[shyn]

Originally Posted by b16h22

I'm using the SPG Ares for more than two years now. It's a fairly comfortable glove out of the box. The leather is not hard. Had two minor crashes with it. Still going strong

How are they for daily city riding? My commute is 30minutes of riding with a mix of bumper-to-bumper traffic and open stretches.

Originally Posted by ashwin.terminat

The price difference isn't too much, thankfully.

The full gauntlets just come with added protection on the inside of the wrist. I don't think that should any cause any inconvenience.

Also, I like the service of SPG. I recently broke the zipper on my Icarus jacket 2 years after using it daily.

I e-mailed them and they shipped me a new one for no cost at all.

Wow! That sounds amazing.
So I am leaning towards the SPG Ares now. Will update once I get my hands on/in them.

[b16h22]

Originally Posted by shyn

How are they for daily city riding? My commute is 30minutes of riding with a mix of bumper-to-bumper traffic and open stretches

Comfortable for a full gauntlet. I use it daily for commuting purposes. It doesn't get too hot inside. Took me only a couple of days to get used to it when it was new

[e4gleeyez]

Hi All, just picked up a Dominor 400 and need help with riding gear which are as follows:
1. Options for jackets, purpose touring and leaisure rides. Budget 5-6k. Is spartan a good choice?
2. Helmet, budget around 5-6k requirement full face. Heard some bad reviews about MT so please suggest.
3. Knee guards for Highway and long rides, budget 1k, is fox a good option?
4. Gloves, would prefer something comfortable with protection, budget 2-3k

Note: I am 5'9", middle aged and this is my first bike. So suggest accordingly.

[hothatchaway]

Originally Posted by e4gleeyez

Hi All, just picked up a Dominor 400 and need help with riding gear which are as follows:
1. Options for jackets, purpose touring and leaisure rides. Budget 5-6k. Is spartan a good choice?
2. Helmet, budget around 5-6k requirement full face. Heard some bad reviews about MT so please suggest.
3. Knee guards for Highway and long rides, budget 1k, is fox a good option?
4. Gloves, would prefer something comfortable with protection, budget 2-3k

Note: I am 5'9", middle aged and this is my first bike. So suggest accordingly.

1. Spartan Pro gear, TBG, Rynox, Cramster (have read some average reviews on the last one of late) are all options at the entry level. All of them import the armour (the most critical part) and get the textile and mesh jacket stitched in India or from our neighborhood. Ensure they have shoulder, knee and back protection at the very least and are CE rated. You may have to stretch your budget by about 2k to get decent options within the entry level bracket. Do try before buying and ensure they are a snug fit (i.e. not too loose) Folks in GGN/Del can suggest local stores.

2. I use a SOL which was about 6.5 k and am pretty happy with the fit. It is a tad noisy but am used to it. I know folks who use MT and haven't heard any complaints.

3. I suggest riding pants which come with knee and hip armor and are made of heavy duty textile. Riding denims are also available with the same level of protection. The range starts from 7k onwards. Else you can settle for knee guards, IIRC Spartan has options at around 4k. IMO riding pants 'integrate' better with your overall riding gear. Any of these are far better than the el cheapo knee guards which retail for about a grand and can do more harm than good.

4. Wider range of options in gloves. I use TBG Street which is leather and has knox armour. They have been to Spiti from Bangalore and back and a number of heavy duty rain soaked rides and are holding up well. I would suggest full gauntlet ones for better protection.

You have not mentioned footwear and boots are as critical as any of the rest. Riding boots can be quite expensive and you have a wide range to choose from. I have been using a pair of ankle length Lee Cooper leather boots, however they are not purpose built for riding. If your budget is pressed, ensure you have knee length leather at least. The army surplus stores at Sadar bazaar have some decent ankle length leather boots.

P.S - High Note Performance is a reputed MC gear retailer in Delhi, worth dropping in. Royal Enfield has a range of riding gear which are supposed to be pretty good and competitively priced.

[e4gleeyez]

Originally Posted by hothatchaway

1. Spartan Pro gear, TBG, Rynox, Cramster (have read some average reviews on the last one of late) are all options at the entry level. All of them import the armour (the most critical part) and get the textile and mesh jacket stitched in India or from our neighborhood. Ensure they have shoulder, knee and back protection at the very least and are CE rated. You may have to stretch your budget by about 2k to get decent options within the entry level bracket. Do try before buying and ensure they are a snug fit (i.e. not too loose) Folks in GGN/Del can suggest local stores.

2. I use a SOL which was about 6.5 k and am pretty happy with the fit. It is a tad noisy but am used to it. I know folks who use MT and haven't heard any complaints.

