How has your riding gear evolved

[Demannu]

Long ago in the mists of time, I started out with a kangol lid, a faux leather jacket, wrangler jeans, ashman boots and some leather gardening gloves.
God I was hot stuff back then!
Nowadays, my 2 piece is furygan, textiles HG, 1 piece is Swift, gloves are furygan or ixs, lids are agv or scorpion, boots are rst or Arlen Ness and if it's raining I'll take the car!

[Cousin Jack]

My original stuff was winkle-picker shoes, a black quilted anorak and a crash helmet. Cold weather swapped the anorak for a donkey jacket. Wet weather gear was wellies + oilskins over the top.

I now have textiles.

[MrLongbeard]

2nd lid was a Shoei after the free lid that came with my first bike was uncomfortable, had Shoei's ever since.
Always worn jeans or combats, nowadays they're usually proper biking jeans.
Always used to wear steel toed work boots, now a pair of A* trainer boots are normally on my feet.
Had HG textile jacket for as l can remember, it's still holding up, I fancy a leather jacket but they're usually not available in my size, knock offs, £1000+ or just gash looking

[Bigyin]

First set of kit was Belstaff waxed jacket, pair of jeans, pair of yellow firemans waterproof trousers over the jeans, pair of Frank Thomas race boots secondhand from a mate, open face borrowed helmet for the first week which then became a Rickman Life full face. It lasted 2 weeks before i smashed into a car at 50 mph and it got trashed ....the rest of the kit survived , just.

Nowadays, Dainese Goretex textile suit. Alpinestars SMX Plus boots X 2 (one pair Goretex, one normal), Altberg boots. Helmets are Arai Astro R, Arai Tour X4, Shoei Neotec 2. Gloves are an assortment of Alpinestars SP2 (2 pairs), Alpinestars SP8, Richa waterproof hahaha, Alpinestars Mesh/armour gloves for hot weather and an old pair of Belstaff thick winter gloves. Add in a full Alpinestars GP Plus 2 piece leather suit and a cheapo RK mesh summer jacket and Bullit cargo jeans. I also have an old Rukka 2 piece textile suit that isnt waterproof anymore but is good for those cold winter dry days

It appears i am an Alpinestars fanboi

I am now warm and dry even when it pisses down and cool and comfortable even when its 30 degrees with the options available as well as being dressed to protect myself as best as i can if shit happens and it all goes wrong

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

My first crash helmet was a Nolan N39, I've just bought an X Lite, which is a Nolan brand.

Apart from that fascinating fact, my riding gear has improved as I've had more spare cash to spend on it, I'm now all Dainese leathers, Daytona boots and Alpine Stars gloves.

[Trinity765]

My first set of biker gear was a leather (fashion) jacket with no armour or anywhere to put armour, jeans, Shark helmet and cheap motorcycle boots. Now I have a variety of proper bike leathers (Held/Triumph), textiles (Dianese/Alpinestars Gore-tex), boots (inc. TCX Gore-tex) and three Shoei helmets - all in use. And, a pair of Belstaff boots that I wouldn't dream of wearing on the bike.

[Mr. Dazzle]

I still wear my first leather jacket, just not on the bike. Its a Alpinestars I saved up to get when I was 17, I've had it recut into a more casual jacket by Hideout Leathers.

I've got MTM leathers from Crowtree at the moment, I can't imagine id ever buy non MTM again. Once you know how much better they fit you can't unknow.

[Bigjawa]

First road lid was a Kiwi, went through a few Shoei, an Arai a couple of Simpsons, a Roof and now have a Shark and a Caberg. Gave the boy my old leather jacket so he at least looks the part, have an RST leather jacket now, HG 1 piece that I can't get into, a Takashi textile jacket but mostly still ride about in my old courier gear from the 90s which was hugely baggy back them but snug now.

Gloves are whatever is lying about.

[Count Steer]

When I first started riding I didn't have any riding gear. I did get a s/h helmet and painted it with Humbrol enamel and screwed a peak on it. As time went by my kit improved and I got some gloves, a genuinely waterproof Motomod jacket, Derriboots, full face helmet (no idea what sort) and a pair of overtrousers. (It rained a lot).

