[VijayAnand1]

Originally Posted by Pferdestarke

After realizing the importance of wearing protective gear, I have decided to invest in my very first set of riding gear.

This particular thread has been of great help to provide insights about protective equipment and guidance in choosing the right products.

In the span of 5 years, Indian manufacturers have upped the ante when it comes to both quality and quantity. There were some reputed gear manufactures back then who have seen their homestretch, sadly. Eventually leading to a plethora of brilliant options with competitive price, quality and what not.

My personal preference in the order of build quality...

RYNOX,
ViaTerra
DSG (Have come a long way from their lackluster build-luster build quality)
Mototech (Purchased one for a family member years back)
Scmitar Jacket (Daily beater)
BBG
Solace Gears
Lets Gear Up
Tarmac
Axor Gear
Raida and etc...

All these names I have enlisted have their respective websites and neatly detailed description. Though Scmitar would have been discontinued.

The mid-range..
LS2
Furygan
RS Taichi etc..

Viaterra also makes Made to Order jacket which is of exceptional quality and class leading armor. I in no way represent nor am I an instrument to advertisement for Rynox or Viaterra. My observations and recommendations root primarily from the usage and long-term stability/reliability of the products that I have owned and used.

Would strongly recommend you to start off with Rynox/Viaterra and DSG for the plethora of options, superb build quality and reasonable prices. Safety is paramount and our Indian made products being sold abroad is a testament to the fact that we're inching there slowly and steadily and it shows in the number of companies committed to making riding safer.

Do note, some of the above companies also provide motorcycle-spec luggage specifically catering for tourers out there, so start searching and make an informed decision.

Good luck PS.

Cheers!
VJ

[aston_martyr]

Has any tried or had a look at the new Revit gear at Motoverse. Saw this post on insta by RE.

[kedar3223]

How are the Viaterra Austin jeans in terms of comfort and safety compared to similarly priced riding trousers? Usage would be tours. These seem more discrete than riding pants for use during sightseeing.

[BreezeRiDrives]

Hi All – I have been using a local brand gloves, a windcheater from Decathlon and a 10+ years old scuffed up Studds Ninja (only occasionally used in this 10yrs), for my rides on TVS Jupiter 125, for office commute and other small errand runs. They were supposed to just save myself from dust & sun and my office shirt from getting dirty, which they were able to do efficiently. Now that I gifted myself an entry level (pre-owned) super bike – The Kawasaki Versys 650, these ‘gears’ wont suffice and my need has gone bounds beyond saving myself from dust & sun, as several other variables & elements come to play while riding a much faster & capable bike on highways, in comparison with a scooter in dead speed bumper to bumper traffic of Bangalore. So I started my research online, YouTube and TBHP helped a lot, with tons of information and enabled me to shortlist the necessary gears and come up with a ‘wishlist’ (which apparently did not go as per plan). So here is my journey of acquiring my riding gears:-

