Ninja vs CBR ? Riders step inside

[blackboltss]

Yea... not planning on skimping on riding gear at all! I was just wondering what brands y'all prefer, or if there was any "do's and don'ts" when it comes to riding gear. like... 1 piece suite or jacket and pants... are boots necessary? Full face helmet?

 

[blackboltss]

are there..... ratings for gear?

 

[Moondew]

Here is one online location for gear and mc stuff reviews
http://www.webbikeworld.com/

 

[Ben Segrest]

@ Ben and Motor

Countersteering kicks in at roughly 20-ish mph on my bicycle, until then the effects if inertia simply aren't in place.

I counter your science experiment with one of my own: push your bike/motorcycle down the street. turn right, go right. Ride it up driveway, same rules.

Take it past 15-20mph, turn right=go left. I dont know the exact math, but as a former speed cyclist I know its ~20mph.

Do you still have a bike? Given your experience, I'm sure you can ride without your hands on the bars. Riding along as slow as you can without your hands on the bars, reach out and push on one of the grips. Don't lean left or right, just push on the grip and see what happens. If it doesn't counter steer, let me know and I'll come see it in person.

 

[Hattrick 22]

I don't have any riding experience but my friend just got rid of his gsxr 600 and is going to start saving up a little for the new Yamaha Bolt that's is coming out its compared to the Harley Iron 883. His reason was that he wanted something more comfortable that him and his gf could ride he has also been looking at http://m.cycletrader.com/listing/2011-Honda-VT13CX-FURY-100185083 for more of a sports cruiser.

 

[topgunz1]

Full face helmet only, DOT is the minimum but I'd get one that's also either Sell or one of the european ratings as well. With the higher end helmets you're paying for better ventilation to keep your head cool, better aerodynamics to keep buffeting and noise down, and better/softer materials to keep comfort levels up. I've ridden in a Shoei for the last few years but their new line doesn't fit my head as well, I'm looking at Arai for my next one.

Several of my jackets are Scorpion brand, since they are made well and usually go on good sales on the older model when new stuff comes out. I have a heavy leather one with venting and removeable liner, it's good from the 30's up to the 70's. Warmer than that I switch to mesh with heavy duty textile in the impact areas.

My current gloves are Dainese and are kinda between a short and a full gauntlet, they aren't bad but I'm a glove whore and always looking for something better.

Boots, something rugged with ankle support. For 2 years I used a riding shoe, now I wear Alpinestars SMXPlus race boots, much, much more ankle support and protection but not as practical off the bike.

Pants, I try to wear my kevlar lined khaki pants but usually just wear jeans. I know they are useless in a crash and am trying to do better in that regard.

www.sportbiketrackgear.com has great videos on their gear, good prices and fast shipping.

www.motorcyclegear.com has great closeouts from time to time, great customer service and fast shipping.

 

[sandman7925]

I will always wear full face simply because I don't like the taste of insects. And I've cought rocks in my truck windshield and have no interest catching one with my teeth.

 

[JadeRaven]

********. Here's an experiment for you.

Get a bicycle. Yes a bicycle, counter steer doesn't just apply to motorcycles.
Walk along side it with one hand on the seat and the other on the bars.
Now quickly flick the bars one way or the other and observe what happens.
Obviously the bike wants to fall over, but which direction did it fall?

Again with the bicycle, walk it in a circle with the bike laid over at a decent angle.
Now try to stand the bike up using only steering input.
Jerk the bars to the left. What happens?
to the right?

Now get on a motorcycle and try it out at as slow as you feel comfortable.

Haha just saw this a year later, but I don't really get the joke.

I guess I don't have a fast enough at-or-below walking pace to know WTF you're talking about.

 

[JadeRaven]

I will always wear full face simply because I don't like the taste of insects. And I've cought rocks in my truck windshield and have no interest catching one with my teeth.

Yeah unless you ride behind a full windshield it's a good idea to have a full face helmet.

Watching the bugs splatter on the face shield is much nicer than them splattering on your face.

 

[topgunz1]

I get too hot riding behind a windshield, but even so I'd wear a full helmet to save your face from meeting concrete. I pulled up on a wreck once, guy on a sportbike was going straight and a car jumped out of the turn lane back into travel lane, clipping him. He slid to a stop from at least 60 on the shoulder of a textile jacket and the faceshield/chinbar of a full helmet. T-shirt and half-helmet and he'd have been in ICU, proper gear helped him walk away without a scratch.

 

[Ben Segrest]

Haha just saw this a year later, but I don't really get the joke.

I guess I don't have a fast enough at-or-below walking pace to know WTF you're talking about.

There is no joke. If your feet aren't on the ground, counter steer applies.

 

[LeftyDiego]

For gear I wear Olympia Motorsports jacket and pants, Gaerne boots and a Shoei full face. I wear all of my gear for every ride.

