What gear do you wear?

[Relax]

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Gloves: And finally, for my primary riding gloves I bought some Dainese 4 Stroke Long gloves. They feel like a second skin when on and are by far the most comfortable gloves I have owned, next to some of my old pairs made by Held. I always want gauntlet gloves that fully cover my wrists. They have just the right amount of protection for the riding I do and do not feel bulky at all. I really like the tactile feeling these gloves give me of my levers and throttle. Gloves seem to wear pretty fast, and these are currently holding up extremely well, so I think I will buy them again when they wear away.

Happy Riding

Did you have much break-in time with those before they got comfortable? I bought a pair of Druids, which look very similar, but they feel tight and the cuffs pinch into my wrists when they're slightly bent holding the grips. Been wondering if I should just sell them while they are "ridden only once", or bear with the pain and hope they soften up.

 

[Relax]

most of my **** is cheap lol.

helmet : bell blackout qualifier or various biltwell ECE helmets i have
gloves: scorpion bixby gloves and my trusty cheap ass z1r reaper gloves
summer jacket : revit eclipse air jacket
fall jacket : a custom leather jacket
pants: knox brighton cordura jeans
shoes: TCX waterproof moto shoes

May be cheap, but most of your brands (Bell, Scorpion, Revit, Knox, and TCX) I would consider to be near or at the top for bang for buck.

 

[shanekingsley]

Did you have much break-in time with those before they got comfortable? I bought a pair of Druids, which look very similar, but they feel tight and the cuffs pinch into my wrists when they're slightly bent holding the grips. Been wondering if I should just sell them while they are "ridden only once", or bear with the pain and hope they soften up.

Like most of my gear I bought them used for a lot cheaper than new, but they were only worn once or a couple times.

Next time I see you at a burger meet or possibly a ride, you can check the gloves out in person, but I would think that they probably needed very little break in time. They materials are pretty soft to touch.

The only thing I do not like about them is that there is a tiny spot where there is some stitching near the right wrist, which tends to annoy me after multiple 12hr days. It’s not pinching for sure, but some super small crease or imperfection at a spot where two materials meet inside the glove, just below my thumb. It doesn’t happen on the left wrist, so I’m inclined to think it’s some manufacturing blemish with that one glove and not an indicator of the model itself.

 

[Jayell]

The shield release mechanism is very difficult to work, even after a lot of practice, so I just leave the shield on all the time instead of removing it each time I clean my helmet like with my previous helmet. In fact I think this is the worst shield release mechanism I've ever seen on any helmet I've owned.

Yep. Swapping shields on my Hornet X2 is immensely frustrating. For the price, it ought to be as smooth as silk. Shoei needs to take some lessons from HJC, specifically the RPHA line. So simple, click, click, done.

For me the one thing I actually dislike about the GT Air 2 helmet is the move to the ratchet straps - I prefer the old double D ring style because those work better with the helmet lock I have on the bike.

Yes, double D rings, please.

Knox knee armour strapped on legs under pants.

This guy gets it!! Forget about ill fitting knee armour in your pants. Ditch it entirely and go with the strap on stuff.

I have on me a Klim Kodiak...

However, I may return them. I have sat on the bike a few times and tested the comfort. I am not too impressed. They are quite heavy (owing to the 3 layer goretex pro construction), and owing to the lack of stretch panels at the knees, the armor tends to dig in. Moreover, the placement of the amor is un impressive. It tends to slide to the inside of the knees owing to the fact that the pockets are too big for the armor they hold. Not too confident of them protecting me in case of a crash.

Kurt, see above. The Kodiak is a very robust pair of pants. Don't let the knee armour spoil it for you.

 

[LePhillou]

Helmet: Older-ish bell star (not the race version)
Lighter than my older bell lid, not as noisy either but nothing crazy to say (its my 2nd lid so not much to go on)

Jacket: Very old Rev'it touring jacket (3 season with liner, older version of the horizon, pictured below, i think)
I like the space, the versatility for weather, the fit although i bought it 2 sizes too big as thats what they had on sale and i needed one. The pockets are huge. Works nicely for touring
I don't like, the look, the breathability on hot days.


Triumph Rover GTX
Just got it but it love the look and the fit, the gore-tex seems to work, and there's enough "storage" and it looks normal off the bike too

Alpinestar city collection (about 8 years old and falling apart), loved it but i think by trying to waterproof it i destroyed the fabric and it started falling apart. But i love the urban look, breathability is a meh out of 10 (ive commuted with it for a while)


Pants: Rev'it sand 2 pants in black. They look like snow pants but theyre comfortable, and the lines come in handy! I dont bother with the waterproof layer and just put oxford rain pants. I've had them for YEARS. And because i wore them a size too small (also got a deal) one of the zippers has given up (pocket) The velcro pockets have nice storage too, and the breathability isnt great. Awesome for touring though


Boots: TCX Street Leather WP, similar to that pic
They look like normal boots but theyre reinforced in the right parts. Scuffing happens on the top like most leather boots but nothing that a good clean/rejuvenation and polish wont fix.


