Topic: Buy gear, wear gear, share gear

[willbird]

Long story short when I got my CB750K2 out and running again pretty early on  I was creaming down I69 near Fort Wayne, IN, near Parkview Regional, following a car too close and suddenly the road got RED really quick and right in front of me was literally 75 lbs of mangled meat, either a Deer or a big Coyote carcass. Best choice and I'd do it again was to get weight off my *ss and onto my feet and steer right for it and hold on. The bike jumped the meat when it hit it, landed, did a little wiggle and on down the road I went.

I was wearing blue jeans, a cotton short sleeve Tee shirt, no gloves and a cheap Bell DOT amazon helmet. The very worst outcome there would be DRT, dead right there, all the other possible outcomes at 80 MPH could have been really really bad too.

So I added leather gloves and have added more and more to where I do not leave the driveway without a jacket that has back, elbow, shoulder armor inside it, pants with knee armor and I just added hip armor and upped to level II, bike specific footwear.

In that spirit I am encouraging folks to dust off the stuff they no longer wear or fit into and will never use and share it with others here or sell it for a fair price.

I just moved on a jacket and I have a pair of pants that will go too, the ebay selling prices with no takers were not worth messing with.

Hope none of us ever need it, in the really quiet time after a mishap we will be SO glad we had it on.

I think I still have that Amazon Bell "DOT" helmet and it will go into the trash where it belongs..ECE 22.05 minimum helmets are what I suggest, some are stuck on Snell and more power to ya there ;-).

Bill

[willbird]

If $$ are tight for footwear Walmart and others have some tacticool leather boots that IMHO are a decent choice, they often lace up but have a size zip too. I think you can get into a pair of them for like $20 US. Suiting up for a ride establishes a mindset for me too, it just puts my brain in a safer place, maybe it will for you too.

Bill

[denward17]

Good idea Bill, and Thanks for the coat!

Looking forward to wearing it, as I have had a couple of close calls about a month ago.

[willbird]

Good idea Bill, and Thanks for the coat!

Looking forward to wearing it, as I have had a couple of close calls about a month ago.

You are more than welcome, if nothing else it will give you an idea what size you wear, one of the biggest problems with buying gear these days is that nobody stocks it retail for you to try on, and brand to brand even within brands the sizing runs all over the map. Revzilla is really good about letting you buy, try on, and return free if it does not fit but that leaves you waiting 2 weeks for the return to process and then re order the next size to try, or you kind of buy it twice and then get the refund.

Bill

[BenelliSEI]

You are so right. A few years ago I was riding with my best friend. Turn signal on, slowed to make a left turn. No one else around and as I turned in, he bowled me over. He was looking at an old car someone had out with a “For Sale” sign…. I was wearing all my gear, great gloves, and a full face helmet. So was he. We picked up the bikes (both mine!), dusted ourselves off, and walked away. I wear everything, all the time, ever since.

[andy750]

Always great advice and never leave home without the gear. These days armor is very thin yet still very protective you dont need to look like a stromtrooper to have a good ride.
Below is my typical gear for rides on the CB750 - solid jacket (leather or textile), leather gloves, boots with toe/ankle protection, Pando Moto jeans (good fit for me and look like regular jeans but have level 2 armour in knees and hips), decent helmet. The blue jacket below is a moto jacket - very waterproof and warm for Spring/Fall riding - bought for a trip to Japan when I rented a moto and could also wear it around town without looking like a biker.

[willbird]

In the "buy gear" category just got a SEDICI Garda Waterproof Jacket, and added AXIAL AX2 Air Back Protector and added AXIAL AX2 Air Hip Armor to my SEDICI Garda Waterproof Pants.

Need to get the Joe Rocket ballistic overpants documented to pass on to the next rider here who has no lower body gear yet.

Cannot wait for warmer weather, dipping into the -F over the next few days.

Bill