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Protective clothes


Orpheum

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I'm a little confused with pricing and quality on jackets and pants. There seems to be alot of goods in the $100-200 range like Tourmaster or Fieldsheer. Is the extra investment in higher end goods worth it on a protection basis?

Phil M

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Don't skimp on the snowmobile suit! The thing to look at in my opinion is strength and how much you can afford. Afterall, it is your skin we are talking about here.

 

Kaisr thumbsup.gif

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Think of it this way;

 

Whatever you spend, it's cheaper than road rash.

 

Or, you could use the money your cheap self saves for a bulk purchase of gauze & peroxide. tongue.gif

 

 

 

( See? I told you there was good info here.)

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St_Louis_Don

Don’t skimp on safety. Buy the gear first, then whatever you have left over put that towards FARKLEs, not the other way around.

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You are all right. It's just the dutch in me that looks at the different manufacturers and thinks they really look alike. Seems some have waterproof liners on the inside while others have a waterproof shell, which seems to make more sense.All are showing CE approved armour.Are there any good three or four season type jackets and pants that someone can recomend?

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Don’t skimp on safety. Buy the gear first, then whatever you have left over put that towards FARKLEs, not the other way around.

 

That's what I did and I have a rather farkleless bike. tongue.gif

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St_Louis_Don
Are there any good three or four season type jackets and pants that someone can recomend?

 

I went with FirstGear. There Mesh jacket if used with the liner and light weight fleece underneath are good for 3 season. The liner is waterproof and keeps me dry. The downside is, since it is a liner the jacket tends to get waterlogged and heavy. I also use the mesh overpants for 3 season and their heaver overpants for winter riding. NewEnough has some good prices on FirstGear and other top brands. I upgraded the armor to CE and added it along with the standard armor.

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Buy and wear what you want to crash in. thumbsup.gif
I can't agree more with this statement. Good gear will last longer and in the end cost you less money, not to mention saving your hide. Skimp on something less important.
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I have been very happy with my Olympia gear. Whatever you buy I recommend finding a local dealer so that you can try things on. I was able to find all the big names in town and I was surprised at how uncomfortable some of the more popular brands were for me. Aerostitch is not going to be sold locally and is probably a good exception to the try it before you buy it rule.

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markgoodrich

There's millions of opinions about this subject.

 

A couple of years ago I corresponded extensively with Paul Varnsverry, one of the few people in the world actually involved in CE certification. Really nice guy, willing to share his opinions with me.

 

He has a web site with extensive information on what is and isn't really CE, here: http://www.pva-ppe.org.uk/standards.htm

 

There's a lot more to CE armor than is readily apparent. I had a set of leathers with full CE armor, in which I crashed on the track, landing on my right shoulder, then both knees. The shoulder was fine, there was no damage to my knee joints, but the particular armor had hard edges, which dug into my thigh muscles just above the knee joints. Those areas still, a year and a half later, hurt, and probably will cause problems the rest of my life. Had the armor been less rigid on the edges, I would have been unscathed. Without the armor, of course, I'd have been crippled.

 

People with 'road rash' are put in a special place in the hospital. It's called the Burn Ward.

 

Two minutes in an emergency room (never mind the bill from the EMT service) will cost more than the most expensive riding suit on the planet.

 

Really excellent protective clothing is as important as really excellent brakes, tires, suspension, etc etc etc. It's all part of the bike, whether it's on the bike, or on you. That's my stand. Are you protected? (jeez, I can't believe I really just quoted a TV ad)

 

End of sermon.

 

My thoughts about textile suits are that I don't have a viable choice, living in Texas. Leather is not an option in the summer. A $100 mesh jacket? EVA foam "armor?" Nope.

 

There are a number of good mesh suits on the market, which approach the protection afforded by the best leather suits. There are also a larger number, in my opinion, which do not offer that sort of protection. I wear a mesh suit all the time, year round, which with its windproof liner is good down to about 40 degrees at 75mph. Below that, an electric vest does the trick. In the summer, on the absolute hottest days, the suit is still a nightmare. I love to ride, though, so I have phase-change cooling vests, which really work. There are a number of brands, but they all offer similar products, essentially vests with pockets wehre you put popsicle-things that are freezing cold for about an hour (in Texas, YMMV)before needing a recharge with ice water. Takes about 20 minutes for them to freeze again. They're usually blue, so in a pinch you can get a job as a WalMart greeter, too. The vests qualify you as Super Nerd, but you will be a very cool Super Nerd.

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Thanks for your opinion Mark, After all the posts I am leaning towards a Santiago suit from BMW or something similar? what ever that may be.

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Thanks for your opinion Mark, After all the posts I am leaning towards a Santiago suit from BMW or something similar? what ever that may be.

I have a Santiago jacket. So far, I've only used it in cold weather with a Gerbing's jacket liner. It hasn't been warm enough to open the vents. I can imagine it will be hotter than my Vanson mesh, but I also think it will provide more protection.

The jacket was $500. With the supposed abrasion-resistant material, armor, number of pockets (2 waterproof), comfort and fit, I think it was worth it. Leather in the VA summer is too hot. I hope this works.

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