should have;

- A boot should ideally have a reinforced heel and toe area
- The heel and ankle are especially prone to damage and apart from having a reinforced ankle/heel area, the boot should ideally have a mechanism to anchor the foot to the protected heel area, so that the foot does not move around inside the boot in the event of a crash. So a good boot normally has some kind of mechanism to 'lock' the foot in position within the boot. Most high end track boots have this feature.
- A more sophisticated boot will also have features that prevent the ankle from twisting in the event of a crash . Several of Puma/Sidi/Dainese models have this additional protection.
- Metal components do not add to the impact protection - they are more suitable to aid in 'sliding' e.g. toe-sliders. Of course they may aid in penetration protection by providing an additional layer of hardened material.

I haven't examined either of these boots but if I were you I would go with the one that had most of the features listed above.

I hope that this helps.

[harikeshpk]

Originally Posted by n_aditya
Here are the differentiating factors between RJays and Joe Rocket (protection features).


Molded plastic side impact protection
Please help me decide between the above two boots. Intending to make the purchase by this weekend.

I am leaning towards RJays since it has plated protection compared to the Joe Rocket that has only padded protection. Plus RJays is cheaper by 2k.

--------------------------------------

try and wear both boots. the one thats the most comfortable is the right boot for you.