New Rider Equipment Recommendations | GTAMotorcycle.com

New Rider Equipment Recommendations

Hi All:

I will be looking to purchase my first motorcycle over the next couple of weeks - a dual sport. I am taking a bike safety course shortly and need to pick up some equipment - the usual helmet, jacket, boots.

I will be using my dual sport on the road and on trails and plan on riding frequently from early spring to late fall and have easy access to trails from my house. I also plan on using the bike to commute 20 mins or so to work (90% on 2-lane 80KM/HR highways). I could really use some advice with some recommendations for equipment for my intended use. In particular, I am wondering:

1. Is their a decent all-in-one solutions for a helmet? Or would it be better to get a off-road helmet for trails (i.e. open with googles) and a more dedicated street helmet for commuting?

2. Any recommendations for boots, given my described purpose?

3. Jacket - Is their such a thing as a flexible all season jacket?

Any advice/recommendations appreciated!

Dave (the Accountant)
 
I went through this and was looking for the one size fits all solution. I was told that it really doesnt exist - and it doesnt.

Road

Helmet - Fly trekker for street and offroad I can wear goggles with it.
Boots - hiking boots (not really happy with this and will be getting something with more protection) In the spring I wore the MX boots as they were warm but they were very hot once it warmed up
Jacket - Alpinestars textile works well but hot it the sun especially when stopped
Gloves - full leather up past the wrist.
Pants - just jeans at this point but want some kevlar wonder jeans. In the spring I also work my MX pants over jeans

Offroad
Boots - Alpinestars Tech3 (Overkill I though until I caught a stump with my foot twisted it around and shook it off with out pain - In other boots I could have been looking at a broken ankle or foot)
Shin/knee pads
Elbow forearm pads
Chest/shoulder/pack protector (really saved me when I went down at 30-40km/h in the grass)
motocross Jersey
motocross gloves
Over the boot motocross pants

Over all I am very happy with the offroad gear but still need to upgrade my road gear.

Also keep in mind that you will need hand guards for the bike ($100)

Its a lot of stuff but I scoured Ebay, Kijiji, tent sales etc so didnt pay too too much.
 
Spend some $$ on boots. Get something with a hinged ankle. Makes using them for street soooo much easier.

I have Tech3's which work well as a budget MX boot, but the rigid construction makes them a pain in the *** to ride street with.

Mind you for the price of a good hinged MX boot, you could buy some Tech3s and a street boot.
 
If you're a smaller guy I have a pair of like new EVS vision knee braces (good for offroading) for sale, cheap. They are really affordable for knee braces and compared to regular knee guards seem indestructible. PM me if you're interested, but they are a size Adult small.
 
I have 2 helmets, one is the Fly Trekker which is great for off road and and cruising the streets at low speeds but at higher speeds its not very good especially if its windy which seems to be all the time. The visor really grabs the air putting a big strain on your neck so for that reason I have a street helmet which I use 90% of the time.
 
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Hey Dave (the accountant),
welcome aboard, I'm sure you'll find many offerings and help on GTAM so check back often. try looking in the dealer/vendor section, sometimes they post sales and deals for items you may need or want.
Looks like the current posts are spot on in terms of how an off-road helmet will work on the street - basically the visor will cause the helmet to "lift" and strain your neck, however, many helmet mfgrs now make a helmet style for this purpose like Arai and Shoei (expensive, but worth it) Still I'd have to agree for protection and comfort purchasing a dedicated street and off-road helmet is ideal.
There are also many Dual Sport/Adventure boots out there, just look a bit, they are more for a smoother trail as opposed to climing logs and riping ruts, but a great all rounder, if most of your riding will be trails and commuting "(90%)" have a look at these.
Lots of jacket styles available too, again in the adventure category, one that is waterproof/repellent, has removeable liner(s), vented etc, look around as price can affect a decision.
BTW what size are you ? someone here might be able to help out with their unused stuff if thats an interest?

Pete
 
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Just popped in here to say the Icon Variant is excellent at speed and I liked it when I was at the Ganny too
 
hey man

I ride a dual sport / sm (drz400sm) I ride pretty much all year round here is what I am running for gear

Helmet - TLD air with goggles mainly I also have a Fly Trekker (high vis) I really like the Icon variant but if fit my head funny
Goggles - I have many pairs depends what fits your face but I would suggest a pair of tinted and a clear pair i ride to work so I always carry two pairs
Jacket - Joe Rocket Hardcore Canadian it has a sweater as a liner and is warm as hell on those 0- +10 days anything below 0 I usually put on an underarmor thermal shirt
Gloves - Joe Rocket live wire full leather great gloves I am very happy with them
Boots - Fox tech 5 mx boots (I have crashed on both asphalt and dirt with these on they are bullet proof and reliability cheep)
Pants- MX pants for now I have a pair of Fox Nomads and a pair of Shift Recons (again down on both asphalt and dirt on the Recon pants they held their own)

the only thing I will say about the helmets is that they do catch a bit of wind but all you have to do is angle the visors down a bit and you will be fine

cheers
 
Hey:

Thanks for all the input.

