Universal : Riding Gear Thread

[joelgreen]

Re: Universal : Riding Gear Thread

I went to try out some jackets today (preparing for Ladakh tour next month) and tried XDI as well as LS2. Both were fitting properly but with LS2, I found that forearms were rather tight and XDI's Velcro felt better than press-buttons on LS2. On the other hand, LS2 seems to hold on its own in terms of its nylon and XDI felt a bit softer. Though shop owner told me that both use same nylon material. LS2 has bigger mesh and XDI has finer one - but otherwise they match each other quite well.

LS2 costs ₹ 7700 and XDI is ₹ 7000 here (in Pune). I liked XDI slightly better but would like to go ahead with something that is more durable (6-7 years or so) and I thought it would be best to ask here before purchasing. Would appreciate if you can share your experiences and let me know which one is better to use and in terms of durability/quality.

TIA,
- Manish

Why don't you try out the RYNOX Tornado Pro (it has Knox armor), the BBG Ladakh (I just know it has CE Certified armor), the Aspida Achilles, the Solace Defender Plus (it's got Sas Tec level 2 CE Certified protectors) etc.?
These are reputed jackets and should serve you well!
I've been using the Tornado Pro for highway commutes and weekend rides for almost 6 months now and am more than satisfied with it. Never tested the rain and thermal liners so I don't know how it performs on that front.
AFAIK and don't quote me for this, but the LS2 isn't worth the bucks.
In fact, if you were based in Bangalore, I'd recommend the ADV Breed jacket sold by Let's Gear Up as it's a bang for the buck! But since you're based in Pune, you may not want the hassle of returns and replacements right now.
Anyway, choose wisely and do check out as many jackets as you can to make the best selection. All the best for your tour. Ride hard, ride safe.

[manishh]

Re: Universal : Riding Gear Thread

Don't confuse me more! I want to decide between these two now. :-)

[prateek2210]

Re: Universal : Riding Gear Thread

Don't confuse me more! I want to decide between these two now. :-)

Ls2 never made jackets and never heard of xdi. Go for reputed brands.

[Astrix]

Re: Universal : Riding Gear Thread

I went to try out some jackets today (preparing for Ladakh tour next month) and tried XDI as well as LS2. Both were fitting properly but with LS2, I found that forearms were rather tight and XDI's Velcro felt better than press-buttons on LS2. On the other hand, LS2 seems to hold on its own in terms of its nylon and XDI felt a bit softer. Though shop owner told me that both use same nylon material. LS2 has bigger mesh and XDI has finer one - but otherwise they match each other quite well.

LS2 costs ₹ 7700 and XDI is ₹ 7000 here (in Pune). I liked XDI slightly better but would like to go ahead with something that is more durable (6-7 years or so) and I thought it would be best to ask here before purchasing. Would appreciate if you can share your experiences and let me know which one is better to use and in terms of durability/quality.

TIA,
- Manish

Neither of them are good. Both over-priced for the offering. Go for Rynox, Aspida, Cramster, etc.
Don't go for unreputed labels like - Xdi, ls2, scimatar and all.

My personal opinion, have been happily using the Rynox Air GT since quite sometime now. Go for the Rynox Tornado Pro if you have a budget of 7k.

[JS16]

Re: Universal : Riding Gear Thread

Ls2 never made jackets and never heard of xdi. Go for reputed brands.

LS2 Polyester Mesh Imported Men's Jacket (Black, X-Large): Amazon.in: Car & Motorbike

And

XDi comes with Titanium protectors. Good reviews, bad marketing. Also a reputed brand in Maharastra. But i think they stopped producing the jacket now.

7K? Rynox Tornado or Solace Jacket.

[prateek2210]

Re: Universal : Riding Gear Thread

LS2 Polyester Mesh Imported Men's Jacket (Black, X-Large): Amazon.in: Car & Motorbike

And

XDi comes with Titanium protectors. Good reviews, bad marketing. Also a reputed brand in Maharastra. But i think they stopped producing the jacket now.

7K? Rynox Tornado or Solace Jacket.

If you can show me LS2 jackets on LS2 site and what dealers they have appointed in India. I would be more than happy to believe that LS2 jackets are real.
Titanium costs a bomb, still jackets cost 6-7k??

