Dualsport riding gear wins and fails

[OneLeggedRider]

I'm a firm believer in jacket helmet and gloves. Riding pants and boots are a good idea too but with my artificial leg the pants would be a PITA to get off and on, and my leg would have to be programmed and adjusted for the boot. In other words I'd have to wear the boots everywhere I went, including the beach, bowling etc..

I've dumped that little bike 3 times, but considering I've had it for 15 years that's not too bad. And the damn thing runs like a timex watch, all I've ever done engine-wise is change the oil, still has the factory spark plug in it.

Oh and my nephew stole it and crashed it into a tree so I had to straighten and weld the frame, and my drunk cousin Curt jumped it into a pond so I had to fish it out with a tractor and drain the oil and gas tank. Started right up afterwards.

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by OneLeggedRider

I'm a firm believer in jacket helmet and gloves. Riding pants and boots are a good idea too but with my artificial leg the pants would be a PITA to get off and on, and my leg would have to be programmed and adjusted for the boot. In other words I'd have to wear the boots everywhere I went, including the beach, bowling etc..

For pants you might have better luck with overpants than dedicated riding pants. The legs have zippers up each side to allow you to put them on and take them off without taking off your boots. They are often a little bulkier feeling than dedicated riding pants, but also come with removable liners.
This is the pair I have. https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/...-air-overpants

They are a bit expensive, but well worth it imho.

As far as footwear goes. I do have a dedicated pair of breathable waterproof riding boots, but for most around town riding I tend to just wear my 8" tactical boots (aka civilian combat boots). They offer a decent amount of protection and padding, even for the ankle, and are ,uch cheaper than dedicated riding boots. They are also functional as regular footwear, which is why I also work in them.

[ChipToothy]

Evaride or Everride whatever he calls himself has the dual sport gear pegged. He has it broken down by price range last I looked. There’s a list in his descriptions there somewhere too.


I use a certified MotoGP for jacket. It’s fully armored and came with insulated winter and rain zip off/on liners, under $100. Boots I’m using O’Neil 4 buckle motocross, under $100. Gloves are fully armored Indie Ridge, $40. For pants I have just been wearing 2 pairs at a time. Street boots I’m using the TCX waterproof shoe/boot. Have had everything over a year and nothing to complain about yet. The 4 buckle boots were my Best Buy. You can beat on them with a hammer and they soak it up which is nice when you hear a chunk of gravel bounce off of them instead of your shin

[Tom44708]

Researching here myself. As with a lot of people, pretty tight budget but still want to be safe. Helmet is key of course, and riding gear I’m trying to find things.

[Wild Dog]

Originally Posted by Megadan

For pants you might have better luck with overpants than dedicated riding pants. The legs have zippers up each side to allow you to put them on and take them off without taking off your boots. They are often a little bulkier feeling than dedicated riding pants, but also come with removable liners.
This is the pair I have. https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/...-air-overpants

They are a bit expensive, but well worth it imho.

As far as footwear goes. I do have a dedicated pair of breathable waterproof riding boots, but for most around town riding I tend to just wear my 8" tactical boots (aka civilian combat boots). They offer a decent amount of protection and padding, even for the ankle, and are ,uch cheaper than dedicated riding boots. They are also functional as regular footwear, which is why I also work in them.

I think the price is right, on other topic i commented about why you would want to save fuel money on developing countries and the wages... YET i never cheap out in safety gear. I paid more for all the gear than i paid for my motorcycle...

You know like they old hunting saying, the scope should be more expensive than the rifle.

[OneLeggedRider]

Originally Posted by Tom44708

Researching here myself. As with a lot of people, pretty tight budget but still want to be safe. Helmet is key of course, and riding gear I’m trying to find things.

You can find DOT approved helmets on Amazon for $50 - $60 in several different styles and colors. I took some flack for buying the IStorm enduro helmet but a couple months ago it proved it's worth. I high-sided my bike at 60mph and was body slammed hard on the pavement but the helmet did it's job, no brain injury and I never lost conciousness. I'll be replacing it ofcourse, which I believe you should do with any helmet after an impact like that.

