Is motorcycling gear up to standard?

[AndyBrad]

Ok folks im interested to hear your thoughts on this one. Not sure why, maybe its just the way i look after stuff or the kit im buying but i always thought that motorcycle gear would be the best made stuff you could buy. Thinking that if you have an off then you would want something that would hold up. How looking at people who have old kit it all seems to be well made, has stud the test of time and generally looks like it would hold up in an off. However the stuff I’ve seen (and bought) seems to be below par for what i would expect to call motorcycling gear.

Ok lets take a look at the examples. A friend has a lewis leather jacket. In a recent off (10mph and dropped it on a corner) he landed belly down. Result a hole through the leather! Now i would have thought that something like that shouldn’t have caused too much of a problem for a leather jacket? I mean if its got a hole at 10mph whats going to happen at 60+

Ive had 3 pairs of frank Thomas gloves (cost 49.99) 2 of them were a lightweight glove and one an old pair of winter ones. Now the winter ones (an old pair off ebay) are superb. Really thick leather and have lasted well. The other 2 fell apart within 4 months. I replaced these with alpinestars vega drystar gloves and these are holding up better but 6 months on they have lots of loose threads. I would have thought that some gloves costing 70 quid would last a lifetime? Am i just expecting too much? Ive been back to my local dealer with gloves so many times now its embarrassing to even go back in the shop!

Recently my FT leather trousers have gone at the seams. Its only small but i noticed that the stitching is not double stitching although it has been made to appear although it is!!! I took a look at other jeans in earnshawes the other day and there just the same!! Even some at twice the price.

So what im saying is am i expecting too much from my kit? should i expect it to last 5 years? Or should i be happy if it lasts 1? The quality of stuff these days seems to be poor made in china stuff. So is it worth buying anything over here if its going to fall apart anyway? Why spend 70 quid on a pair of gloves if you can get the same off ebay for 20?



Discuss.

[the_lone_wolf]

My budget Spada kit has mostly been good to me, spent £40 on gloves, £140 on jacket and £100 on trousers

I've had three offs in two years riding, minor thump and slide from ~20mph or so on the road, lowside coming out of a corner on the track and the big one in May where I took out the roadsign

Gloves are superb, bit dirty after the last off but all leather and seams look like new, will be using them again.

Jacket has some fairly heavy scuffs and superficial damage but leather and seams are all good to go. Not pretty but still functional

Trousers are a different story, they were a bit small and I had problems with the waist seam coming loose, during the last off the vented panel ripped leaving a nasty gash in my leg, but on the whole they survived

I don't think I did badly, I also don't think the £900RRP suit I recently had made to measure will offer significantly more protection than the "cheapy" kit I had before, I bought it because it's made to measure and it was at a good price...

[Luckypants]

Well I think you need to assess everything you buy very carefully. Reject anything that is not up to what you expect.

My HG Tribal leathers are well made, have done at least 35K miles over the last 5 years or so and survived a fairly big off. I only needed to replace the shoulder armour and back protector. For the money these are outstanding value. I'm looking at Arlen Ness leathers next because they seem well made and a step up from HG in quality - BUT my HG leathers are still good so cannot justify the expense.

Gloves are a different story because you 'use' them so much more, brakes, clutch, throttle turning bars will all wear your gloves. I do expect decent gloves to last a couple of years though. My current gloves are Arlen Ness and seem well made and reassuringly thick. My HG 'Bladder' (no ****!) summer waterproof gloves did loads of miles over two years and stood up to a 50mph off the my lad had the other day (he fine) but were junked then as the leather on the palm was eroded. I have never had rubbish gloves, but that is because I take gloves very seriously (you only have one pair of hands!) and will shop around for the best I can find.

[fizzwheel]

The Frank Thomas stuff has a well deserved reputation for being completely rubbish.Not surprised you arent happy with it.

I think you get what you pay for and if you want things to last then you need to stop buying budget kit

IMHO.

I agree with Luckypants on the gloves thing, I wont and dont buy cheap ones. My Alpinestars GP Pro's are 3 years old and show hardly sign of wear on the palms etc and they've taken alot of abuse....

I think you really do get what you pay for with this stuff...

[AndyBrad]

Surely tho 70 quid for a pair of gloves aint cheap? Especially as they are outlaster by an old pair of 25 quid ft ones!!!

[Dave20046]

Thus far I've a lewis dominator textile jacket (cheap) that's been crashed a few times 15-20mph off shredded the shoulder a bit but it's still reasonably waterproof, removable lining etc.
Got an RST leather jacket that I'm yet to crash test, but the build quality seems good.
And an alpine stars powerrangerness that took a 45mph 'rag doll' moment and have just got some slight discoulouration to the shoulder.

I have loads of pairs of gloves my everyday ones are some vega drystars that have done quite a lot of miles and don't really show it (retail about £70 I got em second hand for about £20) that keep my hands dry and warmish. but the stitching on the velcro fastner is coming out (quite a bit) and the textile between fingers bit has popped ( but they're a bit small) other than that I really rate em (although not crashed in em yet).
Other brands I've used include dannysport (why do these always seem to stink after a month or so?), lewis leather summer gloves; comfy but never crashed in them, hein gericke leather summer gloves: comfy,cool and pretty durable.

Boots are TCX goretex boots, warm, dry, soo comfy, crashed em and still using them. Only done about 5000 miles in them so no real review but they were very expensive (around £155).

My main problem is obtaining waterproof textile trousers. I had a pair of buffalo ones that held water worse than normal jeans (but admittedly held up pretty well in a tiny off).
I've also got some raven ones that retail around £60, very comfy and good pockets etc but the zips are poor and in heavy downfalls I gets a wet crotch.
I'm thinking I'm going to have to get some goretex lined trousers too but the cheapest I can get those for is about £85 second hand or £150 new and I can't justify that cost since having the privelidge of riding to work stripped from me.

It really does depend on what you're buying. If you can justify the cost and want kit that'll last look at what the pros that use it day in day out are wearing.
My instructor wore a goretex hein gericke jacket, goretex (i think) rukka trousers (these can be upto £600!), forcefield back protector and daytona boots. He said this is the most hard wearing efficient combination at the best value for that sort of performance.
Bike cops tend to go for rukka kit with either daytona or tcx boots from what I've seen.

[AndyBrad]

Same gloves as me then dave.

Maybe its just that my standards are more expecting than others i dont know. but overall im disapointed. Even looking at a daineese (sp) trousers at 200 quid and im looking at loose threads in the shop! doesnt seem right. Although i guess they are mass produced!

Its fine getting a pair of 200 quid gloves and i agree that you get what you pay for but surely you should expect some kind of standard for 70 quid?

[Dave20046]

Same gloves as me then dave.

Maybe its just that my standards are more expecting than others i dont know. but overall im disapointed. Even looking at a daineese (sp) trousers at 200 quid and im looking at loose threads in the shop! doesnt seem right. Although i guess they are mass produced!

Its fine getting a pair of 200 quid gloves and i agree that you get what you pay for but surely you should expect some kind of standard for 70 quid?
I wouldn't have paid £70 for them, no. But for what I paid for them I'm really happy. I think you're right to be a bit ****ed off but it depends where the loose threads are. You could always try and get them done under warranty. You'd be amazed how far a call/email can get you.
dainese are supposed to be a bit shoddy anyway if you're going for trousers I'm eyeing up HG goretex journeys (i think that's the model) at the moment. They look well made and goretex is a waterproof guarantee. infact they're guaranteed to be waterproof for 7 years, and hein gericke's product guarantee covers them for 5. £190 though...
or they have a spend £250 get £60 cash back deal on at the moment so I'm tempted to get them and a back protector or soemthing then flog the other item on ebay and get the trousers for about £140. Apart from that it's second hand off ebay for about £50 less...

