Universal : Riding Gear Thread

[neil.jericho]

Back to the riding gear thread after a mini break on account of too much work. Wanted to share my thoughts on riding gear. Theres no right or wrong thought process on this issue. It comes down to your personal take on your own safety.

I own a KBC Bulldog, DSG Nero, Cramster TRG2, Cramster kneeguards and A* SMX2 boots. The knee guards get used on long rides cause I find them difficult to manage on a day to day basis. Except for office the SMX2 gets used for every ride. The KBC, Nero & TRG2 are non - negotiable.

Based on my 4 years in xbhp Ive noticed that many members prefer to not pull out the jacket and gloves for short trips around the block / to the grocery store etc due to the inconvenience factor. This is much better than most Indian bikers who do not wear a helmet for such 10 - 15 min trips. But if you think about it, the possiblity of you having an accident is the same whether you are .5 kms away from home, 5 kms away from home or 50 kms away from home.

Will an idiot running across the street without looking left or right stop himself and think - "Waitaminute, there must be someone who stays in this vicinity who is not wearing all his riding gear / helmet and hence I must be careful and not cause an accident, lest he hurt himself"

God forbid, if you do have an accident, the very same people who give you stares and make jokes about how expensive your riding gear is will make even bigger jokes about how you spent so much on your riding gear and werent even wearing it when you needed it.

[neil.jericho]

Wrt how does everyone else perceive you with all your riding gear? Of course initially there will be surprise that you have spent so much money on something you will never use. Thats your typical Indian mentality - Bad things always happen to someone else.

The problem is you never know when it might happen to you. Some people go years without having an incident while riding recklessly without a helmet even. That has more to do with divine providence and the fact that other people on the road have been careful. Why take chances because as we all know the streets are filled with idiots.

[NiXTriX]

Back to the riding gear thread after a mini break on account of too much work. Wanted to share my thoughts on riding gear. Theres no right or wrong thought process on this issue. It comes down to your personal take on your own safety.
....

Based on my 4 years in xbhp Ive noticed that many members prefer to not pull out the jacket and gloves for short trips around the block / to the grocery store etc due to the inconvenience factor. This is much better than most Indian bikers who do not wear a helmet for such 10 - 15 min trips. But if you think about it, the possiblity of you having an accident is the same whether you are .5 kms away from home, 5 kms away from home or 50 kms away from home.

Will an idiot running across the street without looking left or right stop himself and think - "Waitaminute, there must be someone who stays in this vicinity who is not wearing all his riding gear / helmet and hence I must be careful and not cause an accident, lest he hurt himself"

God forbid, if you do have an accident, the very same people who give you stares and make jokes about how expensive your riding gear is will make even bigger jokes about how you spent so much on your riding gear and werent even wearing it when you needed it.

Very true this and I can say with experience that this is very true. I met with an accident .5 kms from my home after travelling 20 kms. So you never know when the idiot decides to cross the road.
The only thing that can relied upon is human stupidity.

[aman15]

Wrt how does everyone else perceive you with all your riding gear? Of course initially there will be surprise that you have spent so much money on something you will never use. Thats your typical Indian mentality - Bad things always happen to someone else.

The problem is you never know when it might happen to you. Some people go years without having an incident while riding recklessly without a helmet even. That has more to do with divine providence and the fact that other people on the road have been careful. Why take chances because as we all know the streets are filled with idiots.

Well said sir even some of my friends ask me why this jacket and helmet ? I say for protection and they say So you have decided to crash today itself.. And they say "bachne wala bach jata hai nahi toh nahi"(some people do survive without helmet and safety gears) . This is the mentality of these Loser's .. And i say to myself when these people will Taste the sweetness of the tarmac then they will understand..

[NaveenRk]

Speaking of Riding gears and the common perception by our acquaintances, a dear friend of mine and other friends still feel I've been wasting money on buying a Good Helmet(5k), glove(2k) and Knee&Elbow guards (yet to get a Jacket). They feel all these are needed only for track use and there is no use for them on road. Worst of all they say a Rs500 helmet will be sufficient. One owns a FZ and 4 others own R15. Eventhough they follow traffic rules and ride responsibly, one can never expect the unexpected on the rode. I try my best to explain them the need for the protective gears but it's of no use as of now but it may change in future.

Have to admit I would've had the same mentality if not for xBhp and the members here.

My 2cents: Don't feel ashamed or shy to use the riding gears for a short ride or while going out with friends who don't use them. After all its better to be laughed at than getting our body parts bruised.

So Gear up, Ride safe and Enjoy the Ride.

[Vishakh]

Usually the lining part is cumbersome because it's new and you don't know how to remove and put it back on. Try it a few times, every now and then, it's just so easy.

On the confidence part, +1 I can say it improved my driving capability to new heights. So it's good to wear it all the time.

Regarding knee guard and jacket usage, commuting part, it really depends. If you're in for short drive, you really need not wear it all the time. Anything exceeding 5 KMS then you can wear. I do it like this. When I go buy groceries and stuff, I don't wear anything, as it makes you more weirder to other in those situations, and I've personally experienced people staring at me like I dropped in from MARS pretty embarrassing.

