The Bike Gear Thread - Wilsons leathers need not apply.

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > Cycle Asylum > The Bike Gear Thread - Wilsons leathers need not apply.

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rope kid: Feb 3, 2001; Warte nur! Balde
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Where are the Aerostich superfans in this thread?

PlasticSun posted:

For those that have the Arai helmets, how often do you change visors? After a while can you do it in the dark by the roadside?

Well, before I started questioning the integrity of my helmet after dropping it a few times, I could do it in the dark. However, it will feel like you're breaking it the first few times.

I'm enjoying my Scorpion EXO-700 helmet so far, but it certainly isn't as comfortable as my Arai. I attribute some of this to a hot spot on the forehead, but overall it's louder and not as nice. Of course, it was also literally half the price of my Quantum II.

# ¿ Mar 26, 2007 06:06

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# ¿ Apr 20, 2024 07:01

rope kid: Feb 3, 2001; Warte nur! Balde
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Rev. Dr. Moses P. Lester posted:

... or selling their bodies on the street because they have no money for food now that they bought aerostich?

An Aerostich Roadcrafter 1-piece is $727. That's peanuts compared to even a cheap 1-piece leather suit.

# ¿ Mar 26, 2007 15:37

rope kid: Feb 3, 2001; Warte nur! Balde
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Phat_Albert posted:

But thats still ALOT of money, for most of us anways.

That's true. I guess I was just surprised, because the way people talk about them, I figured they would be 2 grand or something.

# ¿ Mar 26, 2007 15:59

rope kid: Feb 3, 2001; Warte nur! Balde
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Fun fact that I just learned: Triumph brand pants and jackets all come with upper and lower halves of zippers. Why does this matter? Because you can take off the other piece and have it sewn into gear to make it match.

# ¿ Apr 17, 2007 23:32

rope kid: Feb 3, 2001; Warte nur! Balde
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Jazzzzz posted:

And Alpinestars and Fieldsheer and TourMaster/Cortech and Dainese and Spidi and and and and and - pretty much any company that puts a connecting zipper into a piece of their protective outerwear will include the connecting half so it can be sewn into non-matching gear.

I guess that's what I get for buying "off" brands.

# ¿ Apr 20, 2007 01:09

rope kid: Feb 3, 2001; Warte nur! Balde
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I just got some Draggin' Jeans and my first impressions are that they are pretty comfortable and a lot cooler than my Cordura Triumph pants. Obviously though, they have no armor and are ill-suited for any sort of spirited riding. One might also say that they are ill-suited for wearing on a motorcycle period, but between my various leathers and pants, I don't have anything that stays cool at low speeds w/ frequent stop-and-go. I'm hoping this will fit the bill for my short commutes and trips around PCH.

# ¿ May 9, 2007 02:02

rope kid: Feb 3, 2001; Warte nur! Balde
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JAlfredPrufrock posted:

I doubt it, it looks impossible to get any sort of mobility out of it.

Supposedly, braces like this are "strongly encouraged" for the next Dakar.

# ¿ May 10, 2007 16:25

rope kid: Feb 3, 2001; Warte nur! Balde
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Fantastipotamus posted:

Thoughts on 'Draggin' Jeans' (https://www.dragginjeans.com), apart from the fact the name is frickin retarded?

I'm really looking for a pair of riding pants that satisfy the following two requirements (if this product actually exists)

1) moderately cool or at least with venting
2) doesn't look like I just got done sledding

When I commute to work I typically either wear Draggin' Jeans for the day or I use some armored Triumph Cordura pants that I change out of. The Draggin' Jeans are warm anywhere the Kevlar covers, which includes the knees and butt. That said, they aren't that warm. They are certainly much cooler than the Cordura pants and they don't cause me to sweat too much.

I don't like the cut of the jeans, but your tastes may differ. I picked them up for about $100, I think.