Eventually ended up wearing good waterproof gear (inc Rukka 2-piece). For warm weather/trips abroad a summer airflow 2-piece, one-piece oversuit (still rains, even in summer). Did have 2nd hand 2-piece leathers...worn once, then scavenged the armour out of it. Winter gloves, summer gloves and 2 pairs of boots. Schuberth lid.

If I was shopping for gear today the only thing on the list would be a BMW Atlantis jacket and pants and damn the expense. They are (or certainly were) superb.

[Horse]

I always felt the cold, so put a lot of effort into 'heat'.

Early gloves were terrible, needing liners and overmitts. Frank Thomas Aqua gloves (waterproof and well-lined) were a revelation. Riding back home from the shop, I couldn't really feel any benefit, so stopped and swapped one glove for an old one. Within a short distance, that hand got cold.

Similarly, heated gloves > grips > waistcoat. It is difficult to appreciate the difference heated clothing makes. You go from desperately trying to retain heat to adding it - then realise quite how much heat is lost.

[The Spin Doctor]

Similarly, heated gloves > grips > waistcoat. It is difficult to appreciate the difference heated clothing makes. You go from desperately trying to retain heat to adding it - then realise quite how much heat is lost.

Agreed. As an (almost) 24/7 courier most of my attention was to staying dry and staying warm. Although I wore a one-piece Lewis Leathers suit (bought that s/h from a mate in about '80) most of my courier days with Rukka's boil-in-the-bag waterproofs over the top, with leather boots in the summer, when it came to winter footwear protective function was often secondary to staying dry - hence Derriboots and wellies were my go-to wet-weather winter boots.

I went the heated gloves / heated grips / overmits route and whilst they kept hands warm(ish), that was a temporary fix. They didn't put out enough heat to do anything significant in terms of core temperature if you were out all day.

I was persuaded to buy one of the very first Gerbing heated vests to arrive in the UK by a guy who was on the Compuserve forum. That would have been about 94... it was primitive - a chunky heating element sown into a thin cotton waistcoat - but in action it was a revelation for my final winter of courier work. It was actually TOO hot to wear next to the skin, but was great for instructing in icy weather, and allowed me to survive several nights riding at -10c in one particularly icy winter as a blood runner in Kent.

In 96, I bought the two-piece Aerostich. Still the best bit of kit ever in terms of function, if you discount the fact that it's not and never was 'waterproof'. I've still got that, rezipped, and wore it to NZ in 2018/19. I've also got a one piece Alpinestars riding suit which I suspect has all the abrasion resistance of cheesecloth. Still, it's comfortable, convenient, windproof and STILL not bloody waterproof, despite the 'DryStar' label!

I bought a pair of Grinfactor kevlar jeans about ten years back after the owner of the company posted a video of himself attacking his own leg with a chainsaw. That's trust I thought. I've barely worn them as unfortunately, I needed to slim down into them. Never works, does it?

And about five years ago, I bought Bullit jacket / jeans. Heavy and not particularly cool, though when we had the near 100F days a few years back, the numerous pockets did allow me to fill them with sponges soaked in water - that was a surprisingly effective cooling aid.

Helmets? Too many to list. The first was a Shoei S20 which I believe was the very first Shoei to be imported. I really liked a NAVA - it had a weird, pivoting visor mount which meant it actually sealed against the helmet opening. It was light, being polycarb too... and good enough for Randy Mamola. Oh, and I've still got a corker that was my dad's. Keep intending to wear that on the distinguished gentleman's run.

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I bought a pair of heated gloves late last year, they're superb, make a real difference to riding when it's cold

I also had a Nava polycarb helmet, my memory of it is that it was pretty good.

[The Spin Doctor]

I bought a pair of heated gloves late last year, they're superb, make a real difference to riding when it's cold

I also had a Nava polycarb helmet, my memory of it is that it was pretty good.

I know I keep saying this, but if you think heated gloves are good, try a heated waistcoat. The difference is that you're not treating the symptom, you're treating the disease. Cold hands are the consequence of falling core temperatures - blood circulation to the extremities gets shut down. So hot hands feel nice, but it's not really solving the falling core temps.

