New rider gear opinion

A

AntonS

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Hi all, I recently got my M1 and will be getting my M2 with Learning Curves on May 6th after which I will be getting a Yamaha R3. I have been reading this forum quite often and it helped me with a lot of things such as insurance and riding tips.

I wanted to get your opinions with respect to a riding jacket for spring/summer. I was looking to get RS Taichi GMX Arrow perf leather(reason being it has a full sleeve wind block liner), but I am not sure if textile will be better for stop and go traffic as I will be commuting on the bike (but not very long distances). I also looked at Dainese Super Speed Textile.

Are there any other jackets that you have had experience with in summer traffic/city riding? Would appreciate hearing your suggestions/opinions.

Thanks!
 
Leather is almost always best for protection however gear is all about mitigating damage and there will always be a compromise between comfort and safety (unless you wear a full one piece on the street)

For hot weather I have an Icon hooligan textile jacket which flows air pretty well with the liner removed The shoulder/elbow armour is decent for a cheapish jacket covering a good chunk of the forearms as well. I have leather jacket I bought from leathersup.ca for not so warm weather which is incredibly good quality for the price.

Considering you're buying a new bike and looking at a highend leather jacket sounds like you have a few bucks to spend, so buy the Taichi then if you find you're too hot on some days purchase a cheaper textile for those really hot days. I bought my ICON from the classifieds here for $100 in mint shape. After a few years you'll likely have a closet full of gear like everyone else.

Don't forget about your other body parts, gloves are way more important than people give them credit for, boots, pants etc.

Good luck with the new bike!!
 
Thanks for your input. I was thinking of getting full gauntlet gloves. I was looking at RevIt RSR 2 Gloves. I am definitely looking to get the most protection for street riding and also to feel comfortable on the bike. But I am also would like to hear the member's input into gear and their opinion since I don't really know what works best for street riding since i never rode before.
 
For jackets and pants you have general 3 choices, none of which are ideal for everyone.

Leather: protective but hot and heavy. Good for spring/autumn rides, very bad for +25C rides. It depends on if you can take heat and humidity. Not good in the rain. If you crash it can usually be repaired.
Textile: good slide protection, not as hot or heavy as leather, more protective than mesh. Still, I find it hot in the summer. Maybe it will last through a crash, hard to say. Sheds rain like a duck
Mesh: Great ventilation, so great in the summer. Buy grey and not black. Least protective, one event garment (meaning you fall, you replace the jacket)

There is a reason for the wide variety of materials used in riding gear. For sure leather is required for boots and gloves. If you are a new rider I recommend buying used until you have a better idea of what you really like.

As with your choice of partner, nothing is clear cut.

And I do recommend a used beginner bike. They are much less expensive and when you drop it (Lady Gravity always wins) you won't cry as much.
 
I've got a Joe Rocket Phoenix 11.0 (hi-viz) that I generally wear in the city. It's got armour in strategic places and the extra visibility helps with conspicuity. For highway or country riding I'll switch to my Icon Hypersport Prime leather. I like the additional protection the leather would afford should I have an off at higher speed.

On hot, sunny days you're going to get pretty warm in either in stop & go traffic. The Hypersport actually breathes pretty well -- maybe better than the Phoenix -- but you need to be moving to get any relief in either.

I always wear Icon hypersport leather pants as well as Alpinestars SP-2 full-gauntlet gloves. For my commute to work and general city riding I prefer my Exustar riding shoes (w/ankle protection) but for those highway or country rides I'll switch to my Alpinestars SMX-6 boots. They're heavier, bulkier and less flexible but offer more protection above the ankle than the riding shoes do.
 
Pick a light color material as it doesn't matter if textile or leather, sitting in the sun with no air flow, you get hot.

Leather is heavy and can get heavier if stuck in the rain. A decent textile with armour is a good place to start. Eventually, you'll have a closet full of gear.

I prefer non perf leather with decent vents but, that's because I ride when it starts out cool and warms up through the day.
 
There's nothing you can do in stop-and-go traffic except open your visor and hope your bike doesn't overheat.

Are you planning to commute with your bike, and you have to go through traffic? To be honest, in traffic I would much rather drive my car than my bike. Air conditioning, music, and your hand doesn't cramp from clutching. That will get you when you first start, building up those grip muscles.

Otherwise when moving, I'm usually on the chilly side unless its 30 out
 
Thanks for all your replies!! Yes I am planning to commute on the bike, however, it will be a very short commute, about 4-5 km each way. I plan to ride every day except when it rains. Does anyone ride with the Dainese Super Speed Textile that can comment on how it performs in terms of airflow? Thanks.
 
If it's a 9a-5p job/commute, then airflow can be a lower priority in your choice. Mornings will be cooler and for the odd hot days, sweating on the way home might not be a big deal. A basic leather jacket may suit best - with vents that you can open for hotter days/rides. Treat it with some waterproofing/wax and it would last for short/light rainfall also.One negative, is that most leather motorcycle jackets come in black - bad from a sun/heat perspective and visibility. But you'll look cool walking into your office. LoL. Textiles usually have much more color choices. But not all textile jackets are rain-proof.


Depending what your job dress code is, you may need some overpants or such. There's another thread here about overpants.
 
Thanks for your input. That's why I was looking at the RS Taichi GMX Arrow in white as it has a full sleeve removable liner for those chilly mornings but it is expensive due to the US to CAN exchange rate.
 
Yes! good point.

If you can, get a good backpack or tail/tank bag so you cantake out your jacket liner for the ride home.
I have a Kriega backpack, and they really are awesome.

I keep a pair of shoes at work so I can wear my boots on thecommute.



That’s a very short commute lol, you’re lucky. My commute is70km one way. Pretty much have to gas up the bike every day since it’s a SS.


I’ve never fallen in my textiles, but I have lowsided in myleathers. Was I glad. Not a single scratch or bruise even.




 
That's exactly what ill be doing too, backpack and leave a pair of shoes and dress pants at work and wear riding shoes and pants on the bike. Where did you go to get your gear? or did you order online?
 
I have a 5 km commute and ride pretty much March through December.
That distance isn't long enough to get really uncomfortable any time of the year.
I have a collection of jackets, Leather from leather up, Icon Contra textile, Teknic Textile (They are out of business now) and "Ribe" mesh for the hotest days

Most of the colder months I wear the Teknic because with a sweater under it, I am quite warm. This was my first jacket and I wore it my entire first year.
My leather jacket is good for spring and most summer days when I open the vents and remove the lining.
I don't wear the Icon much and the Ribe mesh jacket gets worn about 2x a season.

Leather gloves and X-Element boots.

For pants it's mostly jeans but I have some textile over pants that I'll wear in the cold, and frog togs for rain

Like others have said, you will end up with a closet full of gear. :)
 
In terms of where to get gear I have bought off classifieds, KIJIJI, Royal Distributing (tent-no-tax sale should be soon), GP bikes, local shops, Canada's motorcycle website and ebay. I also ordered a "custom made to measure" leather jacket which was a complete waste of money and not returnable. Chalk that up to a $170 mistake.

It's tough to get a good deal on anything from the states these days, the dollar is low and the shipping costs are always prohibitive. Gone are the days of finding free shipping from the US.

I really like buying in person, online is always such a gamble for sizing. Pay attention to the reviews and how stuff fits. A good example of this is the Alpinestars SP2 gloves I just bought from Canada's Motorcycle.com. I'm a very standard size large in gloves, however after reading how they fit small I ordered up to XL. They're tight but should break in nicely. A large would not have fit.
 
I went back and rechecked old emails and dug up the jacket which I still have in a closet. It wasn't actually made to order now that I'm rereading the order but the manufacturer did email me a list of measurements to double check it would fit and asked me to change anything necessary (which I didn't). Based on those measurements if anything it should have been too big. It showed up way too tight. Huge extra room in the shoulders (think early 90's shoulder pad sweaters). Couldn't zip it up, and way too short, exposing 3-4 inches from where the jacket ends and my pants start. When arms extended (i.e. when you're holding onto handlebars) too much wrist exposed. Quality of leather seemed decent and it looked cool, smelled funny though. Seller said they would exchange it if I paid shipping back and forth to pakistan then stopped replying to emails when I suggested they should pay for shipping as I followed their charts and measurments properly. I'd have a hard time believing this jacket would correctly fit any human.
 
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Makes sense. It's common for Asian manufactured (and designed) clothing and gear to be way smaller.
I just ordered some padded shorts for snowboarding and had to go XL even though I usually wear medium for underwear.
I really don't know how they do it since their cm should be equal to our cm ...

Asian companies that have N.A. market presence (like Teknic or Nexo) don't seem to have those kind of issues.
 
Kijiji and GTAM classifieds are really good. Great deals tobe had if you’re patient and persistent.

With crappy CAD, online shopping is pretty much dead to me. I’llcheck out local stores for helmets but majority of my excess gear comes fromfellow riders.
 
I am a new rider ( Got my M2 via MTOHP) last year, and i got my bike last week ( ninja 300 abs se ). I went to riderschoice in Mississauga and i had no clue about riding gears... Pretty cool guys out there and helped me get my jacket, helmet and gloves. They give huge discounts for debit as well .. check it out .
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