4. Wider range of options in gloves. I use TBG Street which is leather and has knox armour. They have been to Spiti from Bangalore and back and a number of heavy duty rain soaked rides and are holding up well. I would suggest full gauntlet ones for better protection.

An update I know the feedback was average on cramster but apparently I ended up purchasing a Cramster K2K 2.0 Enduro touring jacket alongwith twister touring gloves. To me the jacket felt heavy and came with all the bells and whistles like CE approved armour, thermal, lot of pockets so sealed the deal.
Thanks for all the help will update on the quality post 3-4months usage

[n_aditya]

Originally Posted by shyn

Thanks, will do! Any particular model in Rynox? Which ones do you use?

I have these and they are very comfy.

I had these gloves earlier which served me very well. Unfortunately the next pair I got (link) was too tight for me and I had to give it away. The phaeton and Pegasus were significantly different on the size grid. My glove size is M and while the Phaeton's were perfect, the Pegasus was too big. S in the Pegasus was what I picked up hoping it would break in and loosen up but didn't so had to give it away as it was too damn tight. Other than this issue, these gloves are made very well.

Originally Posted by shyn

Would like to stay as far away from Cramster as possible. And what are my other options in the sub-4k segment?

+1. Avoid cramster like the plague. I would suggest the Rynox or the Spartan gloves as I have used both extensively and very happy with them. The only reason for me to switch to Rynox was sizing issues in Spartan. I have weirdly sized hands so...

[ranjitnair77]

Originally Posted by shyn

Ordered it on Motardinn.com and ended up paying a little more than what I would have liked (all thanks to 50% import duty) but the damage has been done so no point crying about it now!

Apologies for bringing up an old post but I just wanted to check the exact procedure that you followed for paying the import duty and getting your parcel. There are several posts on this thread on this subject but it wasn't very clear on what the actual clearance procedure was.

I've bought a helmet from Motardinn and the tracking now says that the item is at customs, hence the question.

[ashwin1224]

Originally Posted by ranjitnair77

Apologies for bringing up an old post but I just wanted to check the exact procedure that you followed for paying the import duty and getting your parcel. There are several posts on this thread on this subject but it wasn't very clear on what the actual clearance procedure was.

I've bought a helmet from Motardinn and the tracking now says that the item is at customs, hence the question.

Depends on your selected courier. I selected DHL so the courier called me up and informed me I had to pay xyz amount on delivery which was the the customs charge. Upon delivery I was also presented with a receipt of payment for the same.

If you have selected India Post, then its still the same, the postman will inform you that you have a courier at the post office and xyz amount needs to be paid. You can go and collect the parcel from the post office after paying the amount.

Source: Bought a helmet from motardinn.

[ashroy_6]

Originally Posted by ranjitnair77

Apologies for bringing up an old post but I just wanted to check the exact procedure that you followed for paying the import duty and getting your parcel. There are several posts on this thread on this subject but it wasn't very clear on what the actual clearance procedure was.

I've bought a helmet from Motardinn and the tracking now says that the item is at customs, hence the question.

hi,

The procedure is quite simple as you will be informed by the courier company of the amount which you will have to pay.

But my experience with both dhl and indian post is that with indian post you will end up paying nearly 50% as custom duty whereas dhl would charge you the actual custom duty which would be around 30-35%.

I know it sounds funny but i am guessing indian post charges blanket custom duty (typical govt type of functioning), whereas private courier company actually takes trouble to find out individual/actual custom duty for that product.

For comparison

1. Jacket i imported from Spain from dhl-----------------import duty charged---30% plus 4 days flat to reach me-----very good condition.
2. Jacket i imported from Germany from Indian post----import duty charged---50% plus 15 days to reach me---------very bad condition.

I received my revit jacket last week from indian post and the whole package was in really bad condition but luckily the jacket was not damaged. This is the first time i have used indian post for expensive item. When i asked about the condition to the postman he said the custom department opens each and every package for inspection.

In comparison Dhl and fedex parcels are never opened (my personal experience).

Indian post, I guess is good for importing cheap items (below 4000-5000 rs) from aliexpress where the package are not opened for inspection and where usually import duty is also not charged.

I would suggest pay little more in transportation upfront (WHAT YOU PAY EXTRA IN FREIGHT IS NULLIFIED BY LESSER CUSTOM DUTY) and use a good courier company. The price difference overall is not much plus one gets the product within 3-4 days in good intact condition.

[ranjitnair77]

Thank you to every one who provided their feedback about buying on Motadinn. I'd like to post my experience of shipping a helmet to Pune.

