Motorcycles

Scrolled back and saw some of the earlier gear discussion

John Doe said:

Texastyle, here is a jacket I came across you might like:



http://icon1000.com/collection/icon-1000-chapter-jacket/

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This reminds me of one of my jackets: Dainese Stripes (not me in the pic)




Fully armoured (shoulders, elbows, forearms) with one of these thrown in the pocket for everyday back protection as well.



It also comes in white, grey and black for those leery of that brown. Most people do not realize it is a riding jacket so when I am off bike I can blend in with "regular people" if I walk with a spare set of shoes.

I'm really picky with my jackets and will quickly sell off gear that I fall out of love with such as these gems

Joe Rocket Phoenix mesh jackets







These (I have owned both) are really crappy and from what I have seen provide very little protection. If you are concerned about staying cool first and staying protected last then by all means have at it. It will literally shred on a 40 mph "off-bike excursion" and melt at any speed higher than that.



Fieldsheer Corsair. Much better and much more substantial than the Joe Rocket jacket. I wore this off and on for 2 seasons and it had pros but too many cons







Pros:
Semi breathable without the liner, cooler than perforated leather
Springy/stretchy material, supposedly as strong as leather. Never put it to the test tho
Surprisingly warm with the liner in. You can wear this in 45 degree weather with just a t-shirt underneath
Waterproof with the liner in

Cons:
Cheesy armour that moves about if you are not careful because there aren't any pockets
Standard back protector was a cheap foam pad. I've seen better padding in exercise mats.
Weak velcro. The sleeve velcro would invariably unfasten mid-ride
Liner does not breathe so on cool days you end up basting in your own sweat
But the biggest con for me was it would always be second best to Dainese Horizon jacket which a buddy of mine picket up and let me try out





Dainese Horizon




Now this jacket hits the marks that the Fieldsheer misses. While they look similar they are different. The Dainese is a heavier jacket, isn't as stretchy but provides a better fit and feel. The armour is more substantial with none of the velcro worries and the liner is better thought out as well. Even the black is...well..blacker. And of course it can zip to dainese leather pants. I'm very pro-leather so for me to even consider a non-leather jacket at this point means that it has to be exceptional. This will be my next (and only) non-leather jacket.

I just realized I am more function of form when it comes to bike gear. One of my closest friends is different. He emailed me the other day looking for a brown leather riding jacket that doesn't scream biker jacket (he rides a BMW R100s) and would match a hat he has been wearing for the past 2 years. Here are some of the options that I found

The Hat






Here is what I found thus far


Ixon Opium







Furygan Grip



Furygan Vince






Held Santana




Vanson (Orvis branded) Ike in horsehide



Dainese Greyhound




Furygan New Texas Outlast







Dainese Montone (for cooler/colder weather riding)








I tossed this into the mix for sh!ts & grins even though it is unmistakably a riding jacket: Dainese Santa Monica. I have one in black

I like the first three jackets based on looks alone. However I've never heard of Ixon or Furygan brands.

I'm trying to save up for a Langlitz jacket this Spring, given that they're reputable and local; though, I'm not even sure it's worth it for me at $1,500...

I hate all of those with the possible exception of the Vanson. I am not sure about the gloss on the Vanson jacket, but I will give it the benefit of the doubt and assume it'd look far better IRL. The rest of those are just awful IMO..

MarioImpemba said:

I'm trying to save up for a Langlitz jacket this Spring, given that they're reputable and local; though, I'm not even sure it's worth it for me at $1,500...

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$1500? Not really IMO. Then again I am a function over form kinda guy. I don't think I could fork over 1500 beans for a riding jacket that I would still have to jury rig armour to fit under it.

Riding boots

Waaaaaay back in the days I used to ride my speedy Honda Shadow 500 in boat shoes, Rebock high tops or whatever I was wearing at the time. Later as I got older and wiser I started wearing my trusty Frye Harness boots.




I love these boots and really believed that they provided adequate protection. They really dont

I ended up buying pair of racing style: Alpinestars SMX-R




They were a lot safer than the Fryes and the all black made them inconspicuous. Unfortunately they didn't breathe very well and gave me an awful case of swamp foot. On warm summer days i felt like I was constrantly standing on a wet sponge. Yuck. Another problem is that they squeaked like a cage full of hungry mice. I also noticed that they always felt vague on my feet resulting in plenty of mis-shifts. But the straw that broke the camel's back was the fact that they did not provide lateral ankle support. I could easily bend upper at a 90 degree angle.


That led me to my current boots: TCX Competizione rs

These things are great. They are safe, the breathe well enough to wear in 100 degree weather. And with the plastic rear kick-plate installed instead of the metal ones, they are almost as inconspicuous as the Alpinestars. I wear these about 98% of the time. After about a year they too started to squeak.

I have 2 more boots I plan on purchasing. The first is a Dianese Axial Race In




This is a great boot. They have an internal carbon fiber ankle brace system plus since I wear Dainese gear I can wear the leathers over the boot (Dainese pants & suits have built in shin protection) plus they look great with jeans. Valentino Rossi wears em for gawd's sake! If approves of them then so do I






I also bounced up on this French company named Vitesse that makes some interesting riding gear. One boot in particular stood out, the Hunt



Yes yes yes laces are not a great idea for motorcycles but other than that it looks like a solid casual boot plus it would coordinate well with my Stripes jacket. I don't think I would ever wear my Frye boots while riding again.

Hey guys. I'm new to this thread. Lots of fantastic motorcycles in here and a good, friendly group of men. This spring i'll be taking on a 'cafe' project of my own. It'll probably be a 70's cb750 simply for ease of build and parts availability here in Canada. However, I've yet to find a machine in the price range i'm looking for. I want a bike that is not torn down and bastardized already. I don't care if it runs because i'm mechanically inclined and have fabrication skills (MIG and TIG tickets) to bring the machine back to life. In the meantime i'm enjoying following this thread and learning from you all.

mrUnicorn said:

you can get a langlitz for 900 man

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How? It was $995 or something for half the models, and $1500 for the others with the padding. This was cowhide and before options, too. I got the pricer a week ago.

Good to see we have riders here. Just put my Ninja 650 into storage for this damn NYC storm

Hi Folks,
I'm new here and was just curious how many riders there are from Long Island/NYC area...
I manage a motorcycle collection for a living and perhaps we could put together a visit this spring for those interested. Kindly speak up if you're so inclined to take a look.
Best regards,
eglicomet



EgliComet said:

Hi Folks,
I'm new here and was just curious how many riders there are from Long Island/NYC area...
I manage a motorcycle collection for a living and perhaps we could put together a visit this spring for those interested.  Kindly speak up if you're so inclined to take a look.
Best regards,
eglicomet

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You might try posting on http://www.reddit.com/r/motorcycles . They wont be as well dressed and cultured as these bunch, but you might get a bigger crowd.

EgliComet said:

Hi Folks,
I'm new here and was just curious how many riders there are from Long Island/NYC area...
I manage a motorcycle collection for a living and perhaps we could put together a visit this spring for those interested. Kindly speak up if you're so inclined to take a look.
Best regards,
eglicomet

Click to expand...

Wow. That would be a dream job

Cloth jacket fitting from Johnson Leathers in San Francisco. I'm having them copy a vintage TT Leathers jacket but add in Forcefield armor in the back, shoulders and elbows along with some other design modifications: