Universal : Riding Gear Thread

[aargee]

re: Universal : Riding Gear Thread

means, i want to know if its the real a*. and i will be buying it online

My suggestion would be is to get in touch with A* to check out who's the authorized dealer in India - Contact Us | Alpinestars

However, these days I (am doing and) recommend buying them online - Alpinestars Gloves - Motorcycle Gloves | MotoSport India

There're million guys who do international shipping, but, one of the guys who really rock are http://www.motorcyclegear.com/ This guy is my personal favorite because, they do a super practical review on products & their sizing & provide an excellent customer service. Mostly the size that we order can never go wrong with these guys.

[Panini]

re: Universal : Riding Gear Thread

LEATHER IN BANGALORE

1. Does anyone use leather jackets in Bangalore, or is leather too hot for the place? I'd like to get myself one but I'm afraid I might give myself a heat stroke.
Your opinions?

2. What about gloves? Leather or textile? I feel given the very thin layer of flesh and the amount of dexterity required from that part of the body, it's much better to go for the best protection possible even if it means sweating like a pig.

3. Finally legs: pants or knee guards. I'm veering towards knee guards since this is already running out of my budget, and because I feel pants wouldn't provide too much of an added benefit over knee guards. Also what to look out for when buying knee guards?

4. Is knox shoulder and elbow armour for jackets significantly better than regular armour?

Your thoughts?

Staying in East Bangalore, I've seen xtorque and 6000 miles from the Isle of Man. Haven't yet been to Orion motors and that place in Cunningham road. Suggestions on better VFM places?

PS: how tightly is a motojacket supposed to fit. Super snug, or with room for eventual belly circumference expansion? What about the shoulders? Do non leather jackets also stretch around the shoulders or at least become softer around the joints?

[aargee]

re: Universal : Riding Gear Thread

Your opinions?

Yes, leather is hotter than textile & mesh jackets

What about gloves? Leather or textile?

The standard ones available in the market that comes with partly leather make + knuckle protections

Also what to look out for when buying knee guards?

Bionic knee guards are slightly better than regular motocross knee guards

Is knox shoulder and elbow armour for jackets significantly better than regular armour? Your thoughts?

Yes; Knox armors are superior

Suggestions on better VFM places?

Planet DSG & Crapster

how tightly is a motojacket supposed to fit. Super snug, or with room for eventual belly circumference expansion?

Snug & every material expands on regular usage

[Ron Syl]

re: Universal : Riding Gear Thread

Only little niggle that scrapped off a bit of of my grin is the absence of the green tab that was supposed to come in :P Got the orange blue and the red one and Sapna told they would get the green one later, probably ran out of the green ones as it is manufactured in Pakistan :P #MaukaMauka . Did you get the green ?

Congo on the buy
i have not collected the colour straps yet. i will do it on Wednesday.

few pics from my side.

front

inside.

the sas-tec back protector

thickness of the back protector

outside shoulder protector. there is one inside also. this outside one is basically to avoid your jacket getting scrapped


Back

the pouch at the back, thats the rain jacket folded inside.

rain jacket

how is looks.

LEATHER IN BANGALORE

1. Does anyone use leather jackets in Bangalore, or is leather too hot for the place? I'd like to get myself one but I'm afraid I might give myself a heat stroke.
Your opinions?

2. What about gloves? Leather or textile? I feel given the very thin layer of flesh and the amount of dexterity required from that part of the body, it's much better to go for the best protection possible even if it means sweating like a pig.

3. Finally legs: pants or knee guards. I'm veering towards knee guards since this is already running out of my budget, and because I feel pants wouldn't provide too much of an added benefit over knee guards. Also what to look out for when buying knee guards?

4. Is knox shoulder and elbow armour for jackets significantly better than regular armour?

Your thoughts?

Staying in East Bangalore, I've seen xtorque and 6000 miles from the Isle of Man. Haven't yet been to Orion motors and that place in Cunningham road. Suggestions on better VFM places?

PS: how tightly is a motojacket supposed to fit. Super snug, or with room for eventual belly circumference expansion? What about the shoulders? Do non leather jackets also stretch around the shoulders or at least become softer around the joints?

1. I have not seen people using leather jackets (riding jackets i mean) in city. i have just seen those normal leather jackets being used. Rather go for textile.
2. these days gloves will be mixed with some part leather and some part textile. dsg, trackbreed, spartan are good.
3. knee guards is better since pants dont fit correctly for all. knox has really good knee guards.
4. are you talking about those thin jackets that only have elbow and shoulders armours? (they are visible outside). if yes then please opt for a proper jacket.

It should be snug fit. The jacket should let you be comfortable with movements. but it shouldnt be lose as to the armours keep moving a lot. after the initial breakin the jackets become soft but it will be fine.
I am surprised you didnt check lets gear up try ADVBreed, spartan aspida helios.