[wedooit]

onelegged….glad your gear did the job! Since we are experienced sled riders, and like Dan's bike gear opinion, we have expensive sled gear.....scary what we carry, and then train for avalanche....but we are out in the cold and miles from anything. Years ago, I had a bad mishap with a motorcycle, and I quit riding, but my gear saved vital parts. There is so much gear on the market, and we APPRECIATE the advice from the riders on this site. Most of the long time, or seasoned riders, has had some kind of mishap. I am hoping more will chime in and give opinions.

[OneLeggedRider]

Oh trust me, I see nothing wrong with buying expensive gear, and if I rode as much as Dan does I would probably spend more on mine instead of other toys and projects. But the Hawk is lucky to be taken out 3 days a week, I'm not anywhere close to a city or any traffic congestion (nearest Walmart is an hour away) and most of my riding is gravel and secondary roads. Around here I'd have a better chance of hitting a horse and buggy (not joking, it's Amish country) than a car.

Not saying it couldn't happen because it does, but even with the paved secondary road that I crashed on, I laid in the middle of the road for an hour and a half waiting on the ambulance and not one car came along the entire time which isn't unusual around here.

[duck9191]

I have one of these, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N1LWHZG? Because I wanted to try out a modular with out spending a bunch of money. I was surprised how nice it is. Bit noisy but built well. Their cs sent me a free set of cheek pads because the xl fit a bit lose, I offered to pay but they didn't want any money.

Likely getting a scorpion exo at950 soon. The shield is a lot bigger and my biggest complaint is on my Honda vtx the tank mounted speedo takes a head movement to see.

[pete]

just buy Klim gear..
sell yer bike first so you can afford it..



..

[Wild Dog]

They have a nice collection with a nice price range that goes from acceptable to expensive.

Plus i just found the pants i want

https://www.klim.com/Outrider-Pant-3...tity=1&Size=34

[OneLeggedRider]

Just picked these Mechanix M-pact gloves up at Lowe's for $20, says they meet EN 13594 impact standard (whatever that means). The palms have 2 layers of leather with impact padding in between and they're touchscreen capable and vented. Not what I had in mind but they'll do till I find something better.

They're also proof glove sizing is all over the board. I tried 2XL and 3XL armored gloves from 2 different companies and couldn't get either over my knuckles. These are 1XL and are a little snug but I can get them on without much trouble. They're also very flexible as far as range of motion and don't feel bulky. I'll chalk these up as a win.

Just read the inside tag and they're CE rated as 2nd category personal protective equipment.

[wedooit]

Originally Posted by Wild Dog

They have a nice collection with a nice price range that goes from acceptable to expensive.

Plus i just found the pants i want

https://www.klim.com/Outrider-Pant-3...tity=1&Size=34

Wild dog, klims headquarters is 50 miles from us. If you have dealer, sled, bike, etc. that you buy from, they will give you at least 20%off, and ordered it for you. Just a tip.

[Megadan]

Originally Posted by OneLeggedRider

Just picked these Mechanix M-pact gloves up at Lowe's for $20, says they meet EN 13594 impact standard (whatever that means). The palms have 2 layers of leather with impact padding in between and they're touchscreen capable and vented. Not what I had in mind but they'll do till I find something better.

They're also proof glove sizing is all over the board. I tried 2XL and 3XL armored gloves from 2 different companies and couldn't get either over my knuckles. These are 1XL and are a little snug but I can get them on without much trouble. They're also very flexible as far as range of motion and don't feel bulky. I'll chalk these up as a win.

Just read the inside tag and they're CE rated as 2nd category personal protective equipment.

CE 2 is better than most dedicated riding gloves. I bet those will do the job just fine, especially on a slow bike like a Hawk.

Also, yes, sizing is all over the place. My hands are an XL to 3XL depending on the brand and the type of cut.