What gear do you wear, best quality and why..

Thinking of another thread..
I thought I'd ask everyone 's opinion about the gear you wear..Road and/or track...
Seems some manufaturers make great and not so great stuff...Because of popularity..I think we miss some of the lesser know products that are just as good as the best known brand names...
Safety...comfort, price and style being what we all look at when buying...
Cheers brother and sisters..

Dainese
Sidi
Alpinestar

Dainese 1 peice suits on track - have crashed in them many times and always kept my skin
Currently running Puma boots and again have crashed them a few times and there still supportive and in 1 peice!
Sharks RSR2 helmets - my favourite for fit and comfort and low noise!
Knox back protector
Always had Dainese gloves up till last year when i got hold of a set od Spadas race gloves, theyve seen 1 crash already and they havnt even marked and there really comfy, bit fidly to get on but at least i no for sure they wouldnt come off in a crash!

If i ever do venture out on the road i have a Hein Gerricke 2 peice textile suit which is 100% waterproof and still looks quite cool as bike gear goes!

Wolf titanium leathers. Nice little touches like alcantara cuffs etc. Not crashed in them but leather is real soft and comfortable. Removable inner layers.

I run a Bell Daytona lid. It's awesome. Super light and fits my head shape perfectly. Hardly feels like you've got a lid on! Only negative I can find is there is a bit of wind noise at higher speeds but I'm going to start wearing plugs anyway .

Alpinestar SXV boots which I really like. Separate sock and internal lacing.

Alpinestar SP2 gloves which are old now. Thinking about those new Knox ones but read a few reviews saying they fall apart on the rain.

BKS made to measure 1 Piece suit, Daytona Security EVO G3 boots, Held Titan Gloves, Forcefield Back Protector, Shoei XR1100 Helmet, All high quality stuff, which should last a lifetime. I was very lucky to get the suit second hand,(only ever worn a few times was virtully brand new) and the boots less than half price

Currently have - Richa two-piece leathers. (Not crashed but comfy fit although the top and bottom are different styles)
- Puma Boots (Had for a few years now, slightly scufted from a low side but fit just like their trainers)
- Shoei XR1100 (also still got my old XR1000 and a Schuberth which is a crap fit but got it cheap)
- Hein Gericke X-Trafit summer gloves (had for a few years, used them throughout a few winters with on some liners inside with no problems)
- Knox back protector

Also got - Textile Dianese jacket for pootling round when leathers are optional (normally worn with Red Route kevlar jeans)
- Still got a textile Hein Gericke jacket that was part of a two-piece (100% W/P) that I had before my leathers as I was riding all year round.
- The matching trousers to above were destroyed in a lowside (as did the skin on my leg at the time) so got binned and led to my leathers.

Alpinestars 2 peice leathers and sidi boots . And cheap and cheerful Rayven textile for daily commuting.

For very cold weather I have a Furygan Cordura Jacket but day to day i wear

Rev'it Adrenaline Jacket


Rev'it Gear Trousers


Very impressed with the clobber, it's well made and thought out biker gear.

Racer gloves.... the best gloves I have used by a long way, wonderful quality,comfortable with great feel, made in Austria to

I have worn Racer gloves for the last 12 years, on my second set now `High Racer` I had `Multi Tops` before which survived a 120mph high side with only a few scuffs, love`em




Racer High Racer Gloves



The High Racer glove from Austrian motorcycle brand Racer is a top end racing glove constructed from high quality materials. With kangaroo leather palms, Keprotec inserts and Carbon protectors, these gloves offer excellent performance.

Specification for Racer High Racer Gloves;

Kangaroo leather palm
Carbon knuckle protectors
Carbon protectors on fingers and cuff
Keprotec abrasion resistant inserts
KNOX protectors to protect the scaphoid
Linked little fingers for increased safety

Top of the line Alpinestars gear, Arai helmets. I get the gear used so its much cheaper. The cheap Alpinestars stuff is well cheap.

Dianesse leathers in size 50 may as well be made for me - they fit lovely.
I've had 3 crashes in their suits above 100MPH and they've always done me proud.

I have a set of proper Japan Kushatani leathers I've owned since 96, once I've had them altered with some panels in the inner arms and legs I will use them too.

I always did buy the top A stars gloves (Once I couldn't get kushatani) but my latest pair are the Halo race gloves - all the features and just under £100.

Under Armour pants - If it all goes wrong and they strip you down to your pants you want to look your best!

Notice that just about all you Brits wear full leathers, either one or two piece. The only time you see full leathers here you can just about guarantee that it is a Pom inside of them. With that in mind I wear kevlar jeans along with just about everyone else I ride with. RSK leather jacket in the colder months and full vented Ixon in summer, Dryrider leather gloves.

