I agree with the first part here, but the second not so much (keep in mind that I also don't have any high-speed crash experience, so below is only my 0.02)
OP, you gotta decide what type of riding & environments you plan on riding through before you select your gear. I mostly commute to work, and use the bike as an alternative mode of transportation - very few "just for pleasure" rides. Sure, I might detour to take a longer/better road, but the point here is that 99% of the time I get on it, I have somewhere to go, and need to walk around/do stuff when I get there.
That being said:
Jacket: Don't front on leathers. Get one that has lots of "zippered" vents - they are AWESOME (and also surprisingly rare). Joe Rocket (not the best brand, but) in my experience has really well-placed vents.
Gloves: Make sure it covers the wrist bone - I have "shorties", but they extend into my jacket and cover my wrist bone. They're Rev'It Monsters.
Helmet: Try on as many as you can. Buy the most expensive one that fits properly. Don't shop online for one unless you KNOW your size/brand/model already.
Pants: I mostly wear jeans, because I mostly commute. This year I finally grabbed some kevlar heavy jeans, but I also ALWAYS wear knee/shin protection underneath them: Dainese makes the best knee/shin guards I've ever tried (and I've tried on a lot of them).
Boots: I ride with the Alpinestar SMX-2 boots. Sure, they're not as beefy as the Dainese Torque's, but they're FAR BETTER than regular shoes: There are plates in the sides covering the major ankle bone joints, no laces to get caught on shifter, have oil-resistant soles, and a metal "shank" in the sole for rigidity. It's a compromise I can live with, especially if you consider the fact that the ONLY boots that will give you total protection are expensive, and basically mimic ski boots.
Are you new to the area? Then I agree with GPS... but if you're not, practice looking at the directions to somewhere right before you leave. You'll get better at it, and realize that all the people relying on GPS all the time are probably losing a vital skill (this requires some familiarity with the city you're in, though)
Hope this helps. G/L
So you've never had a bad crash, but are recommending protective gear?
Leather protects better than anything else. If you're commuting on the highway at any point you have the possibility to hit the pavement at 100km/h+ which will tear a textile jacket to bits. If the jacket survives it will need replacement. Leather can be worn again, and in most cases repaired if it is damaged. If you want ventilation get a perforated leather jacket.
The problem with shortie gloves, even if they cover your wrist bone, is that they don't cover the end of your sleeve which creates the possibility of your sleeve getting caught and pulled up your arm in a slide exposing your forearm to rash. Gauntlet's are no less functional than a shortie, so why compromise on protection?
Your helmet advice is just stupid. Proper fit is essential, but price has nothing to do with it. A $300 DOT/SNELL or DOT/ECE helmet is going to protect just as well as a $1000 DOT/SNELL or DOT/ECE helmet. If you really want to check out what helmets protect better go to the sharp website (
http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/). They rate helmets on a scale of 1-5 and show you how the helmet's fair in each test(front, back, side impact), instead of the simple pass/fail of the DOT/SNELL/ECE standards. Many of the most expensive ARAIs from years past perform pretty poorly in their tests.
I can understand why you wear jeans to work. However, as mentioned earlier, at highway speed they aren't going to do anything to protect you. Kevlar reinforced jeans are definitely better but their main failure point is actual impact. The initial impact onto the ground usually causes them to tear. It is a crap shoot at best. If you do wear jeans, wearing a separate knee protector as you mentioned is a good idea as the built-in one's featured is some of the kevlar jeans just move out of the way in a crash.
I cant understand the thinking behind buying an SMX-2. If you're going to buy a riding specific boot, why not buy something that is actually going to work? Yes, proper boots are expensive. No, they aren't like Ski boots(Except for SIDIs). As I mentioned earlier, Dainese boots are incredibly comfortable, more than your average shoe. You could walk in them all day and not have sore feet because of the boots.
I am recommending gear with a no compromise approach. I have seen enough people hurt because of the lack or proper gear that I can't recommend anything less than the best. I recommend gear that has been proven to work many times over. Yes, good gear is expensive. If you want to put a price on your safety, good for you. If you are OK with a compromise in safety for whatever reasons you have, good for you. I'd rather put my money into saving my life and limbs.
