Buying new gear for beginners.
 

I have a few questions.
(1) Where to buy new gear in US (or are there comparable places here. Bayside Perf?)
(2) AlphineStar consider quite good? I was planning on just getting one brand.
(3) The bikes at ChopShop generally pretty okay?

I have gotten my Class 6 by riding those honda rebels over 1 week. I am quite scared to die by riding so please help me. :)

I am looking at the following 'buy' items:
Shoie Helmet
AlpineStar Leather 1/2 piece suit
AlpineStar Gloves
AlpineStar Boots
Some kind of bike from ChopShop

And I will be doing only 50-110km/hr.

I've got nothing but good things to say about Bayside Performance. Always great deals and good luagh's everytime I drop by.

Alpinestars and Shoei have great quality products, but not always for those looking to stay within a certain budget. (Not sure if you are as you didn't say)

Just make sure whatever gear you buy it fits the way it should, don't ever talk yourself into buying something that's a different size "cause it's on sale" or something, you will ultimately regret it.

Good Luck.

www.sportbiketrackgear.com

they have video reviews on almost every product they sell. it's very helpful to say the least.

Definitely go into a shop and try some stuff on. I was so glad I did when buying a helmet. Shoei was nice, yet Arai fit like a glove, an exquisite velvety glove. More than I wanted to spend, yet absolutely worth it.

I bought the rest of my gear online from motorcycle-superstore.com. Ships fast and cheap/free to Point Roberts, then I drive over and get it and usually pickup other cheap stuff I've ordered from the US too. Lots of reviews, and sign up for the emails so you'll know when a sale is on.

So far I have gotten mostly lucky on sizing cause I read the reviews before buying to know if I have to buy a size up or down. For gloves I got the size wrong. Tried Alpinestars to start, fit too tight, even one size up. Now have Teknics and LOVE them.

I'm looking at Alpinestars boots next and will probably find a local shop to try them on first. I hear they fit bigger than Sidi and I have wide feet.

I have looked at ordering from Bayside online since you can return the items directly to the retail store rather than mailing back. I want to order Sartso jeans and will probably order via Bayside so I can return them easily if they don't fit well.

revzilla gives you zilla dollars to use towards your next purchase whereas sportbiketrackgear does not. They both offer youtube reviews on most of their products as well.

Sportbiketrackgear had a special on then A* Rc-1 ( entry level suit great for track and street riding) suit which retailed 999.99 on sale for 599.99? Most sizes and colours are sold out though.

I've got brand new Alpine stars GP Plus gloves for sale, size medium. Never used. Asking $200. PM me

you guys are most helpful. bayside have an RF1100 on sale for $398 usd.

newenough.com is another good site, renamed to motorcyclegear.com

Don't worry about getting the same brand. The only thing I'd want the same brand for is pants and jacket if you're planning on zipping them together. Otherwise pick the brand that is most comfortable. Alpinestars fits tight and slim in clothing and wide in boots.

New rider here and I don't wanna get off topic, but I just wanna say, being "scared to die on a bike" is not a good thing.

Sure, I am too, but I don't think about that when I ride. That would get me killed. Focus on the roads, lol.

Anyways, yea.. Like they said. Try it on. Try it on and sit on a bike. Coz your gear is going to be used for on a bike.

Oh, if you're wearing glasses, try to shoulder check with them on (obviously inside the helmet). When I first started, I had a hard time adjusting because my frames would block some parts of my peripheral vision.

I suggest to get pants too if you have the money, if not then jeans are alright i guess but in a really bad situation they could tear up. If you don't like the look of leather pants or textile pants maybe look into some kevlar jeans. Alpinestars has some kevlar denim. I'm planning on getting myself one for this season.

I'm a beginner rider too. Ish. Still don't have a big bike yet.
It's been just over 1 year on a scooter. I'm geared up pretty good.

Bell Star
RS Taichi 824 Leather-hybrid jacket (1.3mm leather)
Held Phantoms
Alpinestar Kevlar jeans
Icon boots

People harass me of overgearing, but I think a scooter's more dangerous than a bike.
Less stable, potholes toss you around like a rag doll, no gas tank to cushion your body for sudden stops. Poor center of gravity. Slow acceleration in dangerous spots like left turns.