Helmet

Defined the parameters that I wanted on my new lid as – It must be Full face helmet, from a reputed brand, Polycarbonate shell construction, having ECE (preferably 22.06), DOT & ISI certifications, light weight, sleek, subtle and smart, not looking too bulky, without too much flashy graphics, preferably a micrometric rachet closure mechanism over Double Ds. Had excluded Vega, Studds, Steelbird, etc. in the first level of shortlisting itself, kept SMK Titan Carbon, Axor Carbon and MT Thunder 4 at the top of the list. Went to a few stores to check them out, met a few wonderful store guys who were super helpful in explaining the pros & cons of each of the options. Looked at both SMK Carbon & Axor Carbon, neither of them felt good and they were too heavy for being a ‘Carbon’ helmet, that’s when a few store guys told me Carbon label is just for name sake and they are not really carbon fiber construction.
KYT was a new brand introduced to me at one of the stores, liked the fit & comfort, weight was also under check, but they did not have ECE or DOT certification on the helmet, only had ISI, the store guys said they are certified, but not labeled on the product, I did not feel convinced and dropped it. I was only partially happy with KYT anyways, as the color scheme I liked was not available in my size and the size fit ones were either too flashy colored or matt finish (which am not a fan of). So decided its gonna be the MT Thunder 4, went to Powersports store, the official importers of MT helmets in India, in HSR to check them out. Got disappointed in the first look itself, Thunder-4 was looking huge & bulky, only 3 to 4 graphics options were available there, did try them on, I could feel the bulk on the head and was not feeing comfortable in the helmet at all. Based on my head measurements a Medium size (borderline) should fit me, but MT ‘M’ & ‘L’ both were not comfortable and I could feel pressure points on my forehead and at the back of my head. Also these helmets did not have a printed ISI mark, all it had was a tiny sticker on the side, in case that happens to peel off, I would run into trouble with cops.
I felt totally blank & disappointed, don’t have any options left in my list to look for and have not done much research on the other brands or models, yet I decided to venture out to Orion motors Koramangala and test my luck there. Reached the store to realize that they are closed, as it was 01-Nov, Kannada Rajyotsava, a state holiday, not all stores were open anyway. I was not willing to give up, JC road is not too far, but this time I wanted to play it safe, called up Ryders Arena and ensured they are open before going there.
They primarily deal with LS2, though they have SMK, Axor, etc., I had not kept LS2 in my list at all, as I had seen many people using it and was very common on streets, and had kept them in the entry level segment, but after talking to the store guys, I was kinda convinced to consider it, also I was not left with many options. Had a look at a few models in my budget range and liked the FF800, the Storm-II; now comes the difficult part of graphics selection, almost all of them were flashy and not to my taste, I told the store guys that am looking for something low keyed, subtle and that my bike is silver, grey and jacket also had hints of grey on it, they then suggested a unique piece (in their own words), the LS2 FF800 Storm-II Jeans Titanium ECE-22.06, loved the color and fit was amazing with L size, snug fit overall & tight on cheeks, wore the helmet over a balaclava and spent about 10mins in the store, walking and moving around to ensure no pressure points develop, was satisfied and made the purchase. They installed the pinlock and packed it for me – ran into some trouble with the pinlock later on, which is discussed here (Which Helmet? Tips on buying a good helmet).

Jacket

I had no clue about riding jackets and had to do extensive research before jumping in, hence did hours of research on it online, watched several review videos in YouTube and finally decided to go with Solace Furious, which seemed like a good blend of textile and mesh construction, as a convertible jacket, with good branded L2 amours. I also had a soft corner for Rynox’s top of the line options like the Stealth Air and Storm Evo, but had excluded Stealth Evo as I have heard people saying its feels too hot & sweaty in this jacket and the mesh is very less on it, this was confirmed by the Rynox store guys as well, later when I visited them.
First I went to LetsGearUp (LGU) in HSR as they keep multiple brands and would be a good place to start off my search, but since it was 01-Nov, a holiday in Karnataka, they opened the store a bit late than the usual time. I waited there for some time and then called their number, but none answered, when I was about to leave a cleaning lady staff of the store came and said they would open soon, instead of waiting there further, thought of walking to the Rynox store which was close by and check the options there. Went and tried Stealth Air, kinda liked it, but Solace was in my mind and also the dark color options were unavailable for my size in the store then. Walked away from them and stepped into the LGU once again, they were open by then and met the folks there, they were super helpful as they are riders themselves, guided me well on the fitting and positioning of armors. There I tried Viaterra, Solace and Rev’it jackets, but none of them fit me well. Oh... I missed to mention, am a heavy built guy 5’10”, 100+ kg with a healthy extended tummy and obviously my measurements are all over the place, hence a well-fitting jacket seemed like a dream. For all the jackets I tried, either the zip wont close or the armors wont be at the right positions. Solace Furious not fitting me well hit me hard and another top of the list item goes down…
Tried Rynox Tornado Pro & Stealth Air at the store, both seemed fine for me, the latter was having some minor issues with the armor positioning but the former was fine, but I didn’t feel very comfortable in Tornado, first the color scheme and then the very broad shoulder looks and felt tighter at the tummy part also, less mesh in comparison with Stealth Air, they came with wider Knox armors and the store guys insisted I go with it. Spent 2 to 3 hours there contemplating between these 2 jackets, tried them multiple times in succession. I could feel the Tornado to be more sports bike oriented construction, though its said for sports touring, felt the Stealth Air more touring friendly on a straight up seated riding posture, had additional pockets as well. The major reason why they suggested Tornado was that the latest version of Stealth Air jacket comes with Cerros Zero-G protection Indian armors, new in the market, yet to prove its credentials and not a fan favorite yet, also the area coverage of Knox was much better over Cerros. Finally, I decided to go with Rynox Stealth Air with red accents with the pretext that I would later upgrade the armor to Knox for shoulder & elbow, if I feel the armors move around or doesn’t cover the required spots as needed, after riding for a few miles.

