when i pick up my bike i know i will be doing alot of cruising with my buddies what kind of gear would be comfortable i know a helmet is the most important? but like for boots .. what will give me decentt ankle support but comfort when walking? im not that big into jackets except the leather. but i cant stand the pants. what would be the best of dressed comfortably, but safely?

 

As far as jackets go, for warm weather I recommend a textile Alpinestars. From what I've seen they come with the best removable body armor compared to all the jacket makers. When it comes to leather I also like Alpinestars but I think all of the top brands will provide the same protection. I personally have both a textile and a leather jacket. I wear the textile in summer when it's really hot and the leather when it is maybe 70 and below. Both have removable liners.

I have three pair of riding foot wear. And my wife says I’m obsessive compulsive? I really like and mostly wear my black Icon Motorhead boots. They have a good street look and have great ankle protection. The only thing I don't like about them is that they are not too comfortable when standing around in them for long periods of time but they are bearable. I also have a pair of Alpinestars S-MX 3 racing boots. They offer the most protection you can buy in that kind of boot but they are even more uncomfortable when standing around. They have no arch support what so ever. The last pair I have and bought a few days ago are a pair of black Alpinestars stunt shoes. They are extremely comfortable and in my opinion look great with a pair of jeans. I bought them because liked how they look and intend to wear them as casual shoes. My mind was made up to buy them after I discovered how comfortable they are. The only down fall is that they offer the least amount protection since they are a mid top shoe meaning the tops go to just above my ankle. Like I said they are very comfortable and I am able to wear them all day long but I don’t plan on riding with them because of the lack of protection they provide.

I wear a Shoei RF-1000 Helmet. I like it a lot too because it is very light and comfortable. The one negative I have with it is that is seems kind of loud to me. I'm not sure how other helmets compare though to make an honest assessment good or bad in that category.

As for gloves I also lean toward Alpinestars and have a pair of Alloy gloves for my textile jacket and wear a pair of GP plus glove for when I wear my leather.

Any other questions?

 

I have a flow through for the summer and winter gear as well. Actually I wear boots ever day (except summer). They are what cruiser's usually wear. You know the black leather harley style boots. They look good with pants, are SOOOOOOO comfortable, and I have protection running around every day. When I'm gonna go out serious, put on the good stuff.

No matter what, just don't do what I tried at first....1 jacket will work for all. It won't. Get something good for summer (with insert so late spring and early fall) and something good for winter (minus insert for early spring and late fall). eBay is where I got my boots from. Summer stuff from dude here in town. Winter from Honda Dealer on clearance.

(1) Helmet--no brainer (or no brain if go down without one), (2) Gloves--natural instinct to put hands down when fall, (3) Boots or Jacket, (4) Which ever you didn't do, (5) Pants

 

As for boots I have the Alpinestars Smx boot, great protection and comfy too. I wear them everyday. Leather protects better than textile but will require a bit more patience while you break it in to become comfortable. I personally find Textile makes me Hotter on warm days.

 

thanx guys.. up here in ct it is like 30 degrees.. yeah im picking her um in march so temps should be decent. id like to see and try these products in person ill try my local mickey finns

 

I have a Cortech GX Sport 2 piece suit. It is a textile suit but it does the trick for me. The problem I have with leathers is finding them in my size. I'm a big dude so I gotta lose some girth to get into leathers. For boots I use the Icon Field Armor boots. They give GP protection but can also be worn to walk around. I've worn them for about 8 hours straight and no major problems. They are heavy so after a long day of wearing them it is nice to get them off my feet and relax.

 

I have a leather riding jacket and wear that along with some gloves. I don't ride that much to get some boots. My jacket has some vents on it and even on really hot days it stays pretty cool when riding.

 

First off +1 on the gloves. You will protect yourself with your hands to the end... get a good pair of glove because life would suck without hands.

I have the joe rocket alter ego jacket... perfect all year jacket. It strips down to mesh for really hot summer days, mesh with textile covering for the cooler days and then it has a removable water/wind proof liner. I'm wearing it now and my temps are in the 30's. It works, now if my hands and neck could stay warm....

 

i have two leather jackets i'm tryin to get rid of...one's an alpinstars v-4 thats black and silver and the other is a joe rocket...i think its the ballistic, not positive...let me know if you interested. Only used the alpinstars a few times, little small on me...both jackets are size 46US.

 

I just bought a Alpinestars leather very comfy and great pads, Shoei RF-1000 helmet. I do a stupid thing on the gloves though i use Fox MX gloves.