dimmers

yeah, about a couple of minutes... knee armour/hip armour, trousers, back protector, jacket, boots, helmet then gloves... then off to work i go!

i can understand this completely...

cheers for the heads up! i'll keep them in mind

just ordered some of this fabsil, i now have high hopes!!! i quite like the fact that its an aerosol spray... i've used nikwax in the past and it drips/runs all over the place, and hasn't really worked that well. i'll keep you posted (love the TMBF for tips like this!

pretty good budget you've got there mate, you should be able to get a good set of gear for that price!

nice review, but it will take a lot to move me off pilot road 3s

nice one! on to the DAS now

Wise man Dimmers says it all. we've all been there and done it! (and still doing it

if you can, spend a little bit more money on a pair of gloves. Spada and RST do a very good range of gloves and good prices. Check out sportsbikeshop.co.uk, they have a massive selection, and a very good returns policy. if you're going to ride all year, then goretex gloves are well worth it, but they normally start around 100, so quite expensive. but same as the helmet really, you need to try them on (hence the good returns policy on a website is a must), and also make sure that the cuff has a good fastener, you wouldn't want your gloves to get pulled off in the event of a crash... I promise you this now though, try and buy the best gear you can afford now, as if you don't, you will only end up replacing what you buy now in a few months!

depends what you consider a reasonable price? helmetcity.co.uk have some fantastic deals on previous models... currently you can pick up some Shark helmets at very good prices... they have lots of Shark Race R helmets at 199. Shark S900 for around 100 quid. In fact they have a lot of good helmets for under 100. But if you can, i'd really recommend taking a visit to one of their stores, and getting the staff help you get a correct fit. I went to their Chichester branch a few weeks back, was like a kid in a candy shop, i tried on almost every make/model of helmet in there. regardless of what anyone recommends you though, make sure the helmet fits your head properley... for me, only Arai and Shoei helmets fit my head spot on! I love the Shark helmets, but they just don't fit my head, so i won't ever buy one.

it's why i'm very tempted this year to buy some heated clothing... vest, gloves, and just be done with it! saves wearing a hundred base layers, and then you still get cold anyway. NOT looking forward to riding this winter, will be my 4th and i'm bored of it now, so the heated kit may get purchased very soon (well that's what credit cards are for aren't they? buying expensive bike gear you can't afford

Looking well shifty in that pic glad you got your waterproofs sorted. Agree they are a faff to get on, I look like I'm trying to get in to straight jacket when I put mine on as it has to go over my head and is a little snug!

The ultimate solution is hand guards, handle bar muffs and heated grips. Guy I park up next to has this combination and he rides all year round in summer gloves that are so old they have big holes in them. The hand guard /handlebar muff combo helps stop the muffs hitting your brake lever at speed.

I spent 70 on some barkbusters for my hornet, and they really do help. I'm not going to say they solve the freezing /cold/painful hands thing completely, but they definitely help, as the wind is deflected over your hands.

For £80+?! My leather jacket cost £25! (2nd hand) . I don't think I own anything bikey that cost over £60 except for the bike! no no no... tis this one, but still more expensive than your leather jacket http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Alpinestars-R ... 4d13200b63

i've got a waterproof over jacket by alpinestars, it has to go on over your head (no zip up the front), but because of that it doesn't leak... completely waterproof, and i've tested it quite a few times over the last couple of years. It's also quite long, so covers the crown jewellies!! (quick Google search will find you the jacket i'm on about)

true... i wonder if next time they'll let me take a load of different helmets out in the car, then i can try each one on and stick my head out the window whilst going down the motorway! but yeah, i wear ear plugs so not really a big deal for me.