Pants

While I was at Rynox store, I had tried the Airtex & Advento pants, but they were not fitting me well, though the armors were in position, thanks to their adjustable position KneeSlap technology, but the overall length of the pants was too much for my waist size. Hence had to drop the plan then, though I had kept Rynox as a lower priority for pants, there too Solace CoolPro V3T was on top of my list. With the size challenge experiences with other gears, I had kept very low confidence on Solace pants too. I had kept this for a different day purchase plan, after getting the boot as I wanted to try them together for comfort checks and also it was already too late on the day I picked up the jacket from LGU, hence had not tried any pants there.
A few days later I started the hunt for boot and during one of such visits I went to Gear n Ride store in HSR, tried the Solace CoolPro V3T there, the size seemed way off, length felt too much, armors were not in position, over all it was a disaster. The place was steaming hot as if in an oven, those misers had turned the A/C off at the noon time and I was sweating like anything, asked them if they could turn on the A/C, to which they said its ON, but I could clearly see it was off and no cool air coming from it, they were making do with fans, but I couldn’t stand there for another minute and walked away. Based on these experiences I did some more research and came across Viaterra which would make custom pants and Rev’it who has 3 different length pants for each size. Decided to try them out, got to try Rev’it at Orion, but the armor position were way off when the waist fits me and unfortunately their positions can’t be adjusted, hence had to drop them, but picked up boots from there and came back.
Since LGU was very patient & helpful with my jacket selection episode, I wanted to take their suggestion for the pants as well, called them up and told about my situation, they asked me to drop in and try out the Viaterra & Solace pants at their store once. I was more than happy to do so, hence I went there wearing the riding boot (on my Jupiter 125), the very first one they asked me to try was Solace CoolPro V3T, I tried it, the length was still a small issue, armor position felt good on one leg but the other one was a little off, they helped me fix that, when tried with boot the length was kinda manageable. I knew there has to be some compromise to be done, due to my non-standard size and shape, so long as the safety is ensured. So decided to purchase it from them and took it home.

Boots

The boot story was a rollercoaster in terms of coming up with the wishlist, had decided to go with full length adventure boot. Had zeroed in on the Royal Enfield TCX collaboration Stelvio boot, based on the TBHP reviews, but later came to know its been discontinued and was really disappointed. Also due to the ISI standard enforcement & import restrictions, there are less options from imported brands like Falco, Forma, etc. available for my size, also they were quite expensive going over 20-24K mark. Since this is my first ever riding boot, I had my fair set of apprehensions like if this would be comfortable, if I would be able to shift gears properly, if I would be able to reach the ground well on the bike (especially considering the ankle movements would be restricted by the boot), etc. I was certain that in case I don’t feel confident and comfortable in the boot, I would endup shelving it and wouldn’t even look that side ever, hence did not want to make an expensive mistake, so decided to try Tarmac Adventure Pro full length boot. Before finalizing it, I wanted to try other options and hence had visited Gear n Ride, they had Solace and a few other boots which had less protection, which they were pushing telling they are better than the imported ones and they even tried to sell me a sports biking boot with good protection & sliders saying its adventure boot, they lost me as a customer at that very point and they also blabbered a lot about a few other things, also badmouthed Rynox and a few other brands, this was followed by the aforementioned lack of A/C and Solace pants trial ordeal, ran away from them at the earliest. Tried Forma & Falco boots at 6KIOM, was not very convinced with the size availability & price of the size matching ones. Finally went to Orion motors and tried the Tarmac boots, it felt comfortable, also tried RYO full length ADV boot as well, but liked Tarmac better. They had just 2 pieces available in size 43 and only in black color, another guy was also there at the store along with me, trying out the same boot; he took the first one and I happily paid for the second available piece and took my Tarmac Adventure Pro full length boot home.

