Scooter &/or motorbike clothing - safe and effective

manisinghb · 8 Sep 2014 at 20:59

Hi guys.

So I got my CBT over the weekend and now looking to buy my first scoot! http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18621933

I was hoping to get some input on good/safe/quality clothing. Of course it must have all the marks of quality (ce approved etc) and of course must be weatherproof, strong armour etc. I hear textiles are better than leather. Also, on a budget of £150 for everything; helmet, jacket, trousers, gloves and boots.

TallPaul_S · 8 Sep 2014 at 21:29

£150 for everything? MIGHT be doable - but I doubt it. And if it is, you'll be looking 2nd hand gear without a doubt, expect for the helmet (don't get a used helmet). You're looking at a third of your budget just for a helmet.

Dogbreath · 8 Sep 2014 at 21:49

Even with double that budget it would be a squeeze to get a full set of decent branded kit. Lidl (or is it Aldi?) do reasonably good bike gear on their regular special deals, though you'll have to wait until the bike stuff comes around again.

TallPaul_S · 8 Sep 2014 at 22:13

Dogbreath said:
Even with double that budget it would be a squeeze to get a full set of decent branded kit. Lidl (or is it Aldi?) do reasonably good bike gear on their regular special deals, though you'll have to wait until the bike stuff comes around again.

Yep, the Aldi textiles are decent for what they are (they keep me dry apart from 40 minutes of solid torrential rain) and they're at the cheap end of the market, but they're still £120 for the set of trousers and jacket.

You might be able to pick up a set off ebay for £50, I'm gonna be upgrading my textiles pretty soon (before the autumn/winter hits) and I'd be happy to get rid of my set but it won't be for a while yet.

Sagalout · 8 Sep 2014 at 22:34

125 or 50 scooter?

In this case, eBay will be your best best, plus a deal on last years helmet designs.

One · 8 Sep 2014 at 22:50

Helmet so long as it's got the safety stamp, they can be had for under a hundred. Gloves can be had for under a tenner. Jackets with protection can be had for 50-100. If you've got walking shoes then those will do for time being, it's really only the ankle protection you're after and decent laces to keep the shoes on. Thick denim jeans are not great but some long time bikers will wear nothing more substantial. That should give you another month to save up for the rest of the proper bike gear.

Sagalout · 8 Sep 2014 at 23:01

£75 helmet, £75 for everything else on eBay...should be doable

manisinghb · 9 Sep 2014 at 09:15

I think I might be able to do it guys! All the following off Amazon with good customer reviews and relevant endorsements/creditations:

£52.98 - Richa Rain Warrior Textile Motorcycle Jacket Fluorescent

£32.99 - Shox Sniper Solid Motorcycle Helmet Matt Black

£19.99 - Richa Rain Warrior Textile Trousers

Total so far = £82.97

Just looking at gloves and boots now, found the Frank Thomas MXW010 short motorcycle ankle boots for £59.99 and Black Chrome Kevlar Leather Motorcycle Bike Gloves for £22.99. So that will stretch a tiny bit over my budget by £15.95 bringing the total thus far to £165.95. Still shopping around on the boots and gloves though but these have excellent reviews too. The helmet was actually bought on recommendation from one of the fellow trainers and trainees at my CBT course. Pretty good for a tested piece?!

Sandycheeks · 9 Sep 2014 at 10:15

I wouldn't rush out to buy a helmet for £32.99.
Please reconsider and check out the helmets on the SHARP website.
Clicky Here

Pants and Jacket around £100 if you find offers.
Helmet ~ £100 (min)
Gloves ~£15
Boots ~ £30 (min) - I use army surplus goretex boots for £30.00 off the bay.

tom_e · 9 Sep 2014 at 10:16

Sandycheeks said:
I wouldn't rush out to buy a helmet for £32.99.
Please reconsider and check out the helmets on the SHARP website.
Clicky Here

Pants and Jacket around £100 if you find offers.
Helmet ~ £100 (min)
Gloves ~£15
Boots ~ £30 (min) - I use army surplus goretex boots for £30.00 off the bay.

MT Thunder can be had for £49.99 and scores 4/5 on the Sharp site.

Sandycheeks · 9 Sep 2014 at 10:50

I bought a Shark helmet for £90 reduced from £140 which has a 4* rating.
I also bought a Box for £50 for the missus which is also 4* rating.
You can tell the quality difference.
I was told at the time that a lot of the cheaper helmets are made stronger in the areas tha are tested by SHARP which means that a cheap helmet with a 4* rating will not offer as much protection as a better brand with a 4* rating.

