Step 3: Purchasing your gear.
"Alright, time to go shopping! So... Just what am I going to need to buy? At bare minimum, remember I'm on a budget and all."
At Bare Minimum you're going to need the following:
A Leather or Textile Motorcycle Jacket
A Pair of Full Finger Motorcycle Gloves
A Pair of Motorcycle Riding Boots/Shoes
A Pair of Motorcycle Pants/Chaps
A Full Face Motorcycle Helmet
"Well, I am on a budget and all and I've got some heavy denim jeans, an old pair of army boots, some leather work gloves and my uncle's old leather jacket. What's with the 'motorcycle this' and 'motorcycle that'?"
Allow me to explain. Some really heavy duty boots can be alright, but most are cumbersome. If they aren't designed for motorcycling, you might get caught up on the gear or brake levers and foot pegs and such a thing could be quite devastating. Motorcycling boots and shoes are built for those pesky foot pegs, they're built to support your ankle and foot from snapping in the event of a wreck and they give you the proper feel with your controls.
When it comes to jackets, Motorcycle jackets actually have "armor" in them most of the time, padding and things of the like, they're also built to stay together and not rip to shreds at speed if you lay the bike down.
The same can be said for gloves. Always wear full finger as well and if you can get leather, all the better.
I've seen first hand what happens when you go down in denim jeans. Don't take chances unless you enjoy the skin on your legs and your knee caps in one place. You have so many options, from Kevlar (which look exactly like denim and come in many styles/colors) to leather, to textile, to race pants, to chaps.
I shouldn't even need to explain the importance of having a purpose built Snell/DOT approved motorcycling helmet. I know your brain is tiny and all but you really do need to protect it properly. You only get one chance with it and a improper helmet just won't do. Speaking of improper helmets, I say full face and I mean it. Those half face helmets leave your chin unprotected and those tiny little top hat ones are almost as good as nothing. Not to mention, if you get hit in the face by a bug or a rock going down the street doing 50mph you'll see good and well why I say full face.
"Alright, you've made your point... But is all this stylish? I mean, is it cool to wear a full face helmet and full gear on a Cruiser?!"
I don't know, you tell me...
At Bare Minimum you're going to need the following:
A Leather or Textile Motorcycle Jacket
A Pair of Full Finger Motorcycle Gloves
A Pair of Motorcycle Riding Boots/Shoes
A Pair of Motorcycle Pants/Chaps
A Full Face Motorcycle Helmet
"Well, I am on a budget and all and I've got some heavy denim jeans, an old pair of army boots, some leather work gloves and my uncle's old leather jacket. What's with the 'motorcycle this' and 'motorcycle that'?"
Allow me to explain. Some really heavy duty boots can be alright, but most are cumbersome. If they aren't designed for motorcycling, you might get caught up on the gear or brake levers and foot pegs and such a thing could be quite devastating. Motorcycling boots and shoes are built for those pesky foot pegs, they're built to support your ankle and foot from snapping in the event of a wreck and they give you the proper feel with your controls.
When it comes to jackets, Motorcycle jackets actually have "armor" in them most of the time, padding and things of the like, they're also built to stay together and not rip to shreds at speed if you lay the bike down.
The same can be said for gloves. Always wear full finger as well and if you can get leather, all the better.
I've seen first hand what happens when you go down in denim jeans. Don't take chances unless you enjoy the skin on your legs and your knee caps in one place. You have so many options, from Kevlar (which look exactly like denim and come in many styles/colors) to leather, to textile, to race pants, to chaps.
I shouldn't even need to explain the importance of having a purpose built Snell/DOT approved motorcycling helmet. I know your brain is tiny and all but you really do need to protect it properly. You only get one chance with it and a improper helmet just won't do. Speaking of improper helmets, I say full face and I mean it. Those half face helmets leave your chin unprotected and those tiny little top hat ones are almost as good as nothing. Not to mention, if you get hit in the face by a bug or a rock going down the street doing 50mph you'll see good and well why I say full face.
"Alright, you've made your point... But is all this stylish? I mean, is it cool to wear a full face helmet and full gear on a Cruiser?!"
I don't know, you tell me...
"Alright Alright, full gear all the time, I've got it. So, how much is this going to cost me?"
Well, once again I'm American so keep in mind I'll be using the US Dollar. Also, as with most products there's no real "cap" on the price and some really good options can get quite expensive, so I'll give you the "general" price ranges.
Full Face Helmet : $150~$500
Leather Jacket : $200~$500
Textile Jacket : $100~$200
Full Finger Gloves : $30~$200
Kevlar Jeans: $50~150
(Chaps: $100~$300)
(Textile Pants: $100-$500)
(Race/Track pants: $200-$500)
Riding Boots/Shoes : $100~$500
Now keep in mind, you don't need both leather and textile jackets, one will do fine, but leather will usually keep you warm on cold days, offer better protection and padding and most are well vented for hot days as well. Textile would work just fine though.
As far as the rest goes, I wouldn't go much cheaper than that or you'll be getting, well... Shit. Of course, you can always go higher up as well and can get some pretty spiffy stuff if you have the $$$.
"Very well then... I'm on a budget and all but, as you say this stuff is important so I better make amends for it. That being said, where am I going to buy it? Where can I shop around?"
Well by now you should know you can usually get things cheaper online than you can in the real world. Motorcycle gear is one very prime example. The dealers charge an arm and a leg for stuff you can be getting WAY cheaper online. I personally recommend :
Well, once again I'm American so keep in mind I'll be using the US Dollar. Also, as with most products there's no real "cap" on the price and some really good options can get quite expensive, so I'll give you the "general" price ranges.
Full Face Helmet : $150~$500
Leather Jacket : $200~$500
Textile Jacket : $100~$200
Full Finger Gloves : $30~$200
Kevlar Jeans: $50~150
(Chaps: $100~$300)
(Textile Pants: $100-$500)
(Race/Track pants: $200-$500)
Riding Boots/Shoes : $100~$500
Now keep in mind, you don't need both leather and textile jackets, one will do fine, but leather will usually keep you warm on cold days, offer better protection and padding and most are well vented for hot days as well. Textile would work just fine though.
As far as the rest goes, I wouldn't go much cheaper than that or you'll be getting, well... Shit. Of course, you can always go higher up as well and can get some pretty spiffy stuff if you have the $$$.
"Very well then... I'm on a budget and all but, as you say this stuff is important so I better make amends for it. That being said, where am I going to buy it? Where can I shop around?"
Well by now you should know you can usually get things cheaper online than you can in the real world. Motorcycle gear is one very prime example. The dealers charge an arm and a leg for stuff you can be getting WAY cheaper online. I personally recommend :
As far as the real world goes, just go to your local motorcycle dealerships and browse the gear and try the stuff on. But! If you want to save some serious money go to the dealerships, try the stuff on, find out what you like and in what size, then order it online to buy it. I've been doing this a long time and honestly saved a ton of money in doing so.
"Alright, I bought my gear, I suited up, I took the course and I have my license once and for all! I'm ready to go, now comes the moment I've been waiting for..."
Right, how could we forget? It's time to go buy a motorcycle. Meet me up on step 4 and we'll get you settled on your first bike.