Safe cheapie helmet / trousers?

[netsurfer]

My Girlfriend has decided to take her life in her hands and ride pillion with me this year...

Until she is sure she wants to do some touring with me we have decided to get some cheapie kit, replacing it later if she can hold on tight enough ;)

Any suggestions on decent but cheapish kit??

Cheers

Pete

[Defender]

If you think anything of her you'll get decent gear. You can do this without going bankrupt.

[FG1]

I've got some Frank Thomas textiles up for sale. I would say they would fit around 5'6"-5'8" and about 32 ish waist. They fit my 32-34 waist but are snug....
They are blokes though but if its just for her to try the biking then they are ok for that.
I have a pair of Sidi boots in a 6 that she could have if they fit.

[sv650k4]

If you think anything of her you'll get decent gear. You can do this without going bankrupt.


+1 mainly the lid!

dont skimp it 2 much when it comes 2 your own safety!!

[northwind]

You didn't say what your idea of cheapie is... Helmets even right down to low prices are still pretty protective but the cheaper you go the less pleasant they tend to be on the head- I wouldn't worry too much about safety on that front but every cheap helmet I've had was quickly uncomfortable, and that's no good. I think girl's gear does tend to be a bit more expensive from what I've seen unfortunately...

[Lozzo]

Nitro are very good value for money lids, the safety test results i've seen have always been impressive. They also make all Takachi, Jag and G-Mac helmets, amongst others, to the same safety standards.

[MiniMatt]

Usual mantra spouting time: Make sure every area is covered, don't blow your budget on a race rep lid and then leave her with nowt but jeans, t-shirt and trainers. Wander in to your local Hein Gericke, tell them your budget and they'll make a damn good try of getting everything together for you. When we kitted out my missus we found pretty much the only lid in her size was the Arai Astro Light, but on the up side, she's ickle enough that most of the clothes we bought were all in kiddy sizes and hence pretty cheap. That said, kiddy clothes aren't particularly suited to grown up girly curvy bits, so we may end up replacing that soon.

Usual lid mantra: Above all else, make sure it fits properly - everything else is secondary to that.

EDIT: Hein Gericke really do have a good reputation for this sort of thing, looks like your nearest is Belfast.

[Gazza77]

My Girlfriend has decided to take her life in her hands and ride pillion with me this year...

Until she is sure she wants to do some touring with me we have decided to get some cheapie kit, replacing it later if she can hold on tight enough ;)

Any suggestions on decent but cheapish kit??

Cheers

Pete

If you just want kit to see if she likes going pillion before buying her some decent kit of her own, then try to borrow some. Provided it fits it should be safe enough and will mean you do not need to fork out twice.

My sister lent my gf her kit for a few trips out til she decided she was definitely going to keep coming out with me, then we bought her some stuff of her own. What I would view as decent kit (2 piece teknic suit, Shoei Raid II helmet, Sidi boots, Scott gloves, forcefield back protector) cost nearly ?600 and that was at the NEC where stuff was up to 1/2 price. Kitting out a partner to go pillion is not usually cheap, so if you can avoid buying two lots of stuff then do it!

[krhall]

We went to the Superbikes last year and bought a Nitro helmet, pretty decent and she finds it comfortable. It was about ?40, as it was a bit gaudy and last season.

[STRAMASHER]

My mate made the mistake (his mistake, being tight) of taking his g/f to HeinGericke to get her some cheap and nasty lid. By the time sales dude had finished his patter, matey was embarrassed into buying her a decent AGV. :p



You not got an old lid , kicking about? Schoosh in half a bottle of Febreze......there y'ar! ;)

[Lozzo]

decent AGV.


WARNING WARNING

OXYMORON ALERT!

[MavUK]

+1 mainly the lid!

dont skimp it 2 much when it comes 2 your own safety!!

+1

Riding is stupidly dangerous in my opinion (still love it and am not going to give it up :)) and you need proper protection. My gear at present is probably worth more than my bike - and there is no way I would go cheap on any of it. As for lids someone here had an article from a few years back with a helmet test (where they destroyed several helmets in tests). As a result of reading that I now use a Shoei Raid II - not the most expensive, not the cheapest (350 euros, have no idea what it is in the UK). But, wind noise is awful - you need ear protectors. For the rest of the kit the main thing I'd say is make sure she has a decent back protector under what ever you buy.

[netsurfer]

Cheers guys... taken on board, heading to Hein Gericke for a spending spree later :s

Pete

[simonthepost]

+1

Riding is stupidly dangerous in my opinion (still love it and am not going to give it up :)) and you need proper protection. My gear at present is probably worth more than my bike - and there is no way I would go cheap on any of it. As for lids someone here had an article from a few years back with a helmet test (where they destroyed several helmets in tests). As a result of reading that I now use a Shoei Raid II - not the most expensive, not the cheapest (350 euros, have no idea what it is in the UK). But, wind noise is awful - you need ear protectors. For the rest of the kit the main thing I'd say is make sure she has a decent back protector under what ever you buy.

+1

[MR UKI (1)]

JUst had a KBC delivered from Mick Byrne direct on Ebay. Brand new in box, matt black/white with a free tinted Rainbow Iridium visor for the princely sum of £46 including courier delivery. Looks like a quality piece of kit and is really comfy, especially for the money, fits like a glove. Gold sticker thing etc, UK helmet.

[Ceri JC]

TK-30 for a cheap lid. They perform better than many £100 lids and cost bugger all.

[yorkie_chris]

Remember it's better to get everything covered than blow all your money on one area.

You don't need to go mental either, lots of gear is safe, just the expensive stuff lasts longer and is more comfy