Brands of Gear That You Prefer?

[Tango]

Is there a brand of motorcycle gear that you always seem to go back to and why?

Held gloves are the brand that I always find fit me the best. And most of them don't have that annoying seam that runs up the thumb and digs into it on the throttle hand. They seem to wear pretty good too.

[Sir Fallsalot]

Talking of gloves i always bought these Tech 7 Cyber gloves for the trail bike as i don't like long gloves and i wanted some protection for the road riding but they are now discontinued and everything like them are double the price
The pair i have is getting to the end of their life and didn't know what i was going to get next 

 

 

That was until i went to Trago Mills for the first time a few weeks ago and picked up a pair of these they were just over £7 when i checked out, so far i'm well impressed with them so impressed going back to buy a shit load for future use 

[Slowlycatchymonkey]

All of these have been repeat purchases. 

Knox waterproofs. But recently they doubled the price from the £55 mark to over £100 Not happy about that cos I want another pair of trews and I dont see any reason for the price hike.

Daytona boots, designed and manufactured like the Germans can, comfortable, warm, waterproof and safe as a boot can be.

Bowtex for the freedom to mobike safely in your pyjamas if you choose.

Hood jeans for Mr Slowly cos those cargo pants just look too good (dont think they make them anymore) and they were fully kevlar lined.

Modika summer gloves because they come in many multiple proper glove sizes, if your a size 7 you get a size 7. 
 
Lastly Unplug bags. Genuinely waterproof, multiple lashing points, bag tightning straps all over it, padded backpack straps, very tough. Id set aside double the money for the Ortlieb bag Id been pouring over n this bag blows it away.

https://needtounplug.com/collections/unplug-adventure-bags

If you fancy one order from amazon germany (amazon.de) as amazon.co.uk will send you the wrong bag all the way from America!

Oh Im a gear geek  

[boboneleg]

I have a fair bit of Klim gear. My Overland jacket and trousers have been superb, Powercross gloves are the most waterproof gloves I've ever owned, Dakar gloves not so good as they wore out pretty quick and my Krios Carbon helmet is pretty crap for the money.

I recently bought a Rukka jacket as I think Klim have lost their way and got very expensive.

[Tango]

I'm a fan of Lomo and Kreiga bags for the bike. Lomo in particular are well made for the price.

[Tango]

6 minutes ago, boboneleg said:

I have a fair bit of Klim gear. My Overland jacket and trousers have been superb, Powercross gloves are the most waterproof gloves I've ever owned, Dakar gloves not so good as they wore out pretty quick and my Krios Carbon helmet is pretty crap for the money.

I recently bought a Rukka jacket as I think Klim have lost their way and got very expensive.

When I think back that my first bike jacket was a Belstaff, because it was cheap and reasonable quality. Look at them now!

[boboneleg]

11 minutes ago, Tango said:

When I think back that my first bike jacket was a Belstaff, because it was cheap and reasonable quality. Look at them now!

I paid £5 for my first Belstaff wax cotton jacket (s/h) , it was a stinky piece of overrated shit by todays standards but that's about all their was for trail riding years ago

[Pedro]

I have almost always wore Dainese, jackets since I've bought my first bike up until now, jeans, boots, only wearing a pair of bmw summer gloves now. Dainese used to be the brand that Honda dealers carried back when Honda was THE main brand in Portugal. Now my new home is near a Dainese outlet and portuguese distributer, so ever since I bought the 1150 it's just been convenient to buy the brand. That's the place I stop by for a coffee and sometimes to buy a box of wine to take home, people treat me nice and their cuts suit my weird body better than anything else I've tried. I wouldn't say no to other brands of stuff, but I do like design and like to feel like something suits me. I went shopping for jeans and a jacket last year and tried several BMW, Revit, Spidi, etc, but somehow ended back with Dainese.

