Gearing Up

For 20 years I've been riding with regular boots or over-the-ankle hiking shoes, jeans, a black leather Hein Gericke motorcycle jacket, Darth Vader gauntlet gloves and rain suits from hell (the kind workmen use - kinda bulky).

During the RiderCoach Prep I was feeling self-conscious about not looking the part of a serious, experienced motorcyclist, much less professional riding instructor.

This year I decided to change all that. I wanted to get good, purpose-built motorcycle gear to protect myself and to be ready for a variety of weather and riding conditions. After all, a comfortable motorcyclist is an alert motorcyclist. It was time to get better prepared for the road.

I also wanted to get gear that was more visible. My stuff was all dark colored (see earlier entry called "High Visibility").

I got a waterproof textile touring jacket made by Joe Rocket. I also bought the Ballistic 5.0 pants that zip into all their jackets. Both units are armored and padded in all the right places and are designed for the riding position.

On a smaller scale, new gloves were in order. The Darth Vader gloves have always made my hands sweat in summer and they were hard to get off. The insulated linings didn't come out for easy drying, either. I settled on Icon Tarmac v 2.0 gloves. They're breathable, have armor for the knuckles, and snugly conform to the rider's hands in the riding position. The goatskin palms and fingers give excellent feel and grip.

For the piece de resistance I broke off the moss for a really good pair of motorcycle boots. Finally, after all this time! Once I got past the ankle problem (the left heel cup was rubbing on the underside of my ankle bone making them impossible to wear for more than a minute) I was very pleased. I went to a shoemaker who figured out a simple solution: raise up the feet a quarter of an inch with an insert. The boots are called The Solution Waterproof Boot by TourMaster. Definitely good value for the money.

I eventually got an excellent rain suit from FirstGear. Waterproof jacket and pants or not, I knew there would be times when I wanted to wear the leather Hein Gericke jacket and would need to stow a compact rain suit in the tank bag. Plus, it would be good to have it for doing the range portion of the BRC in the rain.

It really is great to have top notch riding gear. I feel better prepared and more in the groove when I ride. Distractions from wind, rain, and bugs are all gone. And looking good doesn't hurt either!

Gear up!

ATGATT stands for All The Gear All The Time