Someone had to say it. Riding vintage means you care about style. Why else would you ride an old unreliable bike when you can ride something newer for the same cost?Riding a vintage street bike with a full leather suit and fullface helmet is overkill. But if you are more concerned about safety then wear whatever you want.
Sorry but i think it all comes down to maintenance. I've seen some newer bikes with more problems than a classic. That sentence only applies to the owners who don't give a **** about their property. I have a friend who owns a 2001 sport touring. The engine died because he didnt maintain it as well as my other friend who owns a 77 cb550 - the 77 cb runs like it came out of factory. In the end, its the relationship that the owner has with his/her machine that will dictate the condition of the bike.
So if you ride a cafe racer you should be wearing something that suits the bike. Like jeans, reg black boots, optional gloves, half face helmets and goggles?
So if you own a ss or rr or any sports bike. I should expect you to wear a 1 piece, full face helmet, air bag gear, racing specific gloves etc? Even on a cbr125?
Im sure everyone who spends money on gear care about safety. Comfort over fashion.
You make your own decisions on what feels safe and what worries you. So that's your own personal choice. But in terms of fashion and styling you will look ridiculous wearing a full race suit on a cafe racer. It's like wearing a full tux to a kids birthday party. But my standards and care for aesthetics is pretty high. Do what you feel the most comfortable with.
I know what you mean. But you can always get something not so protruding right? all black ish?
Butyou guys make a good point.
Personally this is a good look for vintage cafe
I'm pretty sure the beard qualifies as "full face protection"
I'm not gonna wear a helmet like that even if it's made for cafe. There's no point spending money on gear if your face is fully exposed. Sorry but a full face is minimal
If you are getting a custom suit make could you not have the suit look more like a leather jacket with leather pants? Surely the look could be toned down so that you have the protective aspects of the suit without the obvious racesuit look
Or, get leather pants that are not race pants and get a stealth (black on black) leather jacket with CE rated shoulder, elbow, and back armour.
Full faced helmets and vintage bikes definately go together. You could just go with a matte black helmet or get yourself a Biltmore full faced helmet. Vintage 1970s styling.
That's actually a good idea. Essentially, i want something that will not rip my skin off if i were to get into an accident where my body is skidding on asphalt (knock on wood)
Does CE rated gear really works wonders? Or is it only of those, yea it has protection but it'll get eaten away the second you skid on asphalt/concrete.
wear what you want,on a day like today you is gonna die of heat stroke IMO.
Can't i say the same for squidsters? Comfort over safety? I don't mind sacrificing a little protection for style but style will can only go so far.
Oooouu the last one doesn't look so bad.
For some like me riding vintage means riding the bikes of my youth.
I remember Chevelles and muscle cars growing up in the 1970s so I restored this plain vanilla Chevelle into a nice little cruiser:
Drove it all over the place and had a great 11 years with it.
Maybe the OP likes the character of the air cooled motor and other factors. My CB has been pretty reliable once the basic maintenance got caught up on. I have been commuting with it most of the summer and it has been very reliable.
That's exactly it. Its all about character not speed. I bought easily get an R/RR/SS whatever. But that isn't the reason I fell in love with bikes and definitely not the reason why i got my license in the first place.
I can't speak to the jacket / pants as well as the dudes on here, I'm having a hard enough time finding womens riding gear that isn't either pink or crazy sporty.. and I know one of the reasons I bought a vintage bike was the styling, so yeah, I can relate on the style front. If you're ever around the west end of Toronto, check out this place, he has tons of rad vintage leather jackets -
http://www.blogto.com/cafes/el-almacen-dupont-toronto
As far as helmets go however, the Biltwell Gringo full faced (IMHO) totally suits the bike you have, but offers a bit more protection than the tiny lid shown above.
http://www.biltwellinc.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=254
OMG, THAT is the helmet i'm gonna get. That actually suits it. Im going to grab a white one.
Also check out Town Moto downtown. A bit pricey but also good to take a look.
jimsun
i too ride a 1975 cb750 when i do....
1 wear kevlar riding jeans, theather jacket.
also wear heavy kevlar jean looking clothing.
look into ton up cafe.com
or some nice heavy veasts.
That's not a bad idea. I will look into this again.
I too ride a 1975 cb750. Sun bleached leather jacket and jeans.
Ohhh. nice more cbs ^_^
Shift havoc pants. Over the boot pants. Leather and textile. Or there are other brands like joe rocket that make an over the boot type.
Hey, better to be safe and get good gear. But a race suit is odd on a vintage cafe racer.
There are subtle options with CE armour. I have race pants with knee pucks, but I would not wear these on the street. For that I choose the over the boot leather and textile pants.
I need more pictures
Thanks for the reply guys. I appreciate the input.
