I imagine that everyone has gear that they've been "okay" with, gear that they would never recommend... and then there are those items (like the VFR!) that turn out to be just perfect- at least for you. I figured we needed a place to post those items that we would not hesitate to buy again, or to recommend to anyone who's looking for the same type of gear. (Not everyone *wants* what a VFR is, for instance...)
(By the way, I think I'll also start a "buyer's remorse" topic for those that want to list the purchases they wish they'd NEVER made! <_< )
Feel free to rave about your specific model or a brand in general, if you have been impressed with more than one item they make/sell. I'll start with a f'rinstance- and I have a few- of my Shoei TZ-R helmet.
This is a slightly "down-market" model almost identical to the RF-1000, but about $60 cheaper, and a *great* helmet, especially for the price. It has top vents and a "chin vent," I guess you'd call it, and the result is superb ventilation. The other day I was thinking I'd left the face shield up, really.
The fit and finish is flawless- and if anyone's interested, it also just so happens that the Shoei "matte black" color is a *perfect* match for the '04 Asphalt finish. :) The pads are solidly built and plush to the touch, and are removable for washing. The chin strap even has a little hook that snaps back to the D-rings so that the excess doesn't flap around.
I started the selection process from scratch, but I was definitely influenced by a comparison review in Rider magazine. The upshot is that YES, I would definitely buy this helmet again!
That's a tricky one. The best thing I read regarding this is that if you don't have to think at all about your gear during a ride, then it's good. On that basis, only my boots (StylMartin Stradas) would pass that test. They're as comfy as old slippers, waterproof, warm (but not hot in summer), and stood up well to me wrecking my VFR750 while wearing them.
My helmet (AGV X-Vent) is my third AGV, but I wouldn't buy another one. I bought this one cheap (near new, at less than 25% the cost of a new one) from a fellow rider, and it's not a good fit. My head is 59m, and the helmet is a 58, so it's "very snug". Apart from that, it's OK, but compared to my wife's much cheaper Shoei Raid, the quality isn't great, despite all the extra features.
I really like my Teknic Hurricane jacket (much modified, with leather patches on sleeves and shoulders), but I'm not sure what I'll replace it with yet. Gloves are Dri-Rider "Racer X", and althought they're very satisfactory, and were a good price, they don't live up to the quality of my last pair of gloves (Spidi). My (much-modified) leather pants (some forgettable Pakistani brand) have served me well for about 8 years, but I'll probably replace them with RJays or Teknic.
My bike? Yeah, I love it, and don't regret buying it. I do, however, regret letting myself get ripped off with the trade-in of my VTR1000 to buy it. The shop is never getting another cent of my money, if I can possibly help it. I'd rather import parts or go to another city than go back there. :(
A couple of pieces of gear that I purchased have really impressed me enough to inspire some real "brand loyalty," in this case for First Gear. Specifically, the Z-Pilot jacket and the HT overpants are both examples of a great concept superbly executed.
The jacket has (long vents with dual zippers) front and back, dual zippers on the forearm zippers as well, and a neat little "wrist vent" zipper on the upper forearm just behind (well duh!) the wrist. All of them are also integrated into the design of the jacket so they actually add to the style of the jacket, as well as the function.
There is armor in the shoulders and elbows, as well as two integral pads (again, turned into style accents as well as being functional) on the back.
The liner zips out easily, and also- another "neat-o" feature- has a built-in neck cowl for those colder mornings. The whole danged thing is put together with the utmost in quality and attention to detail; in short, it's a good match for the Viffer in terms of quality and function.
The HT overpants give me new respect for textiles. I originally was disappointed that they didn't have zippers to connect to the jacket, but it turned out this makes sense: The overpants ride above my beltline, which they should, so connecting them to the jacket would actually be dysfunctional. They have almost-full zips, double-ended, on the outside of each leg, with Velcro closures at the bottom, making them easy to get on and off even with boots on.
The liner zips inside at the top with a full-circumference zipper. At the bottom there are three snap loops to connect to the overpants, one at each side of the zipper and one directly opposite, so no "one-sided looseness" of the attachment. The liner's zipper is unusual, and actually looks waterproof.
As I said, the combination has impressed me enough that my expectation for *anything* First Gear would be high, and I'd be surprised to find anything different.
