[abhi_tjet]

It’s been 1 year of usage of riding gears and almost all stuff is holding pretty well. Fit, finish and comfort are quite good.
Rain and winter - liner repel water, cold in that order effectively.
The RR gear jacket was washed a while ago. However, 1 ride and it’s back to normal self.



Is there any way to home/machine wash the Solace riding pant since it has a leather patch as shown below. It’s been just cleaned with moist cloth for now.

[siddhant]

Any reviews or feedback for Viaterra Tundra waterproof gloves?

Or, any other recommendation for waterproof gloves that can also handle some cold? My usage with these will be less compared to my current set so a budget of 4500 is what I have in mind.

[phoenix.rider]

I have been riding for 10 years mostly on a small capacity bike for the day to day work. In March'21, I bought Gixxer SF 250 (entry-level sports tourer) and with greater power comes greater safety. So I started investing in Gears as well.

The most important gear is your helmet. Buy a well-certified helmet (I have Axor Apex, ECE and DOT certified). Once you buy your helmet, you can start to purchase other riding gear like jackets, gloves, pants and boots.

So, let me tell you my experience of buying riding gear and maybe I can put a better perspective on how to approach purchasing your riding gear and how to get proper fitting gears because this is a very good investment for riders.
This post is mostly about jackets and gloves because I bought them recently.

For most beginners, the journey starts online. Start searching products online, watch Youtube videos, read blogs and post on gears. From there you will get a proper sense of the type of gear, different brands.

Where to purchase gears?

There are two ways to buy any gear. Either you can buy online or you can buy in-store.

I think in-store experience is the best because the investment you are making is your life-saving investment. You should go to the store and try these gears because they should make you feel safe and comfortable(looks should be the last priority).

Another and very important aspect of the in-store purchase is salesperson helps you a lot in choosing the right gear. When I was researching gears online, I was only witnessing products from popular brands like Rynox, Biking Brotherhood but when I went into the store, the salesperson presented me with other brands as well which are also the similar quality.
The salesperson also helps you with suggesting the right kind of product for you. He/She can guide you in telling what things you should check when trying the gear because they have a lot of experience with customers and they know what could be the pain in future that customer misses when purchasing the gear.

Choosing the type of gear:-

For any gear, one should decide for which purpose he/she will be using that and it will define the kind he/she should purchase. Most beginners are looking for gears that can be used all year. For jackets, all-season jackets are best for beginners because they are mesh jackets with winter liners(can be used in winter with 2 extra layers). For gloves, one should go with summer gloves because they can be used with decathlon winter gloves in winter.

Size and Fit:-

The size and fit of riding gears are completely different from normal clothes. You can't buy XL Jacket because you wear L or XL shirt or hoodie. for checking size and fit the best method is to go in-store and try which is the best fit(can be explained by salesperson for different gears). For Jacket, keep in mind if you are planning to use that jacket in winter then put on innerwear, a shirt/t-shirt and a sweater and then wear the jacket on top and check the fit. For gloves, take decathlon fleece gloves and then put on the gloves and check the fit.
Wear the gears, sit on your bike and check whether they are comfortable and are not causing any hindrance in functioning. For example, in gloves check whether you can reach all the switches or not.

After you have selected the gear, tried it, checked the fitting then it is your choice whether you want to buy that online or from the store itself.

I will be reviewing the Jacket and Gloves once I have used that for quite some time.

[P72NX]

Picked up a Viaterra Holeshot from Moto Armour in Whitefield.
Costs 3,299 INR



Finger Protection & TPU Protectors over the knuckles



Knox SPS 303 for the palm and Scaphoid area



Touchscreen sensitive finger
Silicone Grip between forefinger and thumb



Enforcement for the pinky finger



Velcro and strap. Works well



Clip to hold both gloves together so you lose both and not just one

[rahulcmoulee]

Has anyone tried out the TVS racing riding gear? How has your experience been with it?

[neil.jericho]

The local Spartan Pro Gear dealership has closed and its remaining inventory was picked up by another riding gear store in Cochin. Word is that the existing Spartan building has been picked up by another established player in the Cochin market and the best guess is that they will probably retail products from PowerSports International. The expected opening of the showroom is in the middle of January. Interesting times ahead.

[gauravanekar]

I have been using Cramster 4S jacket since last 10 years, had replaced original armor with no-name level2(I hope) armors somewhere 5 years back. Now the jacket is fully worn out, I feel a new apparel for the upper half of the body is long overdue.

Currently I ride Gixxer 250SF, living in Jaipur, most of my riding time was in southern India based out of Bangalore mostly, however I am living in Jaipur right now, Temperature varies widely here between seasons. I plan to ride to UP, Nepal & far east in 2022, Please keep the above things in my while weighing options for me.