# ¿ Jul 31, 2007 17:51

rope kid: Feb 3, 2001; Warte nur! Balde
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Fantastipotamus posted:

Cool, thanks.. Do you have the regular cut jeans? It looks like they have a looser cut as well as a 'carpenter' cut with the utility pockets and such.

I have the regular fit. I don't like how the ankles taper in slightly, nor the slight looseness in the lower thigh. But like I said, not that big a deal.

# ¿ Jul 31, 2007 20:15

rope kid: Feb 3, 2001; Warte nur! Balde
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Are Vanson leather jackets worth the $$$? I'm in the market for a new heavy jacket. I like some of their stuff, but man, that's some pricetag.

Uthor posted:

They're Cortech Accelerator gloves. I'm going to try using some leather lotion to maybe soften up the palm. I'll probably live with them 'til it cools off again and then look at the Alpinestars for fall gloves. They seem to get good recommendations. If I like 'em, then I'll look at getting a new summer pair. It sucks because I loves everything else about the gloves and the right glove is fine.

My Accelerators are pretty creasy, too. It's unfortunate, because you're right -- otherwise, they're nice gloves.

# ¿ Aug 9, 2007 08:01

rope kid: Feb 3, 2001; Warte nur! Balde
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Retarded Pimp posted:

Any opinions or experience with armored shirts, like this: http://www.bohnski.com/catalog/proddetail.php?prod=BGCRBH/Y

No, but this is the first thing I thought of:

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# ¿ Sep 3, 2007 16:47

rope kid: Feb 3, 2001; Warte nur! Balde
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In preparation for my fall touring, I went to a local BMW dealer to check out their stocked Olympia gear. Olympia is positioning itself as a competitor to Aerostitch, though its stuff is Chinese-made instead of MADE IN THE U.S. OF A.

I considered getting an Aerostitch Roadcrafter suit, but I wasn't comfortable with ordering something that expensive without being able to try it on. Also, the wait times for some of their sizes/color combos can be long. So I figured I'd give this Olympia stuff a shot. I tried the Olympia AST and Ranger II pants.

It seems to be nice and rugged, with a waterproof Cordura outer layer and a windproof liner. Lots of vents all over, armored elbows/shoulders/back, and a bunch of big pockets. It's definitely a cold weather touring jacket. I was sweating from having it on for a couple of minutes. Sizes seemed to run a little small, so I wound up getting their large jacket and 36" pants.

I really wanted to get the neon yellow, but it was just too... too much. I think even if it were just "ordinary" bright yellow, I would have gone for it. For commuting, I will probably wear it with a hi-vis vest anyway.

# ¿ Sep 16, 2007 02:09

rope kid: Feb 3, 2001; Warte nur! Balde
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I have finally accepted that my beloved scooter jacket is too small for me. When I bought it I remembered people saying that the jacket should feel a little tight. I interpreted that as a little small. Bad decision. I removed the patches from it and decided to transfer them to my Olympia AST. Since the AST is waterproof, I didn't want to sew the patches on.

I found a glue called Patch Attach that I was going to use until I read that it requires ironing at a cotton-level heat. That's dangerously close to the melting point of Cordura, so I instead went with an acetone-based fabric glue that MY GIRLFRIEND uses. It's called Fabri-Tac and it seems to work pretty fast. I scored the backs of the patches or pulled away the plastic lining when possible so the glue was connecting fabric to fabric. It became fairly dry in 15 minutes and should be fully set and wash-proof after a day.

# ¿ Sep 23, 2007 03:35

rope kid: Feb 3, 2001; Warte nur! Balde
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Gay Nudist Dad posted:

Scooter jacket? What? Pics?

It's an SX Appeal jacket. Unfortunately I don't think they sold very well and the manufacturer is just selling out its remaining stock now. Pretty cool jackets, but the zippers were all junk. No armor, but made of good leather and had a warm liner with extra padding on the shoulders and elbows.

