Plan list for my first set of kit.

[Skoot]

Hello guys and gals!

I just wanted to post what I am planning on getting for my first set of kit and see what anyone's 2 cents on it are.

The lid will be a Caberg Duke Legend. Fits great on my noggin, and isn't going to make the wallet cry.

Jacket and jeans are going to be rst tracktech evo leathers.

Gloves are rst titanium outlast WP.

Boots will be Spada eclipse WP.

Reason for the WP boots and gloves is that at the minute I just want them items to be year round.

I'll also more then likely get a high vis vest for when I'm feeling extra paranoid about weekend/bank holiday crazy drivers.

Also, is it just me or do people just pay even less attention to the road when it is sunny out?

Thanks

[Tamsin]

Its not just you that doesn't pay as much attention when its sunny

When its warm out people tend to feel more relaxed behind the wheel and there generally tends to be more eye-candy wandering around to distract

[-Matt-]

RST leathers are great, have used them years. RST gloves however are not so good, especially if youre relying on them being/staying WP. Stitching is commonly known to give up.

Spada generally gets a lot of bad rep too as being bad quality - although i actually got on okay with some WP spada boots for almost 3 years so can't fault them personally - and have also found spada WP (winter) enforcer gloves to be good for the past 2 years, although again others on here have said the opposite.

[Dave70]

[pinkyfloyd]

I have a question.

You said you are going to go for RST leathers and then waterproof boots as you will be riding all year round. Did no one tell you, leather is not waterproof? In fact if it gets wet its a pain in the arse to get off, takes weeks to dry out, weighs a ton and needs treated.

Personally I would invest my money in a set of textiles rather than leathers if you intend to ride all year.
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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.

[pinkyfloyd]

[Dave70]

[-Matt-]

I do find commuting around sunrise/sunset hours makes it worse as people are often squinting half blind out side windows into the low sun before pulling out/lame changing.

[Skoot]

[Rogerborg]

Gear list looks OK, go to it. Remember that you can score proper bargains on eBay and Gumtree if you're lucky.

[pinkyfloyd]

[Skoot]

Haha cheers Pinky! Will do.

[Andy_Pagin]

Spada boots are utter rubbish, not waterproof, cheap thin leather, AVOID.
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[pinkyfloyd]

My rst tracktech evo boots according to all reviews are waterproof. Need a size up but they are comfy.
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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.

[TheSmiler]

[Llama-Farmer]

Don't get RST gloves... you'll regret it.

The stitching will fall apart and the velcro straps will become a nightmare.

The rest of the RST kit is excellent value for money and great kit in its own right, but stick to different brand gloves
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[Skoot]

How long have you had the boots Pinky? How are they holding up for ou?

[pinkyfloyd]

[Llama-Farmer]

[Val]

[Llama-Farmer]

[Skoot]

Right so the update on gloves and boots then is the Tracktech Evo WP boot and a pair of Furygan Iron Gloves.

And At Llama, yes I just feel everyone pays less attention.

[Llama-Farmer]

[talkToTheHat]

Leathers are far more resistant to the inevitable embarrassing drops. Been there and had a few. Textiles are really quite delicate, and crotch seam taping never seems to last my textiles. An over-suit you can afford to replace and reasonably priced leathers is a fairly cost effective combination. I ride in RST (touring) leathers, swapping to IXS and HG textiles if it's really wet, but I've killed two sets of textile trousers and had to have the HG jacket repaired from two years wear. My leathers are still in good shape though, despite a proper off in them. Altberg boots are a dowdy-looking indulgence, but made to fit me and suit my riding style. Some kind of sporty Held gloves when it is dry, old pair of HG Goretex gloves for cold/wet weather, next up for replacement... But can't fault the RST leathers, they're really good valueand like a second skin. My jacket is an old hand me down and will probably get replaced in the next two years and kept for fashion. Trousers were an e-bay find without armour, so there's forcefield in the knee and d30 at the hip, which is really comfy.

[Teflon-Mike]

I have a tailor made Swift race suit in the wardrobe; its about the 'best' protection you could have if you come off.... on a race track.

Leather's greatest virtue is abrasion resistance when sliding a long way along tarmac. On a race track, with one way traffic travelling at higher speeds, with nice wide run off areas and no kerbs or lamp-posts, that can be a very long way.

Benefits are often reduced significantly in a real 'road' off, where you don't tend to be going so fast unless you are daft, and even then, you tend not to be able to slide very far before something hard and unyielding impedes your progress.

Race suit don't get much use on the road then. Hard to get on and off; saggy bum off the bike; pain in the pisser when you want a piss; lack of anywhere to stick a pack of fags, etc etc etc... huge impracticalities for little or no real benefit even in presumed protection.

Two-piece full zip touring leathers? Far more practical; but probably no more useful in an off. Cold in the wet and the winter; hot in the summer. Probably worse than getting soaked in rain, is leather soaked in sweat! Again, sees little use these days, unless I am going to be in the saddle for hours on end.

Textiles. I need to sort these out actually; some bastard 'borrowed' my Scott Kevlar riding jacket and hasn't returned it! Had that jacket since 1993, and was in almost daily use for well over a decade and a half.

Cool in summer, warm in winter; went over work cloths or casuals; with room for layers in the very cold. Never came off in it, but large kevlar pads on shoulders and sleeves, and tough construction that didn't fall to pieces in decades; no reason to believe it wouldn't offer at least 'adequate' protection in typical road off.

Trousers? I have a pair of thin PVC over trousers for the summer; quilted ones for the winter. Both were bought when I got the Scott jacket; I still have both pairs; both are still serviceable. Again, not the ultimate in protective gear, but 'adequate' and plenty practical.

Buy decent textiles and they can be every bit as good and durable and long lasting as leathers; and a damn site more practical and comfortable.

But then I don't feel the need to dress up to ride a motorbike. Its a form of transport, not a ruddy fashion show. And I dress to ride, and ride to survive; so don't feel I the need to dress for disaster!

Its personal choice at the end of the day; but an awful lot of people wear leathers, merely because its the done thing, NOT because its actually the most appropriate or helpful thing.
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