Crashed twice in full alpinestars gear;

One piece leathers held up well and I still wear them.

Gloves died.

Boots scuffed but perfectly usable.

I wear forcefield chest and back protection, great bits of kit as mould to you like memory foam.

Would never buy an arai again though, shite side pods that break off and stupid visor mechanism, off for a Shark next time.

Hi mate,
I'm a fan of getting the best protection you can afford..
I've crashed twice in a Teknic suit which was wery good, but a bit too hot for around here.
I now ride in:

Dainese Red Line one piece perforated suit (almost like not wearing a suit as it moves with you with brilliant ventilation)
Sidi Air Boots (will be replaced with Dainese shortly)
Dainese Full Metal Pro gloves (also handy in a fist fight)
AGV GP-Tech Rossi replica 'Dream' helmet
Forcefield L2 back protector (best at the time of purchase)

Have heard great things about Held Gloves (however a bit hot) and of course Daytona boots (if you can afford them)

I'm also a fan of compression gear under leathers, doesn't matter which brand and it makes it a hell of a lot easier to get in and out of! That said, for ultra running I swear by 2XU compression, their elite compression tights have cut my recovery time in half!

Biggest crash was in a set of Clover leathers. Brand new mat black Shoei written off, wore through the toes of the Alp smx boots, opened up the side of my right glove and broke my left hand. Slight scuffing on the leathers but nothing at all really, if I hadn't added too much flab I would still have them and I think they were the best set I ever owned.

My track leathers have been unused for a couple of years. I have a few sets built up over the years, Spyke, and something else in the garage and my main set are Dianese in the cupboard somewhere. For the road I just wear a black bike jacket \ I think it's RST but all the CE conforming ones are more or less the same and a pair of Alp leather jeans. I do have a pair of Kevlar jeans but I find them just as hot as the leathers so I might as well have the armour as well.

Whatever I'm wearing I never wear sliders on the road as I think it makes you look ridiculous!

Furygan 2 piece. 2x 30mph lowsides did zero damage. Was their best jacket and trousers when I bought them.

Icon gloves and helmet.

Sisi boots.

The best gear is none at all. I rode around town in shorts, teashirt and flipflops with a baseball cap for head protection. I live in a little burg that is filled with sherrifs, but they just send you home and shake thier finger at you hoping some shame will stick that is released from the end of the finger.
For street rides its Carhardt double knees with double padding shoved into the two layers at the knee.
I have found that street riding failures tend to take out the low side shoulder-elbow combination and wreak havoc to the knees. A-Star jacket, Whatever gloves and work boots.
Track is cheapest second hand leathers, cheap gloves, Shoei helmet, AlpineStars boots.
I wont buy leathers that have been crashed in as they tend to want to crash again once they have a taste of blood. Like a Pit Bull they cannot resist.

Shoei X11
Vanson CSRV Perforated jacket with hard armor, incl back armor(12 yrs old)
Draggin Jeans kevlar reinforced jeans
Alpinestar knee/shin protection
Sidi Vertigo boots
Teknic Violator II gloves (10 yrs old, bought in 01 as closeout and just started using them in 09)

I recently lowslided at ~50 mph. I slid ~150'. I landed on my right side, rolled onto my stomach, and then onto my left side. All the gear worked. The jeans were shredded on the knees, possibly due to the hard knee armor. I severely sprained my right ankle and right shoulder. I would have HATED to see what would have happened to my ankle if I had no boots.

The gloves held up and the first layer of double stitching ripped in some areas, but did not expose my hand.

On the track:
Arai lid
Crowtree made to measure. (my 2nd suit from Crowtree - the previous one lasted 15years) Now 10years old and saved my skin in some big get offs.
Alpinestar Boots and gloves or BKS made to measure gloves which are 12years old.

On the road Hein Gericke jacket - 3 years and 50,000 miles - still waterproof
JTS Kevlar jeans in the summer
Hein Gericke waterproof jeans in winter.
Alpinestar short boots in summer
Altberg in winter/bad weather

I hope to stock up on Dainese gear next month when I'm in Italy. Maybe, I can find some good stuff on clearance sale. Dainese gear fits me the best, but it's so expensive. It gets so damn hot where I live that its difficult to find a good balance between protection and comfort. Most people just ride in T-shirt and Jeans during the summer around here. My co-worker convinced me to upgrade my jacket so I bought a new Dainese Rebel Estivo. Helmet is an AGV XR-2. AGV liners are so nice and soft, and that coolmax stuff really works. I find that the helmet stays cooler inside with vents open and visor closed, than with the visor cracked open, the coolmax wicks the sweat away and produces kind of a natural air conditioning inside the helmet.