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# ¿ Sep 23, 2007 21:13

rope kid: Feb 3, 2001; Warte nur! Balde
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Jazzzzz posted:

rope kid, didn't you order a 'stich after your trip to Wisconsin last year? I would've sworn I remember you posting about ordering one and having it expedited because you got soaked/etc. on the way up and wanted it for the ride back.

I did order one, but when I followed up to find out how long it would take, the answer was not... timely (four weeks or something). So I canceled it before any work was done on it. Oh well. I'll find out just how good the AST/Ranger II combo is in a week!

# ¿ Sep 27, 2007 05:11

rope kid: Feb 3, 2001; Warte nur! Balde
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PlasticSun posted:

I'm really enjoying the used pair of Lee Parks Design gloves that I picked up.

Do you have the DeerTours PCis? I have some mighty Tour Master Winter Elite Deathlord 5000 gloves that are 8" thick and feel terrible, but with my imminent heated grips, I might want to ditch them in favor of lighter gloves.

# ¿ Sep 27, 2007 09:24

rope kid: Feb 3, 2001; Warte nur! Balde
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Jazzzzz posted:

The Scorpion shields are one of the best I've ever seen for fog resistance - you could breathe on the shield in my EXO-700 in sub-freezing weather and it would clear almost instantly.

I had the same experience until I got the optional chin insert for the EXO-700. Almost immediately it was fogging as badly as my Arai. :cry:

# ¿ Nov 23, 2007 03:57

rope kid: Feb 3, 2001; Warte nur! Balde
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TheHeadSage posted:

I've got about $1k to play with, so I'm looking to get more luggage fitted to my bike.

I've already got saddlebags, which are pretty kick rear end, but I need something I can fit my laptop in for the commute to University.

What would be my best options?

What is the year/make/model of your bike? There are some decent "generic" packages out there, but for $1k you can probably get a kick-rear end hard luggage setup made specifically for your bike.

# ¿ Nov 24, 2007 08:01

rope kid: Feb 3, 2001; Warte nur! Balde
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I really wish some Triumph dealers carried the old Classic Jeans II. I'd order them online, but I'm not confident in their sizing. I can zip my Rivton jacket to my Cordura pants, but it would be nice to have some proper leathers that worked together.

# ¿ Dec 8, 2007 22:40

rope kid: Feb 3, 2001; Warte nur! Balde
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I wear it every day that I remember to wear it.

# ¿ Dec 10, 2007 04:31

rope kid: Feb 3, 2001; Warte nur! Balde
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The AST jacket is pretty much waterproof with the liner in. I also have the Ranger II pants, which leak a mild amount without the liner in. Of course, it always helps to use a waterproofing solution on gear regularly. Looks pretty nice, too.

rope kid fucked around with this message at 08:53 on Jan 24, 2008

# ¿ Jan 24, 2008 08:50

rope kid: Feb 3, 2001; Warte nur! Balde
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Welcome to the AST/Ranger 2 Army. I'm about to send my AST off to Rainy Pass Repair. The fabric glue I used to attach my patches isn't holding up on the Gore-Tex. Guys at advrider.com recommend Rainy Pass for all sorts of Gore-Tex related repairs and modifications.

# ¿ Feb 9, 2008 22:03

rope kid: Feb 3, 2001; Warte nur! Balde
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Uthor posted:

I just took the dog for a walk and it's 30F out. the jacket worked great. I may need a thermal undershirt if moving at speed on the bike, but that's a big if.

With the liner in, it's pretty damned windproof. Not to say that a little extra insulation won't help, but AST + liner = The Land Where No Wind Goes.

Uthor posted:

I was thinking about putting some reflective patches on the back. I'll keep these guys in mind. Is there anything special I need to do to hem the bottom of the pants? They're about 3 inches too long and say "EZ Hem."

Are they too long when you are standing, or when you are seated on a bike?

I found this at advrider.com:

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showpost.php?p=4983633&postcount=7

"[EZ Hem] means that instead of letting the zippers go to the bottom of the pants, they added the extra 6" or so of velcro-close fabric so that you can shorten them without messing with (or replacing) the zippers.

I have the same pants, but they're only long when I stand up. Seated on the bike they're just fine.

I'd say that if you feel pretty handy with a needle and thread, have at it. MEASURE TWICE, CUT ONCE! Gently take apart the bottom seams, hem them up to where you want them, and hem them again. You'll likely lose the cinch-close velcro tab at the very bottom edge, but I don't even use those. If you do, you could always remove the stitching on them and move them up past the new hem line."

rope kid fucked around with this message at 00:26 on Feb 10, 2008

# ¿ Feb 10, 2008 00:24

rope kid: Feb 3, 2001; Warte nur! Balde
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Yeah, that should be okay. If you get above 25 mph in your MSF course, I'd be surprised. Most of your time will be spent at very low speeds.

# ¿ Mar 18, 2008 20:18

rope kid: Feb 3, 2001; Warte nur! Balde
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Armyman25 posted:

Is there anything wrong with getting a jacket for a bike you don't own? I've never ridden, but I really like the looks of this Triumph jacket.

I've been considering getting a cheap bike to learn this summer. Would I look strange wearing it on a Suzuki?

I have that Rivton jacket. It's pretty nice for summer riding as long as things don't get too hot. However, it's not warm at all once things get cooler (50s or so). Decent shoulder and elbow armor, but no back armor.

# ¿ Apr 3, 2008 05:59

rope kid: Feb 3, 2001; Warte nur! Balde
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Another thing to mention about Triumph leather gear: its color fades pretty quickly. I have a pair of Triumph gloves and the Rivton jacket, and both have gone brown pretty quickly. The use of a product like Chelsea leather food is almost required if you want to keep things in good shape.

# ¿ Apr 3, 2008 14:53

rope kid: Feb 3, 2001; Warte nur! Balde
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Armyman25 posted:

Cool. Is the leather pretty soft?

Yep.

# ¿ Apr 4, 2008 06:52

rope kid: Feb 3, 2001; Warte nur! Balde
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Nate Falls posted:

Holy poo poo, this is brilliant.

Nice. I don't even wear my Draggin' Jeans anymore because I don't like the cut. And because I lost 2" off of my waist.

# ¿ Apr 19, 2008 16:54

rope kid: Feb 3, 2001; Warte nur! Balde
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DrChu posted:

That doesn't meet any of those requirements. A one piece is not convenient to use at all for casual riding/commuting.

Roadcrafters go on/off very quickly.

# ¿ Apr 28, 2008 21:15

rope kid: Feb 3, 2001; Warte nur! Balde
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I need some advice on open-face helmets -- other than "don't get them", it's not for me. A friend of mine insists on wearing a 3/4 open-face helmet. She was looking at Fulmer helmets because they come pretty close to the style worn during the era of her bike (early 70s).

http://www.fulmerhelmets.com/Product/afv2.html

I've also seen the Cromwell classic-style helmets, but I know they aren't DOT certified. Are Fulmer helmets any good? Are there any other good 3/4 open-face helmets of that general style that are better? Thanks.

# ¿ Apr 29, 2008 20:59

rope kid: Feb 3, 2001; Warte nur! Balde
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Sorry I didn't get back to your PM, Armyman25. I'm glad you found one that fits. In terms of leather jackets, it's very light and breezy. If I suspect that weather will get chilly, I take a hooded sweatshirt with me and put it on underneath the Rivton. It's not much, but it helps.

# ¿ May 4, 2008 19:31

rope kid: Feb 3, 2001; Warte nur! Balde
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kcer posted:

They'd be for commuting and weekend rides mostly in Summer with temperates of about 20 to 30�C (70-80�F?). Leather overpants would be a bonus for the commute side, but will this affect me too much spending a whole day riding?

Between 70-80�F, a set of perforated leather pants with some cloth sections could be the ticket.

http://www.vansonleathers.com/product_pages/pants_chaps/technical_sport_rider_pants.htm

Then again, you do live in the UK, so I'm not sure how much rain factors into your clothing choices. Soaked leather is a pain in the rear end.

# ¿ May 13, 2008 06:17

rope kid: Feb 3, 2001; Warte nur! Balde
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TheTrend posted:

Vanson is bulky and ridiculously expensive. Not to mention a brand i'd call a "cornerstone."

I was just linking to it as an example of mixed leather/textile riding pants.

# ¿ May 13, 2008 16:14

rope kid: Feb 3, 2001; Warte nur! Balde
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A friend of mine and I are going to check out some left-over marked-down Schuberth S1s this weekend. Are they as good as folks say?

# ¿ Jul 4, 2008 06:21

rope kid: Feb 3, 2001; Warte nur! Balde
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Drunk Pledge Driver posted:

No?

http://www.webbikeworld.com/r2/motorcycle-helmet/schuberth-helmet/

Yeah I saw that review and I've also seen a bunch of other ones that contradict it -- especially on noise. I was hoping someone here had long-term experience with one.

# ¿ Jul 4, 2008 06:48

rope kid: Feb 3, 2001; Warte nur! Balde
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Don Music posted:

Quick question from a maybe soon to be bike owner here.

If you guys ride your bike to a shopping mall or something, do you just carry your helmet and jacket with you the entire time? seems a bit of a pain in the rear end.

When my topcase isn't on, yeah I just carry it and use it as a li'l basket. But with 105 litres of hard storage capacity, there isn't much reason for me to bring my helmet in usually. Topcases rule.

# ¿ Jul 7, 2008 18:09

rope kid: Feb 3, 2001; Warte nur! Balde
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FunkyJunk posted:

All the cool kids carry their helmet by the chin bar.

Nerd!

I learned to carry my helmet under my arm from carrying fencing masks. :shobon:

# ¿ Jul 18, 2008 17:39

rope kid: Feb 3, 2001; Warte nur! Balde
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FunkyJunk posted:

In all seriousness, a fencing mask is a lot lighter and more durable than a motorcycle helmet. You're more likely to drop it that way, which might not be a good thing.

Err... it's the difference between about 2 lbs. and 3.5 lbs. I've never dropped a fencing mask or helmet while carrying it under my arm and gripping it under the right ear section.

# ¿ Jul 20, 2008 03:13

rope kid: Feb 3, 2001; Warte nur! Balde
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FunkyJunk posted:

WTH, it's his helmet. He can carry it how he wants to, but if he drops it on a curb somewhere and comes in here crying about it, I ain't gonna cry with him.

It just sounds like a baseless statement. The difference in weight between the two is negligible and I can't see where you got the idea that you're more likely to drop a mask or helmet by carrying it under the arm (assuming you're still gripping the opening of the mask).

# ¿ Jul 20, 2008 15:47

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# ¿ Apr 20, 2024 07:01

rope kid: Feb 3, 2001; Warte nur! Balde
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FunkyJunk posted:

How do you propose carrying it under your arm and still gripping the chinbar?

Extend your right arm away from your body. Using your left hand, place helmet, oriented with the neck opening down, under your right arm. Lower right arm and curl fingers of right hand under the helmet's neck opening. If you prefer to grip the chinbar instead of just the side of the opening, rotate the helmet's face away from your body.

I typically carry my helmet by the chinbar when I'm not in close quarters/a crowd. I carry my helmet under my arm when I am in close quarters/a crowd or when I am carrying my Scorpion EXO, because the chinbar on the EXO is of an awkward size and shape.

I've only dropped my Quantum II once, but it was in a circumstance where I don't believe how I was carrying it would have made any difference: I slipped on the stairs of a train and let go of the helmet to avoid landing on my tailbone.

FunkyJunk posted:

Take that for whatever you deem it to be worth, and move on.

This is a discussion thread.

rope kid fucked around with this message at 01:54 on Jul 21, 2008

# ¿ Jul 21, 2008 01:51

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > Cycle Asylum > The Bike Gear Thread - Wilsons leathers need not apply.

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