Universal : Riding Gear Thread

[nrinside]

Query regarding duty on riding gear .

Hey guys any idea how much the duty would be on a shipment coming from the US ? The total cost is between 29-31k . The items are a textile jacket, two pairs of gloves , bionic knee guard and I was thinking of ordering from ridersdiscount.com as their shipping is only 25$ ! Does anybody have any experience with them ?


Thanks,
Balaji

[Duke_848]

Hey guys any idea how much the duty would be on a shipment coming from the US ? The total cost is between 29-31k . The items are a textile jacket, two pairs of gloves , bionic knee guard and I was thinking of ordering from ridersdiscount.com as their shipping is only 25$ ! Does anybody have any experience with them ?


Thanks,
Balaji

Hey Balaji do they(ridersdiscount) have stock of all your items? They have a problem of not having stocks most of the time otherwise their shipping price is very cheap. Also do check the prices of your items because they are priced slightly higher on ridersdiscount. Check with motorcycle superstore and sportbiketrackgear as well.

[satyajitrc]

Hey Balaji do they(ridersdiscount) have stock of all your items? They have a problem of not having stocks most of the time otherwise their shipping price is very cheap. Also do check the prices of your items because they are priced slightly higher on ridersdiscount. Check with motorcycle superstore and sportbiketrackgear as well.

Hi DUKE,
You are correct on pricing part. Prices are comparitively cheaper on the mentioned sites.

However I would like to know that whether MOTORCYCLE Superstore ships in India or not?
What would be the cost for 100 USD items?

[stefanm]

Hey guys any idea how much the duty would be on a shipment coming from the US ? The total cost is between 29-31k . The items are a textile jacket, two pairs of gloves , bionic knee guard and I was thinking of ordering from ridersdiscount.com as their shipping is only 25$ ! Does anybody have any experience with them ?


Thanks,
Balaji

Anything above 10k in value will attract duty, this can be anything really, if they want to, the customs officer can slap a penalty fine on you at 100% plus the regualar duty, apparantly depends on their 'mood'
You can alternatively use iccworld, i have used them recently, to import some tools from the US, one package was 8ft long, which caused problems with their usual courier within India, but found the staff helpfull and actually returned calls to me, got my products even though a slight delay, I wasn't fussed about the delay and I kind of guessed it would happen due to the size of the tool everything came fully intact, which was my main concern.
They gave an online quote, the products I ordered cost around 15000 plus US mainland shipping, by quote was around 19500, inclusive of US mainland shipping, international shipping and from Bombay to Goa and duty/customs clearance, I was ok with the quote and ordered, they give the option of paying into their bank, as I don't use credit cards, it helped.

[Duke_848]

Hi DUKE,
You are correct on pricing part. Prices are comparitively cheaper on the mentioned sites.

However I would like to know that whether MOTORCYCLE Superstore ships in India or not?
What would be the cost for 100 USD items?

Yes i think motorcycle superstore do ship it into India but for items worth 100$ you might end up paying almost half of that amount on shipping alone. I suggest you ship it to someone you know in the US and ask them to carry it for you. I personally do not have experience with motorcycle superstore but sportbiketrackgear were charging 50$ for shipping a helmet and gloves to India.

shipping from SportbikeTrackGear.com

[shrinathrao]

Hey guys any idea how much the duty would be on a shipment coming from the US ? The total cost is between 29-31k . The items are a textile jacket, two pairs of gloves , bionic knee guard and I was thinking of ordering from ridersdiscount.com as their shipping is only 25$ ! Does anybody have any experience with them ?


Thanks,
Balaji

hi man, i have already ordered items from riders discount 3 times and currently its 4th time and i got all my products in time, in case they have run out of stock they give you option for alternative till the specified value.

[n_aditya]

@Sunny - perfectly summed up.

My crapster raptor supposedly offers "extreme rain, wind and snow protection" as per product description but a slight shower is enough to soak me... and its not even a mesh jacket. Tried and tested !!!

I have a friend - a fellow XBHPian who bought a 'water-proof' jacket from a popular brand and almost passed out from over-heating during the hot weather! Another bought water-proof Gore-Tex lined boots which he removes whenever we stop for even a loo/smoke break because of the extreme discomfort. He is constantly the butt of our jokes for walking around bare-feet at stops!

If at all the rear underseat storage could accommodate a pair of chappals, life would have been better for him.

[vkuchhal]

hi man, i have already ordered items from riders discount 3 times and currently its 4th time and i got all my products in time, in case they have run out of stock they give you option for alternative till the specified value.

Please let me know that how much time they took each time ship the products,, and was their any problem in the customs..

[bluevolt]

.