Gloves: Rev'it perf leather shorties, might be discontinued
Great for the commute on hot summer days

Triumph Lothian GTX
Haven't tried them a lot, the tactile fingers work, theyre a bit tight but it's leather so it should stretch right?! I love how they tighten up, i dont need both hands to do it

Scorpion Insulator Gloves (gauntlet style but falling apart)
A bit clunky but it was a cheap buy. And they're not holding up. They're okay for cold weather i guess..don't know how much impact protection it's got though, probably won't find out since i have the lothian now

 

[MacDoc]

Head to toe in HWK gear now. Very impressed with fit, features and price point. We'll see how durable.



Treated myself to a new visor on my RJays convertible which is going on 10 years old.
Getting my C3 shipped to Australia.
MotoDri gloves and used Alpinstar short boots.
Pants so inexpensive I picked up a second set for hotter weather.

They do fit to size as well and innovative vents both pants and jacket that work,

Amazon.ca : hwk

I do have my Joe Rocket mesh for when it gets steamy. Upgraded the armour.

 

[Baggsy]

Schuberth C3 Pro helmet
Olympia Airglide jacket
Olympia Airglide or Expedition pants
Lee Parks Design Deersports or Deersports Pci gloves
Forma Adventure boots
Hit-air vest

Looking into a Motoport jacket, but the fx rate is atrocious at the moment, and may get worse.

 

[85K100]

Since all my gear is now black,

Me and you:

 

[shanekingsley]

Me and you:

View attachment 51239

Ha that's awesome. I used love reading Mad comics and tons of them

 

[Relax]

Me and you:

View attachment 51239

Ah, the Dainese mascots.

 

[85K100]

Nice beaks, eh?

 

[thwak]

Sidi Armada boots - modified by cobbler to add 1/2 inch to sole
Aerostich Roadcrafter pants - worn in all weather conditions, armour stays in the right place as they have completely taken my shape such that I almost expect them to walk away on their own one day
LD Comfort underwear

Depending on weather and temperatures I use a mixture of:
Rev'it Sand 3 jacket
Rev'it Airwave jacket - I find this brand fits me well every time
Powerlet heated jacket
Aerostich Goretex Pro shell

Buff

AGV K6 helmet - light weight for my arthritic neck. New this year to replace well used Schuberth C3 Pro that I was not always sure the modular portion was latched properly

Lee Parks gloves - really like these but sometimes wonder if they provide enough protection
Eska Gate Xtrafit GTX gloves - feel better with these on

 

[Karfanatik]

AGV K3 SV lid, Astars t-gp plus r air jacket, Astars Sp5 gloves, lol Astars faster 3 booties and Bullitt riding jeans.

 

[V-Tom]

I ride all year round rain and shine in all kinds of weather (I try and avoid riding when there is ice and snow on the road. Don't always succeed.)

My current gear has works for me from -18c up to +38c (-18 for an hour or so, -10 all day)

Aerostich Roadcrafter R3 goes over everything else in all weather.

HJC RPHA Modular Helmet (Don't recall the model number)
Tilley Travel Dress socks as my everyday socks

Assorted gloves for moderate and hot weather.

For colder weather:
Warm n safe heated gloves
Warm n safe heated socks
Warm n safe heated jacket
Aerostich Fleece Pants (Goes over my street pants. No "Base Layers" required in colder weather.)
Aerostich Soft Shell fleece Jacket (Normally goes over the Heated Jacket only in colder weather.)


For rain rides: Aerostich triple digit rain overgloves

Alpinstar Web Goretex boots

Shorts, t-shirt in hot weather, evaporative cooling vest in real hot weather (this stuff under the R3)

..Tom

 

[kurtrules]

Kurt, see above. The Kodiak is a very robust pair of pants. Don't let the knee armour spoil it for you.

Thanks. I took the advice. Went out for a 14 hour ride yesterday wearing these pants. The armor as expected, is uncomfortable and kept moving around. But otherwise the pants are great. Well constructed, robust, and warm as its a laminate. One little concern is that since there are no stretch/flexible panels, and since the knee is topped up by leather, the pant can get a little tight after long periods on the saddle. I am hopeful that once the leather breaks in, there'll be some leeway

I plan to buy a armor sleeve insert, and slot the armor into it under the pants. And get rid of this issue once and for all. Any suggestion? I have the forcefield isolation 2 armor.

 

[Baggsy]

Has anybody tried the Olympia X Moto or X Moto 2 jacket? Pros/Cons?