I wear Dainese suits, mostly cause that's what the local shop sells and I picked a lot of it up in their sales cheap.

I have a 2 piece for the road and a one piece for the track or excessively hot days where I don't plan to stop and walk around.

Gaerne boots, good for wide feet.

To go to the office near me than Aplinestars smx 1s, draggin jeans office chinos and a KTM Evo textile jacket.

If I'm travelling any distance for work or it's raining a bit then I also have some KTM peg scratch trousers and recently some infinity GTX goretex boots.

I have various gloves

Alpine stars Vega Drystars for chillier or wet weather
Dainese Piston gloves (short ones) for Summer road riding
Knox Handroids for track use and some road use

Shoei XR1100 for road use, awesome comfortable helmet with pods for intercom speakers
AGV Stealth for track

Rukka armax waterproof jacket. not the one with the silly ziplock and no pop button


special price from Germany. I would've bought from the local infinity cycles but they couldn t do better than still >100£ more than what I got mine for, delivered.

Does anyone has any expirience with TCX boots (old Oxtar)?
I have a good deal on TCX Competizione RS Race but never tried one.
Do they run small, larger, wide...?
Thanks
Weber

I've been on the hunt for some good touring gear as I've come to the realization that Joe Rocket, Shift, and Cortech/Tourmaster gear is junk for touring IMO. All of those companies produce excellent leather based gear though that I love. But touring gear just wasn't cutting it in the practical and protection departments. I've toured in leather race suits when going to places the Dragon, but lately haven't been needing to drag a knee to go fast and enjoy the roads. Leathers are great for long days, but there's no relief when you're stopped for a break.

So I ordered one of these- http://www.teizms.com/lombardv3-one-pie ... -p-53.html
One piece textile suit that's waterproof and has knee pucks.

And today I got a great deal on a used Aerostich suit from eBay. Heard nothing but good things about these but the price tag always kept me away.

I'll be doing a comparison when I get them. During my research I learned that First Gear has excellent equipment as well.

have a 2-piece Dainese T-Avro suit for the track. Oddly enough it seems the model name's been recycled and applied to a higher price point suit in their 2011 lineup now...mine was pretty much the "entry level" leathers offered.

other gear:
Daytona goretex street boots (SO comfy can walk for miles & stay dry on the bike)
Sidi ST boots
Held pole position gloves
HJC FS-15 carbon helmet for track/longer rides
AFX Fx-39 for round city/hot weather hooliganism
Rev'it Ignition jkt and Gear trousers


@Lobster I really like the rev'it gear, it is pretty well thought out, but not quite perfection I'd say. Example, my jacket lacks internal pockets when the thermal liner is removed. Fitwise, it's a little funny. The pants are definitely for those w/ skinny legs/thighs. The internal stitching around the knee armor is somewhat abrasive as well against your skin with the H20 liner removed.

Shorts
T-shirt
Trainers
BMX gloves

For the track and spirited rides:

Gimoto one piece suit
Oxtar boots
Held Phantom gloves
Dainese back protector
Shark RSR2 helmet-"Foggy" with medium or clear shield

For the commute:

Dainese jacket
Shift jeans
AXO Striker boots
Dainese 4 Stroke gloves
Shark RSR2 Helmet-"Fujiwara" with medium or dark shield

Vanson jackets, pants, and full suits.
Aerostich Darien jacket and pants for weather, adventuring, sport touring.
Arai helmets (Street: RX-Q; Track: Corsair V)
Held gloves (Phantoms and Titans), Cortech Accelerators for putting around.
Gaerne boots (GS-R, and GP-1)
Impact Armor chest protector.
Woodcraft Klucky Pucks (none adhere better, or last longer).
Patagonia silkweight undergarments when wearing a full suit or leather pants.

And my most recent gear addition: NJK custom suit. I would have gone with a Vanson, but their "custom" department has become impossible (last custom piece - only recently received, took 20 months to sort out ... not even a custom Dainese is worth that wait). I have to say, if you're like me, and don't just immediately get a great fit from off the rack, custom is really worth the dosh. The NJK and my Vanson items fit so well, its like they aren't even there when riding.

Note: I have crashed all of this gear. ALL of it. The Vanson suit, Held Gloves, Arai helmets, and that pair of Gaerne GS-Rs more than once. Yes, helmets and gloves were disposed after crashing them (stuff was creamed). That Impact Armor protector, the Vanson suit, Arai, and Helds really saved my bacon when I had my last track shunt. All of this stuff has worked as well, if not better than expected.