Gloves

Must haves for the gloves were simple for me, it must be of Leather construction, Full Gauntlet, no flashy color combinations, good quality sliders and overall protection. Shortlisted Viaterra Grid on top of the list and second was Rynox Storm Evo 3, did not think beyond these 2, but came across another FG gloves from Viaterra, the Kruger model, decided to check them out as well. In LGU I got to see the Kruger model tried it on, it was good, but nothing really made me say a wow about it. Tried Rynox gloved at their store in HSR, they had only the green combo color in stock for my size, tried it and felt good. Checked out a few other stores as well to try the Viaterra Grid model, but couldn’t find it, also got some comments from certain sellers that Storm Evo 3 gloves are better than Grid, since I did not like the Kruger very well, decided to go with Rynox gloves. Happened to find the black one in my size at Ryders Arena, when I went there for helmet and bought the Rynox Storm Evo 3.

Base & Top Layers

The most essential part of the bottom wear happens to be the base layer as wearing the riding pants over a jeans or a regular pants was not a good idea and wearing it alone without another bottom layer was not comfortable either. So base layer pants became mandatory, picked up the Rynox Vapor Pro base layer pants from LGU, along with the Solace pants. Also I got to try out the Rynox H2GO Pro 3 rain layer there and liked it, took a size above the jacket size (though its not necessary) just to be safe. I was already using a balaclava from LeGear, it was serving me well under the Studds, hence thought of getting another piece from them for the new helmet as well from Amazon, also added the skull cap from LeGear, as I could use it while wearing the half face helmet, which I got free from TVS along with Jupiter for gully road, short rides.

This concludes my riding gear purchase haul (for now) which spanned across about 3 weeks and multiple store visits in Bangalore, wonderful conversations and some good experiences. Spent over 50K acquiring these gears, which I hope would serve me for a long, long time and keep me safe in those spirited highway rides with friends and solo.

Note: All that I have mentioned above are based on my experiences and understandings, no offences meant to any brands or the fellow riders who are using them. No affiliation or grudge with any of the stores that I visited and made/ declined the purchases from.
And finally, a big salute to all TBHPians who took the pain & effort in reading through this lengthy post, in case you managed to reach till here…

Regards,
Breeze.

[hikozaru]

Originally Posted by kedar3223

How are the Viaterra Austin jeans in terms of comfort and safety compared to similarly priced riding trousers? Usage would be tours. These seem more discrete than riding pants for use during sightseeing.

Its basically normal jeans with flex CE rated armour. No abrasion protection. I believe only Byke'it has some form of abrasion protection.

Originally Posted by BreezeRiDrives

The place was steaming hot as if in an oven, those misers had turned the A/C off at the noon time and I was sweating like anything, asked them if they could turn on the A/C, to which they said its ON, but I could clearly see it was off and no cool air coming from it, they were making do with fans, but I couldn’t stand there for another minute and walked away

They are clearly trying to be helpful in making you understand how it feels being stuck in traffic on a 40c day but yes pretty awful store that (if its the one opposite to Empire). They immediately tried to upsell me to LS2 Thunder as soon as I mentioned track days and had a "just pay up bro, you are going to the track" attitude which I didn't like. In contrast, the guys in Lets gear up and some helmet shop opposite to Powersports HSR were really understanding of how expensive trackdays can get and totally understood not wanting to blow up my budget.

I would suggest you return the rain jacket and get one the same size as your jacket. I wear a small size Rynox Air GT 4 and a small size H2O pro (the latest one) and it fits me just fine and works perfectly in the rain. Wearing a larger rain jacket is just asking for rain water to get in through the gaps.

[BreezeRiDrives]

Originally Posted by hikozaru

They are clearly trying to be helpful in making you understand how it feels being stuck in traffic on a 40c day but yes pretty awful store that (if its the one opposite to Empire).

Lol... Yeah thats a possibility, they were trying to get me feel how extreme it could get in case I plan to ride in Rajasthan wearing that pants. And YES, its the store next to the Empire restaurant I visited.

