What protective gear can I skimp on and what can't I?

[Germ]

I've got a Shoei Raid II helmet (brand new in the box for £75) but I'll be needing everything else.

I'm wondering which bits you can save some cash on and which you can't?

Prices of gear has rocketted since I was last riding,companies have come and gone and reputations/build quality may have changed.

I always had a soft spot for Dainese and my last 1 piece set probably saved my life but I just can't afford their prices .

I was thinking about Scott or Wolf leather jacket and pants (2 piece or anything to zip together) I'd like to spend no more than £250 for the 2 if possible or should I just consider brand X?
Armour inserts for knees,hips,elbows (not sure about back) hoping to pay about £40 - £60.

Boots,always loved Alpine Stars but again prices making me look elsewhere.Need size 13 boots and would prefer to be under £100 but could be persuaded to go to £150.Or should I just say screw it and buy a good pair of para boots?

Gloves....not really looked tbh but I'm sure I can get a fairly decent pair for £30 to £40 (or am I kidding myself?).

Is that everything covered apart from thermal underwear and maybe windproof shirt?Should I spend more in one area and a little less in another?

Any help with advice or links to sales etc would be great,thanks,
Ian.

[pinkyfloyd]

How much are you worth?

The thing with gear is like condoms. You would rather not need to use them but just in case they are handy to have.

Helmet is the only thing you really need and providing it fits correctly you've done all you need to do legally.

As for the rest, Like I said at the start, how much do you believe your worth?

I try not to need my gear but I have spent around £500 in the last few years building up the gear and thats cheap. But I hope I never have to call it into action.
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illuminateTHEmind wrote: I am just more evolved than most of you guys... this allows me to pick of things quickly which would have normally taken the common man years to master
Hockeystorm65:.well there are childish arguments...there are very childish arguments.....there are really stupid childish arguments and now there are......Pinkfloyd arguments!
Teflon-Mike:I think I agree with just about all Pinky has said.

[Germ]

Sadly I kinda spent £1.5k more on my bike than I was intending,think I may have got a bit carried away but what's done is done.It's worth every penny I think which is why I went for it.

There's loads I'd like to have but realistically I've got about £400 - £500 to spend (including the £75 for the lid I already have).

[pinkyfloyd]

Pinky recomends a set of textiles.

If your not a brand snob you can pick up a set, top and bottoms, for around £100. They all have CE armour in the right places and will keep you warm and dry when it comes to winter. Most also have zip out inners so you dont bake when you wear them over your clothes.

Boots. Wear a pair of DMs or something simelar. Everyone and their dog these days have a pair of boots. Nothing wrong with using them until you get yourself a biking pair.

Gloves. Get yourself some all weather gloves. Might roast during the summer but at winter times you'll not need to splash out.

Could be all done on your budget quite easily if you dont stick to popular brands. The stuff I wear seems every bit as good as the branded makes. (I just try really hard not to fall off, which oddly enough is what branded bike wear bikers do also)
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illuminateTHEmind wrote: I am just more evolved than most of you guys... this allows me to pick of things quickly which would have normally taken the common man years to master
Hockeystorm65:.well there are childish arguments...there are very childish arguments.....there are really stupid childish arguments and now there are......Pinkfloyd arguments!
Teflon-Mike:I think I agree with just about all Pinky has said.

[ajbsmirnoff]

Better to have it and not need it - than need it and not have it.

Pinkster is giving the good advice. Boots with some ankle protection, knee armour, and a nice jacket with armour. Budget textiles shouldn't be too pricey. Bike shops have sales !!

On the glove note, I've still not replaced the cheapass summer gloves - I bought, which I've been supplementing with a pair of fleece inner gloves when its cold. A £20 bargain.

If you do wear DMs, make sure the lace loops from your bows won't snag on the foot pegs when you bring your foot up as you pull away. Its really hard to change gear when it happens. How you'll laugh - I did.

[crackfinder]

Hein Gericke do there own brand of clothing, boots and gloves at not too expensive prices, and there is cheaper stuff around, I paid £60 for my first pair of textile trousers and they had removable thermal liner and ce approved knee armour, boots were £70, cheap gloves were £20.
I have slightly upgraded my kit now but it takes time and I have no big name brands,
there are plenty of good deals on new gear on ebay,

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Yamaha FZS600 Fazer (gone but not forgotten). Current - Kawasaki ZX6R A1P

[Paulington]

A simple question can be answered with a simple response:

You CANNOT skimp on ANY gear.

The rule with gear is to buy the very best you can afford as you are protecting yourself.

Just like I see people who have a £6000 motorcycle with £5000 of modifications, gear worth £1500 or more and then they buy a helmet for £45 from a cheapy shop. It's flabbergasting. .

Spend on your gear what you think you're worth.
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"Four wheels move the body, two wheels move the soul."
Current Vehicles: '89 Kawasaki KDX200, '99 Yamaha XV535, '00 Honda ST1100 Pan-European, '08 Suzuki GSX-R1000, '08 Mitsubishi Lancer GS4 2.0 TDCi, '15 BMW 1 Series 116d Sport Turbo.
CBT: 27/08/08. Theory: 04/09/09. Module 1: 16/09/09. Module 2: 01/10/09.