 

[blackboltss]

thanks everyone for all the tips and advise! I am really liking the fz8 and fz6r. Went today and looked at one and it felt really good. It was really difficult for me not to say i'll take it .... Still want to save for a few more months. Cant wait to get out and ride, Went out yesterday and cursed around the area and found some really nice spots to hone our skils. Getting really excited, we should have a bs ride one of these days seeing how many people on the site have bikes.

 

[Trachito]

i wouldn't go cheap on gear but you don't need the expensive crap either. i've had a variety of helmets and Scorpion is my fav. i recently tried on Speed And Strength and i love the way it felt. Icon is good too. you can find great deals on these brands, like under $200. the most comfortable helmet i've worn but very expensive is Arai. most arai helmets are in the $600-$800 range. Now I rather pay less than $180 for a decent Scorpion or SS or Icon because I'm going to have to replace it in about 5 years anyway, and it'll offer the same protection.

Joe Rocket gloves rip at the finger tips. My Scorpion and Shift gloves have lasted a long time with no rips. owned one pair of Alpinestars gloves and i didn't care for how they fit. with any gloves you buy, don't tug hard on the same spot whenever you put them on, and don't tug at the velcro strap cuz that'll rip. tug on the gloves evenly as you put them on. i have a lot of experience with rips due to tugging too hard at just one spot. **** gets expensive.

as far as jackets: Fieldsheer (kind of ugly), Rocket, Icon, Shift, scorpion are all good.

 

[topgunz1]

Those FZ8's are cool, Naked sportbikes are the best! Comfort + performance, how it should be. If you are looking at that category, might as well get the best! Triumph Street Triple. I went through 3 bikes in as many years looking for a good fit, had my Triumph a year and it isn't going anywhere!

 

[blackboltss]

I really like the street triple but I cant find one to sit on lol. When I sat on the fz8 it felt really comfortable for me. Good riding position and it just looks sexy 2 me. Its not a super sport bike but I don't really want or need one of those. I want the sport..... but with some comfort and the fz8 seems like a nice compromise.

 

[PPBart]

Full face helmet only...Several of my jackets... heavy leather one with venting and removeable liner, it's good from the 30's up to the 70's. Warmer than that I switch to mesh with heavy duty textile in the impact areas.

Boots, something rugged with ankle support.... Pants... usually just wear jeans...

To join the chorus, I'll agree that the first thing you should do is the rider safety training. I took the Harley Rider's Edge course a few years ago -- cost about $200, but I've saved much more than that in reduced insurance premiums -- chose that training mainly because it was more convenient than the LSP course at the time.

I've had a wide range of bikes over the past 40(+) yrs, dirt bikes, sport bikes, street, touring, cruisers. That last three for me have been Harleys -- currently ride a '07 Softail Deluxe, and for me it's probably the best all-round bike I've ever owned. I'll also agree that you should buy used with the intention to upgrade over time. It's not a question of whether you'll drop the bike or not but rather when/where you'll drop it, and scratches/dents on a used bike are a lot less distressing. As for which bike, you really need to find what "fits" you, what you are comfortable on. Try to test ride as many as you can; however, most dealers (or knowledgeable owners) are gonna require you to at least have a MC license endorsement and proof of insurance.

Safety gear can't be over-emphasized. Dress for the crash, not the ride! I've had two major crashes in my riding career, last one in 2008, totalled the bike each time but each time I walked away -- but I'm convinced that's only because I was wearing a full-face helmet, leather (heavy) jacket, leather gloves, engineer boots.

Maybe you would want to go to a local "bike night" -- lots of different bikes to look at, and bikers usually love to talk about their rides.

Whatever you choose, welcome to the road, and ride safe!

 

[sandman7925]

Try to test ride as many as you can; however, most dealers (or knowledgeable owners) are gonna require you to at least have a MC license endorsement and proof of insurance.
!

When I bought my bike the place just let me get on it and ride it away without any of that. I couldn't believe it. I had no idea what I was doing too.

 

[topgunz1]

I really like the street triple but I cant find one to sit on lol. When I sat on the fz8 it felt really comfortable for me. Good riding position and it just looks sexy 2 me. Its not a super sport bike but I don't really want or need one of those. I want the sport..... but with some comfort and the fz8 seems like a nice compromise.

http://www.ttrno.com, in NOLA near the Superdome. Good folks to do business with, they have at least 1 '12 Street Triple R in Red you can probably get a screaming deal on.

 

[blackboltss]

9grand is more than I was looking to spend on my first bike. I'll move up one day


On a side note I found a pretty good deal on an 05 fz6 but its a Mississippi bike... anyone know what I am going to have to do to get it transferred to Louisiana? Might be picking it up on Monday