Broadly speaking I am confused on 2 levels, whether to go for bodyarmor+mesh jacket or the traditional riding jacket with armours. If I am going for jackets whether to buy a premiuim jacket (all-weather) or buy 2 jackets one for cold months and one for scorting heat of the north Indian summer.

Budget ₹20000

Option 1:
Based on neil's posts I am considering RE nirvik + STREETWIND V2 , basically cycle the D3O which comes with nirvik with both jackets between seasons.

Option 2:
Somehow research and buy a forcefield body armor or equivalent + STREETWIND V2 or equivalent, since I already have an excellent waterproof coldproof quechua jacket which can be worn over any riding jacket for rain or winter.

Option 3:
Buy a premium jacket (A* or Dianese or equivalent) for the entire budget and live with it even it becomes inconvenient in summer or winter.

Please allow me to pick your brains in this regard

[RiderZone]

If I had to choose from one of your options only, option 1 would be the one.

I would personally have rather bought the Rev'it Eclipse, and some good back protector for it. Great jacket for summer, and you can always layer up for winter/rains.

[akshaymahajan]

Originally Posted by rahulcmoulee

Has anyone tried out the TVS racing riding gear? How has your experience been with it?

Have the Level 2 Riding pants since the last 3000 kms. Honestly have nothing to compare against but these are my thoughts

+ Seem well built - dont want figure out they aren't the hard way
+ Comfortable - I did a 6 hour and 250 kms ride today (so not all highway) and wasn't really uncomfortable. I could have done a few more hours.
+ Airy - haven't tried them in the city in peak hours, but if you are averaging 50+, you will do ok.
+ Pockets are a saviour for me at least
- No adjustment for protectors to stay in place - I have to manually adjust them every now and then

Basically, I will use them until I figure a major flaw and upgrade. I really hope the L2 stays up to the mark

haven't ridden hem in the rains to comment on that.

But these are my first riding pants so Ii dont know what I am comparing against.

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by gauravanekar

I have been using Cramster 4S jacket since last 10 years, had replaced original armor with no-name level2(I hope) armors somewhere 5 years back. Now the jacket is fully worn out, I feel a new apparel for the upper half of the body is long overdue.

Currently I ride Gixxer 250SF, living in Jaipur, most of my riding time was in southern India based out of Bangalore mostly, however I am living in Jaipur right now, Temperature varies widely here between seasons. I plan to ride to UP, Nepal & far east in 2022, Please keep the above things in my while weighing options for me.

Broadly speaking I am confused on 2 levels, whether to go for bodyarmor+mesh jacket or the traditional riding jacket with armours. If I am going for jackets whether to buy a premiuim jacket (all-weather) or buy 2 jackets one for cold months and one for scorting heat of the north Indian summer.

Budget ₹20000

Option 1:
Based on neil's posts I am considering RE nirvik + STREETWIND V2 , basically cycle the D3O which comes with nirvik with both jackets between seasons.

Option 2:
Somehow research and buy a forcefield body armor or equivalent + STREETWIND V2 or equivalent, since I already have an excellent waterproof coldproof quechua jacket which can be worn over any riding jacket for rain or winter.

Option 3:
Buy a premium jacket (A* or Dianese or equivalent) for the entire budget and live with it even it becomes inconvenient in summer or winter.

Please allow me to pick your brains in this regard

gauravanekar, I have a few questions that you should also take into consideration
- What is your potential end to end usage with a riding jacket? Will you
a. wear it to work every day?
b. wear it to the grocery store and for other local errands?
c. use it only for weekend rides?
d. use it only for long rides?
- What percentage will be for in city riding vs what will be for highway touring?

I dont think there is a clear right or wrong between option 1 and 2. Old timers like me who refuse to change prefer option 1, whereas other TBHPians will suggest option 2 and their logic is sound. I just cant get myself around to it, though. Option 3 is basically a more expensive option 1 but you wont get one jacket to replace both a mesh and a touring jacket.

If you are going to be buying a jacket for only weekend highway riding and your long trips, then get a textile jacket. The RE Nirvik is excellent. I use the Khardung La, which is the predecessor to the Nirvik, for all my inter district and interstate rides. The Nirvik is well worth every rupee that you pay for it.

If you have a mix of both city riding and the above mentioned highway + long trips, then just the Nirvik wont suffice. It will be stuffy for daily usage. The Streetwind V2 is a good jacket for its price, just ensure that the fit is all right. Get a lighter one to help with the summers. That said, compared to their touring jackets, the entry level mesh jackets from RE dont exude the same quality levels but then again, they cost half of what the touring jackets do. I will suggest that you just look at other options in the market as well, though this might push your budget up by another Rs 5K.

If you want only one jacket and have a lot more city city riding, plus the above mentioned highway + long trips, then a jacket like the Revit Eclipse is very good. You get a very long back protector (costs extra), excellent air flow and it just reeks of quality. You can add layers on top of it, if you want to make it multi-seasonal. Im very happy with my jacket and use it for city riding and short Sunday morning rides.