On a lighter note, wearing knee pads for college commute isn't that big of a deal, it's usually a good thing to wear knee pads all the time. But the thing is, during short travel, and when there is frequency of meeting with people and all those stuffs, that's where riding gears become a pain in the @#$#.

So best bet, wear a knee pad, a helmet and a glove to your college commute, forget the jacket. All these are small and can be accommodated in a slightly bigger bag other than helmet.

P.S. I shouldn't be saying not wear the jacket which is a sin by its nature, but then at some cases you gotta do what you gotta do.

Cheers!
VJ

My college is 25 kms from home. And i stay in the opposite part of the town. I have to cross the city heart to and fro. And the great part is the intelligent govt people have made the national highway here only some 15 metre wide. So jacket is unavoidable . Anyways I am planning to carry a big cover and put the jacket and knee guards then tie it. That seems the best option. Well I only take bike to college like 3 days in a week. So i think I will live with it .

And yeah I only wear a helmet for rides within 3 kms. My house is in the outskirts of the city so not much road idiots. And I have an activa or short rides usually travel in a low pace (20 - 30 kmph).

I too have bought the riding gear recently and am getting used to it.

Jacket : Spartan
Gloves : Spartan full gauntlet (similar to cramster TRG2)
Knee Pad : Cramster bionic

I found that wearing jacket takes the least time. For me its the gloves and knee pads which take most time to wear. And so many times i wear gloves first and i am unable to fasten the helmets strap. So have to remove the glove in one hand and fasten the helmet strap and wear the gloves again.

My office is around 25kms from home. I always the full riding gear to office. And about keeping the jacket/knee-gaurds. I carry a laptop bag which is quite spacious. It easily accommodates my jacket with knee guards. Though the bag becomes a bubble but riding gear is better inside the bag. Gloves are kept in helmet while in office and in Almira in home.

Plus i try to reach office 10 min earlier than my usual time. 95% of people come by company bus in my office. So i avoid many people staring at me at the parking lot. Same at the time of leaving. Leave 5-10 min early.


The thing that i found most uncomfortable while riding was using a balaclava. I tried using 2-3 times but every time the time i was getting suffocated after sometime. Plus there was some threads popping out of it which used to touch the skin of my face when air used to flow over it. Which made me more uncomfortable. I have removed all those threads by scissors but still suffocating kind of feeling is still there. For now have stopped using it. Any suggestions in proper use of balaclava.?

Thats a good idea. I will too be following this. Except leaving the college part. I will leave 15- 20 minutes later after all students leave . Thanks for sharing with us.

[sanjay8214]

Octain/Nero/Triton---need help

Hello Guys,
After doing research on the jackets I want your help in deciding which jacket to buy.
My requirement: all weather jacket, and I would be doing a leh trip and the east India trip; after doing my research I found that DSG nero or DSG triton is a very good choice and for rains I could use a duckback rain suit.
I also came across another brand, which is Rjays Octain jacket----now keeping in mind the cold weather of the Himalayas, I am unsure if the Rjays octane jacket will live upto its reputation.

Note: if you guys say Octane, then I will go directly to Mumbai (bichoo motors) and purchase it and if you guys say DSG nero or Triton then I will go to Pune and buy it.


Regards,

[saurabhjd]

Hello Guys,
After doing research on the jackets I want your help in deciding which jacket to buy.
My requirement: all weather jacket, and I would be doing a leh trip and the east India trip; after doing my research I found that DSG nero or DSG triton is a very good choice and for rains I could use a duckback rain suit.
I also came across another brand, which is Rjays Octain jacket----now keeping in mind the cold weather of the Himalayas, I am unsure if the Rjays octane jacket will live upto its reputation.

Note: if you guys say Octane, then I will go directly to Mumbai (bichoo motors) and purchase it and if you guys say DSG nero or Triton then I will go to Pune and buy it.


Regards,

octane and triton, both better than nero.
but you seem to be confused about the jackets. see, octane is rather a summer jacket. its a total mesh jacket. and triton is rather opposite to octane. its waterproof (supposed to be), but its not so comfortable in hot weather. but triton comes with a very good winter liner. i am actually using both these jackets.

yet to test the triton's ability in rains, but its damn good in winters. octane is not so good in rains and also dont have winter liner. so, if you are going to buy a jacket while keeping cold weather in mind then triton is for you

but for daily use, there simply no match for octane. and its armour quality is much much better than any other jacket in the same price range or even better than some jackets much costlier than it.

choice is yours.

[B7ACKTHORN]

Hello Guys,
After doing research on the jackets I want your help in deciding which jacket to buy.
My requirement: all weather jacket, and I would be doing a leh trip and the east India trip; after doing my research I found that DSG nero or DSG triton is a very good choice and for rains I could use a duckback rain suit.
I also came across another brand, which is Rjays Octain jacket----now keeping in mind the cold weather of the Himalayas, I am unsure if the Rjays octane jacket will live upto its reputation.

Note: if you guys say Octane, then I will go directly to Mumbai (bichoo motors) and purchase it and if you guys say DSG nero or Triton then I will go to Pune and buy it.


