This is the unofficial sequel to the "Good bike for a newb" thread.

Anyone that can recommend some good (and preferably as close to the side of cheep without getting diminishing returns, used is good (Xept on a helmet?)) Motorcycle gear?

Anything that can help protect against back injury?

I have no idea what I should be looking for in a helmet.

Also, I'm not going to wear black (despite how cool it looks) because I want to be noticeable.

I plan to ride, rain or shine, hot or cold.

Recommendations?

I have no idea what I should be looking for in a helmet.
the first thing you want to look for in a helmet is the fit of it on your head. It should have an even pressure throughout, no spikes in pressure on your forehead or the back of your head or anything like that. If it does, you will have wicked headaches from it and a higher likely hood to be knocked out if you get in a wreck.

The second thing you want to look for is how snug it is. You should be able to grab the front of the helmet and wiggle it around about 1/8 - 1/4". If you look in a mirror while you are doing this, you should be able to see it pulling your cheeks around. You don't want it so sloppy that you can twist it around on your head without anything grabbing on it.

Third, make sure that your ears fit into the spacings in the padding correctly. Animal experienced this one himself last weekend when he was up here looking at helmets, the Shoei helmets had too small of ear openings in the padding.

Fourth, make goddamned sure that the strap is long enough to comfortably hold the helmet on your head. Strap it up, get it snug (not tight) so that its just touching the skin of your chin and then lift up on the front of the helmet. If you can lift up on the front of the helmet and the thing peels off of your head without the strap hitting your jaw, move to the next brand.

Fifth, try on every single helmet you can find in your size range. Most manufacturers are pretty close in sizing, so you won't be going from a M to an XL or anything like that.

And Finally, look at the cost of the helmet that fits you the best. Freak out if you must, but buy it because its the one that fits you.

My favorite quote that used to hang above the Helmet section in a dealership I used to go to "IF you have a $100 head, buy a $100 helmet." The cheapest helmet I have ever bought was $180, never again. I was in a wreck with it and sustained much more injuries with it on then I ever have with my $200+ helmets on.

Oh, a sidenote here, make sure they are SNEL aproved. DOT standards don't require that specific helmet be tested, just that its design meet certain criteria. SNEL on the other hand actually requires each new model to be tested. Also, if you find one with CF or something in it, get it. Your neck will thank you if you will be wearing it for hours on end.

buy locally, check craigslist/kijiji/your local boards...

I bought all my gear used from the same person, for $200... I got a (new, never worn but taken out of packaging) HJC helmet (which are OK, not crappy, but not fantastic either - but it fits me super well), nice leather jacket, boots and gloves.

and I always wear ear plugs
:werd:

I didn't mention that as he was just asking about buying helmets, not really about use. Ear plugs make it where you can actually hear after a long ride at high speed.

HJC helmet (which are OK, not crappy, but not fantastic either - but it fits me super well)HJC's are manufactuered to the standards of any other helmet. Sure, they don't have the fit and finish of the Arai or Shoei, but those are the only helmets I wear anymore. Best "bang for the buck" helmet on the market. If they fit the way they should, who cares about name brand?

I can't tell you how many HJC brainbuckets have saved my sorry hide when it comes to concussions.

Next on the list for me though is going to be an Arai if I can find one that fits right. Been looking for a year or so now and have only found a couple that fit close. None that fit as good as my HJC's right now.

Scorpion makes a pretty solid helmet as well.

Joe Rocket gear is on the cheaper side and really good as well.

Go here to buy your gear and you will thank me, it is all last years models so it's ridiculously cheap:

www.newenough.com

Thanks for the writeup Sup :D
And thanks for the link, 2ndGen

Exactly what I was lookin for :D

Thanks for the writeup Sup :D
No worries. If its one thing I hate its when people go to buy helmets being misinformed. The helmet is the single most important piece of safety gear you can buy and I try to help everyone I know thats going to buy a helmet for the first time.

Im into Icon gear, if you like that look.

Icon Mainframe helmet
Icon Strongarm jacket
Icon Hooligan denim pants

No worries. If its one thing I hate its when people go to buy helmets being misinformed. The helmet is the single most important piece of safety gear you can buy and I try to help everyone I know thats going to buy a helmet for the first time.

I agree, and thanks :D

Theres a lot of bad info out there, this helps a lot.

Supper is quite knowledgeable on the topic of helmets. I'll second everything he said ^^.

