Got the bike, get the gear!  You've got the bike of your dreams and now it's time to figure out what gear you need.  Do you have a helmet?  What about riding boots?  Have you thought about getting a rain suit?  The guide below will help you decide what gear is most likely necessary to make your ride a good and comfortable one.

What to wear?  According to themotorcycle safety class curriculum, in the very least you should ride with long pants, long sleeve shirt or jacket, gloves, over the ankle footwear or riding boots, and a helmet.  It's about protection but even more it's about wearing the right gear to make your ride enjoyable and comfortable. We'll discuss these items in detail below or provide you links that will help you in your riding gear choices.

Choosing a helmet or not.  Some states require helmets and others don't.  We don't advocate either way but as a matter of preference, we wear them.  Not because the state says we have to, but because we know from experience that a helmet keeps the wind noise down and protects our hearing, provides good eye protection with the different types of shields attached to the helmets, helmets keep you warm in the cold, are great in the rain, and they keep bugs and other debris off the road from hitting us square in the face or on the head.  A helmet is your best friend on a motorcycle and while many folks don't like to wear them, the first thing that goes through their mind on the way down in an accident is probably, "I wish I had a helmet on" ;)  If you are interested in finding the right helmet for you, just click on this link below.  It's a very good helmet fitment guide and sure to help you find the right helmet for you.  Finding the right helmet size for you 

At a minimal, wearing long pants and long sleeves keeps your skin protected from the direct sun and is one layer between you and the road should an accident happen.  To step up your arm and leg protection and to make your ride even more enjoyable, consider buying a riding jacket and pants.  If you are a fair weather rider, look at a vented mesh riding jacket and pants that come with a zip out insulated liner.  This jacket and pant is a three season jacket (spring, summer, fall) and can be worn in really hot temperatures down to temperatures of 50 degrees fahrenheit.  For the year round hard core rider, you can opt for a full on gortex or similar product suit that breathes very well in the heat to help keep you cool and keeps you warm and waterproof in extreme cold temperatures. For added protection, seek at a jacket that has DOT armor, preferrably ones that allow you to put the armor in and take it out which makes the jacket more versatile.  To see some examples of riding jackets and pants, click this ebay link: Riding Jackets and Pants

Over the ankle footwear or riding boots are necessary to provide ankle support when balancing your motorcycle and also as ankle and foot protection should an accident happen.  There are hundreds of riding boots available and here are some of the things to look for in a good riding boot.  Leather boots tend to last longer and take the regular wear and tear of day to day riding really well.  Leather also breathes which means your feet will stay somewhat cool in hot weather.  Check out the sole.  It is oil resistant?  This is important as our feet end up many times in drops of oil or slippery chemicals at stop signs, stop lights, or intersections.  Look for a boot that you don't have to spend a lot of time lacing as laces may catch on your gearshift not to mention time consuming when you are in a hurry to go riding.  Many boots have dual entry zippers that make it a quick on and easy off.  You can also find boots that are waterproof but be careful as sometimes that means they will be very warm in hot weather and will cause your feet to sweat.  Finally, find a boot that is comfortable and made for walking.  Most boots with a big heel are not made for walking. Yeah, they look good but is it worth sore feet?  Try to find a boot with not much of a heel or one that is advertised as good for waling.  Remember, when your feet hurt, everything hurts.   Click this link to check out some reasonable priced and good quality riding boots:  Motorcycle riding boot examples

What about gloves?  Like your jackets and pants, gloves really help make your ride comfortable and enjoyable while providing protection for your hands in case of an accident.  There are vented glvoes for warm weather riding, gortex gloves for extreme cold temperatures, and many different styles including fingerless, off road, waterproof, and even women's riding gloves.  Make sure your gloves have a leather palm if there is no other leather on the glove.  Studies show that leather has great abrasion resistance. Usually, the first thing to impact the ground in an accident is your hands so make sure you have them protected by some sort of glove.  Buy gloves that are drum dyed.  This means the gloves haven't been "spray painted".  Drum dyed gloves stay their color and fade less than other dyed gloves.  "Spray painted" gloves tend to fade to brown no matter what their original color.  Also, a full grain glove is much better than split grain.  Split grain is a glove that has been made from a piece of full grain leather to make two gloves.  Obviously, it's cheaper quality and loses its abrasion strength when this happens.  By the way, did you know you can get gloves up to size xxxxx?  To see a great variety of gloves for all types of rides and riders, click this ebay link:  Motorcycle gloves by Olympia

Well, last but not least, chances are one of these days you and your bike are going to get caught out in the rain.  Make sure you have a good waterproof rain suit.  That's right, all rain suits are not waterproof.  In fact, many of them are just water resistant.  The difference in waterproof and water resistant is the difference in riding totally dry or riding with a wet crotch and soaking wet clothes.  Carefully read the tags on the rain suit and make sure you pick waterproof.  Don't make the mistake of buying a non motorcycling rain suit.  Most of the rain suits you can pick up cheap at a discount retailer or outdoor store are not made to withstand the winds speeds generated by motorcycle riding.  In other words, these type of suits will shred in the wind and allow water to get in on you and your clothes.  Most of these cheap suits don't have the necessary closures which allow wind to bring water in.  Make a one time purchase of a good motorcycle designed rain suit and it will generally last you for three to four riding seasons.  One more tip, remember for the most part, you won't be wearing your rain suit much so try to find one that is really compact and that take up as little space as possible on your motorcycle.  Click on this link below to see a good example of a motorcycle rain suit:  Rainsuits by VEGA

Once you get your helmet, riding jacket, riding pants, gloves, riding boots, and rain suit, you're well on your way to being fully equipped and ready to ride.  Of course, there will be other accessories you'll discover you need along the way but you'll be glad you have the basics and be off to a great start in your motorcycle riding adventures. Come see us at our ebay store helmets-n-more.com.