(And no, I was not paid for this endorsement. :salesman:
Best purchace, definately switching to an Arai helemt. I had a Bell, AGV, and 2 Shoei's. I changed to an Arai RX7 RR4 Hayden replica over two years ago. Thats right, I threw some money down! Light, cool race look, and more vents than you can shake a stick at. I recently sold the RX7 helmet and bought a new Arai Quantum 2 (frost black). It is their newest helmet on the line. The ONLY reason I traded is because I painted my bike flat black and matches (see my pics). Another praise, Aerostich roadcrafter 2 piece. I will never buy leather paints or a rain suit again. This thing rocks.
Helmets - Aria NO WAY $400 plus for a "Premium" helmet? Premium my A$$ this thing is loud, foggy, visor is a PITA, I have owned 2 of them. Astral and Signet, now that I own a Scorpion there is no way that Arai is worth that price?? My Signet would fog if I wasnt holding my breath below 50 degrees, it was too narrow. The Astral would let bugs into the helmet right through the vents, the visor would not stay up after 6 months, cheek pads lost thier tabs after the first cleaning.
Aerostich - OH yea love it, 2 crashes in my old one, great in the rain, heat, vents well, and well protected.
AlpineStars SP1 glove - NO only lasted one season, thin material came apart in the fingers, soaked in the rain and fell apart, comfortable glove
AlpineStarts Gortex waterproof boot - maybe, outside zipper hard to zip, zippers often stuck, shifter pad came apart and actually stuck on the shifter bar, dangerous. Look awful after 2 years. Move the zipper to the inside or get rid of the zipper would be better. Make a tougher toe shifter protector.
[quote=HispanicSlammer,Apr 28 2005, 01:22 PM] Bike - oh yea in a heart beat, love my VFR.
Helmets - Aria NO WAY $400 plus for a "Premium" helmet? Premium my A$$ this thing is loud, foggy, visor is a PITA, I have owned 2 of them. Astral and Signet, now that I own a Scorpion there is no way that Arai is worth that price?? My Signet would fog if I wasnt holding my breath below 50 degrees, it was too narrow. The Astral would let bugs into the helmet right through the vents, the visor would not stay up after 6 months, cheek pads lost thier tabs after the first cleaning.
Slammer: sounds like you have a tiny head? I have trouble finding a good fit for a 24.25in head. Arai good :thumbsup:
Helmets are a funny topic. Kind of like oil. Some people will ask you, "How much is your head worth?" Some will only buy the most expensive, some only the cheapest.
Me? Having the, um, let's just say larger than average head, are stuck with buying whoever makes one in my size. My first helmet was some no name brand that was of poor construction. How poor? Well, if I was on the highway (doing the speed limit of course) and I looked anywhere but straight ahead, the wind would catch the visor and snatch it from the closed position to the full open. Not the best thing in the world.
For my next helmet I shopped and shopped. Trying on helmets from Florida to Maryland before finding a guy at a BMW dealership who took one look at my head and said, "You have a classic Shoei shaped head. Wait here." He came back with a XXXL Shoei that he had me wear around the shop for thirty minutes to "see how it felt" Well I bought it and it's been great.
My advice for helmets? Buy what is most comfortable for YOU. That other guy who only wears Brand XYZ helmets and swears by them, isn't wearing your helmet for that four hour ride. You are.
On another note, I did find a pair of Sony earbuds (Model MDR-EX51LP) for @ $30 USD that are pretty good for the price. They are in the ear models with three different flanges for different size ears. I rode with them yesterday and noticed that they do a good job of cutting down on wind and road noise, while providing pretty exceptional bass response for so small of a speaker. :music: Riding with tunes!
OK, here's my last "rave" as far as current gear goes: My Oxtar Jupiter boots.
These are well-made, fit like the proverbial glove, great protection, waterproof, and LIGHT! They have laces rather than Velcro or zippers as the main closure (but with a Velcro strap to cover the lace ties), which is a pain- but really I think it's the only way to get a perfect fit on the instep, since we all really have differently shaped feet.
The end result is the same feeling I get (and like) for all my athletic footwear, be it racquetball sneakers, hiking boots, skates, ski boots, or what have you: The boot/shoe feels like part of my body, rather than getting in the way.
This is a low-cut boot, but does protect the ankles completely. I know others prefer high boots, period, and I may indeed get some at some point- but as with my FirstGear stuff, I'm impressed enough with these that Oxtar is an "automatic qualifier" in any consideration of added boot purchases.
(BTW, both FirstGear and Oxtar are part of the Fairchild parent company, which has some other impressive brands in their stable. First time I've noted the possibility that even mega-corporations can display a consistent "eye for quality..." B) )
Aside on the Sony in-the-ear phones: They're on my list as well, and I've noticed others on the board recommending them highly. My experience with things Sony has been "over the top good" for audio equipment for both home and car, and this looks like another good experience waiting to happen! :music: )
I rave about my Sidi Strada Tepor... as waterproof as you can get without looking like a kindergarten kid in the schoolyard when it rains, fit like a glove (once broken in)... OK, a zipper pull tab broke off, but the zip tie that replaces it give my right boot character...
