The $500 Gear Up Challenge

I'm in the market for some new gear. Namely, a new helmet, summer jacket and gloves.

I've been wearing some of the Bilt stuff from Cycle Gear and it's OK....you get what you pay for...
The helmet is alright but noisy. To be fair, the reviews said it was. The jacket is fine but has ZERO reflective piping or patches. The gloves they sell just don't hold up well at all.
The main reason I've gone with their stuff is A) affordability, and B ) they have several locations near me and I can actually try stuff on before buying. I don't like buying a helmet or jacket online that I can't test fit first. I'm open to just about any brand.

Let's say you have $500-600 to spend on some new gear. What would you get and why?

My wish list:

Helmet- Solid color, flip down sun visor (and by that I mean the integrated, internal shield), full face. I'm not opposed to a modular helmet, but it's not a requirement. If it's Bluetooth, that's a bonus.

Jacket- Mesh, textile (or some combination) Summer jacket. Armored, comfortable, reflective piping/patches. I prefer subdued colors....black or something. No Power Ranger look, please.

Gloves- Something suitable for near year round riding. I can wear liners in cooler weather and I don't really ride when it gets stupid cold. I don't like gauntlet style gloves; just something that stops right around the wrist.

Feel free to post up your own personal choices, too....even if they don't exactly meet my criteria. Who knows? I might just see something I like.

Helmet: scorpion make a decent lid
Jacket: textile or leather !!! Mesh melts ........
Gloves : leather full gauntlet

If it was me would spend most on a good lid then jacket then gloves ! I do use mech glove on real hot days but not on any serious riding days !!!!

That's kinda what I was thinking. ~$350 for the lid, $150 for the jacket and $50-60 for gloves. May not get the BEST of the best, but you oughta be able to gear up nicely for something like that, or a combination thereof.

Very true and replace what you have with better as you go ! Good luck man !

If you look on CL bike parts by owner you can find good gear jackets gloves at good price but buy a new helmet cuz you don't know how they took care of them !

Stellar lid, at a great price.

http://www.motorcyclecloseouts.com/sport/motorcycle+helmets/shoei_rf-1100+helmet+-+rollin

J-Rod10 said:

Stellar lid, at a great price.

http://www.motorcyclecloseouts.com/sport/motorcycle+helmets/shoei_rf-1100+helmet+-+rollin

Click to expand...

I have had a couple Shoeis, an Arai, and some cheapo helmets, but the RF1100 is the best helmet I have ever owned. I have done some 1000+ mile days with that bad boy. no complaints, although i have yet to find a helmet that isn't loud at freeway speeds. If i'm riding for more than an hour at 60+ I usually will pop earplugs in.

I'm partial to Arai for full face, but have worn an 1100 on multiple occasions. Spectacular lid, and at $300, it can't be beat.

Just picked up a Bell Bullit, very very nice helmets and well made. Highly recommended. For gloves I like the brand speed and strength. I just got theses and they are great for the money. http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/speed-and-strength-rust-and-redemption-gloves

I had to score off the "speed" from the finger though. That is corny IMO.


Yeah Son!

+1 for the Shoei RF1100 but with helmets, fit and comfort are everything. No integrated sun visor tho.

I can't wear an Arai, and I can't handle a Bell Bullit for more than 30 seconds. Just doesn't fit my head right.

Oh and Olympia makes some really nice jackets. All depends what you're looking for. I wear a variety of jackets depending on conditions but wear 2 pairs of gloves (old trusty ICON's I've had for 8 years and some Held gauntlet style), but only one helmet - the Shoei.

I don't need another lid. But I'm thinking about picking up that Shoei for a backup. That's half price on that one.

I've been very happy with HJC helmets. The RPHA line is nice, light and fairly affordable.

I took my cheap Bilt mesh jacket to a local alteration shop and for $5 and 5 minutes, they repaired the velcro stitching. That'll do for now, as I actually like the jacket. It's cool and fits right. I just wish it had some reflective piping.
It'll do for now. And I have much nicer, higher quality cool/cold weather jackets.

For the helmet, I went to Cycle Gear and tried on a bunch of helmets. I told myself I was NOT going to get another Bilt helmet, but the price range at Cycle Gear goes from $39 - $200, and then jumps WAY up to a Shoei on sale for $549.

I bought one of their Bluetooth helmets....and returned it 3 days later. I couldn't get the microphone to work. The volume was too low, even turned up all the way. And at 55-65 MPH the wind noise was so bad I was wishing for my ear plugs. Lesson learned.

Then, I stopped by my local dealership. Their selection has never been that great, but I thought I'd see what they had, for size comparisons if nothing else.
They were recently bought out and are in the midst of swapping inventory. I found a Scorpion EXO-900 Transformer helmet that fit me perfectly. I was the color I wanted (solid silver), had the integrated sun shield, was a modular (bonus), and as I found out later, actually converts to a 3/4 helmet.
It was originally $279, marked down to $199.99. I asked the lady at the counter if she could do any better... She attempted to look it up in the system and said "I can't even find it in inventory. We don't carry that brand anymore....would $99 be OK?".

Uh...heck yeah! I was out the door for $106 with a solid mid-range helmet with all the features I wanted and then some! Then, I got on ebay and bought a used Sena SMH-10 for $115. It works GREAT. The sound quality is amazing, the volume is great. And, combined with the built in quietness of the Scorpion helmet, makes for a very nice riding experience.

I still need gloves, and would buy a new Summer jacket if I found the right one. I'm going to Barber in October and I'll do some shopping there.

Check these out for gloves. I just picked up a pair of Scoundrels. Beautiful heavy leather, great dexterity, made in USA and under $100.

http://www.griftercompany.com/category/gloves