Just wondering what protective gear everyone here wears/owns and what they recommend. Maybe some stories good or bad about particular makes and if you want, a guesstimate of what you paid. I'm in the market for a full set and probably a new helmet b/c I cheaped on that and got a closed cockpit model. Thought it might also be nice to have archived too...

 

what kind of helmet steve? btw, thanks for the reply

 

Joe Rocket Phoenix Jacket and Pants ( ) first gear equiv. is rated higher
Joe Rocket Speedmaster Gloves ( ) yummy!
Arai RX7 Replica Helmet ( : ) noisey
Shoie ZII Helmet ( )
Alpinestars tech GPFS Boots ( )
Spidi Vertibra Boots (crappy, scratch cowlings with steel hardware)
First Gear Textile Race jacket and pants ( )
Vanson Cobra II Jacket with GP armor ( )
First Gear rain suite (never used)

~$3K




[Modified by figment, 11:43 AM 7/13/2002]

 

AGV is getting a lot of good recognition these days. They can be had for ~$200 or less. People are comparing them to $500 Arai stuff....

 

Yeah, I have an AGV Pacific Helmet, its pretty decent. I wish I could afford an Arai.

 

So what would you guys say the Arai accomplishes better than the AGV equivalent? Other than the quality brand recognition. Is there a wind noise/turbulence difference? Head support/fitment? Protection, although they're similarly rated? Or anything else including the downright visual sex appeal

 

your best bet on a helmet is to try them out. my head fits better on an arai. Others have shoei heads. Anyways, as for the noise/turbulance issue, it's up to: the aerodynamics of the bike, the riding position of the rider. Also, weight is an issue, the higher model arai helmet's are lighter which doesn't strain your neck on long rides.

 

Suomy Gunwind Glitter Ben Bostrom Laguna Seca helmet $350
Joe Rocket Nicky Hayden 69 Gloves 95$ (my cost) ...I LOVE these glove, c/f knuckles, thick leather and fit nice!
Swat team boots, steel toe, havent had a chance to check out the bike boots.
Thick Jnco/Hilfiger jeans... too hot right now for leather pants.
Thick JNCO longsleeve shirt or nice light jacket ...to hot for pants also.
No wife beater and shorts for me....lol.

Its stays SO hot and humid here in atlanta ...the leather stuff will come with winter/fall.
LATER

 

Anyone use chin curtains or breath guard accessories? And what different color shields do you find work best in direct sun, dark rainy, and night time? I've been fitting a lot of helmets and a bunch fit really well, nice and secure... but the agv prices have me curious. The problem is I can't find any agv dealers... only online ordering and that leaves me no chance to test fit.

 

friends of mine do. I dont.
There is no single shield that I know of for all weather conditions. With the tinted shields, they are all about the same darkness, looks is all there is to be considered from my experience.
Same problem here. Consider calling AGV for suggestions...


[Modified by figment, 8:46 AM 7/14/2002]

 

As far as AGV fitment, I find the sizing is very close to the Arai in most cases. My AGV X-Vent fits my head the same as an Arai Signet, except that the chinbar on the AGV is just a little further from my face than the Arai's. Some other people I know have tried this out, and our consensus is that if you wear a medium Arai, get a medium AGV, and so on.

Shields: I use my AGV's blue iridium (yay, squid points ) most of the time. Exceptions are if it's overcast and dark, or night time.

 

baseball cap

foakely sunglasses

honda-tech.com t-shirt

gym shorts

...oh yeah and flip flops.

 

Ok, so AGV helmets fit pretty close to arai helmets but what about shoei? I found after a lot of trying that certain shoei styles dont give as much forward/backward movement than an arai on my head. This is w/ the same amount of tight fit on cheek and head support. And yes I set the chin strap very tight. Thanks for the input on shields, I'm thinking of running a clear and maybe a simple tint if I feel I need it later on. Oh, and thanks for the constructive input falcon... its probably just coincidence you came off as an ***. I hope other people are benefiting from this post

 

is the physical size of a med AGV the same as a med Arai? I mean how big the helmet is from the outside.

 

The external sizes are very similar...being different makes the dimensions are of course different, but the overall size of the shell is very close

tony~ I can't give any useful info on Shoei's as they don't fit me well enough to buy one

 

when I speak about the external dimensions, I mean I tried on a arai Medium and took note of the external size. Next, I tried on a medium HJC and noticed the external size of the helmet was much larger.

 

Well I finally decided on a medium shoei r/f 900... It fits the best around my ears. I was able to find a shop w/ AGV's in stock and they are smaller. ie: a M shoei is a large agv. And they also murder my elf ears so I'm going shoei b/c its got nice room there and it seems to vent well. The large is more comfortable but snug is safe and safe is happy. A lot of the 900's are on clearance online for around $220. You guys think that's a good buy? It was $295 at the shop. Oh and the aria's were nice but they run around $100 more than the shoei's on average and are a bit too tight around the cheeks

 

i paid full retail $360 for my rf-900.

well worth it. its a little noisy, but thats mainly due to my winscreen.

i wear it when i am not wearing my baseball cap (which means i am ALWAYS wearing my RF-900 when riding.)

 

Why not measure the circumference of your head for a reference?
I dunno. Just trying to help.

 

Yea, got my lid... so nobody else in this forum wears bike gear or is it all a big secret?

edit:


[Modified by tonydatyga, 10:29 PM 7/16/2002]

 

Don't leave home without the gear...I have way too much gear, but it serves its intended purposes.

Always: AGV X-vent helmet, Teknic Violator gloves, Alpinestars SMX boots
Normal street riding/commuting: Old SRS leather jacket, jeans
Fast street riding/trips: AGV R7 2pc leathers, Dainese back protector
Trackdays/Race days: Texport 1pc leathers, Dainese back protector
Goofing off: SRS jacket, Fieldsheer leather pants (with sparky knee sliders!!)

Add a rainsuit as necessary, and that's the lot. I don't plan on buying any more gear for quite a while, since I went nuts and bought that lot over 12 months time

 

hehe, better safe then sorry. How do you like teknic gloves and the smx boots? I know alpinestars is stand up stuff but is it walkable?

 

Alpinestars P1 Jacket
Alpinestars SMX Boots
Alpinestars GP PLUS gloves
Arai Signet GT Helmet
Jeans (thinking about buying Bohn adventure pants)

Arai has the best fit because they make three different shapes of helmets to fit your specific head size. The Signet fit me the best.

 

I got the Teknic gloves because they were cheap and I'd shredded my old Alpinestars SP2's in a getoff. Turns out once they break in they're very nice...hopefully I won't have to crash test these too . As for the boots, I love 'em. They're actually something I can (and do) walk around in all day. They are rather warm in 70+ temps though, and they squeak a bit, but nothing like the Sidi Vertebra boots.

to both of them...

 

How much did you pay for the teknic gloves?