However, I am a big advocate of horses for courses. I like the flexibility offered by owning different helmets, gloves, jackets, boots which serve different purposes very well. Since you have a fair budget and are open to owning two jackets, each of which is tailor made for different riding, I suggest that you go with the Nirvik and an affordable mesh jacket combination.

[gauravanekar]

I ride to my work 3 times a week, the route consists of 15km of golden quarilateral highway, 5km rural road without traffic & 5km of city traffic with some signals to stop me.

In the morning there is virtually no traffic(I hit unspeakable speeds every morning), while returning I hit peak traffic even in the highway. I follow ATGATT, I like to believe that I would go for long rides all my myself in future but in 2021, out of 9000km I rode 850km on a roadtrip, rest of the distance was office commute.

Currently I have a cramster breezer 4S(full mesh front) However during peak Rajasthani summer it’s impossible to wear a jacket sometimes (either I fully open the zipper or cheat on ATGATT) so having a touring jacket as the only jacket is impossible.

Based on your input I am inclined to get a Nirvik and a second mesh jacket which can accommodate D3O. I have already paid ₹1000 as token amount for Medium size Nirvik jacket at a nearby RE showroom(expected delivery by mid Jan), I will buy it now and look for a mesh jacket when the winter ends. I can actually carry my Nirvik’s armor in hand and try it on various mesh jackets from cheaper brands like Rynox/Cramster/RE etc. Thanks for the input.

[RiderZone]

Initial impressions of a couple of items I received today.

1. Sidi Adventure 2 Gore Tex boots, size 42

Link to product, cost after discount ~24000 INR



Bought this because on my recent Spiti trip, realized that vented boots aren't the best for mountains, surprise surprise. I mean the Sidi Performer Air boots performed great overall, but water crossings were damp and uncomfortable.

Decided to buy a dedicated winter/rain boot, and Gore Tex was an easy choice. Got the Adventure 2 because:

1. Cheap for a Gore Tex boot
2. Waterproofing goes all the way to the top, unlike most boots where the gaiter stops about halfway
3. Beefy construction, feels safer than "normal" adv boots like Forma Adventure
4. Has great reviews, and my previous Sidi experience has been fantastic

Other options considered were the A* Toucan, and MX boots like Sidi Crossfire 3. Didn't buy the Toucan because it felt overpriced compared to the Sidi. Didn't buy an MX boot because I don't want that level of stiffness and discomfort.

Initial impression is that they're bomb proof. I don't own a pair of MX boots, and they're apparently much beefier, but these already feel so stiff compared to my vented boots, like the foot and ankle is encased in concrete. Pretty comfy for the little walking I did in the room, but definitely not going to be as flexible as the Performer. They are not MX-level gigantic though, I don't expect much trouble in gear shifts and general foot movement.

2. Icon Field Armor Compression Shirt, size S

Link to buy, cost after discount ~11,300 INR



Bought this because I had been looking for a lightweight protective top for off-roading. Also, I thought rather than putting in armor inserts in my RE Spirit leather jacket, might be better to wear this underneath to look more normal and less like a steroid junkie.

Looked into other options from Knox and Forcefield, but this one had the best reviews, and seemed to be the least intrusive of the bunch. This is not a very safe piece of kit, but the compromise is towards comfort, which is what I was looking for.

Initial impressions are that it fits perfectly, it's essentially like a gym compression shirt with bits of D3O armor at places. I'm a bit scared of tearing the base fabric though, being very careful taking it off especially. Overall, looks like it would be fun to live with, but how long it will last is a question mark right now.

[KayEss]

@Riderzone

These are terrific prices and a harsh reminder of how starved we are for quality gear at reasonable prices in our country.
If I may ask you, how much did you have to pay in the way of shipping and custom duties?

Best,
KS

[RiderZone]

Originally Posted by KayEss

These are terrific prices and a harsh reminder of how starved we are for quality gear at reasonable prices in our country.

Absolutely. This is part of the reason why I don't agree with the view that the push for ISI certifications for helmets/boots etc. is a good thing. It increases costs for already overpriced stuff, and reduces availability for an already starved market, without adding anything meaningful in terms of safety.

I am currently in Germany, and will carry this stuff back with me, so no customs/shipping etc. I actually missed buying them during the Black Friday sale, could've got them even cheaper. For boots especially, the variety and price difference between India and EU is insane.

[KayEss]

Originally Posted by RiderZone

For boots especially, the variety and price difference between India and EU is insane.

Tell me about it. I was looking for a pair of MX boots last year and the Fly Maveriks here were going for double (or more) of the Revzilla prices.

Ended up buying Gaerne GX1s for 25K.