First crash - first gear ownage

edgar67 said:

Well, nlsquare, thanks for boldly going where nobody wants to, glad you're ok. It's good that you set a good example with the proper riding gear. Going down is a very real possibility for all of us, and we need to remember that before we hop on and ride. I still need to get good pants and jacket, and even a helmet. The guy I bought the bike from gave me a helmet, gloves, and boots; everything fits except the helmet is one size too large. Any recommendations on gear?

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I think if I can be honest, I knew that I would be in a wreck some day... I knew it has to happen, and I pray it would be a minor one. A wreck makes me so much more aware of the fact that I cannot be comfortable and just wing it on a motorcycle. The symbiotic relationship between a rider and his bike is so much more personal than that with his car. In a car, you feel more protected, you have to turn the wheel considerably for the vehicle to take a curve, there's lag when you press the gas, there's big braking distances, etc. On a bike, you're practically plugging yourself onto the bike, every part of your body will affect the bike and try to maintain control. I know when I get back on my bike, it's no longer a no holds bar game.

With all that being said, I sure can give you my... somewhat limited, beginner's input on gear. FIrst and most importantly, get rid of that helmet, sell it, keep it for a larger head passenger. Get yourself one that fit properly, you do not want that thing loose on your head in a crash, it needs to stay in place and maintain stable protection for your noggin. The way I was suggested to try one is to put it on, strap it, hold on to the chin part of the helmet and try to move my head left/right/up/down. My head is not suppose to be able to move/slide around in the helmet. If there are cheek pads, they need to hold my face in a way that would barely allow me to talk properly, that way my jaw will be locked in place in a crash. Also, be mindful of helmet fitment, they don't all have the same shape (round/oval/neutral/etc). You need one that fit your head shape so that there's no pressure points on your head. My first helmet didn't fit right and the sting sets in about 30min into the ride... it was very painful. Go for the known brands; Icon (lighter, a little less padding inside the helmet, great airflow, good styling), scorpion (heavier, a lot of protection, good airflow, average styling), arai and shoei are top of the line but quite expensive. HJC seems popular as well but when holding their helmets, they didn't inspire confidence for me personally.

I personally use scorpion for all my gear because they have some good value items. My helmet is the EXO-500, awesome comfort, good airflow, very good protection, a little heavier than icon's helmets. My jacket is the scorpion Eddy with added back protection, it also comes with a zipper liner to connect to your riding pants. If your pants don't have zippers (ex: jeans), the jacket comes with both parts so you can just sew one part to whatever pants you want. I also failed to notice that there is also a loop in the jacket that I could have hooked on to my jeans, that could possibly have save me from my road rash. I think that feature is quite important now that I experienced it firsthand.

For the pants, I like the denim looks, I have the scorpion covert pro jeans. The fit on those are a little baggy for my taste but the kevlar are quite encompassing, not leaving too many unprotected areas, which is important. Whichever pants you choose, make sure the kevlar lining is covering a lot, if not most the pants. It would be a bit hotter but if you go down, it will save your ass from the asphalt, literally.

As for gloves, because hands will take the blunt force of the slide in a fall, make sure they have; leather parts for abrasion resistance, knuckle protection not only for the fall but also against projected rocks while riding (those hurts) and also palm protection because you WILL put your hands down in a fall. My gloves saved my hand, it ripped the leather surface on the palm down to the plastic protection part.

Finally, riding shoes/boots, make sure it has ankle protection (mine are Running With The Bulls shoes). It looks great off the bike, it goes high up and have hard parts protection for the ankles. A feature the shoes has that I like as well is a velcro strap to keep the shoelaces down so there's no chance of it snagging on the shifter peg or anything like that. They also have ridges and a thicker toe pad for comfortable/non-slip shifting.

We obviously want styling, but do not sacrifice protection just to look good... it's just not worth it