Motorcycle Riding Gear

When I first started riding I used to wear whatever was to hand that might be vaguely warm and sometimes waterproof.
With the exception of my legally-required helmet and a pair of cheap riding gloves, I had no proper motorcycle gear and quite often was cold and wet - having been caught out by the changeable Waikato weather.
I was also at a disadvantage when I fell off the bike and I destroyed diverse items of clothing and suffered a variety of injuries through not wearing adequate protection.
I was very lucky because many of the helmets I wore in my formative years were second hand and of dubious value in an accident.

When I bought my Suzuki LS400, however, all that changed.
Not only did I buy a new helmet to replace my aging, ill-fitting FFM "Predator", I invested serious money in proper riding boots, gloves, jacket and leggings so I would not suffer injuries as I had previously done and they worked brilliantly: I haven't fallen off or crashed since.

Somewhere between my early riding years and now, I seem to have grown into a proponent of ATGATT - All The Gear, All The Time.

Most of my riding gear is now about 5 years old and a lot of it is getting worn and is due for replacement.

Riding gear, like the bike, is subject to personal preference and riding style. I tend to go more for "all-rounder" equipment rather than specialist equipment. My gear needs to keep me dry in the wet, warm in the winter, cool in the summer and be comfortable to wear. Due to the notorious Waikato weather ("if you don't like it, wait five minutes") the gear needs to be very versatile - I could be blinded by the sun one moment and caught in a downpour the next, regardless of the season.

Here is what I wear when riding, these days:

Helmet:

Grex RD1. I finally replaced my aging HJC CL-14 with an "Adventure" style helmet that has both the Lexan visor to keep the rain out and a peak to keep the sun away from my eyes. I had modified my old HJC to protect me from sun strike by placing a strip of black duct tape across the top of the Lexan visor just above eye level. The duct tape cast a shadow over my eyes when riding and I could block out the low morning or evening sun by tilting my head down slightly. It was quite effective but the proper peak on the Grex is better.

Jacket:

DriRider "Alpine". (PVC-coated Cordura.) This jacket certainly lives up to the brand name. It has kept me warm and dry even for prolonged periods in torrential rain.
When the jacket was about three years old it started to leak around the seams but a wash and a spray with silicon-based waterproofing spray rendered it waterproof again.
The four waterproof external "Safari-jacket" pockets are ideal for storing everything from digital camera and sunglasses to wallet and polypropylene balaclava.
I was unaware at first that the jacket has internal pockets for hard armour - until I accidentally slid my hand into the pocket for the elbow and forearm protector.
I tried armour inserts in the shoulder pouches for a while but they kept shifting around to the point that I felt they were of dubious value in a crash.
The only complaint I have about the jacket is that the warm lining is not removable so I swelter in summer, especially if stopped at the lights.
When the time comes to replace the jacket, I will be looking for one with a removable thermal liner.

Leggings:

DriRider "Alpine". (PVC-coated Cordura.) These are very much like the jacket - warm and waterproof but regrettably the lining isn't removable. Unlike the jacket, they do not have internal pockets for hard armour inserts.
They are beginning to show their age in places and will have to be replaced - by leggings with a removable liner and provisions for armour.

Boots:

Sidi touring boots. (Leather, Hipora lined.) These seem to be precursors to the Sidi "Thunder". They are extremely comfortable to wear for long periods and to walk in, which is good because I frequently ride into town and spend the day wandering around. I wore them all day, every day at the Cold Kiwi rally and I have been known to wear them all day at work.
They are waterproof with a full-length gusset up the inside of the zip and have plastic caps at the toes and heels as well as outer ankle protectors and a rigid shin guard.
Sadly the waterproof lining is falling apart and the soles are wearing out so I'm going to have to replace them.
For replacements I'm investigating DriRider boots, Gaerne "Explorer" and Sidi "Canyon".

Gloves:

Darbi. (Leather.) These are a real let-down.
They are Thinsulate lined yet my hands freeze in them - especially at around 100km/h in a sub-zero frost. They also are not waterproof and soak through very quickly in all but the lightest rain, leaving my hands wet and cold. The only means of fastening them is a zip to size-down the cuff but, as I can put them on and take them off with the zip closed, I doubt the system's ability to keep my gloves securely on my hands when sliding down the road.
These are definitely scheduled to be replaced - preferably by something warm and waterproof with a proper fastening strap around the wrist. Hard knuckle protectors would also be desirable.

Armoured mesh jacket:

Recently, I was fortunate to have the loan of an EVS "Ballistic Jacket" to try out for a while. It was too big, being a "large" size but I was at least able to determine that I was comfortable with taking the extra time to put on the armour before my waterproof jacket.
I looked at the armoured mesh jackets that were locally available and finally settled on the O'Neal "Underdog".

Riding gear: Grex RD1, O'Neal armour, DriRider "Alpine" leggings, Darbi gloves.

My Ultimate Gear:

Helmet with a full Lexan visor to keep the rain out and a peak to keep the sun out of my eyes - in my case, the Grex RD1.

Waterproof jacket with removable thermal liner and large pockets.

Waterproof leggings with a removable liner.

Comfortable, durable and waterproof "Adventure" boots (semi-touring, semi-MX).

Warm, waterproof gloves with rigid knuckle protectors and a suede strip on the thumbs (to wipe the visor).

Mesh jacket with foam and hard armour at the shoulders, elbows, forearms, chest and spine to wear under my waterproof gear.

Knee and shin guards to wear under my leggings.

Why:

You may be thinking: "why does a person whose main riding is commuting and touring feel he needs armoured mesh jacket and knee/shin protectors under his wet weather gear?"

In a word: impact!

A good friend of mine was taken out by a car whilst commuting to work. Both legs and both arms broken, hip broken on both sides, one shoulder required reconstructive surgery and 4 ribs broken. Fortunately no serious soft tissue damage and no head or spine injuries.

She survived because the armour she was wearing did its job. Hard armour inserts in her jacket lessened the damage she took - and even then she spent months in hospital and is having to learn how to walk again. There is still a chance that she will never regain full use of one foot and one arm.

Commuting to and from work, I stand a high chance of being involved in a serious accident in which I will impact with the road or another vehicle. Statistically this is more likely to happen when I am close to home and at any other time. I am at higher risk at the relatively low speeds in town than I am on the open road (where there are less "entry points" for another vehicle to emerge into my path).

Hence the armour. If I were riding in a motocross event, I could get away with knee, shin, elbow and forearm protection to guard against most impacts and a polycarbonate "roost protector" to protect my chest from debris flung at me by other competitors. When "mixing it" with hard, fast moving objects on the road, however, I need serious impact protection as afforded by the armoured mesh jacket - CE-approved plastic armour over closed-cell foam padding - held securely in place so that it is between me and whatever I hit if everything "turns to custard".

Having the armour separate from the waterproof jacket affords more scope as I can change what I am wearing over the top of the armour to suit the conditions (like: throw on a less-restrictive MX jersey if I want to muck around off road).

As I said earlier: versatility is of paramount importance in my gear - it needs to afford good protection but be able to change to suit where I'm riding, how I'm riding and what the weather is doing.

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