I often see members proudly claiming their products to be water-proof - which if it really is water-proof also means air-tight and unbearable in the hot summer. Even advanced 'breathable' membranes like Gore-Tex only work if the ambient humidity is low, allowing the moisture from the inside to vent to the drier air outside. If as in most of our cities, the humidity is above 60%, this technology will not work!

I have a friend - a fellow XBHPian who bought a 'water-proof' jacket from a popular brand and almost passed out from over-heating during the hot weather! Another bought water-proof Gore-Tex lined boots which he removes whenever we stop for even a loo/smoke break because of the extreme discomfort. He is constantly the butt of our jokes for walking around bare-feet at stops!

Of course if it rains for the most part of the year in the place where you live, then owning a set of such gear makes sense - but what will you do in the peak of our summer?

@Sunny - perfectly summed up.

My crapster raptor supposedly offers "extreme rain, wind and snow protection" as per product description but a slight shower is enough to soak me... and its not even a mesh jacket. Tried and tested !!!

That is why traditional 'waterproof' gear which is sold by brands in the west will not work in India because of the heat. I have toyed with the idea of building a rainsuit brand in India, but I have held back because of this limitation. People will simply not wear them because it will be uncomfortable. However, I have a few untested ideas which I will incorporate into a prototype when I have some time to work on it.

[darkknight]

That is why traditional 'waterproof' gear which is sold by brands in the west will not work in India because of the heat. I have toyed with the idea of building a rainsuit brand in India, but I have held back because of this limitation. People will simply not wear them because it will be uncomfortable. However, I have a few untested ideas which I will incorporate into a prototype when I have some time to work on it.

a duckback worn over the regular gears works best for me even in the heaviest of torrential rains--- tried tested for quite a few years now extensively

[Sunnyside_up!]

That is why traditional 'waterproof' gear which is sold by brands in the west will not work in India because of the heat. I have toyed with the idea of building a rainsuit brand in India, but I have held back because of this limitation. People will simply not wear them because it will be uncomfortable. However, I have a few untested ideas which I will incorporate into a prototype when I have some time to work on it.

Me too! We definitely need to meet up and exchange some ideas!

[n_aditya]

Me too! We definitely need to meet up and exchange some ideas!

Ooty is the best place to discuss such ideas and i've run out of chocolates too.

[dpak89]

guys will bikebandits.com/other websites ship products to hotels in USA ?? or only to residential address?? my friend is going on a trip to US ..but he will stay in a hotel!!! anybody knows abt it??

[n_aditya]

guys will bikebandits.com/other websites ship products to hotels in USA ?? or only to residential address?? my friend is going on a trip to US ..but he will stay in a hotel!!! anybody knows abt it??

Bike Bandit does not ship to Hotels.

Motorcycle Super Store does.

Just to be sure, please send them an email or chat with them and confirm.

I have ordered from both places and had a pleasant experience. MSS gave me incorrect information during a chat conversation but it was sorted out after sometime. So if you deal with them, please confirm your queries with different people just to be sure.

Bike Bandit is highly recommended for their superior customer service over MSS.

[kaynmantis]

Regarding riding jackets for all weather. Lets try to understand some points from day to day practical usage vantage point.

1. In a place like Mumbai during summer, there is no jacket in existence that can keep a rider cool. You will still get drench in sweat. I use one of the most mesh, most ventilated jacket available in the market, the Rjays octane. Almost the entire front and back portion of the body is mesh. Meaning if you hold it up, you can see through it. You can't get a more ventilated than that. Yes I have even removed the back armour to improve air flow. I still get drench in sweat. I can't imagine how people manage with full cordura fabric jackets or for that matter leathers with no ventilation or small pockets of ventilation.

2. Most of these cordura jackets are presented as water proof by sales persons. Its a lie. cordura may resist light rain for a short time, that it. Its simple to know whether a jacket is water proof or not. Water proof gears are made of waterproof materials and most importantly, the seams (stitchings) are sealed. and the front zipper is protected against rain. Even if the material may be rubber coated, but if the seams are not sealed, it will not help much in rain.

I have come across rain wear that are made of actual water proof materials but the seams are not sealed, so a person wearing them will eventually get wet because the water seeps in through the seams.

So if you are on the look out for water proof jacket, make sure the material is water proof (try to blow through it. there should be 0% of air passing through) and check whether the seams are sealed. Very important.

3. I feel, The most suitable jacket one can come across for a place like in Mumbai like the one ...ahem..I have. Its not the best, but its the most practical, considering I have to bear with extreme heat, extreme rain and relatively cold weather with reasonable protection. As already mentioned above, the mesh construction addresses the heat. The removable inner liner is fully water proof with sealed seams and is not a mere claim, but tested extensively in rain. It also addresses the cold weather.