[aargee]

re: Universal : Riding Gear Thread

Folks, esp the RE lovers, try & get some riding gears on your next purchase from Royal Enfield if possible & post up your reviews. Some of us who own other motorcycle brand also love to own those riding gears if they provide a good value for money

[Sourjya Guha]

re: Universal : Riding Gear Thread

...
I started with short gloves (DSG Revive), but after using full gauntlet from SPG, I think, I feel a little more comfortable as I feel my wrists are protected. That said, I also had a minor break on my wrist bones in 2013 still wearing SPG Ares (full gauntlet). I tend to think positive considering the damage was minimal because of the gloves. Short gloves exposes a very negligible part of the wrist between the end of jacket & the short gloves. This is the difference. My pick always has been a full gauntlet.

I think gloves would mostly save one from abrasion but little from impact unless you are using a real good one. Also, it is very smart to get one with a scaphoid sliders (KNOX SPS). This would go a long way to save you from breaking the wrist as your hand doesn't just stop there and instead slide through.

LEATHER IN BANGALORE

1. Does anyone use leather jackets in Bangalore, or is leather too hot for the place? I'd like to get myself one but I'm afraid I might give myself a heat stroke.
Your opinions?

2. What about gloves? Leather or textile? I feel given the very thin layer of flesh and the amount of dexterity required from that part of the body, it's much better to go for the best protection possible even if it means sweating like a pig.

3. Finally legs: pants or knee guards. I'm veering towards knee guards since this is already running out of my budget, and because I feel pants wouldn't provide too much of an added benefit over knee guards. Also what to look out for when buying knee guards?

4. Is knox shoulder and elbow armour for jackets significantly better than regular armour?

Your thoughts?

Staying in East Bangalore, I've seen xtorque and 6000 miles from the Isle of Man. Haven't yet been to Orion motors and that place in Cunningham road. Suggestions on better VFM places?

PS: how tightly is a motojacket supposed to fit. Super snug, or with room for eventual belly circumference expansion? What about the shoulders? Do non leather jackets also stretch around the shoulders or at least become softer around the joints?

Leather in the city would be over protection IMO unless you drive like a maniac which you never should. Leathers will be obviously be better for protection but you will sweat like a pig. You won't be as hot as you would be sweating. Still, if you have your mind set on leathers, make sure you get ones that are perforated. Else look at textile/mesh.

I suggest a leather gloves with scaphoid sliders. If you are riding more than half of an hour then get perforated one else go for anything, it won't make much of a difference.

Leg/Knee is the interesting bit with not too many options around at decent price yet. If budget is not an issue, for a Dainese/A* bionic knee guard else go with a moto cross style one. I use the Thor sector, sometimes inside and sometimes outside. Either way, it is comfortable and build well.

Knox are famous for making protective gear so they are at par with A* and Dainese but at a slight lesser price. Whatever you get, make sure they are CE certified.

I hope you have planned for a boot as well. The ankle is most at risk IMO.

Also, would recommend wearing and getting used to gears one by one. Maybe on every week (Start with jacket then the gloves then the knees and boots and so on). Else, suddenly you will feel very uncomfortable riding which is again very dangerous.

Congo on the buy
i have not collected the colour straps yet. i will do it on Wednesday.

few pics from my side.
...

Thanks and
Do let me know if they have the green one

[kety213]

re: Universal : Riding Gear Thread

Genuine A* gloves start at 4k plus. Also, buy it from authorized sellers to get the genuine product. Planetdsg is one such place.

Hey [MENTION=41586]Divya Sharan[/MENTION] I bought TRG2 gloves...need some help. Its xxl n loose on fingers they were having the last piece so bought it...is it ok to continue with them?

Sent from my Panasonic P81 using xBhp Connect mobile app

[Divya Sharan]

re: Universal : Riding Gear Thread

Hey @Divya Sharan I bought TRG2 gloves...need some help. Its xxl n loose on fingers they were having the last piece so bought it...is it ok to continue with them?

Sent from my Panasonic P81 using xBhp Connect mobile app

How loose are they?
I don't like snug fit gloves because the end tips of my fingers start paining after 30 odd min of riding in tight/exact snug fit gloves. Hence, I wear one size larger gloves.

[kety213]

re: Universal : Riding Gear Thread

How loose are they?
I don't like snug fit gloves because the end tips of my fingers start paining after 30 odd min of riding in tight/exact snug fit gloves. Hence, I wear one size larger gloves.

They are just a bit loose, but fits my palm perfect...my fingers a very thin so i guess that should not be a big concern. It also doesn't hurt my finger tips. I wore them for near two hours in evening peak hour traffic just to get the feel and it was manageable...

I asked just because i tried SPG centaur and its fitting was like second skin. The leather to was thin on centaur...not like thick on TRG2.