Originally Posted by hikozaru

They immediately tried to upsell me to LS2 Thunder as soon as I mentioned track days and had a "just pay up bro, you are going to the track" attitude which I didn't like. In contrast, the guys in Lets gear up and some helmet shop opposite to Powersports HSR were really understanding of how expensive trackdays can get and totally understood not wanting to blow up my budget.

Upselling is their general business trick I guess, which is still fine, but the attitude they show is really irritating. Also the lies/ half-truth they use to push their products is really unacceptable.

Originally Posted by hikozaru

I would suggest you return the rain jacket and get one the same size as your jacket. I wear a small size Rynox Air GT 4 and a small size H2O pro (the latest one) and it fits me just fine and works perfectly in the rain. Wearing a larger rain jacket is just asking for rain water to get in through the gaps.

Hmm... I get your point, but with my size & shape, I dont see a chance to have folds in the rain jacket, when I sit straight on the bike. The same size as of jacket was kinda hindering movements a bit and the one size up made it a tad bit comfortable.

[kedar3223]

This might be a silly query but assuming one tours on a bike with saddlebags/tail bag/any soft luggage tied with bungee or retaining straps, how do you manage your sightseeing/food breaks? Is the luggage left of the bikes? Asking from security pov.

[shyamg28]

Originally Posted by kedar3223

This might be a silly query but assuming one tours on a bike with saddlebags/tail bag/any soft luggage tied with bungee or retaining straps, how do you manage your sightseeing/food breaks? Is the luggage left of the bikes? Asking from security pov.

0 advices, some experiences.

Past few years, have toured a bit. Mostly soft luggage with the exception of the top box.
Done a few longish day treks leaving luggage + riding gear strapped onto the bike - came back to find it intact.
Au contraire, in an urgency, bungee'd my helmet to my bike and parked it at my office ("secure" parking spot) - came back to find nothing.

I guess what I'm saying is, it depends on your stars with luggage that's insecurely bound to the vehicle.
If you find yourself very worried about this aspect, consider lockable hard luggage as a priority for peace of mind. If you are willing to take the chance, go with soft luggage.
You do get luggage cable locks from SW Motech and other companies. Might be worth considering as well.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by shyamg28

Au contraire, in an urgency, bungee'd my helmet to my bike and parked it at my office ("secure" parking spot) - came back to find nothing.

I guess what I'm saying is, it depends on your stars with luggage that's insecurely bound to the vehicle.

I'd like to add to this if I may.

There is greater empathy and honesty in the countryside than you find in the cities and urban areas. People with less oftentimes know what it means to lose something and are generally way more honest than people who have a lot and just want to make a fast buck or swipe someone's stuff. Be it helmet or luggage or bicycles (or even their lights) and oftentimes even shoes and chappals.

In my touring I have found people in the countryside generally curious and friendly and helpful, while the unpleasant experiences and encounters happen more in the vicinity of towns and cities.

That said, personally forget anything strapped on to my bike, I would not even leave my bike in a strange area untended, or parked in anything that does not have someone overseeing the property or a enclosed compound. In emergencies, like in north Bihar, I have even wheeled my bike into the front area of the "hotel" I slept in.

On a tour, your bike is more than just a bike. Its your lifeline.

Cheers, Doc

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by kedar3223

This might be a silly query but assuming one tours on a bike with saddlebags/tail bag/any soft luggage tied with bungee or retaining straps, how do you manage your sightseeing/food breaks? Is the luggage left of the bikes? Asking from security pov.

I don’t sight see when touring.

I sight see after I have reached destination for the evening.

Anyway I want to get out of my riding gear asap. I don’t want to be hauling all that crap to sight see. It is completely unenjoyable.

For food breaks your bike should be parked in line of sight. Dhabas are the best.

[nikhn]

Purchased a pair of Bull-It Tactical Icon Level 2 riding jeans for my daily commute to the office and for other rides last year. The major benefit I saw with these riding jeans is that I did not have to change over in the office into regular jeans and they were comfortable as regular wear. They were slightly stretchable and no one would even realise I had riding jeans on in the office. However, they were single layered jeans and had no waterproof or windproof liner in them. Riding in the cold or rain would end up freezing my legs. They were alright for the price of around Rs.9000/- after discounts. The knee pads / hip pads were not adjustable in their location and would end up putting pressure on my knee over really long rides (>3 hours). In addition, the mesh lining combined with the kevlar/aramid layer inside became a bit rough over time and would itch all over with sharp needle like protrusions making it uncomfortable for long wear.

