New Rider.. Help me go shopping :D

I'm new to riding and getting my first bike this week. Slightly used 2014 Ninja 300 ABS. I'm super excited to take her out.. its going to be a long winter. My favorite bike in the yamaha bolt atm and look to get one of those in a couple years.

I work out of town as to why the online purchasing but would like some advice with gear. I will be riding strictly for leisure for now and have interest in the track. With that I would like some opinions on gear I'm looking at.

Helmet:

Any suggestions for under the $250 range. No crazy graphics.. something basic

1. LS2 FT2

2. Scorpion EXO-500 - More features.. not snell approved

3. Scorpion EXO0 R-410 - Snell Approved

Jackets: Any other cheaper perforated leathers to consider?

1. Dainese Cage Non perforated leather. Seems to be a comfortable jacket just could get hot in the summer. Favourite style wise of the three

2. Alpine Stars GP Plus R Perforated. I feel this would be better for our changing climates.

3. Dainese Laguna EVO Perforated. Same as above. I like the styling better then the alpine

Pants:

1. Joe Rocket Blaster Armoured Jeans. Good walk around all year pants with some kevlar and armour in the knees.

2.??? Other suggestions

Boots:

1. TCX Airtech Touring Boots Full boot with gortex

2. TCX X-Square Covers the ankle but not crazy protection
3. Alpinestars SP-1 Shoes

Gloves

Five EL Camino Glove Goes a little past the wrist.. comfortable!

Alpinestar SP-8 gauntlet style but not to aggressive

Five RFX2 Same as above


Any other suggestions would be awesome! Thanks for your time and help.

Also.. do you think I might be putting out to much money to quick? Only thing I see being significantly cheaper is the jacket but then I may have to buy another to fit the seasons.

Snell approval means nothing to you if it won't be tracked. I would look for the ECE certification before Snell 2010.

As for boots, either go with a full boot or don't even bother IMO. I've lowsided twice on the street on my first learner bike and once on the big bike. Both bikes took my leg for a drag (Alpinestars SMX-Plus boots), both times I ended up without even a bruise.

For pants, Kevlar jeans fall into the "Better than nothing" category. I would look into overpants like what Olympia sells. Armoured overpants with ventilation over whatever you'll be walking around in.

Gloves: Never buy gloves without putting them on and sitting on a bike, or walking around with them on. I think I have over 10 pairs of gloves in the house, over $1200 in gloves before I found 2 that actually fit my hands nicely.

All the jackets you posted are great jackets so nothing to add here. Perforated leather is better, but with the caveat that when it gets chilly it'll be REAL chilly.

Thanks for the advice! Problem with ordering off of American sites is the dollar being so low there is no savings.

Would the TCX boots be defined as full boots? I feel they don't have much protection. I keep reading about the Alpine star boots I'll have to check them out.

So of the perforated vs non perf that I posted what would be more able to pul off all season? O do most of you have summer get then cooler temp gear? I really like the look of the Cage jacket.

The TCX Gortech boots are on clearance at Canadamotorcycle.ca

30seconds said:

Thanks for the advice! Problem with ordering off of American sites is the dollar being so low there is no savings.

Would the TCX boots be defined as full boots? I feel they don't have much protection. I keep reading about the Alpine star boots I'll have to check them out.

So of the perforated vs non perf that I posted what would be more able to pul off all season? O do most of you have summer get then cooler temp gear? I really like the look of the Cage jacket.

Click to expand...

I have 4 jackets and I use all of them at different points of the season/different weather. If you can't afford 3 dainese/alpinestars jackets look into other brands like Joe Rocket and Icon

boooya said:

The TCX Gortech boots are on clearance at Canadamotorcycle.ca

Click to expand...

Thats the ones I have in my initial post. The dont seem to have much armoured protection though...

30seconds said:

Thats the ones I have in my initial post. The dont seem to have much armoured protection though...

Click to expand...

No non at all.
They are however very breathable and completely waterproof.
Don't by them for protection tho lol.

it's honestly best to find a store and try on gear in person.
sizing can be different from brand to brand, and even from one model to another from the same manufacturer.
some boots will fit either small, or large from a street shoe size and can vary greatly in widths.

Yea I think that's the best plan. Going to head to GP and RD when I get home. Pricing seems to be very competitive across the board. I was just wanted everything to be there when I got home but when looking around 1500$ worth of gear.. better make sure I like it so I wear it.

GP has a no tax deal on right now too so you may pick up some better deals.

There's a lot of good advice in this thread. I'll add my two cents for you...

Helmet: spend as much as you can comfortably on a helmet. It will be more comfortable, safer (all DOT/ECE helmets are safe.. * I'll come back to this), and you will enjoy riding longer.

Gloves: Don't skimp, blisters will ruin a weekend of riding really quick. Buy something that fits properly and meets your riding criteria. If you are a fair weather rider, save the money and don't buy GoreTex. Be honest with yourself.

Boots: same as gloves. Maybe GoreTex isn't required. Maybe it is.

Jacket: Buy the correct fit, not just the correct size. My mistake with the first jacket I purchased years ago was I assumed I would need space to layer up. The fit wasn't great and I am much happier now knowing the difference. Most riders (especially early in their riding) end up owning multiple jackets for different riding conditions. I don't have a jacket that is ideal for 30 degrees and minus 2. I have two different jackets. Jackets (and pants) that can do everything exist, but they are super expensive and not necessarily the right choice for every rider.

Back to the helmet safety. If you buy a safe helmet that doesn't fit correctly, it is not safe on your head. If the helmet will allow your head to move during a collision the smacking action inside the helmet will damage your brain as well. You'll be better than not wearing any helmet, but not safe enough. As the padding inside the helmet wears in and loosens up, the fit will change. Make sure the helmet you buy is the right size and shape to remain safe throuought the entire life of the helmet, not just the first 6 weeks you own it.

If you want to stop in and try some stuff on, we can go through the fit and cut options of the gear in person so you know what to look for while shopping. Either search my history, or PM me.