I will be getting into a motorcycle in a week or so and have some questions about safety equipment:
What do I need?
I figure gloves, helmet, jacket.
Pros/Cons of Leather v. textile jackets…
What should I look for in a helmet?
Are the ratings enough? i.e. snell, DOT, etc…
I am not going to go cheap, as this equipment will be counted on to save my life/body should something bad happen, but I would like to find a deal wherever I can.
Anything else?
Thanks for any help guys.
Ya i got Gloves, Jacket, Helmet obviously
As for the jacket i’m going full leather, i might pick up a textile later in the summer depending how ho the leather is. As for helmets i think all motorcycle helmets have the correct DOT stuff to be street legal, if your not going cheap go for a nice Shoei or Arai. I got a Shoei RF-1000, its pimp.
safety equipment is for pussies 
Im kinda interested in this answer too about the leather vs textile
personally i like a leather jacket over the textile. i got a ICON perforated leather and it is oerfect for me. offers leather protection and still lets air in so your not too hot.
helmets… where can i start. everyone is basically gonna have a different opinion here. try a bunch on and see whats fits you the best and your budget the best. im not a big fan of $600 helmets, so i stick with HJC. yeah its a bit heavier than a shoei or an arai, but for the price $100-$200 i think it does the job just fine.
i use motorcross/dirtbike FOX gloves. they are light and dont offer much protection but i like the feel of them. you might want to look into some icon leather gloves that actually offer protection.
Leather will hold up better in a crash than textile. I have multiple jackets some leather some textile for different conditions. Don’t forget pants and good boots. A 1pc or 2pc suit is the best way to go all around.
Don’t cheap on a helmet, its the most important piece of equipment. I agree with the post above, I have a Shoei RF-1000 too, it is a great helmet, well worth the price.
edit:
Personally, I think Icon makes cheap stuff and wouldn’t buy it. I had an HJC helmet before buying the Shoei, no comparison at all. I wish I would have bought the Shoei earlier! Don’t wear MX gloves, buy leather. MX gloves while every breathable will be torn to shreds if you ever go down.
I have a Scorpion EXO 700 that was relatively inexpensive
and is DOT and SNELL approved.
I like it.
I also just bought a leather ‘power trip’ jacket for $80 from newenough.com
bargain basement.
I had riden with a joe rocket meteor for year.
luckily i have not had to test its abrasion resistance.
Decent gear and awareness will save your life.
People suck, dress for the crash, not the ride.
More on helmets:
What do I look for in a good helmet? I dont want to be fogging or suffocating. I feel like I can try a hundred helmets on and say “okay” this one fits, but are there features that differentiate shoei helmets from HTC,scorpion?
What accounts for the difference of $200 or more?
whats even safer than safety equipment is not driving like a nutcase on one, it aint a car theres nothing to protect you, but i support those people that do stunts on them cause its cool =)
A muscle shirt, shorts, and shoe cover thingy is all you need.
No need for gloves helmet or jacket. jk,.
Some companies will use only one or two exterior shells so the size difference is achieved by running more padding on the inside. So if you have a medium head you could be wearing a XL helmet with a bunch of padding. It works but not the best fit option.
The use of “exotic” materials for strength and more importantly weight savings.
The “Snell tax” vs. D.O.T. helmet.
Well, I’ve heard a lot of good things about the Scorpion EXO-700. I’ll probably pick up one of those. Doesn’t seem bad and in the $200 range.
I’m just really still stuck on leather v textile jackets. Leather feels like it will offer more protection in a crash, but I don’t want to be uncomfortable if I’m on a longer ride on a nice summer day. Any recommendations?
http://sportbiketrackgear2.homestead.com/Scorpionhelmets.html
here is where I bought my EXO-700
They have some on clearance for $119.
Mine was $150 shipped. I had to return it for a bigger size though.
That was a painless process too.
What did you pay for your shoei? what did you pay for your HJC? Whats so great about the shoei to justify the price difference? im not being a dick, all of my friends spent over $600 on their helmets and i think they were stupid for doing that. yes the arai, shoei, etc have awesome looking designs but is it really worth the extra money?