A heated jacket feeds the heat in where it's needed and maintains core temps, which keeps blood flowing to the extremities. Yes, those extremities are still exposed to the chilling blast of the wind / wet, but the chilled blood is constantly reheated from the core. So they may get cold but not frozen. I can't remember the last time I wore winter gloves on the bike. I manage with 'three season' gloves all year round.

And if you REALLY don't like cold hands? Get the jacket first, THEN fit the grips / wear the gloves

When I did use hot grips in the pre-heated waistcoat days, I used to fit a pair in early November to the courier bike. The wires on the throttle side would fail where they fed into the grip by May / June. That Gerbing waistcoat lasted about twelve years

The gloves used to last about two years between replacements. Grips worked out cheaper, and were more convenient for jumping on and off the bike. I wired them into the side light circuit after a few 'oops, forgot to turn them off' incidents. Fortunately, the 250RS would always start with a totally flat battery

[Mr. Dazzle]

When I was 17 I was a delivery rider for Domino's, riding their C90s. I had a Domino's issue Michelin Man type jacket, but it wasn't too great.

The pizzas had hotplates in the bike to keep them warm, you'd take it out of the rack when leaving base and put it on a built in shelf in the top box. One hot plate per pizza box. On really cold nights they'd be great inside your jacket on the way back to base Probably not the smartest if you crash though!

[Le_Fromage_Grande]

I do look at heated jackets, I'll probably get one in the autumn.
Tempted to get them for the whole family and make them wear them round the house to save on central heating bills

[Horse]

When I was 17 I was a delivery rider for Domino's, riding their C90s. I had a Domino's issue Michelin Man type jacket, but it wasn't too great.

The pizzas had hotplates in the bike to keep them warm, you'd take it out of the rack when leaving base and put it on a built in shelf in the top box. One hot plate per pizza box. On really cold nights they'd be great inside your jacket on the way back to base Probably not the smartest if you crash though!

Ever seen those hand warmers used by the huntin shootin brigade, where it's effectively embers in a metal tube?

A mate tried one for his ride to work. His plan was to rest it in his lap, then warm his hands when stopped at lights.

He forgot (but soon learned) what happens to embers in a 30mph breeze ... Scorchio!

[Trinity765]

I forgot about the Gerbing heated gloves I have now - as someone who gets cold hands (Raynaud's Syndrome) they are a game changer.

[dern]

I've gone from the cheapest black leathers from J&S up in Northwich and whatever boots, gloves and helmet I could afford. I've now settled on mid-range stuff as I can't bring myself to pay for the really expensive stuff. I have splashed out on a helite air bag vest though and always buy as good gloves as I can afford.

[KungFooBob]

Akito boots and gloves a generic black leather jacket made by Euro style and a Novak lid all from Carnells.

In the early days most of my stuff was Akito, it was the cheapest stuff you could get.

[Skub]

My first helmet was a wooly hat,since there was no lid law before 1973.

Then it was a series of second hand shitty helmets such as Owens (anyone remember them?) My first decent one was a Premier 'Mad Max'. Premier came in various groovy metalflake designs and were the Arai of the day. Bought my first Arai in the 80s and never bought anything else.

Jackets had a short shelf life with me,I did a lot of throwing myself up the road. No armour in those days,just a bit of stuffing,if you were lucky. A Lewis leathers jacket was probably the best I owned,but shit by todays standards.

Jeans if dry and plastic 'waterproofs' over them if raining. I had a bad accident around 78/79 when I was ejected from the bike around 120ish and tore my knees to shit. The road buffed through my left kneecap and severed the tendon connecting important stuff,leg no worky. 9 months of unpleasant physio-terrorism followed,so after that I took steps (ha) to protect my poor old knees by wearing leathers. Trying not to crash so much didn't occur to me until much later. These days it's mostly armoured jeans.

Gloves and boots were not given much thought. Crappy cheap gloves and trainers usually. I'm fussy now. Daytona boots and good fitting gloves.

The pic below kinda shows the gear of the day. Mrs.Skub in her best duffel coat.