so i went down to helmetcity in Chichester at the weekend, great little shop with almost every helmet brand you would want to try, and nice and friendly staff, who just let me get on with trying out loads of different helmets. They also didn't mind my son running riot round the rest of the shop, and getting his grubby little mitts on all of the helmet visors within his reach! anyway, it would be a bit pointless me reviewing all the lids i tried on as everyone's head shape is different, so a bad fitting helmet to me, might fit your head 'like a glove'. But what i will say, is that the quality of the Arai's and Shoei's are just still so much better that the rest. Honestly, i tried on every brand of helmet in that shop, and i just couldn't get a better fit/feel/comfort that the Arai and Shoei. The X lite 802r was a nice lid, felt light, but just didn't feel as secure on my head (i prefer a helmet to fit on my head like a glove on a hand). The Bell M5X was a nice looking lid, and i had my eye on it prior to turning up, but again, it just didn't feel right, no matter what size i tried on. shame, i really liked this lid. Shark speed r - i wanted to love this helmet, as it looked great, has an internal sun visor, and comes in some great graphics. Put it on, and it felt awkward, like i was constantly waiting for it to sit right. Schuberth SR1 - great looking lid, lots of features, again, wanted to like it, but put it on and there is this instant pressure against my forehead, and i just knew that after 30 mins of riding i'd have a stabbing headache. Shoei XR1100 - wow, what a great fit, feels like this lid was made just for me. and so light as well. Great visor on it with the max pinlock insert included. I was basically sold, but the colour scheme/style i wanted was full price (over £400) and i'm not paying that much... (sad times) Arai Chaser - again, fit really well, but that was to be expected as i currently ride in an arai. Funny thing was the Arai Chaser V didn't fit as well, and the padding didn't feel as good once i put it on, not as fitting. So i'm currently deciding between an old Arai chaser, as they have some cheap on certain websites (getting rid of old stock), or if i can get past the dodgy colour schemes then some of the older style Shoei xr1100s are a lot cheaper than the current models (a LOT cheaper), so i may go down that route. But yeah, for people asking on here about helmets, or just buying online without trying them on, do yourself a favour and get down to a shop and try as many on as you can... spend at least an hour trying out all the different models/sizes to see which fits best. Then when you find the one you like and it fits nicely, spend some time in the shop with it on just to see how it feels after a few minutes or so.

thanks for all the replies, i think i might go down the matt route, looks so good imo

awesome, thanks very much for letting me know!!

i did ask this quesiton in the 'tried and tested' section, where someone has actually done a review of a matt black helmet, but no reply as of yet, and the post is quite old (i did pm the op as well). Just wondering if anyone has got a matt coloured helmet, and if so, how's it holding up over time? I love the look, i just worry that the paint job won't hold up as well as the normal shiny helmets (ooo errrr if they end up looking 10 years old after only 1 years worth of use, then i will steer clear. cheers

that looks really odd with the chin bit flipped over like that. i like the idea of a flip lid, but i just worry about how safe they are. Perhaps i'll try a few on this weekend as well nice write up, thanks

thought i'd give an update on this helmet after a quite a bit of use. good points are still - nice and stable at speeds - comfortable, can wear it all day no probs. - doesn't leak in the rain (always a good thing) - put a pinlock insert in and you're fog free not so good points - the padding is not removable - padding is getting a bit 'old and tired' now after nearly 2 years use - foam padding just behind the mouth vent is pulling away and has broken, but this may be due to how i carry the lid when off the bike anyway, Arai now have the Axcess 2 out, which apparently improves upon the Axcess in quite a few areas.

First time I read this I saw "Not many wearing purple bell helmets". My eyes aren't what they used to be... Nice looking lid - I appreciate the review as I could do with a new one. Cheers Mr Tango! well that's probably true as well, as i don't think Bell currently do a purple helmet but yeah, it's a really nice looking lid, and helmetcity . co. uk are doing some at the moment with a bit of a reduction. i'm taking a trip down to their Chichester branch at the weekend (unfortunately not on the bike).

hey, just a quick question to the op, how is the paint job holding up on your matt black helmet (if i asked that question anywhere other than a motorbike forum, i'd get some seriously strange looks)... thinking of going down the matt black route, but heard mixed reviews of how the paint job holds up. cheers