Regards,

RJays Octane is a mesh one, why is it mesh? Because in summer, you need more air flow from being cooked inside the jacket. This jacket also comes with a removable water-resistant liner. It can save you from slight downpour and providers adequate winter protection.

DSG Triton is a jacket that is meant only for WINTER. It has all that you ask for, and should be the perfect jacket if you are planning for Leh. But you can't use it daily unlike Octane, because the jacket has two liners, and it gets pretty hot even if you're on the move.

Go for Triton if you are going to use it in winter, or the Rjays Octane if you are gonna use it in summer.

Correction bro: It's Bachoo Motors not (Bichoo Motors) and Octane not (Octain) just a friendly note. So that newbies are not confused

Cheers!
VJ

[sanjay8214]

thank you B7ACKTHORN and saurabhjd; pardon the typo error .....i appriciate your inputs and i would go for the triton jacket.
thank you again and i will post the pic once i buy it....this info helped me in making up my mind....

[T.H.O.R]

Hi Everyone,
This is an amazing thread and has been really helpful for me to select my Riding Gear:
RJAYS OCTANE -Camo & RJAYS Canyon Gloves - from Bachhoo Motors
HJC ZF-10 Strike Helmet - a friend abroad sent it acoross
KNOX Cross Bionic Knee Guards - AtoZ, Mulund
Boots - Currently will use the Army ones.
Ride - RE-DS - expected in another week.

Thank you all for those reviews/opinions about the riding gear.
Am also looking for some Bandanas, but unable to find any stores.
People in Mumbai - pls help if you know of any stores which sell Bandanas. Am aware of Online stores, but would like to check personally before I buy.

Thanks & Safe Riding

[Eshan-P180]

Check this out tourers...Found this

Equipment, Saddle Bag | Pro

[vivekarizma]

I too have bought the riding gear recently and am getting used to it.

Jacket : Spartan
Gloves : Spartan full gauntlet (similar to cramster TRG2)
Knee Pad : Cramster bionic

I found that wearing jacket takes the least time. For me its the gloves and knee pads which take most time to wear. And so many times i wear gloves first and i am unable to fasten the helmets strap. So have to remove the glove in one hand and fasten the helmet strap and wear the gloves again.

My office is around 25kms from home. I always the full riding gear to office. And about keeping the jacket/knee-gaurds. I carry a laptop bag which is quite spacious. It easily accommodates my jacket with knee guards. Though the bag becomes a bubble but riding gear is better inside the bag. Gloves are kept in helmet while in office and in Almira in home.

Plus i try to reach office 10 min earlier than my usual time. 95% of people come by company bus in my office. So i avoid many people staring at me at the parking lot. Same at the time of leaving. Leave 5-10 min early.


The thing that i found most uncomfortable while riding was using a balaclava. I tried using 2-3 times but every time the time i was getting suffocated after sometime. Plus there was some threads popping out of it which used to touch the skin of my face when air used to flow over it. Which made me more uncomfortable. I have removed all those threads by scissors but still suffocating kind of feeling is still there. For now have stopped using it. Any suggestions in proper use of balaclava.?

well me too planning to buy a spartan jacket after looking into Dinesh bro's review on it..main thing is, it looks good and compromising when compared with the others in the market and also within the budget! Could you pl provide me the address of the shop where you bought it?? I believe that you guys have purchased spartan stuffs from Sunil sir's outlet based in Panayur! if not, pl provide me the address so that let me have a look on it before going for something in the market!
@Dinesh anna pl help!

[venkatramanp]

Good shop for jackets / gloves in Bangalore?

I visited Orion near forum mall (above yamaha showroom). They have some decent collection - but couldn't get RJay's Swift / DSG Revive glove of my size (M).

Are there any other shop in Bangalore selling these products?

I'm yet to visit the Cramster shop to check their jackets.

I'm looking at either Rjay's Swift or Cramster Breezer 4.0. Any recommendation between these two?

[B7ACKTHORN]

I visited Orion near forum mall (above yamaha showroom). They have some decent collection - but couldn't get RJay's Swift / DSG Revive glove of my size (M).

Are there any other shop in Bangalore selling these products?

I'm yet to visit the Cramster shop to check their jackets.

I'm looking at either Rjay's Swift or Cramster Breezer 4.0. Any recommendation between these two?

I have no idea as to who are selling in Bangalore, but then do have a look at Bachoo Motors Home - BIKES I RIDING GEAR I PERFORMANCE ACCESSORIES I SPARES and there is this guy called Zulfikar Khan. He's the main dealer for Rjays stuffs. You can contact him through e-mail, very pleasant to deal with, super fast shipping and good stuffs.

You can order the same DSG gloves from their own website, if you aren't able to find it in Blore, more or less the same price. Of course you have to pay for shipping :

Regarding Cramster Breezer 4.0 or RJays both are mesh and provide adequate protection. RJays Swift has only one liner which is water-resistant, will give you adequate rain protection and OK winter protection.

The Cramster Breezer 4.0 has two liners, one is a water-resistant liner and another liner for winter, which is a best all rounder for the price. So in that case, Cramster is a good bet, considering it's like an all-weather wear.

Cheers!
VJ