Looking for gear recommendations
6th Gear
Joined: Sep 2021
Posts: 10
Likes: 4
From: Tennessee
Myself.
I always wear jeans and my work boots, which are 16 inch tall lineman boots. I usually wear my leather vest, mainly because I need pockets, but sometimes I only wear my t shirt. I have a fox creek leather jacket and with the vents open I stay comfortable on the highway but give me 5 minutes in traffic and I'm thinking about running lights.
Intermediate
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 38
Likes: 17
From: Nevada
Hi everyone!
I just got a 2021 Softail Slim in gloss black.
I want to be safe, but I also dont want to look stupid. I see a lot of people riding around in t-shirts with sneakers. Thats definitely not good enough, in my opinion.
What are your recommendations for helmets, eyewear, jackets/upper body, gloves, pants/lower body, and footwear?
I just got a 2021 Softail Slim in gloss black.
I want to be safe, but I also dont want to look stupid. I see a lot of people riding around in t-shirts with sneakers. Thats definitely not good enough, in my opinion.
What are your recommendations for helmets, eyewear, jackets/upper body, gloves, pants/lower body, and footwear?
Hey Christos,
I am very late to this conversation, but hopefully this will be useful info. I have done way too much research on riding gear. Highly technical stuff available now.
Helmets - this is a lot of research available online regarding brain injuries. The EU is pretty advanced with this research which influences the ECE standard. Rotational force on the brain is key. The short of it - I strongly recommend not getting a Snell rated helmet - get an ECE. Snell tends to be much heavier which can cause more rotational force. Carbon fiber helmets are extremely light and strong. Some polycarbonate helmets are light and well made. They are also less expensive. Be sure to accurately determine your head shape - oval, intermediate oval, etc. Revzilla explains how to do that. Helmets are designed for different head shapes. Get an accurate measurement too. Consider that some helmets will use the same shell size but use different thickness pads for sizing. Example - the Large and XL helmet could be the same shell, but the pads are different sized. This might be helpful if you are between sizes. When I was carrying some extra weight (fat face), I used the Large size crown liner and replaced the check pads with XL. Venting is key of course.
There are a lot of high-tech fabrics available. Check eurofibers.com - they have info about these fibers. Understand that there are different branding names for the same fibers - HMPE fiber is branded as Dyneema and others. I have a pair of Klim jeans that are lined with Kevlar. They are a bit heavy and hot, so I wear these on the cooler days. I have a pair of the Harley FXRG Armalith jeans - excellent. Also have a Pando Moto skins that I wear under my Levis, etc. I have the same skins for my shirt that I wear under a long sleeved shirt. Lots of shirts, jackets, etc available with these abrasion resistant materials.
Have fun with the research.
Cheers,
MD
Cruiser
Joined: Dec 2019
Posts: 206
Likes: 172
From: Rhode Island
Hi everyone! I just got a 2021 Softail Slim in gloss black. I want to be safe, but I also dont want to look stupid. I see a lot of people riding around in t-shirts with sneakers. Thats definitely not good enough, in my opinion. What are your recommendations for helmets, eyewear, jackets/upper body, gloves, pants/lower body, and footwear?
Thread Starter
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Cruiser
Joined: Jul 2021
Posts: 113
Likes: 31
From: Erwin, NC
Hey Christos,
I am very late to this conversation, but hopefully this will be useful info. I have done way too much research on riding gear. Highly technical stuff available now.
Helmets - this is a lot of research available online regarding brain injuries. The EU is pretty advanced with this research which influences the ECE standard. Rotational force on the brain is key. The short of it - I strongly recommend not getting a Snell rated helmet - get an ECE. Snell tends to be much heavier which can cause more rotational force. Carbon fiber helmets are extremely light and strong. Some polycarbonate helmets are light and well made. They are also less expensive. Be sure to accurately determine your head shape - oval, intermediate oval, etc. Revzilla explains how to do that. Helmets are designed for different head shapes. Get an accurate measurement too. Consider that some helmets will use the same shell size but use different thickness pads for sizing. Example - the Large and XL helmet could be the same shell, but the pads are different sized. This might be helpful if you are between sizes. When I was carrying some extra weight (fat face), I used the Large size crown liner and replaced the check pads with XL. Venting is key of course.
There are a lot of high-tech fabrics available. Check eurofibers.com - they have info about these fibers. Understand that there are different branding names for the same fibers - HMPE fiber is branded as Dyneema and others. I have a pair of Klim jeans that are lined with Kevlar. They are a bit heavy and hot, so I wear these on the cooler days. I have a pair of the Harley FXRG Armalith jeans - excellent. Also have a Pando Moto skins that I wear under my Levis, etc. I have the same skins for my shirt that I wear under a long sleeved shirt. Lots of shirts, jackets, etc available with these abrasion resistant materials.
Have fun with the research.
Cheers,
MD
I am very late to this conversation, but hopefully this will be useful info. I have done way too much research on riding gear. Highly technical stuff available now.
Helmets - this is a lot of research available online regarding brain injuries. The EU is pretty advanced with this research which influences the ECE standard. Rotational force on the brain is key. The short of it - I strongly recommend not getting a Snell rated helmet - get an ECE. Snell tends to be much heavier which can cause more rotational force. Carbon fiber helmets are extremely light and strong. Some polycarbonate helmets are light and well made. They are also less expensive. Be sure to accurately determine your head shape - oval, intermediate oval, etc. Revzilla explains how to do that. Helmets are designed for different head shapes. Get an accurate measurement too. Consider that some helmets will use the same shell size but use different thickness pads for sizing. Example - the Large and XL helmet could be the same shell, but the pads are different sized. This might be helpful if you are between sizes. When I was carrying some extra weight (fat face), I used the Large size crown liner and replaced the check pads with XL. Venting is key of course.
There are a lot of high-tech fabrics available. Check eurofibers.com - they have info about these fibers. Understand that there are different branding names for the same fibers - HMPE fiber is branded as Dyneema and others. I have a pair of Klim jeans that are lined with Kevlar. They are a bit heavy and hot, so I wear these on the cooler days. I have a pair of the Harley FXRG Armalith jeans - excellent. Also have a Pando Moto skins that I wear under my Levis, etc. I have the same skins for my shirt that I wear under a long sleeved shirt. Lots of shirts, jackets, etc available with these abrasion resistant materials.
Have fun with the research.
Cheers,
MD
Thank you for the recommendations! I have some reading and research to do.
Road Master
Joined: Mar 2021
Posts: 1,153
Likes: 1,283
From: Texas Hill Country
I'm Noticing
That no one has mentioned a motorcycle cape.
On a clear day it flies out behind you like the most effective Caution Flag. Our eyes are naturally drawn to movement. Your Motorcycle Cape will draw the attention of every car on the road.
When it rains you turn the cape around to shelter your body from the elements. Also useful at the Chinese Buffet.
I was able to acquire a pair of matching gauntlet gloves and knee high boots. My matching Kovid mask is on back order though.
Above all else, avoid camo gear. Ya know, for obvious reasons. The last thing you want is for someone to mistake you for a duck hunter
On a clear day it flies out behind you like the most effective Caution Flag. Our eyes are naturally drawn to movement. Your Motorcycle Cape will draw the attention of every car on the road.
When it rains you turn the cape around to shelter your body from the elements. Also useful at the Chinese Buffet.
I was able to acquire a pair of matching gauntlet gloves and knee high boots. My matching Kovid mask is on back order though.
Above all else, avoid camo gear. Ya know, for obvious reasons. The last thing you want is for someone to mistake you for a duck hunter
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