[Vishal_G]

Need advise on buying riding gear (Jackets, Gloves, Pants, boots)

Hi Guys,

I am from Kolkata and i ride a KTM Duke 200. I will keep this short, i am looking to buy riding gears for myself and hopefully if i could convince my brother then for him as well. We already own good helmets so all we need is the rest of the riding gears.

I will be using the riding gear as much as is practically possible and hence my requirements are below -

Riding Jacket & Pants

1) Ventilation - No use buying a jacket that i will only be using for winters.

2) Rain liner - Unfortunately, this is the most important factor as both of us work nearby and the route we take is devoid of any shelters during night and some times we have to ride in rain as there is no point in waiting in the office at 4 A.M. I understand that no rain liner can be completely waterproof but there is no logic in wearing a riding jacket and then a rain coat over it. All i need is a jacket which can last 30-45 mins in light to medium showers while keeping me dry inside.

3) Protection - Branded armors like Sas-tec & Knox are preferred over molded PU armors, also if not available the option of upgrading to level 2 ce armor will be really great.
Jacket and pants should be abrasion resistant on impact points and armor staying in place.

I have below options in mind -

Rynox Asphalt

Solace Sprint

Solace lofty

Aspida Nemesis


Gloves

I am looking for full gauntlet gloves as i wont be buying two gloves and so i will have to make do with full gauntlet for all rides . I had Zeus Rev-pro in mind since it has Carbon fiber protectors at knuckle and wrist, however i am not sure if they are original as i cannot find any reviews online. Other options are DSG Primal, Rynox inferno as both are great value for the price. Any other suggestions are welcome .

Boots

To be honest, i have not done any touring on the bike in these past 16 months. Max i have ridden is 80 kms at a stretch as i have back and shoulder pain which is not due to my KTM. It was before i bought the bike and only increased with riding it. I dont know if buying a riding boot really necessary but i had an accident within a month of buying the bike where my leg was stuck with the gear lever causing a sprain. So any practical options are welcome which i can use for touring and commuting. I can keep my formal shoes in office if i get a riding boot and swap them in office.

Budget

Now comes the most important factor in any purchase - "THE BUDGET". Well I am not going to purchase all these at one go but instead its going to be a phased purchase. Probably the Riding jacket will come first, then gloves, then Pants and boots at the last, so i would like to keep a balance and spend as much is necessary.

Note: I have the option of getting SCORPION EDDY JACKET from a closeout deal at 89$ from Motorcyclegear.com. However, the jacket will be delivered by december and i am not sure if its a good jacket even though i don't think there is anything better available at this price point.

Mods, I had posted in Universal Riding Gear thread but there was no response so I thought of opening a separate thread. Please merge into the universal thread if a separate thread is not okay.

Regards,
Vishal

[JS16]

Re: Universal : Riding Gear Thread

If you can show me LS2 jackets on LS2 site and what dealers they have appointed in India. I would be more than happy to believe that LS2 jackets are real.
Titanium costs a bomb, still jackets cost 6-7k??

Imported bro :P :P

And yeah, titanium alloy perhaps.

[prateek2210]

Re: Universal : Riding Gear Thread

Just like ISI certified LS2 helmets with no rating :P

[Astrix]

Re: Universal : Riding Gear Thread

LS2 Polyester Mesh Imported Men's Jacket (Black, X-Large): Amazon.in: Car & Motorbike

And

XDi comes with Titanium protectors. Good reviews, bad marketing. Also a reputed brand in Maharastra. But i think they stopped producing the jacket now.

7K? Rynox Tornado or Solace Jacket.

Those are not titanium, its TPU with Titanium Finish. Just like we have TPU prorectors with Carbon fibre finish.

Also these external gaurd- TPU (Titanium, csrbon finish, etc) do not have any certification or standard for protection so these are more of show than just protection, they can crack in no time in case of a fall.

Rather than judging the jacket by these external show pieces which we presume will protect us, we should concentrate on the internal armors and the outer shell material. Armors have been tested and we know for sure that they protect us and thus come with CE approvals. Do these titanium, etc have any approvals.

I agree that they do provide some level of protection but it cannot be compared to the CE approved armors. Thus always focus on good armors and outer shell than these inserts.

