First Jacket and armour

[NE150N80]

Hi All

Am just starting to look at jackets ahead of my CBT, as COVID now means that supply our own gear. No major issue here as I'd be buying gear anyway!

But I obviously would prefer to "buy once, by well". My problem is, I don't know what are good brands, which brand I should be staying away from or which brands are more for racing wear etc. etc.

So, although I want to get a decent jacket - I can't quite stump up thousands!

I'm thinking textile (prob GoreTex) as we're coming into colder, wetter months. However, I am unsure what to do about armour. Hear a lot about D30, AA etc. At the moment I'm just looking online to get an idea, but will go out to a shop in the next week or so to have a look and try some on properly.

Thanks!

[husoi]

start by having a look at sportbikeshop (follow link in forum) to see what is around.

[Guest Swagman]

As Husoi says have a look at sportsbike shop they have quite a range if you are going for gortex then you will be paying quite a lot for it, having said that if you are going to ride through winter it may be best

, or you could get a RST at reasonable price and carry a waterproof set in a top box or under the seat If there is room, i have RST jacket it’s not waterproof but it is nice and warm .

Edited September 3, 2020 by Swagman

[dynax]

just for now i would just get yourself a helmet and gloves, and just wear a waterproofish jacket and walking or work boots will do for the time being, when you do your CBT as part of the training you will cover different types of clothing and armour, it's not necessarry to get kitted out from the off and once you have your bike you can try on clothing and see how it feels when you are on the bike

[Guest Swagman]

I personally wouldn’t ride any motorcycle without wearing proper protective gear.

Edited September 3, 2020 by Swagman

[Bender]

Sent you a pm as if your local I can point you in a few directions

[Guest]

This is not a budget recommendation but I have the earlier version and it's great. Excellent quality armour held in place, very comfortable and the new version is protective in its own right so can be worn on its own on hot days or with any jacket you like so much more flexible than most bike jackets.

https://www.planet-knox.com/product/urbane-pro-armoured-shirt/

[KiwiBob]

For jacket and trousers why not look at second hand? .. I got some good quality hardly used gear very cheaply. New they would have cost me over £250 but got them for £40.

Edited September 3, 2020 by KiwiBob

[Fish]

I've got a Richa Infinity 2, not the cheapest but also not the most expensive either.

Clicky Link, but follow the SportsBikeShop link then search for it there.

It's a 3 layer jacket, as in you can remove the body warmer and raining section to make it a summer jacket, then at this time of year I've put the rain inner jacket in.

Plenty warm enough even on these starting to get nippy mornings.

Fish

[xMachina]

Another vote for SportsBikeShop. I recently bought a new 2 piece leather from their MK store and they couldn't have been more helpful. I fully intended to go look there and them come away and see if I could get it cheaper but the service was top notch so I decided to just buy it there and then - that turned out to be a good choice as I couldn't beat there in-store online anyway!

I wouldn't get too hung up on armour, impact with the ground is never good but I'd worry more about seams holding together and abrasion resistance as sliding down tarmac at any speed isn't fun. Be aware that a lot of the eBay gear that says 'CE approved' only refers to the armour and even that is a self certificated process. Either way I'd definitely go to a shop as they can advise you on fit and sizing as some brands come up small and others are more generous, you may even find an end of the line bargain too.

Edited September 8, 2020 by xMachina

[fastbob]

Definitely consider second hand particularly if the description says " Worn once " I would be more inclined to use Gumtree for this . I got my Daytona Road Star Gortex boots which retail at £260 for £80 and they were absolutely mint condition . My best find was an as new pair of Biker's Paradise Warrior leather jeans for £20 from British Heart Foundation charity shop .

[James in Brum]

I think best bet is buy second hand, get a good brand second hand. I bought cheap to start and replaced with good quality second hand for roughly the same price. I cannot imagine spending the money I would need to on good ones new, but hate buying disposable cheap tat.

[fastbob]

Loads of Hein Gericke gear on eBay . This stuff is really well made .

[James in Brum]

That’s what I bought. I meant to link to some.

[rennie]

As said use the link

Personally I wouldn't spend too much till I had the licence/bike

[dynax]

You might find this useful https://www.bmw-motorrad.co.uk/en/offers/Rookie-to-Rider.html

[bonio]

I've three suggestions:

1. ebay

2. ebay

3. ebay

Buy secondhand; a lot of good stuff there at good prices. I've just got myself some Daytona goretex boots: £50 instead of £350 new.

[Guest]

I've three suggestions:

1. ebay

2. ebay

3. ebay

Buy secondhand; a lot of good stuff there at good prices. I've just got myself some Daytona goretex boots: £50 instead of £350 new.

 

Those are [mention]Fish[/mention] smelly boots though.

[bonio]

Those are @Fish smelly boots though.

Better get me some geranium oil

[Spongefinger]

Hi,

I started my motorcycle journey in August and same as you wanted reasonable gear but didn't have a fortune to spend. I shopped around got a end of line RST jacket for £55 from the visor shop, RST textile trousers for £75 and gloves for £35 from the spirts bike shop. I already had boots that had decent protection and was lucky enough to have a friend who sold me a helmet he only used a couple if times and didn't like. Happy shopping !

[Guest Richzx6r]

I use m&p for my stuff I have an rst 2 piece leathers I think it was 180 quid from memory and just wear a 2 piece rain jacket and trousers over the top on wet days, also worth in my opinion getting 2 pairs of gloves if your budget affords as theres nothing worse than wearing wet gloves, the rest is bearable if damp

[Gerontious]

Buy once - cry once. A lot of pointers towards second hand. But that may not be what you want. Look for gortex pro. Laminate. Which is I reckon the best you can get as far as waterproofing is concerned and has its own lifetime guarantee. The best gear now comes with D30 armour which is way up there with the best. Top tier brands aren’t cheap but as with anything you get what you pay for. So far On my tour I’ve seen more riders wearing Rukka than any other brand. Very expensive but can easily last decades. (And has its own 5yr warranty). My own jacket is 9 years old and still great. Other brands worth looking at are Halvarssons. Dane. Rev’it. In the spring you can look at something more suitable for warmer drier weather but to deal with a British winter I would suggest upping your game and go for the best you can afford. I wouldn’t spend less than £300, once you go above that price point you are in a different league.

[onesea]

I wouldn’t spend less than £300, once you go above that price point you are in a different league.

 

I am going to disagree buy initially buy what you can find that you think is best and that fits. I choose routinely between jackets and trousers depending on what the weather is and where I am riding.

Some people don't ride in the rain some don't ride when its to cold, some don't care.

Yes I do have Gortex and agree anything else is second best, when it comes to waterproof.

Do you really need it as a first jacket? you can get adequate for a dam-site less and work out what suits you.

[Marino]

Good stuff = expensive stuff, Rukka #1

Than everything else.

There is some good stuff from Dainese as well

[NE150N80]

Once again - lots of great advice that is very much appreciated.

Especially thanks for all the brand suggestions!