I like my Schuberth helmet and I'm on my second one of the same model. To be honest I like it because the C3Pro is the lightest of the modulars, and supposedly the quietest, but I've bought the second one because being a previous model it was 250€ cheaper than anything else I would consider an alternative.

[XTreme]

17 minutes ago, Tango said:

When I think back that my first bike jacket was a Belstaff

Same here.....everybody wore them.

The names that stick in my mind from those days was Lewis Leathers, and Rivetts who sold the Frank Thomas range!

I still have my Leather Collection London jacket and trousers from the mid 90's though.....but they're a bit of a squeeze now though.

[Rob M]

I stand by Richa textile suits. Mine has been through biblical downpours (2 days of constant rain riding through France was a real test) and not let a drop in. Great for the price (about £450, 6 years ago).

HJC helmets all the way for me. They fit my head just right. I agree with @Tango, Lomo bags are superb, again tested in plenty of rainstorms.

[Motobiker]

I don't really care about 'brands' where gear is concerned.. its whats they use in manufacturing that matters. I insist on goretex and the little know fact about gortex is that they insist on a very high standard in QC from the manufacturers they supply. so, if you buy something that uses goretex then you can be guaranteed it is well made and, most importantly guaranteed to be waterproof long after the original warranty expires. just contact Gore and they will refund you. Im also fairly limited as I have to go for gear that have a longer leg option.

Helmets are all about fit, so the brand is pretty much an irrelevance. a helmet that doesn't fit is worse than useless, doesn't matter if it cost you £600+

I managed to pick up an ortleib bag at a whopping discount and its lasted me for years.. I only use it for camping to keep all my gear together in one place. Lomo is good, but is really just a discounted copy. the devil is in the detail. My mate jack has a lomo copy of my bag and the differences, though small, add up.

I tend to go for stuff made in Germany, where possible. Ive never had a problem with anything from there.. brands like SW-Motech. for those small but essential items of farkle.

Ive been very happy with my Honda.. first Honda Ive ever owned and it hasn't disappointed me. thus far, On paper it was only a relatively minor upgrade from my GS.. but in reality its worlds apart. the differences between a bike designed in the late 90s and 2018. remarkable. its also quite unique with the DCT, which continues to delight.

I guess the only brand.. that I really do stick with, since trying it (almost by accident) back in 2011 has nothing to do with bikes. but its a brand Im going to stick with come what may. and that's Apple. I love my Mac Mini and my 13 pro max phone. And couldn't care less what anyone thinks about that.

[Skippy]

For me it all depends on how much money I’ve got at the time of needing something but generally it goes like this as far as possible;

Alpinestars for leathers and textiles

Suomy and Uvex helmets

Sidi boots for the road and either Alpinestars  or Forma for off road.

Klim gloves for the dirt and Spada for the road.

……………and any old hideous, cheap, gawdy coloured  shite MX/Enduro/Trials clothing for the dirt. I have no shame.

[XTreme]

25 minutes ago, Skippy said:

For me it all depends on what the scrotes on my manor have had off the back of a lorry!

[skyrider]

On 03/11/2021 at 19:50, Tango said:

Is there a brand of motorcycle gear that you always seem to go back to and why?

Held gloves are the brand that I always find fit me the best. And most of them don't have that annoying seam that runs up the thumb and digs into it on the throttle hand. They seem to wear pretty good too.

a while ago i used sportex leather jackets and now on to hein gericke

[skyrider]

22 hours ago, XTreme said:

Same here.....everybody wore them.

The names that stick in my mind from those days was Lewis Leathers, and Rivetts who sold the Frank Thomas range!

