The New And Improved Unofficial R65 Forum V2
General Category => Chit-Chat => Topic started by: bonesteel on August 15, 2018, 11:37:37 AM
-
About to get my R65 fully ready to be road ready - required carb rebuild and such.
I'm looking forward to enjoying some gradually longer rides in the NE USA, but don't have the clothing kit for it. Until now I have been a Vespa rider and around town I don't have the need for more sturdy and protective clothing.
There seems to be a large range of riding pants and jackets out there in the market place and I'm overwhelmed. What do you all find as a good solid and reliable brand that won't break my bank account?
Thanks in advance,
Jon
-
You should really go to a local shop and try on some different styles. Take your bike with you and ask to sit on your bike with the garments on. You'll want to look at how the jacket fits in the shoulder when you're in driving position, for example. There's probably an independent gear shop in your area, I would try them over a dealership.
-
Tourmaster is budget priced but decent quality. First Gear is a step up in quality and price. You will find these brands in many of the shops. Try several on and see how they fit. That is probably the most important suggestion. I like the First Gear overpants for their convenience. They make a nice mesh jacket as well. FWIW my current gear is Nolan N100-5 helmet, Olympia AG5 pants & jacket, TCX boots and Tourmaster gloves. Consider light colored / reflective items for safety. Be safe / be seen. Happy travels!
-
I have 3 jackets which I match up and wear accordign to the weather I expect.
The first is simply an open mesh jacket with pockets to accept shoulder, elbow and back armour. Made by Shark, it is very cool to wear, so cool weather and rain are a no-no. The mesh is sufficiently open that my arms were mildly sunburned during my 3,500km trip at Christmas time.
My next jacket is a DriRider "airflow" jacket, it has armour and a lot of zips and fold back panels, it is not as cool to wear as the mesh jacket, but it is waterproof with all zips and panels closed and with the zip-in termal liner it is good down to around 12 degrees Celcius.
My last jacked is also a DriRider - a Summit2. It has some zip open panels, but its primary purpose is to be a warm and waterproof jacket. With the zip-in liner I have ridden in sub-zero temperatures and was toasty warm.
I do have a silk scarf which I love. This often overlooked piece of clothing does several things, firstly it protects my throat and neck from inspect impact, sun damage and wind burn, but far more improtantly it "lubricates" the neck so that an active scan ahead does not result in chafing. WWI pilots swore by there silk scarves, so do I.
Gloves, I nearly always carry two pair of gloves. My primary gloves are a pair of German Held touring gloves, they are comfortable and warm, but being leather they are not waterproof. If the day is too hot for leather gauntlets I take a pair of mesh "city" gloves that have back of hand armour and leather inserts. My last pair of gloves ar eth eones I wear if heading into foul weather, they are quite old and I can no longer discern the brand but they have a leather palm and some sort of hi-tec back that is waterproof, they also have armour and "thinsulate" stainless steel "wool" insulation. I have not seen a pair of thinsulate gloves for a long time and I suspect that the world has passed them by for some reason or other.
Trousers, I have a pair of mesh-with-armour for summer fair weather rides, and a few pairs of textile trousers with Kevlar and ballistic armour.
Boots. Iam getting old so trying to get into "proper" high boots is now more effort than i am prepared to make - I have mid-calf "adventure" boots these days - made by Shark.
-
Just bought from Aldi a padded leather jacket 'Torque' with CE EN1621-2 2014 Level 2 armour inserts. The price was incredibly good, remains to be seen what the performance is like. Hope I never find out.
-
I did a bunch of browsing and found this one, which I just received. It seems to strike a very nice balance of protection and comfort. Looks like I can even add a back plate if need be.
https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/fly-terra-trek-4-jacket
Thanks all,
JB