Last year at some point I authored a little topic about crashing. I thought, after a few too many incidents, it was time to open a dialogue about why we crash.

Well, guess what. I'm a day late and a CE armoured jacket short.

In the past week Rich, Dan, and now Jonathan have either been hit or taken a tumble.

And what worries me is that they are the experienced guys around here.

Not that I'm an expert, because I'm not, but here's my list of what I would wear if I were you.

Which I'm not.

And not that you asked:

Starting from the top and working down:

Helmet:
It goes without saying that a full-face helmet provides the maximum prevention from injury. Get one that fits your head type (round, oval, square, etc.). My recommended brands are:
Arai. $$$-$$$$ Essentially handmade Japanese. None, in my opinion, are better.
Shoei. $$$-$$$$ About the same as above.
AGV. $$-$$$$ If Valentino Rossi wears it, so should you.
Scorpion. $$ SNELL and half the price of the above with Kevlar.

Jacket:
Aerostich Roadcrafter/Darien. $$$$ Very realistic all-around excellent textile workhorse jackets. Top of the line. Cut to fit American guys. Customizable. Scooter friendly. Dense foam armour.
Alpine Stars leather. $$$ Made for skinny guys with lots of protection in the right places. CE rated armour.
RevIt textile. $$-$$$ For skinny Europeans, actually looks good and has CE armour.
Dainese leather. $$$$ Made for racers, even their casual wear is both good and expensive.

Gloves:
Held. $$$$ Hands down the best gloves on the market.
Alpine Stars. $$-$$$ Any of the armoured gloves will suit you fine. Cut small so ask before buying. Can be goofy looking.
Tour Master. $$ More appropriate for scooterists. Wide selection, very decent quality. Warm and good, reasonably priced. Buy carefully. Look for some level of armour.

Pants: (Pants?) (Yes, pants.)
Aerostich Roadcrafter/Darien. $$$$ Time-tested touring gear. Customizable, fairly easy to get on/off. Hard to beat, but pricey.
RevIt textile. $$$ As above, cut skinny. CE armour in the hips, where you need it. Stylish.
Joe Rocket Ballistic textile. $$$ Side zips and velcro make them a breeze to get in/out. Armour could be better, but at least there's something. Largely fine for scootering.

Boots:
Sidi. $$$$ Overkill for most scooterists, but worth it if you have the money. Racers swear by them, and swear at them for being squeaky.
Oxtar. $$-$$$ Built to last, generally quite warm and comfortable. Typical heal/ankle/toe protection. Great for scootering.
AlpineStars. $$-$$$ Ditto above, cooler looking, sized oddly as usual.

Body Armour:
Bohn Adventure shorts & back protector. $$$ If you're serious about safety, then be serious about safety.

Underwear:
Nike sport collection. $$ By far the best long underwear I've used, and I have used it in July, because it's good for keeping you cool, too.
I do NOT recommend Under Armour. Too tight in the wrong places. Binds at shoulders, waist.

Socks:
New Balance. $ Have outlasted even Nike, stays stretchy, stays warm.

Heated Gear:
Gerbings. $$$ Could be better armoured, but can't be beat.

This isn't meant to be a comprehensive list. But this IS the stuff that has worked for me. There are TONS of suppliers out there, and more than one way to skin a cat. Find the brand that fits you well and works for you, and stick with it.

--JG

Good advice Joe. What do you think about the Rev'It diaper bag?
Seriously, I hope everyone recognizes that in most of these crash reports, those who were wearing protective gear expressed gratitude for it. For those who don't wear it, there's no reason to wait to see how bad you'll get hurt if you fall. I used to joke that I would buy an armored jacket the day after I fell. But that sounded so dumb that I went out and got one. Jacket, gloves and helmet have all done their jobs for me. But pants? I gotta get pants? Not ready for pants.

It is FAQ time for this topic, it would appear. Perhaps append the parenthetical words "Protective Gear" to the title.

Joseph: Kudos. Very well done and appropriate and very much to be appreciated.

Losing people to the sidelines sucks for us all. Let's keep everyone upright and intact.






Cheers,
Rob S.