Don't get bluffed by such things.

[Suraj Sabat]

Re: Waterproof riding gloves

I didnt get a chance to test it in heavy rain, extreme cold/ hot. But in next few weeks i would be travelling around 2k KM, so am pretty much sure i would face these extreme weather condition. Anyways will put up my impression till now.
In mild rain: This glove does its job without sipping a single drop. I guess most water resistant gloves can do that.
Hot sunny day: I went to Kanchipuram with these gloves on. The temperature was around 35C and a bit humid, my palm sweat a bit and gloves become somewhat tough to remove but that's fine as it wasn''t to hectic. But there are people whose palm sweat like hell, better they stay away from these gloves during summer.
Comfort: I didn't find any issue while riding with this glove but yes as mentioned above if your palm sweat a lot then it can become difficult to remove it.
Protection: Knuckle protection is good. Palm, index finger and thumb protections are not that good but better than Cramster Tundra. Though, fortunately, i didn't get a chance to test these protections.
Cost: Rs2700 - MRP

One more thing- the wrist portion is too bulky to wear inside a jacket, not impossible though you will find more comfortable wearing above jacket. By jacket i mean riding jacket.
Attaching some photos which might help

Adding few more observation:
This gloves protects against water only when the palm is not exposed to rain, till then it does its job in a good way. I tested this when riding at a speed of 60-70kmph under very heavy rainfall. But by any chance if you expose the palm to rain the inner material gets wet easily (i.e the thermal liner) which makes it very discomfort to wear.

It's thermal liner is good, my hand didn't freeze or feel any cold when riding above 100kmph at 15C temperature.

Now if you wear this glove under a weather condition of hot and humid believe me, this gloves smells really bad because your palm begins to sweat. The breathability option works upto certain extent not everytime. So its a big NO to use it in hot climate.

[Dovahkiin]

Re: Universal : Riding Gear Thread

I went to try out some jackets today (preparing for Ladakh tour next month) and tried XDI as well as LS2. Both were fitting properly but with LS2, I found that forearms were rather tight and XDI's Velcro felt better than press-buttons on LS2. On the other hand, LS2 seems to hold on its own in terms of its nylon and XDI felt a bit softer. Though shop owner told me that both use same nylon material. LS2 has bigger mesh and XDI has finer one - but otherwise they match each other quite well.

LS2 costs ₹ 7700 and XDI is ₹ 7000 here (in Pune). I liked XDI slightly better but would like to go ahead with something that is more durable (6-7 years or so) and I thought it would be best to ask here before purchasing. Would appreciate if you can share your experiences and let me know which one is better to use and in terms of durability/quality.

TIA,
- Manish

These are definitely overpriced (I guess the LS2 claims to be imported and unless the XDI has CE certified armours at least at the shoulder and elbow I wouldn't even consider it). Like other experienced members mentioned you have a decent amount of choices for your budget and since you want to use these over a considerable period of time I would suggest going for a brand that has more visibility and is known for its customer service (in case of any future warranty claims).

[DriftGod]

Re: Universal : Riding Gear Thread

Full gauntlets do get pretty cumbersome to put on and take off especially for city commutes. Add traffic into the equation and the sweat may become a nuisance.
It depends on how long your commute is.
If it's an 80+ kilometre daily commute which may also involve a fair stretch of highways, it's better to use the gauntlets. However, if it's any less than that and you don't expect to be doing highway speeds, the short-cuff and semi-gauntlets are generally more practical.
As I said, it's up to you. If I have to ride a kilometer on internal roads just to get myself some snacks from the bakery I just ride with my Studds Helmet. When it comes to office the LS2 lid, semi-gauntlet gloves, jacket and knee-guards come into use and on the weekend, the MT Blade and the full-length boots come into the picture as well. It all depends on the risk you're willing to take and the practicality of the situation you're in.

ok , thanks for your help bro

[hmunjal]

Re: Universal : Riding Gear Thread

Hi guys,
Any reviw for DSG Hydro glove?
Or any other water/cold proff glove?

[GauravD]

Re: Universal : Riding Gear Thread

Hi guys,
Any reviw for DSG Hydro glove?
Or any other water/cold proff glove?

Try Cramster Tundra bro