While we're on the subject of gear.
I really like my held phantoms, they are amazing gloves, but I'm not sure if the fit is off. The little wrist bone protector seems to restrict my hand's backwards movement. The gloves are broken in and this still feels odd to me. Is this normal?


Also the alpinestar kevlar jeans are ok. But I've got 3 beefs with them.
1. They are lined, so once it warms up, I'll need something with venting.
2. Knee protection is decent, while the foam pads are really big, there is no padding on the outside of the knee. Just in the front.
3. I wish there was hip protection. I haven't been able to find any lined jeans with hip cushions.


If you guys have any advice, I would very much appreciate it!

Is Modern still open?

If they are, try dropping in on their location and getting one of Aaron's famous "combo deals".

He saved me a lot of $$, and is actually knowledgeable in what he sells!

+1 for motorcycle superstore. Good selection and price can't be beat. Sometimes it is hard to pick the right sizing. I would go to the local shops ie Carter Motorsports, richmond motorsports to see what they have and try on the sizing and just order it online. :fullofwin:

Modern is still opened. Yup! :)

In all honesty, when looking at boots, I haven't found it worth it to buy them online. New Enough usually has the cheapest prices but going into a local store and spending $20 more beats having to order a product online and waiting for shipment. Not to mention, warranty can be dealt directly with the store you buy it from locally.

I've shopped at Bayside as well as Imperial Motorcycles. Bayside guys are great and know their stuff and their website filled with inventory and prices is a huge advantage over other stores. However, Imperial Motorcycle has ALWAYS beat their prices (in my case.)

As for my gear, I'm currently riding with a Shoei RF-1000 helmet, Icon Textile Jacket, and Alpinestars SMX-5 boots. I am looking to purchase this within the next few weeks:

Icon Field Armor

I would also suggest saving up for this bad boy:

Motorcycle Suit

I'm looking at the SMX-5 waterproof boots. They are $250 USD (motorcycle superstore) or $300 CND (bayside), plus I usually don't pay duty/taxes when crossing at Point Bob so that could be ~$90 savings.

If there's somewhere else local I can pick this us let me know, otherwise I'm going to order soon.

They are a good place to buy stuff from when they have closeout sales. I bought my Sidi B2 boots for $129 and my Alpinestars SP1 gloves for $79, and a Scorpion leather jacket for $139 on closeout there.

I know Imperial Motorcycles sells the SMX-5 waterproof boots, I tried on a pair when I was there, but I opted for the non-waterproof SMX-5 version. Seeing as I don't wanna brave the rain just yet :)

I believe they were around $280 CAD and ordering a proper size only took about 2-3 working days to arrive.

don't limit yourself to just a brand. Make sure you try everything on first before buying. Bayside is pretty good at coming close to matching online prices. SO much out there. Talk to the shop to see what they can do for you on your budget. Modern on Commercial does carry Alpinestars if you want to try some of it on.

Thanks for all the inputs. I looked at all the online store and the local stores, after factoring in the gas to get to blaine and the possible 12% HST that I might have to pay bringing in $1k+ worth of new stuff across, I ended up getting some of the stuff from bayside performance.

Shoei RF-1100
Alpinestars GP Plus Mens
Alpinestars S-MX 5

Now I have a question, the leather suits (one or two piece) are supposed to be skin tight, but what about the armor... you wear it on the outside? I am most interested in the reinforced spine you can buy.

:whistle:

^

leather suits have all armor under the leather, with the exception of knee pucks and some shoulder protection on certain suits. you should generally make sure that theres enough room inside for a spine protector (knox makes the best ones), as the foam pads that come with leather suits are pretty much useless.

Shoei , arai , suomy are the best brands to save ur head..the others are rated for the same almost but arn't that that extra level ...suomy is the best vent ur gonna have though ...on a hot summer day thats what you would want

I'm curious if its ok to buy motorcyle helmets in the states... I've heard that the helmets must be CSA approved but searched up and canada doesn't certify motorcycle helmets anymore...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorcycle_helmet

I know you have to have a helmet that has to have SNELL sticker.

But my main point is if its ok to buy a helmet from the states and use it in canada?

sigh i gotta search more thoroughly

Thanks