[Dave20046]

Infact that reminds me I bought some klan heated inner gloves for about £80 (!) and they're ****e. They don't appear to be anywarmer when plugged in or not, and the stirchings already coming apart (after about 10 wears) and the material started to bobble after the first wear. Going to get them repalced under warranty soon.

[AndyBrad]

i wouldn't have paid £70 for them, no.


thats my point. We seem to be getting sub standard gear for a lot of cash!

[Dave20046]

thats my point. We seem to be getting sub standard gear for a lot of cash!
aye, I agree. Alpine stars, dainese and FT/lewis have been known for being a bit crappy recently since they moved factories. Can't think of any brand that you can just say 'yeah all they're gear is good quality' it's a case of checking out the item and not necesarily thinking the more I spend the better it will be.
Althoguh that said I'm yet to find a cheap pair of textiles that are waterproof! I'm only impressed with the vega drystars as so far they are my only pair of gloves that have infact been waterproof.

[SoulKiss]

In Men At Arms by Terry Pratchett, his character Sam Vimes put forth the following Socio-Economic Observance

"The reason that the rich were so rich, Vimes reasoned, was because they managed to spend less money.

Take boots, for example. He earned thirty-eight dollars a month plus allowances. A really good pair of leather boots cost fifty dollars. But an affordable pair of boots, which were sort of OK for a season or two and then leaked like hell when the cardboard gave out, cost about ten dollars. Those were the kind of boots Vimes always bought, and wore until the soles were so thin that he could tell where he was in Ankh-Morpork on a foggy night by the feel of the cobbles.

But the thing was that good boots lasted for years and years. A man who could afford fifty dollars had a pair of boots that'd still be keeping his feet dry in ten years' time, while the poor man who could only afford cheap boots would have spent a hundred dollars on boots in the same time and would still have wet feet.

This was the Captain Samuel Vimes 'Boots' theory of socioeconomic unfairness."

Sums it up really.

[Spiderman]

I always pay a little more for Gortex gear, its got a 5yr waterproof guarantee you see so i didvide the price by 5 and its not so bad, lol.

Gloves...only recently discovered that most gloves on the market are not sold as protective equipment and so have to pass very few test. Only one or 2 makers try to get their gloves to pass the standards required.

[JediGoat]

Gloves...only recently discovered that most gloves on the market are not sold as protective equipment and so have to pass very few test. Only one or 2 makers try to get their gloves to pass the standards required.

In the UK there is no protective standard required for any bike clothing with the exception of helmets, and anything a manufacturer/dealer refers to as 'armour'.

Oxtar (or TCX as they are now) always tested their boots to acquire the CE rating for safety boots (even though it is not required by law). Recently, there has been a push in France to get gloves CE-rated and classed as PPE (personal protective equipment). Of course, the French brands are picking up fast on this one.

Draggin Jeans also meet various CE standards for abrasion resistance and burst tests, but again none of this is required by law.

Jo

[SUPERSTARDJ01]

I agree you can't go wrong with Spada I got 2 pairs of gloves 1 pair of fabric trousers 1 pair of leather trousers and 1 leather jacket from topgearsuperstore.co.uk all for less than £200.

[Sally]

My wolf textiles, did alot of miles, still in reasonable nick.
And hold up to water quite well.

Not even marked from the off I had on my 50.

Expensive, but worth it.
Now have a set of HG leathers, quality seems ok.

[xXBADGERXx]

I have the Rukka Marco Jacket , Rukka Unit Trousers , Rukka Xtrafit Gloves and Alpinestars Ridge boots . All Weathers , All temperatures , All year , no worries . Cost ? £820 without my Arai Corsair lid , which would bring it in at over £1200 . Is this a worry for me ? No . It has 5 year warranty on the Rukka kit and I am happy and content in this kit . I ride everyday of the year with only a few days exception and I have been kept warm , safe and Dry .

There is no such thing as bad Weather , only bad equipment .

[shonadoll]

I think decent kit is really expensive. I ended up buying goretex trousers for £190, but they are waterproof. Previously I got soaked in my £60 ones. The Rukka ones I wanted were twice that, if I rode every day I'd have got them.

[ethariel]

On the way home from Elgin the other day (600 wet miles - Gggrrrrrrrrr) my 'cheap' J&S Water Proof (not Gore) jacket leaked down the front badly, my non waterproof 'aye they are the waterproof SMX-4 boots mate!' leaked so badly i physically poured water out of them at 2 service station stops on the M6 alone.

on the plus side, my Rukka Unit (Gore) trousers kept my man bits warm, dry and comfortable and the Alpinestars Xtrafit (Gore) 365 GTX gloves kept my fingers nice and dry too.

In hindsight, i should have stuck with my old boots and waited a month for the new Gore Sidi boots to be back in stock and should not have broken the 'if it's not Goretex, leave it alone' rule for the jacket.

Goretex kit will cost you up to 2x the cost of the 'whatever else lined stuff' but imho it's false economy in the long run.

Colin

PS - A 7 year guarentee on the goretex is ok, but unless the garment manufacturer also covers the garment then it's a hollow guarentee. luckily Rukka does a 5 year guarentee on the whole item not just the Gore liner, other companies such as Dainese stuff you with 5 years on the gore but just 2 years on the shoddy *rap jackets they sell (at the time for just £50 less thant he Rukks - stoopid me!)

[Speedy Claire]

I saw a lovely Spada textile jacket today..... have asked the shop owner if he can get me one in towards the end of the year when hopefully i`ll be needing one in a smaller size!!! and am very pleased that he can. The design of the jacket is fantastic and really stylish.... it`s a ladies jacket and is cut so well it could be tailored. The quilted lining is like a duvet and the colours are really nice too. WIll be looking forward to some colder weather riding now.

On the HG front in the last year I have returned my set of leathers twice as on both pairs the textile fabric has come away from the leather. Will see how set 3 do tho I`ve gone for a different style now.

I also bought their own make ladies gloves earlier this year... on the GMII rideout they have also split so they`ll be going straight back. Have to say I`m not impressed with HG clothing at all

So for winter I`ll be wearing Spada

[DMC]

Bike kit is no different to anything else you buy. There is alot of choice out there with varying levels of quality and price. The more expensive gear is not always better than the cheaper stuff either, where alot of the cash you spend ends up going on the 'brand name'.

If your on a budget, I see nothing wrong with HG stuff, from my experience its always been decent quality for the price. Ive got 2 of their leather suits, the oldest Ive had 5/6 years & is showing no sign of giving up anytime soon. Pay £300-£400 on a HG suit and it will probably be as good as if not better that some suits costing twice as much.

Ive never gone the textile route, use leathers all year round, using a decent 1-piece rain suit when its wet. This along with thermals and windproof under garmets should keep you warm in the colder times of year. Never had a problem with getting wet in torrential rain either.

Never had FT of RST stuff, but think I'll stay clear hearing of problems others have encountered.

Good budget gear is out there, its just about finding out what to avoid and what to go for.

Good luck.

[sinbad]

I've got some RST textiles and they're pretty good. Still waterproof after nearly 3 years although I have cared for them in that time.

My best bit of kit for quality is my my pair of Halvarssons winter gloves though. Except for being a bit annoying to get on with damp hands they're flawless, and they weren't expensive, only 40 or 50 quid iirc. I'd definitely buy more.

Had Frank Thomas boots, were crap.

[dizzyblonde]

Halvarssons. :cool:End of. Expensive for a reason, they're bleddy good. I'm a walking advert. One set of scuffed gloves in an off, not ripped, good for another day. Another set I accidently left out, after it fell in the kitchen drain(it smells:pale:)but was good until then. The Graffiti jacket was the same, all seasons, triple layered, windproof, waterproof, heat and cold proof(well it is from Sweden or thereabouts)all inside jackets removable. Good venting for summer.
Richa monsoon pants, totally tried and tested in several bouts of torrential rain.
Alpinstarts Roam and Ridge boots. Exactly what they say on the tin, comfortable, walkaboutable, can wear them all day, and watertight.

[Dave20046]

I've got some RST textiles and they're pretty good. Still waterproof after nearly 3 years although I have cared for them in that time.

My best bit of kit for quality is my my pair of Halvarssons winter gloves though. Except for being a bit annoying to get on with damp hands they're flawless, and they weren't expensive, only 40 or 50 quid iirc. I'd definitely buy more.

Had Frank Thomas boots, were crap.
Where'd you get the halvarsons gloves that's almost reasonably priced for gloves. They 100% waterproof?

[yorkie_chris]

I am well impressed with my halvarssons gloves also, £40 (discounted due to the shop closing down, unfortunately. I would happily have paid the full price, to keep a friend and a useful shop in business)

Used them since around this time 2 years ago, daily wear, long trips, trips to see MYC in Aber etc etc. Including 2 crashes.
The only sign of wear is a very minor seam in the lining around the cuff which has split, this was my clumsiness, not a fault with the glove.


I also have a halvarssons jacket, only one crash in this, but I am equally impressed. The only complaint I have with that, is it can hold a lot of water (without it getting to you, at all!). But a tech-wash handwash and re-coating with TX-direct spray stops this and brings it back like new.

I have some teknic leathers too, very impressed with these, better quality than the price tag would suggest.

[TheShadow]

In the space of 2 months my alpinestars jet road goretex gloves fell apart.
My alpinestars boots (smx 5 goretex) suffered a very low speed scrape along the ground 15mph this resulted in the soul coming off
Alpinestars gloves have burst in 2 places within one season.

wont be buying anymore alpinestars gear.

[Dave20046]

Have to retract my vouch for the A*'s gloves, despite being the comfiest warmest and most waterproof gloves I've ever owned. For £70 RRP they aren't waterproof enough and worse (but possibly related) a side from a couple of minor seems coming undone the bloody palms coming off now! And I've not even crashed in them - that's just wear and tear. I shalt be emailing them.

Not sure if I mentioned my raven waterproof trousers that weren't waterproof despite the 100% guarantee they replaced them for me for their best model after I complained and after riding 8am-6pm on sunday through pretty much relentless drizzle and a last hour of torrential I didn't get a drip in. However this was like the second time I wore them so time will tell. Not really got much to moan about though as they cost me next to nowt. Also have hip armour and 600Denier abrasion resistance which I'm all for.

The TCX boots are still holding up strongly about a year in andridden through long bowts of rain - never leaked.

[xXBADGERXx]

Rukka Xtrafit gloves can be had for around £100 and with heated grips and hand guards are thin enough to wear all year with no chill issues or ingress of water . And remember , all of these waterproof trousers can go at any time around the `nads/happy Valley as that is the point that gets stressed when you waft a leg over your saddle every time you get on a bike .

[G]

I have some spada textiles and they seem to be bomb proof, extremely water proof and wear very hard, I have done alsorts in them and they show no signs of wear.

I have some dianese (spelling :confused:) leathers which I bought off ebay, they are the made in italy old ones (not the new made in asia new ones) they are also pretty solid I have had them for 3 hard years of wet and dry riding and they show no real signs of wear either apart from a dodgy zip that I bent.

I also have some A* SP1 gloves that are taking a beating off me, not sure how well they are going to last they are showing some wear around the finger stiching.

I but whatever fits and is comfy. Spada textiles rule.

[GavinD]

Halvarssons. :cool:End of. Expensive for a reason, they're bleddy good. I'm a walking advert. .

I have a set of gloves - they are lovely.


Little known secret - Triumph gear is AMAZING. Textiles are hard armoured and the bottoms have knee sliders. The fit is superb, the weight of the fabric is reasuringly thick and its put together with a finish that would make my grandmother happy!


I was in torrential rain for 3 hours and was bone dry at the end - the same could not be said for my mates who were wearing frank thomas, spada and alpinestars. Man they were jealous. I was amazed the fact it had no water penetration given the rain could be felt through the gear!