The jeans can be seen here.



Almost a year later, the pocket in the jean tore without any effort. At the risk of losing my keys or valuables through this, I decided to contact the seller for a warranty claim as it came with 2 years of warranty. They promptly asked me to return the jeans for inspection. After sending it across, I was told that they would refund the cost I had paid for the jeans. No reason was given and the refund was processed in two days.

Tear in the pocket.


With the money back, I was on the hunt for a new set of riding pants. However, this time, I was looking for an all rounder. One that would allow me to ride in the summer and protect me from the rain and cold freezing temperatures. Came across the RST Ventilator XT riding trousers. Although these are not jeans, these are mesh trousers and come with RSTs proprietary Sinaqua liner that protects majorly from the cold and rain. A removable thermal waterproof liner. There are jeans which do come with a thermal rain liner but end up being very expensive and uncomfortable for daily use.

With the mind finalised on the RST Ventilator XTs, the idea was that I could wear them over my regular jeans and remove them in the office changing rooms. Recent Black Friday offers had me scouring different online stores for good deals. I was able to find a store that price matched what a EU seller was quoting for these trousers. In addition, I had purchased a helmet from them and therefore had collected a few points on their website. This brought down the price of the trousers from an RRP of GBP149 to GBP93. Went a size down as online reviews noted that they were larger than expected. I would have preferred the black grey colour combination but that was not available at this price, so I had to compromise. Received them yesterday and tried them on. The fit is not too tight and not too loose. Just enough space for me to slide in with my regular jeans and this is with the liner included. Build quality seems good. RST are popular here and they seem to have good reviews on their riding gear, so hoping that this one will last a lot longer.

Two zipped pockets in the front. Has a 360 degree zipper to attach to jackets but unfortunately (as expected), does not work with my Richa leather jacket.


AA rated trousers with CE level 2 armour at the hip and knee. The armour location is adjustable.


Comes with an adjustable heel that can expand to accommodate full length riding boots. Note the reflectors near the calf.

[Megamind]

Originally Posted by Megamind

For jacket and pants combined - 25K
Boots will be added down the line for again a 25K.
And my requirement is utterly for touring/long distance riding.

Also the more I read about the gore tex & WP boots, I feel they are sub par in terms of protection in the event of a crash compared to full blown track boots.
I'm yet to experience any of them physically(gore tex & WP) but looking at the way they flex sideways isn't assuring and IMHO they seem to defy the purpose they are made for.
I know it may be inappropriate to say this without even getting my hands on them but just illustrating my thoughts

It's been too long and I've been held up with work travel.
I've bought the RS Taichi explorer jacket after trying out several brands during my work travel and now stuck in deciding on the boots.

After rallying through a lot of reviews, narrowed down to the following;
1. Ryo Trex boots
2. solace speed tech v2
3. xpd sp3-s

Have a budget of 16 to 18K if the boots are really worth it.

Most probably will rule out solace since several comments about them were poor finish.

Is there a better option in this price range?
Not keen on getting adv boots as well considering they won't suit my riding position and they won't be comfortable for long hours of riding.

Can anyone shed some light on how good are the sp3-s?
I see they are in production for more than a decade now.

Unfortunately, I don't have the option to try any of the boots before buying.

By the way I ride a z800 and it's never gonna see track days, touring & weekend rides only.

[BreezeRiDrives]

Originally Posted by nikhn

Purchased a pair of Bull-It Tactical Icon Level 2 riding jeans for my daily commute to the office and for other rides last year. ...
However, they were single layered jeans and had no waterproof or windproof liner in them. Riding in the cold or rain would end up freezing my legs. They were alright for the price of around Rs.9000/- after discounts. The knee pads / hip pads were not adjustable in their location and would end up putting pressure on my knee over really long rides (>3 hours). In addition, the mesh lining combined with the kevlar/aramid layer inside became a bit rough over time and would itch all over with sharp needle like protrusions making it uncomfortable for long wear.
...
Almost a year later, the pocket in the jean tore without any effort. At the risk of losing my keys or valuables through this, I decided to contact the seller for a warranty claim as it came with 2 years of warranty. They promptly asked me to return the jeans for inspection. After sending it across, I was told that they would refund the cost I had paid for the jeans. No reason was given and the refund was processed in two days.
...
With the money back, I was on the hunt for a new set of riding pants. However, this time, I was looking for an all rounder. One that would allow me to ride in the summer and protect me from the rain and cold freezing temperatures. Came across the RST Ventilator XT riding trousers.
Attachment 2538219

Congratulations on your new riding pants. Hope it keeps you safe & comfortable for a long time and be part of your rides every time.