Price is usually a big factor in what I buy, but if there's a significant quality difference I'll usually lean towards quality. Exceptions are "disposable" items, cheaper things that may wear out faster but a cheap new one is nicer than an old expensive one... if that makes any sense. Safety schtuff isn't really somethign you want to screw around with when it comes to quality... which is why I have a $200 vest in my closet for rodeo, and not an $80 saddle-barn piece of trash. And why i'm looking at a $200 helmet rather than a $100 helmet (thanks, sup)

remember though, that helmets should be replaced after you drop it onto something hard, or every five years regardless. Just because a helmet is expensive doesnt mean it's good, and vice versa. The scorpion helmets that run, oh, $90 are some of the best, or you can spend $700 on a shiny cool graphicded Arai that gives you a headache after 15 minutes.

remember though, that helmets should be replaced after you drop it onto something hard, or every five years regardless.I replace mine after every bell ringer. If I don't get a big hit I change them every three seasons. Thats usually a year and a half per helmet. The reason being is riding dirt bikes, quads, sleds, and random other shit the rocks and trees and everything else that glance off the helmet and leave cosmetic damage. The thing about cosmetic damage is it can quickly turn into a crack in the helmet compromising the integrity. Also if I ever notice that the inner lining is starting to get compacted (the actual foam, not the padded stuff) it gets replaced ASAP.

Just because a helmet is expensive doesnt mean it's good, and vice versa.heh. Show me a sub $100 that has top ratings on from SNELL.

The scorpion helmets that run, oh, $90 are some of the bestyou can keep telling yourself that. I am telling you that out of the dozen or so helmets I have gone through in the last couple years, the more money I spend on the helmet the better I come out of it. The worst one yet is when I was wearing the HJC CL-X3 and had the dirtbike land on my head and knock me out. I've been in harder wrecks since then and haven't been knocked out since with harder hits to my noggin. I attribute this to the only thing that has changed, the quality of my helmet.

or you can spend $700 on a shiny cool graphicded Arai that gives you a headache after 15 minutes.
this is why I say never ever ever ever look at price while trying helmets on. If the $700 helmet doesn't fit you, fine, but it might fit the next guy just right. Or your melon might fit in a $300 helmet better then a $90.

I personally will never spend less then $200 on a helmet unless it is a top model on sale. I see that 2-500 I spend on a helmet one hell of a lot cheaper then hospital bills.

i spent alot of money on my helmet, i figure my head is worth it. as far as other things. make sure you get gloves that are comfortable and have suitable protection. typically knuckle, palm abrasion and the like. kangaroo leather is a good way to go. you cant lose with boots. ankles break easy.

I picked up an HJC helmet after much trial and error. It was the only one that fit my big head properly. I think it was $175? I can't remember. I've been pretty happy with it and would certainly recommend HJC. I can't really speak for the leathers, but DEFINITELY buy gloves that fit well and are comfortable.

Ok, here is what I got so far:

Helmet: Buy one locally based on fit and make sure it is SNEL certified.
Gloves: Comfortable

What about the Jacket? Are those spine inserts worth it? What should I look for there?

SNELL rating isnt everything. The best helmet would be one that transmits minimal shock, G's to your head in the event of an accident. A lot of SNELL rated helmets transmit a lot more, because of the parameters of the SNELL test itself.

Anyway i got the Icon helmet cause it fit me well and looks great. And it will match my new bike well :)

I think the spine inserts offer real protection, most of the racers use them

I think there is even an air bag suit if you want to ultimate and plan to fall off, Jason :)

I plan for some idiot driving an SUV to run a stop light and ram me.

It's hard to tell what spine inserts help, seriously, a lot of them just look like gimmicks.

i spent close to 600 on my helmet and my gloves were 165. the helmet is a shark rsr2. it supposed to be a GREAT helmet, i like the way it feels on my dome. the gloves are lookwell racers. carbon protection everywhere, kangaroo leather on the palms.

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c54/fatmikey916/DSCF1342.jpg
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c54/fatmikey916/DSCF1343.jpg
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c54/fatmikey916/DSCF1346.jpg

/me waits for pics of sup's crash lid

/me waits for pics of sup's crash lid
heh... actually don't have any pics of my brain buckets. Will have to take a "family photo" of them all when I get back home this friday.

geez, clean that garage


haha its my moms house and its all her boxes of shit. i keep my tools and work area clean. thats it

/me waits for pics of sup's crash lid
http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a303/Sup1661/Work%20Safe/motorcycle%20pics/30394c36.jpg

Here's a couple of em. Bottom helmet is the loaner. Second from bottom is the "snowmobile" helemt. The third from bottom is the "High tech helmet" that has the helmet radio setup in it. Top one is the custom painted one.

I passed the MSF test, yay, license time.

The HJC helmets didnt fit my head right.

I ended up spending $340 on an all-silver Shoei because it was the cheepest SNELL that I could wear for hours and hours comfortably.

I figure I can put my own designs on it later.