You should see what I look like when I ride in the winter and have my riding pants on. I look like a friggin astronaut. But a warm astronaut. Ive never worn riding pants in the summer. Although I can see the benefits.

nice list joe. also don't forget, the same thing applies to your passenger. i got clipped by a livery cab last year with a chick on the back in a dress and flip-flops. luckily we didnt go down. man that was stupid.

last night i was at a light with a guy on an early 90's goldwing in the west village with a half-helmet, sneakers, and shorts, smoking a cigarette. the marlboro man he was not.

Being a newbie, I wanted after reading this list to get a good armoured jacket. Ended up ordering a Motorport Ultra II Air Mesh Kevlar. <http://www.motoport.com/detail.asp?InStock=1&PriceCall=0&Merchant_ID=633Pm22C&Product_ID=900.102.302&Merchant_Company=Jackets%20Department&Category=Kevlar>

See http://www.webbikeworld.com/r3/motoport/ for a copmparison of motosport vs aerostich.

Its worth reading for its warning about poly mesh jackets- how they can melt on you.

Although the motoport is not cheap, if you buy the liners, thejacket can function in all seasons (from -20F to 120F)

i have been diligently waiting for the right moment to don my knee-guards and filter mask without (somehow) becoming scööter nurd supreme. when i scraped up my knee, i was like "no sweat, a surface injury". it had not occurred to me that the location of the scrape was such that every now and then the bandage would fall out (sometimes) depositing a soiled bandage on the floor through a pant leg. gross!

Just my 2 cents....

Nice one Joe,
I think your being modest.....You are an expert, maybe more so then the so called experts.
Now for the big - BUT, I don't think there is anything that is overkill, especially for a scooterists & then add NYC streets, drivers, cellphone using drug enduced crosswalkers into the picture & I think it would be safer racing the Daytona 200 naked then riding in this city sometimes.
Oh Yhea, you didn't mention Vanson Leathers, nice stuff, worth a look.



Kanoa wrote
"chick on the back in a dress and flip-flops"

Be careful who you let on the back of your ride-
Check your insurance policy, Unless you wanna give'm a ride & supplement their income for the rest of your life, I don't think they can take your house away anymore though.

Alan

Hewson, do not be afraid to wear knee guards. Others might poke fun, but I wear knee armor as well.

Yhea & we poke fun of you all the time, sorry could'nt resist.
PS it aint the knee pads though
Alan

Hewson... about the knee guards...

Think carefully. There's gotta be a way to keep your self respect as well as your knees.

Yes, and Monica Lewinsky does not know what that way is.

That was SO 1998....

I dunno... I think that was worth waiting 33 days for. [golf clap]

Joe et al,

Who sells Held Gloves locally?


Josh

I don't know of anyone in the city, but that's because I've never really shopped for them here.

I got mine at BCM Ducati in New Hampshire for a track day and promptly lost them on the ride home. That hurt. I now use Alpinestars that matched my old track suit, but I'll be getting Dainese to match the new suit because I'm a vain motherfucker.

Now that I think of it, I'm going to start a thread about stuff falling off your bike.

I'd stick with ordering from online. Let me know if you see any price variations, as they seem to be one those types of items is the same price no matter where you buy.

--JG

Okay, so here's my story, I need a pair of very good boots to wear when riding. A couple of months back, I fractured the top of my foot / sprained my ankle when my Vespa landed on my foot after a car service cut me off during rush hour. And before I ride again this spring, I'm determined to get a top of the line pair of boots that will ofer protection to the top of the foot in particular.

However, I'm having a bit of trouble finding boots that fit this very specific requirement. Is there a specific type of boot that anyone can recommend?

Thanks in advance. Doc said I can't ride for a couple more months (since I can barely walk!) but I'm looking to buy sooner versus later. And who knows, maybe I'll start wearing them on the subway to help prevent my fellow subway riders from damaging my foot even more

the problem that you will find is that the top of a boot needs to remain flexible.
Many boots have steel toes, shanks, and shin guards but I'm not sure if you're going to find armor for the top of a boot.

I personally just wear Doc Marten's steel toes. You'll probably want something that is much more modern than that. Your best bet is to go into an MC shop and try on a lot of boots and actually compare them in the shop, ask questions there...and don't feel pressured to buy if it's not exactly what you want. Even if you do find something armored in the right way for you, if it limits your movement, it can be just as dangerous in a panic situation.

the BMW store on 58th? and 11th has a good selection of motorcycle boots. they have at least 5 or 6 pretty good choices. I haven't found good regular looking boots elsewhere. the ducati store and the honda store mainly have racing type boots.

good luck