New rider here with a few questions on gear. Looking into helmets and leather jackets I think I have found what I want but wanted to check with the more experiences guys/gals and see what your thoughts are. First off I'm a new rider, going for my motorcycle safety class on the 21st-23rd and picking up a 01 CBR 600 F4i. The gear I've been toying with after some research is as follows...

Helmet
Scorpion EXO 1100, 1000 or 750

Jacket
TEKNIC Chicane Leather Jacket
or
Scorpion ExoWear Eternity

Open to other ideas in the same price range ($300-400 each)

Thanks in advance and look forward to being a part of the community here, lots of great reading and plan to soak up as much as I possibly can!

 

I wear an Arai helmet because one particular model of theirs is the only one that really fit me properly. There's a Shoei that _might_ be okay, but the Arai is really good. Also, it's Snell rated, and no matter what the people who think you should only protect yourself against crashes under 20 mph say, I want Snell-rated protection because I'm at highway speed in traffic all the time.

I wear a Komodo Gear leather jacket (a Ceno). I bought it because I couldn't come up with the money for a Vanson or Z Custom or similar at the time (Z was not actually producing anything at that time anyway), and feedback from places that repair leather motorcycle jackets spoke highly of KomodoGear.

I also wear Xpd boots, HighVelocityGear gloves, also some Spidi gloves, Spidi pants, Forcefield armor shorts & pants, and some Joe Rocket throwaway mesh gloves.

I'm closing in on 2 years on the helmet, boots, armor, and pants, 18 months on the jacket, and less than a year on the HighVelocityGear gloves, and I'm very pleased with what I have. The Spidi pants haven't been as durable as I'd hoped, but they're not terrible. The JoeRocket mesh gloves are truly throwaways. They'd be okay for dirt biking with the kids or something, but I'd be better off in some leather work gloves in a road crash.

 

Welcome to the forum. Come on over to the New Member Area & introduce yourself.

As for gear... Good that you recognize the need for proper protection for the ride. The items you list are good options. The Scorpion helmet has a reputation for having quality features at a reasonable price. Likewise w/ Teknic products. Additionally, I'd recommend that you wear over-the-ankle boots. Skin & bone grinding across pavement is like cheese on a grater...it will come off.

Excellent to hear that you are signed up for the MSF/safety course. It will pay major dividends down the road, pun intended. ;-)

 

Thanks for the quick replies! I've been looking online so my next step is going to my local Motorsport shop(s) and actually trying the gear on to make sure it's comfortable on me. And I do have work boots that cover my ankles, would those be fine to use (Timberland)? I will also make an intro post, look forward to getting to know you all.

 

Good idea... Trying on gear in the shops will give you a good realistic feel for how its going to fit on you. Try not to get your leather jacket too big. You want it to fix close enough to keep the protective pads in their proper locations. In fact, the closer the better but still comfortable. Leather tends to break in & loosen up, so keep that in mind as well.

I recommend a good riding-specific boot but any over-the-ankle boot (preferably leather) is better than nothing. However, you'll be fine w/ your Timberlands til you can proper riding boots.

 

i picked up an exo 1100 and im more than pleased with it. good fit, good visibility. hasnt fogged up on me. wind noise is tolerable. not too heavy.

as far as jackets go, look into the icon compound as well. leather on the shoulders and arms, but either mesh or textile on the chest. i have the mesh version since i live way down south where the temps and humidity stay high. good breath ability, leather protection and armored where necessary. and around that $300 price point.

 

Gotcbr,

Thanks for the info! I will look into some boots while i'm at the shop. Not sure how much ridding I will be getting in now (live in NH and its already starting to get cold!). Going for the safety course in 2 weeks hopefully, so who knows with the weather here it may be snowing by then lol. My plan was/is to get the safety class out of the way, get my bike and tool around a little to just get the feel for it and in the spring do the refresher class before I even start really ridding. I have a wife and 2 kids and rather not leave them father-less and widowed! I've waited a few years for a bike so i'm fine starting safe and slow.

Scotty f4i,

Thanks for the EXO review, i'm really leaning towards the 1100 after seeing other reviews also. As for the jacket, I do like that hybrid idea and will absolutely check out the icon jacket, thanks for the info!