I took a training course this past weekend, picked-up a used DRZ-400s (I had been looking for a while and coincidentally found one to my liking just before I took the course). This evening, I have just gone on my first ride (60 KMs) around the back roads around my house.

In the end, here is the equipment I went with along with my first impressions.

Helmet: Joe Rocket 2500 - Went with this helmet over the Fly Trekker and G-Max as it fit the best. Got it in white, would have liked to have gotten the Fly Trekker - with the high-vis colours. Loved the ICON Variant - did not like the $300 or so price at this time. Head does get knocked around a bit, but I think that is to be expected on 80 km/h roads.

Jacket: Bought a Joe Rocket Phoenix 11.0. It is a Mesh Jacket with a removable liner, which I liked as I plan on riding until late in the season. In the future, I will be looking for MX armor for the trails.

Gloves: $40 leather gloves, made by WhoCares. They seem to be well padded, etc. I will be looking to get a better road pair for commuting and another set for the trails.

Boots: First bought a $220 pair of alpine stars MX boots. I was having a tough time at first on the rider training course (riding a KLX 250) feeling the clutch and break. I think they will be a good boot long term, but they aren't the easiest when learning. I then went and bought a pair of Joe Rocket Blaster riding shoes/boots. They are light weight, seem to have ok protection and will I feel they will do me well whilst I am learning the feel of my bike. They seem to be pretty skimpy as far as protection goes though.

Pants: Jeans. Before the end of the season, I am going to pick-up the Phoenix 11.0 pants that go with my jacket. Again, removable liner which i think will help me ride later in season and be a bit cooler now. Also they will fit over work pants - the other option I was considering was Kevlar jeans (ICON, Joe Rocket), but I think I will just look to pick-up the Phoenix 11.0 pants for now.

I have also been told, by an experienced trail rider to start looking for a pair of trail pants...

I'll update this more as time passes and more cheques come in to pay for the gear.... The start-up costs have really knocked the wind out of my bank account.... C'est La Vie

Dave THE Accountant.
 
I see that many others have presented their suggestions so I will throw my opinion in for what it's worth:

1- I have a Fly Trekker helmet - not the lightest, not the best optics, not the best fit BUT the screen is large enough to throw up and out of the way for goggle use off road, it vents well and it's piss cheap. I bought mine, used it literally once and then decided that I prefer an Arai XD4 so my Fly has been relegated to my closet (with four other helmets) as a spare or guest helmet. If you want it, it's an XL and you can have it for $70 (sorry for the shameless plug)
2- I like the idea of motorcycle boots on a motorcycle, not hiking boots. Depending on the type of riding that you plan to do, there are no fewer than 200 choices ranging from decent to overkill. For road commuting, off road (and by off road I mean that you need waterproof, good soles for standing on pegs, great protection), I would look for something like the Forma Adventure or Alpinestars Scout - both offer all of the aforementioned "needs and wants" while not breaking the bank. I had a pair of Acerbis moto-x style boots (like the Aplinestars Tech1, 2, 3, etc series) and I can tell you that they are not the most "commuter friendly" given their stiffness. I have used Sidi Discovery Rain boots in the past and they were wonderful but not cheap by any stretch of the word. Now I use Forma Adventure for both on and off road and I believe that I have found the my favourite commuting / dual sport boot.
3- jackets are very personal and there is a sea of choices - all depends on your needs and budget...An all season jacket suggests a few things to me; water resistance, hot weather friendly and protective. I know that everyone loves Klim gear but as much as Gortex gear makes sense for most scenarios, it does not breath nearly as well as it should in very hot weather so Klim has never been at the top of my list. I like Gortex but only on the inner linings that are detachable. Have a look at the Held line of jackets - they are amazing and incredibly cost effective. For example, I have a jacket by them called the Arawa - it's a longer length jacket built of very good quality Cordura and comes with a thermal lining for colder riding. It also has an optional Gortex wind and water inner lining to give it true all-season capability. Just keep in mind that if you ride in the winter, anything below 5 degrees is going to be much more fun with a heated vest, gortex gloves and heated grips. Again, there are many jacket choices out there - it all depends on your needs, budget, etc.


Hi All:

I will be looking to purchase my first motorcycle over the next couple of weeks - a dual sport. I am taking a bike safety course shortly and need to pick up some equipment - the usual helmet, jacket, boots.

I will be using my dual sport on the road and on trails and plan on riding frequently from early spring to late fall and have easy access to trails from my house. I also plan on using the bike to commute 20 mins or so to work (90% on 2-lane 80KM/HR highways). I could really use some advice with some recommendations for equipment for my intended use. In particular, I am wondering:

1. Is their a decent all-in-one solutions for a helmet? Or would it be better to get a off-road helmet for trails (i.e. open with googles) and a more dedicated street helmet for commuting?

2. Any recommendations for boots, given my described purpose?

3. Jacket - Is their such a thing as a flexible all season jacket?

Any advice/recommendations appreciated!

Dave (the Accountant)
 

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