Though you were not completely satisfied with the quality & comfort the Bull-It Tactical Icon Level 2 riding jeans provided, we have to appreciate the positive customer service you received. Kudos to them for refunding the entire amount, even after an entire year of usage, some companies only give brand credits, to buys something else from them and that too prorated amount only many a times.

This also brings up a question in my mind, while I was in the hunt for my gears, some of the stores had told me "if you buy gears on discount, the warranty won't be applicable from the brand on the product" and hence they are not giving any discounts. In this case as nikhn mentioned, he got the jeans on discount and still he got the full amount refund from the brand, so is this "warranty being void" claim that the stores talk about a scam?

[skviknaraj]

Originally Posted by BreezeRiDrives

....
This also brings up a question in my mind, while I was in the hunt for my gears, some of the stores had told me "if you buy gears on discount, the warranty won't be applicable from the brand on the product" and hence they are not giving any discounts. In this case as nikhn mentioned, he got the jeans on discount and still he got the full amount refund from the brand, so is this "warranty being void" claim that the stores talk about a scam?

It depends on the brand and location where the purchase is being made. In the case of nikhn, the purchase was not made in India ( can you confirm nikhn?). More over also if depends who offered the discount, the manufacturer or retailer?

The products that are usually on discount in India are the ones that are damaged or have minor flaws in design or productions, or end of line/model. Selling these items will help them recover the production cost and clear space. Since the product is already flawed, it does not make sense in offering discount right?

But any ways it is always prudent to go through the Fine print of the sale conditions. It is usually mentioned whether the discounted items are covered in warranty or not.

To answer your question, it is not a scam.

[nikhn]

Originally Posted by BreezeRiDrives

Congratulations on your new riding pants. Hope it keeps you safe & comfortable for a long time and be part of your rides every time.

Though you were not completely satisfied with the quality & comfort the Bull-It Tactical Icon Level 2 riding jeans provided, we have to appreciate the positive customer service you received. Kudos to them for refunding the entire amount, even after an entire year of usage, some companies only give brand credits, to buys something else from them and that too prorated amount only many a times.

This also brings up a question in my mind, while I was in the hunt for my gears, some of the stores had told me "if you buy gears on discount, the warranty won't be applicable from the brand on the product" and hence they are not giving any discounts. In this case as nikhn mentioned, he got the jeans on discount and still he got the full amount refund from the brand, so is this "warranty being void" claim that the stores talk about a scam?

Thanks. I purchased the jeans in the UK via Sportsbikeshop. I was surprised when they refunded me the entire cost instead of replacing / repairing the jeans, as that was what I was looking for and that was what was stated by the customer care, initially. Even though the jeans were discounted by the retailer, they are still in stock after a year. So, I expected at least a replacement.

Here in the UK, manufacturers have to provide a 6 month warranty by law for any product sold, irrespective of whether they are discounted or not. Beyond that, it's up to the manufacturer's discretion. The Bull-It jeans came with a 2 year warranty and it had an issue within a year.

My guess is, even in India, as long as the product has warranty, they should honour it, irrespective of whether it was discounted or not. If it's an old stock / model, then it makes sense not to replace as they might not have the same part. However, they should replace it with an equivalent item from their existing stock, although they may charge a price difference. That's how it works in the PC components domain in India. I would be wary of sellers who make claims of discounted products not having warranty. If that is the case, they can always inflate the MRP for every product, offer a discount on it and state that none of the products would have warranty because they are discounted.

Originally Posted by skviknaraj

It depends on the brand and location where the purchase is being made. In the case of nikhn, the purchase was not made in India ( can you confirm nikhn?). More over also if depends who offered the discount, the manufacturer or retailer?