safety gear questions

[wombosi]

OK, so way back when I rode my Maxim 550 across country, I'm pretty sure all  I used was a pair of jeans, hiking boots, and at least I had a good protective jacket with armor.

Soon I'll be doing about a 2,000 mile round trip and would like to get some good pants and boots.
For pants - do you guys have a preference of leather vs. textile? I see "racing" and "cruiser" styles. I wonder if this matters? In other words, could I theoretically be well suited to get "racing" pants for use on my nighthawk, or would that be ridiculous? I think some armor and/or padding at least in the pants would be nice.

What about boots? I guess a lot of this is personal preference?

For gloves, I have a pair picked out that I like, Joe Rocket Sonic, with gauntlet for tucking jacket in. They are advertised as "racing" gloves though. Does this matter?

Am I overthinking all of this?

Also, I'm looking at a used Shoei RFR helmet on eBay for $100. Should I just buy a new one? I have a feeling I'm going to get smacked for even asking this question.

Thanks!

[Bumblebee]

Who cares if it's racing or cruiser or hideous lime green. It's about safety, not looks.

Whatever pants you get, you want padding. There's no such thing as too much padding when physics goes all medieval on your body. Think in terms of jumping off a waist high wall landing on your knees on hard packed gravel/concrete because that's pretty much what the first impact with the Earth is like.

Solid leather with minimal stitching is best. The problem is that during the summer, all black minimal vented leather in 100F will likely result in heat stroke followed by a crash.

Consider yourself smacked. Buy a new helmet that fits your noggin properly and don't worry about the money. Proper fit is everything, well, that and full face protection. Your brains are not expendable.

[ariwhiteboy]

  to the forum! Kudos to you for thinking about good gear.

Personally I prefer a Textile Jacket with good armor, good Joe Rocket gauntlet gloves, and Joe rocket textile overpants.

Now for the Helmet....Never-ever trust a used helmet.  Invest the money in a good DOT/SNELL certified full face, your brain will thank you.  Buying a used helmet is dangerous (if not a little gross  ) since technically just dropping a lid on the pavement from hip level can compromise the structural integrity.  I wear a Scorpion EXO-400 and find it very comfortable. You can pick them up for as little as $70 if you're not picky about the graphics.  Check out www.motorcyclegear.com for all your gear needs.  That's not a plug for them, most members (myself included) have shopped there before and found the gear to be first rate, the prices to be rock bottom, and the customer service/shipping to be out of this world good.  Best of luck with your upcoming trip, ride safe! 

EDIT: I knew Bumblebee would be all over this one...+1 on what he said while I was typing.

[Soupskin]

Where do you live?  I cant imagine anything else in the southern summer other than mesh pants with armor.

Mine also have a "waterproof" liner and a thermal liner.  They are very versatile and I wear them year round in Atlanta.

http://www.tourmaster.com/xcart/catalog/Venture-Air-Pant-p-227_4.html

[hockeyhawk]

I agree with Ari, the the EXO-400 is a great helmet. This is about the best price you will find on one. http://www.motorcyclegear.com/street/closeouts/helmets/scorpion/exo_400_scar_motorcycle_helmet.html

And here is a nice selection of 400's still at good prices.
http://sportbiketrackgear2.homestead.com/exo400.html

Ride safe and good luck on your trip.

[wombosi]

thanks guys. i think i'll get that helmet.
as for pants, better to tuck into full length boots, or put over?

if i get a waterproof boot and tuck the pants in, doesn't that defeat the purpose?

but i want full length boots. question is do i shop for pants that go over or go inside?
i'm guessing better protection would be a more tightly fitting leather pant and as such would go inside the boot?

can you guys recommend a good boot?

many thanks again. getting close...

PS - @soupskin: i am in western massachusetts, 01230.

[Bumblebee]

If you get pants that go into the boots and ride in the real world, you better plan on dumping water out occasionally.

2000 mile trip? You're likely going to get rained on at some point unless you have a completely open schedule and are willing to sit somewhere for days if necessary.
Rain gear is recommended. Waterproof liners are kind of an idealistic image however the outer gear you ride in gets soaked and stays wet for a while. It also takes time to get it on and off since you have to take everything off, assemble it then put it on again which defeats the purpose of the gear if the sky suddenly decides to dump the Atlantic ocean on you..then after the rain, you have to reverse the process. I find it less hassle to just ride through the rain and get wet half the time. Over the crash gear rain suits are far more practical. I used a way too big $15 stearns vinyl rain suit from wallyworld for a long time.

[Burgi]

Race boots and pants are fine on the bike but you need to consider what you will do when you want to want to get off and walk around. Race boots offer more protection on the bike but you won't be walking far in them. They are higher and stiff compared to touring boots.
Race pants are a tighter cut, typically not "over pants." If you want to be able to dismount and walk around in jeans for a bit you will need to find a place to change in and out of them.
Much depends on the sort of trip you have planned and what the temperature is going to be.

[KarlJay]

I prefer the jeans with kevlar and knee/hip pads.  My hip pad was exactly where I hit the ground and it has blood on it to prove it!  Still got a huge bruise, but it helped.

Red Route was the only brand I found that had FULL kevlar from top to mid and knee and hip pads.  Also count for shrinkage from washing.

Boots are another issue, I wear Timberland but I understand MC boots are supposed to slide on the street when you crash and these don't.

Leather/denim is for abrasion and pads are for impact.

[Bumblebee]

Leather/denim is for abrasion and pads are for impact.

Agreed however to clarify a detail that is seriously misunderstood nowadays: As far as denim is concerned, the denim jeans or denim jackets that are not designed specifically as crash gear (ie, regular clothes) have zero abrasion protection in a crash scenario. At best you'll get one, maybe two inches of travel on the ground before they've completely failed and you're essentially wearing shorts or going shirtless. This can be experimentally verified by anyone; simply rig a trip line across the sidewalk then walk into it with your eyes closed and fall down at a walking speed...just don't come whining to me when you tear up your pants and rip the skin off your knees because that's exactly what will happen.
Seriously, there are a lot of riders going around in jeans acting like they have the same level of protection that high end leather race gear provides when in reality, they're essentially wearing squid gear.

[KarlJay]

Leather/denim is for abrasion and pads are for impact.

Agreed however to clarify a detail that is seriously misunderstood nowadays: As far as denim is concerned, the denim jeans or denim jackets that are not designed specifically as crash gear (ie, regular clothes) have zero abrasion protection in a crash scenario. At best you'll get one, maybe two inches of travel on the ground before they've completely failed and you're essentially wearing shorts or going shirtless. This can be experimentally verified by anyone; simply rig a trip line across the sidewalk then walk into it with your eyes closed and fall down at a walking speed...just don't come whining to me when you tear up your pants and rip the skin off your knees because that's exactly what will happen.
Seriously, there are a lot of riders going around in jeans acting like they have the same level of protection that high end leather race gear provides when in reality, they're essentially wearing squid gear.

Yep!
It takes 5 min to gear up, it takes YEARS to recover... Do the math!