I was looking at buying a quality modular helmet and I saw a great deal for the Scorpion EXO-GT 920 at www.motardinn.com. It retails for $220 or thereabouts at Amazon US and Revzilla but was available for $150 (+30$ shipping to India) at Motardinn. Now I would never order gear online without trying it first but I knew the exact size and fitting for the EXO as I had tried it at a store so I went ahead and ordered one in white. I chose India Post as DHL was significantly more expensive for shipping. Here was the exact process.

• I placed the order on Aug 12. I immediately got an order confirmation email.
• Aug 14: Got an email that the order was packed and shipped. Got the tracking number. The courier was PostNL international shipping. I was informed in the same mail that it takes around 24 hours for the tracking link to get activated.
• Aug 15: Tracking link got active.
• Aug 16. Tracking link said that the package was shipped to India.
• Aug 28. Tracking link said that the package reached India. There was no interim notifications. I had to be patient during this blackout period and checked the link every other day.
• Aug 28 Tracking link said that the package was in customs. No idea which customs.
• Aug 31 Tracking link said that the package was still in customs. No idea which customs.
• Sep 1 Tracking link said that the package was released by customs.
• Sep 4 Tracking link said that the package reached the depot. I assumed that it meant the post office near my home.
• Sep 5 Our postwoman stopped by and said that there was a parcel waiting for me and I should stop over at the post office and pay duty and clear the package. She was not aware of the duty value. No receipt/delivery note either.

So I stopped by at the post office delivery department and paid exactly 40% duty on the helmet at the post office itself. The duty was calculated by Mumbai customs and a note was stuck to the package which indicated the amount to pay. Paid by cash (no card payment option there). Walked out with my package in 10 minutes.

The package was undamaged and the helmet was pristine. It was obvious that customs had opened and examined the package and resealed it. The helmet had its own cardboard box which was put in another cardboard box which was sealed.

Final cost breakup
Helmet: $150
Shipping: $30
Duty: Rs. 4200

So a total landed cost of roughly Rs. 15,000 which is in the ballpark of what I would pay at Revzilla. A local seller was offering the same helmet for Rs 18,000 but didn't have it in white which is why I ordered it online.

So would I do this again? I would if I knew exactly what I wanted, had tried the product before and was willing to wait for 3-4 weeks to get the product. We have to remember that returning such a purchase, if you don't like it, is practically impossible. I would pay a slight premium (say 10-15% or so) if I could buy it in a physical store and avoid the wait.

[surjaonwheelz]

Hello Riders,

Just to update you on a closeout deal at Bachoo Motors, Mumbai

http://www.bachoomotors.com/index.ph...duct&id_lang=1



Sizes are limited. At 3k it's total VFM for daily riding shoes!

I've seen these shoes and they are worth it. This deal makes it sweet.

Ride safe

Disclaimer: I'm no way connected to Bachoo Motors. Just sharing for your benefit.

[dre@ms]

Originally Posted by surjaonwheelz

Sizes are limited. At 3k it's total VFM for daily riding shoes!

I've seen these shoes and they are worth it. This deal makes it sweet.

Never heard of this brand. How good are these for a casual office wear?

[surjaonwheelz]

Originally Posted by dre@ms

Never heard of this brand. How good are these for a casual office wear?

These are very decent riding shoes, claimed to be waterproof also! They are worth it even at 5k. Apart from the shift panels on the toe box, these shoes can pass away as casual sneakers!

Ride Safe

[sukiwa]

A post for ATGATT: Few weeks back, had gone to pickup cousin's TB350 from nearby garage and decided to do a small ride to check how it behaves post servicing. I had carried only helmet & no other riding gear when I went to pickup bike. During the ride, splendor in front me braked suddenly and I had to brake as well to avoid hitting him. I was slow due to bad road (15-20kmph), but my braking happened to be near a pothole and bike just slipped making me land on tarmac. Got bruises near right elbow and right knee. Impact on knee was painful, I was bit immobile for couple of days but nothing major. Bruises have healed now, have slight pain on knee at times but sure it would go away soon.

Irony of this incident: 1. Splendor guy offered water & band-aid strips, he was returning from lavasa. It was as if he was prepared for an incident & I wasn't.
2. I had to ride back to garage, right foot-peg & handlebar had to be replaced for TB350.

Learning: Don't ride without gear ever again, more so during monsoon season. Riding gear hanging idle at home is strict no-no.

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by surjaonwheelz

Sizes are limited. At 3k it's total VFM for daily riding shoes!

Can't thank you enough. Just ordered one for myself. I will share the impressions once I get them.

Guys, please do share if any hot deals are running, those who are interested in getting something can get a good deal.

^ I wasn't really keen on getting one as my Woodland ankle length was doing good but price made me seal the deal