[Muscle Bike Rider]

Pinks has it spot on, textiles and you cant go wrong, easily pick up a cheap heavy winter jacket, a lighter summer jacket and trousers which all will have removable lining. Gloves you can either get a pair of winter and a pair of summer or just opt for one all weather pair, ebay is good for bargains and keep an eye on the for sale section here, I like many others here often offer gear not used anymore very cheap or for postage costs only to help out folk starting out. Dont be afraid of buying used gear off ebay, not helmets though, as there is some good bargans to be had.
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Previously Known As A5tra_G
Old Bikes :2010 Kawasaki ER6 F & 2000 Honda VTR Firestorm
Current Bike : XJR1300

[Eas85]

I've been thinking of getting a two piece textile suit from what i've read here, plus i'm gonna have a pretty low budget. Found this set on ebay, is it any good for protection and value for money?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/BLUE-Protective-Motorbike-Motorcycle-2-PC-TEXTILE-SUIT-/120384271616?pt=UK_Motorcycle_Clothing&hash=item1c07763500

[Quornholio]

I cannot stress enough the importance of gloves.

[bikertomm]

Jacket: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MOTOR-BIKE-JACKET-CORDURA-JACKET-WATER-PROOF-/250817295663?_trksid=p4340.m263&_trkparms=algo%3DDLSL%252BSIC%26its%3DI%26itu%3DUCI%252BIA%252BUA%252BFICS%252BUFI%252BDDSIC%26otn%3D8%26pmod%3D220734828335%252B220734828335%26po%3D%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D2179083537447650951


Trousers: https://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280668474848&var=580030271865&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649


Some gear can be found cheaply
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07' Honda Hornet now full powaah! My guide on performing an oil change!

[Moxey]

You CAN skimp on gear if you choose but note that its a risk to yourself, its more important you ride sensibly and safely ultimately though (IMO).

Personal order of importance of gear from highest to lowest.
1. Helmet
2. Gloves
3. Jacket
4. Boots
5. Trousers

The only 2 of those I ever go without on a ride are 4 and 5 usually short distance or town riding (still wear appropriate footwear mind), as for brands though I'd think you'd be able to get quite abit for under £250, try looking at Spada, RK sports and the like you should find some good gear for low price.
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Current: 02 FZS 1000 & 91 Royal Enfield Bullet 350 Some Bike Pics...
'I was too busy paying attention to pay attention'

[Lyam]

use shops like hein gericke for sizes then buy the gear on ebay i got 600 pound arlen ness 2 peice suit for 220 from ebay, also sidi boots for 65 on ebay, alpine stars sp2 gloves 50 from ebay, furygan 2 peice textile suit 80 from ebay, only new stuff i got was my two helmets

[BigGeeking]

dont skimp mate
just get the best you can afford if it takes a little longer then so be it.

but if you cant wait then have a look on ebay thay tend to be people who buy loads of good bike kit fail there test the give up

or you can take that pill that makes your skin like kevalar you know the one i mean its the one people take who ride in shorts and t-shirts
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Bendy "Flip front. I can filter down the M4 while shoving a Twix in my face."
honda CG 125 2001 SOLD-- current Bandit 400--SOLD. current SV650s 2000
MOD 1 ON 20/7/2011**passed** MOD 2 ON 17/10/2011***passed***,,

[Germ]

[Rogerborg]

Another vote for eBay. I've seen high end "barely used" gear go for a fraction of its sticker price. You do need to be patient, and not get caught up in a bidding war.
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Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[Flamzypants]

Definitely get everything, I didn't bother with boots and it woulda saved me a broken toe >_<
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CBT - 30/06/11. RIP Sinnis Stealth 18/07/11. Theory passed! CBR125R 16/08/12. Mod 1 Booked.

[Villers]

For £500 you should be able to get plenty, especially if you avoid the likes of Alpinestars and Dainese etc.

Someones already mentioned HG. Maybe go down to one of their stores and see what their own brand gear is like and get a price reference. Ive used Richa leathers in the past and Ive had them recommended to me. I read an interview with a courier who had reportedly covered the most miles in the UK and he said he found they lasted well and very good value. You should be able to get a two piece set for somewhere around £250, they do gloves aswell. Cant really help you on boots though!
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RS125 > CBR6 > SV650S > ZX636R > GSX1300RZ Hayabusa > 06 RSVR Mille > SV1000S > Street Triple 765 RS

[kingley]

Look online at https://www.ghostbikes.com/ You'll find everything you need there at a cheap price.

[Easter Bunny]

Try this seller (I believe of returned items)

https://stores.ebay.co.uk/Raw-Biker-Shop?_trksid=p4340.l2563

I have bought 2 jackets and a pair of trousers from him so far and struggled to find any fault in the items, also never pay the buy it now price, offer 10% less
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The light at the end of the tunnel is an oncoming train!

[Germ]

[RRabeni]

[Germ]

I used to have a superb bib and overjacket fisherman's green rubber waterproof thing I nicked off me dad.I may have looked a tit in it but I got everywhere dry as a bone.Wish I knew where the hell that suit has gone cos it was big enough to wear over my leathers

[Oldie]

Spada are getting some decent reviews and prices are good. I bought a pair of their trousers just over a year ago and rate them. Will probably look at more Spada stuff when I need more gear.

[Bendy]

You can skimp or spend as much or as little as you like. Price does not equal safety. Not falling off is the best protection.

Start cheap til you work out what you'll actually wear. Second hand is awesome. Plenty of stuff out there that people found was too much hassle to bother with, so are selling.

For the record, I didn't purchase any kit apart from a helmet and a pair of cheap gloves for the first three years of my riding career. Apart from being cold, wet and miserable fairly regularly it didn't do me any harm to 'skimp'.