I'm also quite happy with my Teknic Hurricane II jacket (in VFR red!)... Dirt cheap,on closeout, at www.imotorcyclestore.com
I had my Aria fitted by a pro using thier fitting program, fit right. Throw cash at a helmet problem? How much is your head worth. Worth enough to find a better helmet.
Which would you rather have?
Composite or Kevlar? Snell certified or Snell certified complicated visor pieces or one piece twist off design stationary liner or removable liner no fog visor or standard $400 vs $170?
Its clear scorpion has forced the big 2 to rethink thier designs and incorperate some of thier innovations, no wick quick dry liners, better breathguard designs. I bought a Scorpion with all those innovations, in Kelvlar, Snell certified, no fog visor, a visor that stays up when lifted, not stupid plastic covers that pop off or make unwanted noise, machine washable liner (we all know how funky helmets get in mid July!), qwick wicking liner removes sweat. Fits better, doesnt fog up on me, is quieter and well at $170 they are cheap enough to replace twice as often as my old Aria!!
Helmet selection for me is easy. I've owned six Arais, one Suomy and a couple of Shoeis over the years. The Arai is the one for me, with money being no object. There are some great helmets at a great price out there that, when the chips are down (so to speak), will do the job. The HJC AC-11 comes to mind. Light, quiet, nice fit and finish, the best available breath guard in the industry, and at $250 full retail, it's hard to beat.
My problem is, it doesn't fit my dome properly; it pinches my forehead. The Arai Astral fits me as though it were made just for me.
Other gear...
Fieldsheer Highland one-piece sport-touring suit. A fraction of the cost of a 'Stitch with better armour. I'm not saying the suit is better than Aerostitch, but for what it would cost me in the event of a crash to fix a 'Stitch, I can buy a new Highland. Fit and finish is good enough that my mind is free from worry of it coming apart -- within reason. And, I don't have to deal with snooty people at Aerostitch. :) It's very comfortable, truly-waterproof (like stand-in-the-shower waterproof), has an awesome two-piece liner, and some of the best venting I've ever seen.
Vanson two-piece (Cobra jacket, PTSR pants) for street riding. I love this suit, and it's done up the way I want it. Tragically, I had the stars done years before anyone ever knew who the Starboyz were... :(
There's just nothing like quality kit. Vanson, while expensive, is impossible to imitate. Again, plenty of other choices out there that are more than adequate. Having crashed in this very suit, and having gone through the repair process with Vanson, I could never go anywhere else. Cheap, fast and good as new.
The Vanson one-piece race suit is just more of the same:
Oxtar Matrix boots... Worth their weight in gold. Haven't really been able to find a quality pair of gloves, tho...
Teknic Violators are probably the best track golves I've tried yet, but they're expensive for what they are. Fieldsheer Positano Race glove is very so-so. Had one pair of Helds that fell apart. Still looking for a quality glove...
Sorry for the length... Just figured I'd throw it out there.
1) Aerostich Kanetsu electric vest. This is my favorite piece of equipment. I use it from 60 deg on down into low 30's. With temps in the lower 60's sometimes it's more comfortable to have it on without plugging it in than to have just a t-shirt under my jacket. When it's really cold I add a fleece jacket between the vest and my riding jacket and it keeps me toasty! It even packs away into it's own zipper pocket for easy transport in my tank bag. Money well spent.
2) Scorpion EXO-700 helmet (see avatar). I bought it after owning an HJC CL-14 and couldn't believe the difference in quality for just a little more money. This helmet fits me really well and seemed to be better quality that the Shoei I tried on the same day I bought it.
3) Pro-Grip gel grips. They are softer and larger diameter than the stock ones and look cool. Very inexpensive, yet significant upgrade. I did cut about 3/16" wide strip off the right side grip between the end flange and where the pattern starts. This was because I have a throttle lock that takes up about that much space and I couldn't tighten the bar end weight and retain adequate motion of the throttle.
4) First Gear items: Flightline leather pants, HT sport pants, Diablo leather-tex jacket. All these items are very good quality and highly recommended. Also, for some reason you can always find First Gear stuff on clearance with a quick internet search. So for like half of retail price you can own some really good equipment.
Ok, I've taken up enough space.
End of thread · 13 posts recoveredWayback Machine snapshot 23 May 2005
