Protective clothing

Although I will personally (or someone under our roof ) never ride without proper ATGATT, I really don’t care if someone fancies to ride in jeans and “tekkies”…… it is after all his/her choice so this is not what this post is all about.

However, we often read about alternatives and sometimes follow the advice of others in choosing protective clothing. Common sense plays a big role in the decision on what to wear and it is an open secret that some so called riding pants are at best a compromise to proper riding pants.

Very recently a Think Bike member came down on tar at 80km/h whilst wearing a well known SA brand riding jeans……. and the pants did not do the job. She ended up in theatre to removed tar from the roasties on the areas where the pants was supposed to protect….......in view of the faller, the pants failed. Her gloves also came apart but she admitted it was a very cheap set. She had a proper padded leather jacket on and suffered no damage to the upper body. This is a case study therefore fairly objective

What are your views on protective clothing for example leather vs others or for that matter re-enforced jeans?

My pesonal opinion (as a novice) nothing beats leather. But then again not all leather is the same quality. Proper treated leather can absorb a lot of heat and punishment. But then it is going to put you out of a few klip. If you have a pillion it will cost you double. But money cant be put on a life or limbs. I only ride with jeans at the moment, but as soon as my bankmanager goes on holiday I will get leathers. I like the BMW clothing, but pants, jacket and shoes will cost you approx 13k. And the colour............ yellow and kakie is ok but blue??????

When I started riding again I wnet to Avente and bought leather pants and jacket, withe the BMW general purpose boots (could finance this and the helmet with the bike).

I wear this at all times when I ride, with the exception of when I come to work on the bike or go to the local shop. In this case I replace the leather pants with jeans (can't recall, but it may be called "Draggin' " jeans or such) and often the boots with ankleboots (not bike boots).

You take your chances, you pay the price ..

I have been biking with leathers since 1976 - obviously the newer protective gear has new technology built into it. I commute to work with denims, but always with a leather jacket in winter. In summer - a windflow jacket - depends what value you place on your own safety and well-being. When travelling - we always travel in leathers. Somehow feel safer. Personal choice. Might however invest in BM alweather suits in the near future.

I always wear my BMW protective clothing. I have both leathers for winter and the summer "Venting Machine". I was told that in the BMW museum in Germany, a BMW bike hangs suspended from the ceiling attached only to one strand of the material the "Venting Machine" is made of. Have not seen it myself but it makes me feel a lot safer than in any biker jean. It is expensive but "priceless"

My pesonal opinion (as a novice),always wear protective clothing no matter what you got. A new beginner can always start with safety shoes and good set of gloves, and work yourself up every month.Riding gear is very expensive but its also true Money cannot buy lims and fingers.
Every sport has its costs.

My 5 cents....

I believe you should dress for the fall and not the ride...

Yes, statistically most accidents happen within a few kilometer radius from your house, so even if you go to the cafe for milk & bread, wear your protective clothing. It is a good habbit

Okay here is my problem. Went to Full Throtle this weekend to look for some descent clothing. Needless to say I was dissappointed. I am saving for the BMW kit (all wheather I think) Okay it is very pricey I said I am saving. Half the stuff I have seen looks bad and the other half even whorse. That is if I fit. I dont like the one piece suits.
Q1) Except for the helmet what is most important
Q2) Where can I look for good leathers
Q3) What shoes should I buy
Q4) Rainsuits???? Eish it is expensive (BMW +- 1200.00) What to get and what not

Q5) Anybody got influence on my bank manager

Henk wrote:Okay here is my problem. Went to Full Throtle this weekend to look for some descent clothing. Needless to say I was dissappointed. I am saving for the BMW kit (all wheather I think) Okay it is very pricey I said I am saving. Half the stuff I have seen looks bad and the other half even whorse. That is if I fit. I dont like the one piece suits.
Q1) Except for the helmet what is most important
Q2) Where can I look for good leathers
Q3) What shoes should I buy
Q4) Rainsuits???? Eish it is expensive (BMW +- 1200.00) What to get and what not

Q5) Anybody got influence on my bank manager

Q2 http://www.vivante.co.za/
Q4 http://tbforum.co.za Cronos is selling Think BIke rainsuits for R400

Good luck

I am also look for protective clothing and with the upcoming GS challenge I have quite a few things I need to buy - therefore I cannot afford to buy BMW clothing. I am looking for a pair of enduro pants (preferably camo - black gets dirty way too quickly) with knee and thigh pads included. I had a look at the following stores in and around Pretoria - Mean Machine, Biking Accessories and the Suzuki store in Centurion. The amount of stock they held were absolutely abysmal!