One · 9 Sep 2014 at 11:55

Most people I've spoken to consider the sharp rating to be a crock of ****! Do you honestly believe a £100 sharp rated 5 Hemet will be better than a £800 shoei that's got a 4 star rating?

TallPaul_S · 9 Sep 2014 at 12:01

One said:
Most people I've spoken to consider the sharp rating to be a crock of ****! Do you honestly believe a £100 sharp rated 5 Hemet will be better than a £800 shoei that's got a 4 star rating?

Don't open that can of worms!! :eek:

I personally have an Arai Axcess II, mainly because it fitted the best and I'd trust an Arai before a £50 5 star rated helmet. It's not quiet, but it's comfy, light, is well made, and a hell of a lot of racers swear by the likes of Arai and Shoei...

Arai do a lot of interal testing seperate to the Sharp rating system, plenty of vids showing that. But you can get decent helmets for not much money - OP: don't buy one online, the MOST important thing is that it fits. If it doesn't fit, it will be worthless in the event of a crash.

Dogbreath · 9 Sep 2014 at 12:17

One said:
Most people I've spoken to consider the sharp rating to be a crock of ****! Do you honestly believe a £100 sharp rated 5 Hemet will be better than a £800 shoei that's got a 4 star rating?

That's like saying a cheap car with a better NCAP rating than a more expensive one can't be as safe.

Just reading through the Amazon reviews you can tell they are made by novices who have very little experience or expectation. I suspect if you made them wear a properly good helmet they would realise that the Shox was a pile of crap, albeit very low priced crap.

The op's original requirements were for "good/safe/quality clothing", yet he has gone for one of the cheapest Helmets around.

Sandycheeks · 9 Sep 2014 at 12:38

Dogbreath said:
That's like saying a cheap car with a better NCAP rating than a more expensive one can't be as safe.

Not that it can't be as safe, just that it more than likely won't be as safe.
The cheap one has been designed to satisfy the SHARP ratings ie. strong only in the parts that are going to be tested, whereas the more expensive brands are made to be safe all over...not just the tested parts.

I'm sure I saw a video on YT of a reviewer smashing helmets...do a search, it's quite disturbing really.

One · 9 Sep 2014 at 12:40

Dogbreath said:
That's like saying a cheap car with a better NCAP rating than a more expensive one can't be as safe.

Just reading through the Amazon reviews you can tell they are made by novices who have very little experience or expectation. I suspect if you made them wear a properly good helmet they would realise that the Shox was a pile of crap, albeit very low priced crap.

The op's original requirements were for "good/safe/quality clothing", yet he has gone for one of the cheapest Helmets around.

That's like saying the sharp ratings have the same standards as the ncap safety tests.

Dogbreath · 28 Nov 2014 at 10:38

One said:
That's like saying the sharp ratings have the same standards as the ncap safety tests.

It's saying nothing of the sort. It's just a perfectly valid analogy regarding safety standards. Either they reflect the safety of the product or they don't.

It's mainly the owners of premium helmets that rubbish Sharp tests because they have paid a lot of money for something with a lower rating, so it can't possibly be true. A bit like people paying thousands of pounds for soild silver speaker cables - they can hear the difference even when there isn't one.

Why don't the premium helmet manufacturers attempt to pass the Sharp test, even if they don't believe it's relevant? At the end of the day it's not great for brand perception, so if (as at least one of them suggests), the cheaper brands pass by adding extra padding in critical areas, then why don't they do the same to achieve a 5 star rating rather than trying to rubbish the test?

bloodiedathame · 28 Nov 2014 at 11:44

The most important thing with a helmet is to go and try them on with someone who knows what they are doing. An £800 helmet is not going to be as effective as a £50 one if you're head doesn't fit it (slight exaggeration for dramatic effect).

Yaayuh! · 28 Nov 2014 at 14:35

bloodiedathame said:
The most important thing with a helmet is to go and try them on with someone who knows what they are doing. An £800 helmet is not going to be as effective as a £50 one if you're head doesn't fit it (slight exaggeration for dramatic effect).

Indeed.
If it doesn't ripped our ears off when you put it on or take it off then get a smaller size

But seriously, there's more than that in fitting. Make sure it doesn't twist or tilt back and forwards with ease.

In terms of quality|price ratio, take a look at Shark.

wazza300 · 28 Nov 2014 at 16:05

plenty cheap reduced helmets around at this time of the year,selling off old stock so grab some bargains

use a material tape measure and measure the circumference of your head,then you'll have an idea of what to order online small/medium/large ect,thats what I do