I like the MX gloves especially if im “stunting”. much better feel for me. if i go down, the last thing im worried about is scraping my hands. if i go down im worried about MAJOR injury such as broken legs, arms, shoulder etc
I wouldn’t spend $600 either, all the extra money is just for the fancy paint jobs, the helmet itself is the same. I paid around $150 for my HJC and $350 for the Shoei because it was just a solid color one. The Shoei is alot lighter, alot more aerodynamic and slightly quieter (don’t care so much about this as I wear earplugs anyhow).
Compared to the Shoei the HJC felt like wearing a brick on my head due to how heavy any non-aerodynamic it was.
Don’t skimp on your gear. You will want to be looking for thr CE APPROVAL on the gear, or at least the padding within.
HELMETS
are like sneakers. Pay for buddies, they will wear out sooner, will not coushon your head as well, are heavier and clumsier. The materials wear sooner and can’t be cleaned as easily. Now in good helmets, just like good sneakers, there are Nike’s (Arai), Reebok (Shoei), Soumy (new balance) is a good helmet, and some good lesser known brands like vemar, shark, scorpion, OGK (eu), kbc… Personally for helmets I’ve moved away from the snell standard due to excess weight, in favor of the ECE standard, a eurpoean standard. ECE standard helmets are lighter at about 3 lbs. I won’t wear another 4+lb helmet. You don’t want your helmet to be heavy, mainly forcomfort. You will notice a 4+lb helmet wearing on your neck, as opposed to a 3lb helmet. I think a lighter helmet can be safer, or just as safe, in an impact as well. http://www.webbikeworld.com/r2/motorcycle-helmet/vemar/
JACKET
You will want a full leather jacket, with CE approved hard armor in the elbow/forearm, and the shoulders. Perforated or not is your preference. Around here you almost need both perf. and non-perf., and sometimes both in the same day. You should also look for the ability to add a CE approved, again, hard shell back protector. But I recommend a stand alone back protector that straps to your back. For around here my favorite jacket was the alpinestar smx-airflo http://www.alpinestars.com/SMX_AirFlo_Leather_Jacket/pd/np/121/p/310853.html. It’s a perf leather jacket with a pimp removable liner for cold weather. Also look at the rear collar, see the low rise. Look for that also in a jacket or you could get bunching around the rear of the collar and it will bother you.
PANTS
Are a tough one. To be honest most of the time I would just wear jeans and not go crazy on the bike. I’ve only had 2 pair, but I liked these the best http://www.kneedraggers.com/details/Dainese_Delta_Pelle_Leather_Pants--614242.html. I still only wore them a handful of times though.
BOOTS
sidi vertigo line, enoguh said. I had some technic violators actually I prefer to the sidi’s, but the protection wasn’t there like with the sidis. http://www.kneedraggers.com/details/Sidi_Vertigo_Corsa_Boots--34-SIDI-8.html
GLOVES
Full gauntlet leather. I prefer the alpinestar gp pros, even though they would only last one season. http://www.kneedraggers.com/details/Alpinestars_GP_Pro_Racing_Gloves--622557.html. I would perforate them myself. And cut the finger bridge, which alpinestars said was fine.
SUNGLASSES/safety glasses
Yes I said sunglasses as a gear recommendation, and quite substantial IMO. Last I checked it was really important you SEE. I never liked the idea of using a smoked visor or changing them on the road, too big. So I ALWAYS had a pair of sunglasses just for the bike.
Nike interchange square, becuase they fit under the helmets I’ve had no problem, also I could switch from dark to clear safety lenses. I’ve ordered these again and again, probably a half dozen pair of frames, and a dozen+ pair of replacement lenses.
ALSO, in case you don’t know, it is illegal to ride without eye protection. So on those nice sunny days when you want to put up the visor and get some freash air (I hate riding with my visor down) you have to have eye protection. Yes a cop would be a dick and give you a ticket. That’s the least of your worries. You could catch a pebble in the eye at 50mph. So have some shades on at all times. When you look for a helmet bring your sunglasses with you to make sure they will fit.
Be safe and have fun