Anyone know where else I can go?
I do not see myself paying more than R1000 for a pair of pants.

Try World Of Accessories, Strydompark, Randburg

do they have a website?

click on WOA

not very user friendly though

I found it very interesting at BMW Lifestyle in Midrand where they have a display board with different material. Each piece of material was subjected to the same amount of abuse and the results was an eye opener for me.

Leathers look great but I personnaly found that they were too cold in the winter and too warm in the summer (I sweat very quickly). I must also say that I do not go to track days often and very seldom ride the GT to its limit. So I chose BMW gear and I feel quite comfortable. The Boulder jacket is amazing.

When we look at rain gear, we must compare apples with apples. The BMW one-piece rain suit of Ina cost just over R1000 but you will not slide around on the seat when it rains, the legs next to the exchaust is protected and it is very visible in rainy weather.

I have a BMW rain pants but a normal rain jacket. This rain jacket keeps the rain out but flaps around in the wind. This is very irritating when you have a communication system on your bike that is triggered by sound.

Rain coats are great for the cold weather we are currently having as it keeps the wind out.

Gloves has turned out to be a little bit of an issue. The BMW gloves I purchased does not support the wrist. A person's wrist is not designed to be slapped backwards and forwards - which is what happens during a fall. To protect the wrist, it is important to get a glove that supports the wrist. (This is the same reason why we need to wear proper boots - to protect the ankles among other things).

Then I would still like to get something that protects my neck. I must say I like the inflatable version a lot as it seems to be more user friendly than the current neck brace system.

Henk wrote:Q4) Rainsuits???? Eish it is expensive (BMW +- 1200.00) What to get and what not

I got a very decent 2 piece Pilot rainsuit at Mosskays for R600. It does not flap and does not leak. Had it for a few years now and used it many times and in heavy storms. You can buy 2 of them for the price of one BMW rainsuit and if you think how often you need to use it, it starts making sense.

We bought the BMW rain suits, then cost R2200 per set. But i must admit we have driven through at least 5 major rain storms (4 hours plus in the pelting rain) and 2 hail storms in these rain suits. Also last year when travelling from Piet Retief to St Lucia we travelled in the rain from 09:00 to 15:00 and we did not get wet at all.

I dont know what these suits now cost, but they are worth every R we paid for them. If you are nor going to buy an all wheather suit - surely invest in these rain suits. It makes the difference between an acceptable ride in all weather and a deal breaker as to if your partner will ever ride again.

To answer the original question about jean type protective pants.

I personally have ridden with and fallen with the real McCoy, namely Dragg'in Jeans. They work and they work well. I also have a friend that fell of his CBR 1000 at just on 200km\h with Dragg'in Jeans and they held up. No abrasion injuries at all, not one!

However, we tested the local versions by stuffing them with substance and approximated the weight to that of legs. We then dragged this behind a bakkie. In every case the SA riding jeans came apart. Although Dragg'in Jeans are double the SA version, they actually work.

As a final note, just remember that Dragg'in Jeans will protect the wearer from abrasion type injuries (road rash) but will not work for impact related injuries. To sort that simply by MX knee pads and I think you will be as well protected as any other quality riding gear.

Morpheus

Tend to agree with Morpheus on this - one cannot over invest in protective clothing. What cracks me the most are the youngsters at high speed wearing T shirts & Shorts and plakkies/pantoffels. They obviously dont realise the risk that they are taking. Hope they never find out.