what gear should I wear?

I plan on getting a bike soon (as soon as I see one for sale) hoping for a GSX-R600. It's about to hit summer real soon, but I don't want to lose 5 lbs of sweat after riding for only 30 min. Is there any gear thats lightweight yet durable. Safety is a major factor though so I might not seem very realistic. I just don't see how these people can ride with full leathers on and it's like 90-100 degrees. Any help here.

Remember it's a lot cooler when you're going 60 mph.

it all depends on the type of rider you are and what kind of riding you're gonna do. for just cruising around the city not messing around. i wear at least jeans and my joe rocket mesh jacket w/shorty gloves. it does get hot sitting in traffic. now im not sure how much protection from roadrash a mesh jacket is going to give but for initial impact it has all the armor. now for freeway riding i always have my leather jacket on, minimum. i have a two piece suite so i dont always wear the full gear but like vtec said at higher speeds the wind does help cool you down. try leaving the top of your coat open just a little that helps.

i want to look cool also. is it tacky if your gear matches your ride? i think it will be cool if i had gear with the matching logo and colors. some input on tackyness would be appreciated, so i don't make a fool of myself.

i have some stuff that matches my bike...if other people think it's tacky, i don't give a f*ck...it's your bike...roll how you want to...i usually wear some under-armour on the top underneath my jacket so it stays cool in the heat...

so how does it go:skin, armor, leather's, then your clothes, or do I have no idea what i'm talking about?

or is armor and leather's the same thing?

its about the ride not how you loook. but if you want to look good black is the best nuetral it goes with anything. we cant make all your decisions for you.. most jackets come with armour. either energized foam or hard plastic. i prefer hard plastic. but there is seperate armour. icon makes some good field armour i have their spine protector.

I have a jacket that has mesh with the armour so it breathes well and still protects if you go down in all the major areas (spine, elbows, shoulders). I wear all black gear...that way when i sell my bike and get another, I dont have to keep selling my gear along with it or buy a bike based on color and not mechanical condition. Black gear is hot at a light though...so 6 of one, half dozen of the other. Up to your taste really. People who think matching colors are tacky probably dont even ride...and if they do and still think so...screw em...:-p

if you don't match a bit then you look funnier.

gixer white and blue with a ducati yellow jacket?..........

Death is right. black is hot. go for more grey's and it'll be cooler

a wise rider once posted "dress for the crash not the ride"

you can come off anywhere. chances are it'll be when you least expect it and therefore will be wearing the least amount of protection

ahhhh i see. well i will at least make my helmet match, thats not going overboard.

last question: i promise, what good brand for gear?

thats is. trust me. well about this topic at least...

Well, Shoei helmets are a good brand...I have an HJC which I like. Joe rocket, for jackets is a popular brand, First gear gloves I have are rpetty good...a lot of the major name brands though are costly. So, just make sure the gear you get is safe and DOT approved and that you like the look. Name brand isnt necessary usually...

Icon, Joe Rocket, AlpineStars for leathers/boots/gloves.


And it goes clothes, then leathers.. some companys like icon sell extra armor that can be worn under clothes (like jeans for example) or over leathers.. lots of different styles, like someone said depends on the type of riding you wanna do.

alpinestar is a good quality leather. i also like spyke. but i find the best bang for your buck is icon. feel the leather you should be able to tell the quality. theres a site out there i believe its metricbikesuperstore.com
pick the item you want, they have a good selection, and it might give you the option for a discount if you give them your email addr. i've done it you dont keep getting emails or any junk after they email you once. its not bull you get a good discount im getting an icon jacket from them and it is normally over 350 US. after the discount its 265 US. when i buy a helmet i make sure it is snell approved. a higher standard than DOT. shoei are beautiful helmets but expensive if youre on a budget try shopping around. my favorite helmet was a shark which proved its worth after a bad crash. i have an icon mainframe now im still a little undecided about it. fogs up easily.

if you don't match a bit then you look funnier.

gixer white and blue with a ducati yellow jacket?..........



damn skippy mate, how'd you guess? for street guise, I have all leather blue and white Teknic jacket with hump on the back. and a yellow Suomy Spec-1R helmet with road rash (see below). only thing that matches the red bike are red teknic gp gloves. the helmet used to match the yellow SV that you so often made fun off. too bad it's sold, I miss the bugger and its v-twin antics. it used to be mistaken for baby Monster every now and then.

i wear the breathable underarmour stuff underneath the jacket, with jeans and tennis shoes, it all depends how hard you're riding....obviously you want to have leather pants if you're on the track, and i wear underarmour shorts (yes the spandex shit) underneath the leathers so i don't die from heat stroke while i'm taking a break from the track...

What gear you wear is determined by the level of acceptable risk. For me, nothing short of leathers, gloves, boots, spine protector, and helmet is sufficient. I've crashed in street clothes and I've crashed in leathers, and I can tell you first hand that you do NOT want to crash without leathers on.

I see a lot of people riding around in either a mesh or leather jacket with jeans on, and I strongly recommend not doing this. Leather is designed to slide and jeans do not. Because of this, not only will you have the impact damage to your lower body and the roadrash as the jeans immediately burn through to bare flesh, but it will cause you to twist at the midsection which commonly results in broken ribs from even minor lowsides. This also promotes tumbling, which is the main cause of injury in a crash.

Mesh gear doesn't have anywhere near the impact or abrasion protection that leather has, and you will rarely get more than 1 crash out of a mesh jacket before it's shredded. It is better than nothing, however. If I were going to commute on a motorcycle (which I never will), I would probably look into some of the armored mesh overpants that zip together with a mesh jacket, and I would use my race boots and gloves along with that. Or, I would just bite the bullet and wear my leathers and change when I get there. It really depends on the situation, and neither scenario is ideal.

As for brands, you typically get what you pay for, but there are values out there. From what I've seen, Icon is typically bottom of the barrel when it comes to quality. Much of it is flashy and cheap, which typically appeals to the poser crowd. The benchmarks in the leather industry are brands like Alpinestars, Dianese, Teknic, and AGV. Some of the best leathers are made by custom shops like Syed, Vanson, and Barnacle Bill. I think one of the best bang for the buck deals is the Joe Rocket line. I've crashed in my GPX suit numerous times and it has protected and held up extremely well. For an affordable 2 piece suit, I couldn't ask for more.