My only concern is gripping on handle bars makes my hand feels huge and cant wrap it like normal grip. Any suggestion on that.
Sent from my Panasonic P81 using xBhp Connect mobile app

[Divya Sharan]

re: Universal : Riding Gear Thread

My only concern is gripping on handle bars makes my hand feels huge and cant wrap it like normal grip. Any suggestion on that.

I'd think twice just for this part. If Spartan helps better you may go for it. Else, see if you get used to the TRG2s in a few days.

[P3T3R]

re: Universal : Riding Gear Thread

I'm planning to buy a Duke 390 and I'm looking to buy some necessary safety gear. I don't want to spend a large amount on the ultimate gear but not too little that I end up with gear that offers little or no protection.
- Helmet.
- Gloves.
- Jacket.
- Knee guards.
- Shoes.

Please suggest models/brands with prices and links to the places where I can order from.
- Is 15K a decent enough budget?
- How to I decide on the size for a helmet if ordering online?
- Any other items in addition to the above mentioned ones?

[krish2778]

re: Universal : Riding Gear Thread

I'm planning to buy a Duke 390 and I'm looking to buy some necessary safety gear. I don't want to spend a large amount on the ultimate gear but not too little that I end up with gear that offers little or no protection.
- Helmet.
- Gloves.
- Jacket.
- Knee guards.
- Shoes.

Please suggest models/brands with prices and links to the places where I can order from.
- Is 15K a decent enough budget?
- How to I decide on the size for a helmet if ordering online?
- Any other items in addition to the above mentioned ones?

15k is a decent budget , try to divide your budget like this to get decent protection

Helmet - 4.5k 5k Max (MT > SOL)
Jacket - 6k (Spartan Helios > Spartan Icarus > Cramster Breezer)
Gloves - 3k (TGB Street > Spartan Pegasus > Rynox)


Dedicated Riding boots are much costlier so it wont fit your budget , go with some good industrial grade boots which isn't too heavy, should come within 2k mark.
Knee Guards branded stuff is again costly to the range of 4-5k , instead a decent pair of riding pants should suffice again 5-6k

So get the Helmet, gloves, Jacket first, and then save up for the coming months and complete the riding gear with decent boots and riding pants too.

Cheers
Ride Safe
Krishna

[P3T3R]

re: Universal : Riding Gear Thread

15k is a decent budget

A visit to the hospital with even minor injuries from a bike accident will cost you more.

Helmet - 4.5k 5k Max (MT > SOL)
Jacket - 6k (Spartan Helios > Spartan Icarus > Cramster Breezer)
Gloves - 3k (TGB Street > Spartan Pegasus > Rynox)

Any links to sites from where I can buy?

Dedicated Riding boots are much costlier so it wont fit your budget , go with some good industrial grade boots which isn't too heavy, should come within 2k mark.

I always have a pair of oil and acid resistant industrial safety shoes with me. Will try using them.

Knee Guards branded stuff is again costly to the range of 4-5k , instead a decent pair of riding pants should suffice again 5-6k

Don't mind upping the budget a bit if they are worth it. Again using the same logic that it's way cheaper than knee surgery.

So get the Helmet, gloves, Jacket first, and then save up for the coming months and complete the riding gear with decent boots and riding pants too.

I'll take a loan if necessary but I don't think it's worth delaying the purchase of gear.

[krish2778]

re: Universal : Riding Gear Thread

A visit to the hospital with even minor injuries from a bike accident will cost you more.


Any links to sites from where I can buy?



I always have a pair of oil and acid resistant industrial safety shoes with me. Will try using them.


Don't mind upping the budget a bit if they are worth it. Again using the same logic that it's way cheaper than knee surgery.


I'll take a loan if necessary but I don't think it's worth delaying the purchase of gear.

Thats always awesome to hear.
So here goes.

Helmet - MT is available from Spartan Pro Gear (Website) (Would Recommend Buying in person for all gears)
Gloves - SPG Sport/Street From Let's Gear Up Bangalore Page , Spartan Ares/Pegasus - Spartan Pro Gear(Website)
Riding Pants - Spartan - Spartan Pro Gear(Website)


Cheers
Ride Safe
Krishna

[Panini]

re: Universal : Riding Gear Thread

Thanks @argee, [MENTION=37022]Ron Syl[/MENTION], @Sourjya.

1. I'm convinced that leather is hotter than mesh/textile. I was wondering if it'd be so hot that it'd be unwearable in the Bangalore heat. I seem to have a strong preference for leather, but I guess I'll surely not go for unperforated leathers. Btw, **what is the difference between mesh and textile?**

2. I'll have a look at the scaphoid sliders you guys mentioned.. I've got some regular Scoyco gloves at the moment. I'll probably think of replacing them later.