Josmas
Jun 22nd, 2007, 9:19 am
Only a year ago I purchased my '05LT and made the conversion from the salad bowl helmet, t-shirt wearing cruiser world to the more safety oriented world of the BMW community. Many of the threads I've read on this site convinced me to do so. Thank you!
I've purchased some gear and made mistakes while doing so and would like to give just a couple of bits of advice (maybe obvious bits) to those purchasing safer riding gear for the first time.
1. When buying a helmet spend some dough. I feel the old adage "you get what you pay for" definitely applies here. I purchased a couple of helmets using cost as a major factor in my decision. I finally ordered and Arai. If I had done so from the start I would have saved a lot of money. Arai Vector (http://www.araiamericas.com/helmet_details.asp?model=VECTOR)
2. If you buy summer gear think "light colors". I bought a black mesh jacket and, although it's cooler than I expected, A light color would have been better. Plus, visibility is also better. First gear Mesh Tex 3.0 (http://www.firstgear-usa.com/fgweb.nsf/Products/A6F99B0A1BE385CF862571EA00725D81?opendocument)
3. Good quality rain gear. It's no fun looking for a cheap rain suit from Wal-Mart when an unexpected downpour occurs. Breathability (is that a word?) is important to me. Tourmaster rain suit (http://www.tourmaster.com/xcart/product.php?productid=183&cat=8)
I hope this helps someone from making some of the mistakes I made.
Please feel free to add or comment on this list especially if you have comments on riding pants, as I haven't made that leap yet!
I've purchased some gear and made mistakes while doing so and would like to give just a couple of bits of advice (maybe obvious bits) to those purchasing safer riding gear for the first time.
1. When buying a helmet spend some dough. I feel the old adage "you get what you pay for" definitely applies here. I purchased a couple of helmets using cost as a major factor in my decision. I finally ordered and Arai. If I had done so from the start I would have saved a lot of money. Arai Vector (http://www.araiamericas.com/helmet_details.asp?model=VECTOR)
2. If you buy summer gear think "light colors". I bought a black mesh jacket and, although it's cooler than I expected, A light color would have been better. Plus, visibility is also better. First gear Mesh Tex 3.0 (http://www.firstgear-usa.com/fgweb.nsf/Products/A6F99B0A1BE385CF862571EA00725D81?opendocument)
3. Good quality rain gear. It's no fun looking for a cheap rain suit from Wal-Mart when an unexpected downpour occurs. Breathability (is that a word?) is important to me. Tourmaster rain suit (http://www.tourmaster.com/xcart/product.php?productid=183&cat=8)
I hope this helps someone from making some of the mistakes I made.
Please feel free to add or comment on this list especially if you have comments on riding pants, as I haven't made that leap yet!