Gear for the Class

Gear for riding is expensive, but medical bills are even more expensive.  However, as I’m brand new, I don’t know if I’ll like this or hate it. I may take the class and find out this isn’t for me. Or it might be the next big hobby I get into. Thus, I tried to be economical and rational in starting. Go fully safe for the class and low speed trips after the class.

Helmet

There’s all sorts of helmets. But I wanted the safest kind – a full face helmet that is DOT approved. I found a cheap one and went with it. (What I got here.) This helmet has worked out well for me. It is true what they say that it breaks in a bit after wear. It feels awkward and different to wear it at first, but after a while you don’t even notice it.

In the future, I’ll probably upgrade to a modular full face helmet. I didn’t know these existed at first. They are a full face helmet where the front module can flip open. Instead of having to pull it off and on.

My first challenge with the helmet was my glasses. A few quick searches online and I found out the answer. Take off your glasses first, pull the helmet on, and then put back on your glasses. It feels odd at first, but like the helmet, the feeling goes away. Another newbie tip, when putting it on, position the side pulls over your ears and then pull down so that your ears are on the cloth the whole time. The first few times I put on and off the helmet I hurt my ears until I got that action right. There’s actually quite a few putting helmet videos out on you tube you may want to check out if your as new to this as I am.

Jacket

I’m using a leather jacket I already have. In the future, I’ll upgrade to a heavy duty riding jacket, likely with metal padding inserts. Or maybe a full racing suit. I need to research more into this. Again, just starting out.

I also wore a thicker long sleeved shirt under my jacket for just in case.  That was such a trivial thing to do for an extra millimeter of protection, I figure why not.

Gloves

I have many assorted gloves for gardening, winter wear, and so on. But I was concerned if any would be the right thickness and feel for riding a motorcycle. Gloves are cheap, so I bought a new pair of “motorcycle gloves.” As an added plus, the pair I found was used in an episode of the Walking Dead. If it works in the zombie apocalypse, it should work to drive a motorcycle. (What I got here.)

Pants

I started with a thick pair of jeans in good shape. (I say good shape, because I sure wouldn’t use them if they had holes and were falling apart.) Jeans aren’t much protection, but like my jacket should be a good enough start for the class. In the future, I’m going to look into riding chaps and/or riding pants. I mean hey, a chance to wear lather chaps in public, why not? ;)

Over the Ankle Footwear

I had a solid pair of over the ankle boots I used. The boots are in good shape and just a few months old. (I like red wing boots.  They hold up to abuse.) I need to research more if there’s much difference in riding boots or not.

Raingear

There was a chance of rain for the class, so I needed something. I looked around amazon and bought a cheap rain suit. I doubt this will hold up over years or many rainy rides. But like I said at the start, I don’t want to go all in, until I see how it goes.  (What I got here.)

Longer term, Harley makes an orange rain suit that feels thick enough to last. Plus, it is orange for high visibility, yet, because it is Harley it still looks cool, even when orange. Of course, it is over 3 times as much as the cheap one I have.

Overall

I feel good about starting, but this whole gear area is one I will be researching more to find a good balance in cost, comfort, and safety.