 

[Priller]

Not going to get into specific bits of gear, but the brands I've gotten to like over the past few years are the following:

- Held: Most here know their excellent gloves, but I have a two-piece that's the best street gear I've ever owned and their standard of quality is quite high. Sizing is more 'Northern European', so tends to be roomier than the slim-fit Italian brands.
- RST: Paid a total of $600 odd for a fantastic track suit that I love, generally their stuff is incredible value and very well built. Everything is CE certified, and again, sizing is roomier than many brands.
- Shark: I've evangelised their helmets lots here, so will just say that they fit my head, have great liners, and feel very well made. Never the cheapest though, especially compared to the Chinese-made brands.

The only problem is none of the above have great Canadian distribution, so sizing can be problematic. I have enough to know how they fit for me, but ordering from Europe is always a gamble (though no more so than through some Canadian distributors who don't take returns at all).

Has anybody tried the Olympia X Moto or X Moto 2 jacket? Pros/Cons?

Not personally, but rode with a guy in BC who wore mostly Olympia as he was stocky and their fit was roomier. He was mostly interested in the price, but obviously liked their stuff. Struck me as decent low- to mid-range gear, a step up from the Joe Rocket and Icon textile stuff, but not as nice as the Alpinestars or Klim. Reminded me a lot of the old First Gear stuff, especially as the styling was a bit, um, function first.

 

[regder]

- Shark: I've evangelised their helmets lots here, so will just say that they fit my head, have great liners, and feel very well made. Never the cheapest though, especially compared to the Chinese-made brands.

I have a retired Shark RSR2 collecting dust. Absolutely amazing helmet with my favourite graphics ever. Would be another if they made it again.

 

[shanekingsley]

Has anybody tried the Olympia X Moto or X Moto 2 jacket? Pros/Cons?

I have an Olympia X-Moto - the original one. It’s an excellent jacket overall for the price.

Pro’s:

• Very nice cut to the jacket, so it fits well.
• Amazing ventilation so that it can be worn in very warm weather. Unlike many jackets that have a zipper to create a slim vent when opened, the X-Moto will allow you to fully move away sections of the jacket to basically turn it into a mesh jacket.
• It comes with two zip-in liners. The outer liner is a waterproof liner, because the main jacket is only water resistant. The inner liner is a cold weather liner. With both in, the jacket is very snug and can keep you really warm in cold weather - probably down to around -5 or -10.
• If you remove the liners, there are adjustable straps that will allow you to tighten the jacket, so it's not flapping in the wind.
• There are a tons of pockets and they are really well thought out. One of them is a removable larger pocket that also has built in straps that make it easier for carrying while off the bike
• There is a hydration sack that can zip in. It's only 500ml, but that can be a good thing for someone who doesn't want a lot of extra weight in the jacket. It's definitely handy if you want it. If you don't want it, the hydration sack can be easily removed with just 2 zippers.

Con’s:

• Like all things made by Olympia, be prepared for button snaps and zippers to fail. On my X-Moto, I've only had one small button fail and I'm lucky that it's in a inconsequential spot. On some of my other Olympia gear, I've had many zippers and buttons fail - just like my old Joe Rocket stuff. Maybe they improved some stuff with the X-Moto and that's why it seems better put together than my Olympia AST jacket was.
• They use the CE armour, so it all depends of you want to continue using that, or swap it out.
• I've sprayed the main jacket down with Nikwax before to help with water resistance, but the main jacket is not externally waterproof, so when it gets soaked, it's heavy and wet.

Overall, for the price it's a great 3 season jacket and I'm sure there's more stuff I am forgetting about it - both good and bad. For a higher price you are typically getting into Goretex stuff with external waterproof shells, or materials that offer better abrasion resistance. I never felt that this jacket would not protect me in a slide, but I also never went down in this jacket, so I can't speak from experience.

Mine is currently for sale here. It's too small for you, but if you are ever in the area and want to check it out in person, I'm happy to show it to you, unless I sell it. I listed it for $150, but once I washed it, I realized that this jacket is practically in new condition and worth so much more than that considering how good it is compared to other jackets on the market. If it doesn't sell now, I'm sure it will sell in the spring for more.

If you have any specific questions - just ask.

 

[Jayell]

I plan to buy a armor sleeve insert, and slot the armor into it under the pants. And get rid of this issue once and for all. Any suggestion? I have the forcefield isolation 2 armor.

Kurt, no matter what pants I'm using, whether they're $100 or $1000, the first thing to go is the knee armour. Pull it out and throw it in the closet or even the trash.

I'm not sure what you mean by "an armour sleeve insert".

Get yourself some sort of tube type strap on armour, worn directly on the knee, completely independent of the pants. It's comfortable and is always in the correct position. Any brand should do, will likely cost under $100. If you're wearing really high boots, make sure the armour isn't so long it will interfere.

Something like this:



Or this:



Or this:

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