I still have my Leather Collection London jacket and trousers from the mid 90's though.....but they're a bit of a squeeze now though.

lewis jacket seem to have gone through the roof price wise

[skyrider]

2 minutes ago, skyrider said:

lewis jackets seem to have gone through the roof price wise

and i have had a few suomy helmets too

[Tango]

1 hour ago, Motobiker said:

 

Helmets are all about fit, so the brand is pretty much an irrelevance. a helmet that doesn't fit is worse than useless, doesn't matter if it cost you £600+

My last 2 lids have been Bell M5X because I found that they fit me perfectly. I've tried lids from other manufacturers and many of them don't fit properly or are tight across the temples, which results in a blinding headache within an hours riding. The sizing seems to vary depending on the manufacturer and I'm normally a large, but I've found that with some the large is too big and the medium too tight. So, to an extent,  the brand for me is important.

[XTreme]

15 minutes ago, Tango said:

My last 2 lids have been Bell M5X because I found that they fit me perfectly. I've tried lids from other manufacturers and many of them don't fit properly or are tight across the temples, which results in a blinding headache within an hours riding. The sizing seems to vary depending on the manufacturer and I'm normally a large, but I've found that with some the large is too big and the medium too tight. So, to an extent,  the brand for me is important.

I always used Shoei.....but the prices are just stupid now!

So when I got a new helmet in 2016 I got a HJC large.......because I heard the fit and design was based on Shoei.

And it fitted perfectly so it'll be another HJC next time.

No......they're not as good as Shoei, but the difference between them doesn't warrant three times the price.

[skyrider]

i like hein gericke gear its just a pity they shut all their shops and buggered off back home 

[Tango]

6 minutes ago, XTreme said:

I always used Shoei.....but the prices are just stupid now!

So when I got a new helmet in 2016 I got a HJC large.......because I heard the fit and design was based on Shoei.

And it fitted perfectly so it'll be another HJC next time.

No......they're not as good as Shoei, but the difference between them doesn't warrant three times the price.

I'm not a brand snob, I just like things that do the job well. Price doesn't really come into it, except I normally look out for stuff I like when it's on sale. I don't think I've paid full price for any of my gear!

[skyrider]

1 minute ago, Tango said:

I'm not a brand snob, I just like things that do the job well. Price doesn't really come into it, except I normally look out for stuff I like when it's on sale. I don't think I've paid full price for any of my gear!

yep my leather jacket i got used off fleabay

[Tango]

5 minutes ago, skyrider said:

yep my leather jacket i got used off fleabay

I've bought loads of decent secondhand gear off eBay over the years. I sold a Rukka jacket last year that I'd bought secondhand and used for several years. Got back what I'd paid for it!

[XTreme]

12 minutes ago, Tango said:

I'm not a brand snob, I just like things that do the job well. Price doesn't really come into it, except I normally look out for stuff I like when it's on sale. I don't think I've paid full price for any of my gear!

The quality of the Shoei is better and it's a bit quieter than the HJC......but I think Shoei and Arai are just taking the piss with pricing now.

There's certainly not the differential in quality between them and other brands that there used to be.

In fact my HJC had a higher safety safety rating than the Shoei that I was considering.

[Tango]

4 minutes ago, XTreme said:

The quality of the Shoei is better and it's a bit quieter than the HJC......but I think Shoei and Arai are just taking the piss with pricing now.

There's certainly not the differential in quality between them and other brands that there used to be.

In fact my HJC had a higher safety safety rating than the Shoei that I was considering.

Yeah, all these different paint schemes for each season! And the prices!! My Bell is pretty noisy, but the visor doesn't fog as much as others I've had and the fit is perfect. I can wear it for hours with no problems. 

I think I'll be looking for a new lid soon though. I want one with a drop down sun visor. So I'll be on the lookout for the right lid and any deals around!

[Motobiker]

I wear a caberg - mostly because it fits me well, it’s noisy at speed but that hardly matters as I wear plugs. It’s 1/4 the price of a schuberth and does the job. It’s highly rated too. (Safety) the thing about the high end Japanese brands is they are, for want of a better word, fashion lead. Hence the new yearly paint schemes. Last years colours become rapidly “so last season”. Which is exactly what they want. There will be people who change helmets yearly,, or at most, every two years.