help with set up ?

[gareth]

well will be booking my cbt followed by a DAS in the next month cant wait to get started on it all,would be doing it sooner but am away for a few weeks soon.

anyway im looking to get helmet,gloves,leathers,boots and anything else i will need ?

im just after some good makes for me to start of with any help will be great i have a budget of around 1k to spend on it all prob not enouth for the top brand stuff but is it enough to get some good stuff ?

links to sites to look on would be good aswell if you know of any not sure if you can post links on the site but feel free to pm me them

thanks for any help

[Guest]

Loads of places m8. But you really need to have a helmet (especially ya first one) fitted properly. A good shop will spend quite some time with you making sure you get the correct fit etc.

Lots of opinions on helmets. Read all the stick guides that Korben has stuck up to get some idea. The most important thing is fit.

As for gear.... the list goes on and on...

Personally I recommend Hein Gericke (not forum endorsed just me ) as the gear is good quality. Worth a trip to one of the shops m8.

Check out other stores too gaz, yell.com and check shops in your locale. Spend a day looking around. Leave ya wallet at home. Get an idea of what is out there.

As your location isn't in your profile....... I can't help much more

EDIT... so much to say lol, you don't say if you want leathers or textiles....

[Colin the Bear]

No need to spend a fortune. I managed to get helmet, boots, gloves, leather jacket and trousers for just under £300. The most important thing is the fit. Especially the helmet. Remember to assume the riding position. Trousers and sleeves need to be a little longer than normal to allow for riding position. Take someone with you who knows the ropes and if you find everything in one shop , don't be afraid to ask for a discount. In fact ask any way

[Korben]

1k to spend... Should be able to get some good gear mate!!

As has been said, fit is important with the lid...

You shouldn't have any problems with getting some good leathers, good boots, good gloves and a good back protector....

Pick helmet first, back protector 2nd (if you are getting one), then work from there mate...

[Pete]

£1,000, Jesus Christ! Here's a list of the stuff I've got (cheap but does the job well, has armour and is waterproof - yes I've tested it many a time!!):

Helmet - White Caberg Justissimo (£130 new)

Jacket - AOne or something generic, £55 instead of £110 from Premier Leathers

Trousers - Don't know who made them! £50 instead of £100 from Premier Leathers

Boots - Nitro made them, don't know the style. £50 instead of £80 from some place in Lincoln...last pair of size 12!

Gloves - £5 off the nice man I bought the bike off...but I have a second pair for winter that were £30

Back protector - Knox Contour, £60 off ebay

TOTAL: £350

I also have a load of spare gear that I let pillions use or for long journeys/winter riding. I think your money would be better spent on getting descent all weather gear (like mine, nice and cheap but will keep you warm and dry and "safe" in an accident so what more could you want? Oh and you don't look like a nob either!), and saving a bit for the other little things that you'll undoubtedly want/need. For example, I've also bought some panniers, a tank bag, heated grips, louder horn, and the pillion gear. None of which I considered before getting the bike and I'm glad I had the money left over to get it all!

I agree with what Korben has said with the order of priority. Get a descent helmet, spend as much as you can reasonably afford on one and keep it safe (whenever I put my helmet down I think "this is my head, look after it and put it somewhere safe that it can't roll off or soak any crap into - i.e. petrol"!!). Some people would say that anything other than a helmet isn't compulsary and technically you legally don't need anything else. But do consider a back protector because the ones fitted in jackets are near useless against things like lamposts!

Gem's just started buying her first set of gear and is starting with biking like yourself. Maybe see what she's found so far in her search for clothing, she'd be more up to scratch on starting from...er, scratch than the rest of us I'd imagine?

[nman1]

Try this site out, it links to all the major manufacturers.

http://www.first4gear.com

[Guest]

Personally I recommend Hein Gericke (not forum endorsed just me ) as the gear is good quality.

if you log onto hein gericke and join 4the Ride, then you get offers and discounts with Hein Gericke

[gareth]

thanks for all the help and info im off to try some helmets and leathers on this weekend

[nman1]

Gazza, your profile does not say where you are based. If you`re near Peterborough the BMF show is on next week. Loads of cheaper gear will be on sale. Worth the trip.

[Guest]

Very good point there nman!! Had completely slipped my mind!

[nman1]

You coming to the show then Dan ???

[Guest]

No mate, I would, but I'm going to Scotland that morning, this is why I'd forgotten about it. I'd be going otherwise ...

[PMC]

I took my CBT and DAS last summer and was in the same boat, didn't really know anything, had a similar-ish budget and wanted good stuff that I wouldn't need to replace in a year.

I went for textiles rather than leather (I intend to get some leathers this year), and they have been fantastic so far - don't really feel like I am wearing waterproofs, but have been out many times in rain over the winter and never been wet at all.

I bought decent kit (Dainese, Shoei, Sidi, etc) for me and my girlfriend for £1250, you can see some of it here. It has since expanded to add winter gloves, buffs (brilliant for winter!), kevlar lined armoured jeans, strap-on back protector, chains, disc-locks, tank bag, etc, etc. But you should have no problem getting all you need for under a grand.

Other than seriously considering textiles over leather for your first kit, the only real advice I would offer is you must try it on. I originally intended to buy an Arai lid, Daytona boots and Hein Gericke textiles - none of which fitted me at all! Even the first back protector I bought had to go back as it was too uncomfortable (I ended up with a Forcefield one).

[Gem]

Gem's just started buying her first set of gear and is starting with biking like yourself. Maybe see what she's found so far in her search for clothing, she'd be more up to scratch on starting from...er, scratch than the rest of us I'd imagine?

 

Ha I still only have my helmet (Caberg V2R), summer gloves (RST Chicanes) and jacket (Teknic Ladies Leather Venom Jacket) but I definitely know what else is on my shopping list and have been reading reviews on so many products lately.

Anyway, like everyone else has said, the fit of a helmet is the most important. I tried on a lot of helmets before the Caberg V2R (which fits me perfectly) and the sizing on helmets varies greatly between brands (my V2R is a size small but I tried on an extra small in a different brand and it was huge on me). Also, many people say that the governments SHARP ratings tests are flawed as they don't necessarily test helmets in the places that impact is likely to occur, personally though, I'd still rather have a helmet that is rated highly in the SHARP tests (mine is 5*). Thermoplastic is what most cheap helmets are made out of and is generally not supposed to be as good as helmets made out of other materials such as carbon composite or advanced integrated matrix (this is what shoei helmets are made out of).

Stephen told me that the woman in our local Honda dealership refuses to sell Sidi boots because you can bend them in half and she showed him too. That's enough to convince me not to buy Sidi's!