SneakyDingo
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 6, 2021
- Messages
- 1,573
Time to talk gear:
Helmet - Scorpion EXO-AT950. Bought for the flip up modular aspect, I really like this helmet but it is a little noisy.
Neck - wool buff. Switched to a synthetic one in colder weather. Keeps me warm, limits dust ingress, protects from neck sunburn.
Protection - unlike both Bo and Church, I was in full vented textile gear, top and bottom - an old Sidici set I had for a few years… just in case I had to throw it out at the end of the trip. This gear is “45 mph” gear - it’ll reduce severity of most slide injuries below 45 mph. Has a hole in it from where I tested that theory once. Although inconvenient, the pants protected my legs from tree branches, rocks, sunburn, and most importantly, wind on the knees which from experience makes for an incredibly painful long distance trip experience if you don’t protect the knees. I had considered just using knee pads but I’m glad I didn’t after getting hit too many times in the shins.
Gloves - I also wore summer full finger gloves. Church got some sunburn on his hands.
Boots - the lower it was on my body, the more important the gear was. I have some BMW Motorrad boots that are just… incredibly comfortable.
It may seem extravagant sometimes but good gear encourages comfort and protects. “Enduring” unnecessary difficulty increases fatigue, and encourages mistakes. Things like a good quality seat, good gear, and being comfortable are as much an investment into long distance safety as they are a more enjoyable experience.
One other aspect of the vented textile pants that was handy - after a full day of riding, I’d sometimes duck out to get some food. The vented textile pants have different contact points to the seat; so I didn’t dread getting back on the bike to get dinner, because the bike seat was physically touching different parts of my body. If I had two different sets of pants, changing mid ride probably would have helped with comfort too.
Helmet - Scorpion EXO-AT950. Bought for the flip up modular aspect, I really like this helmet but it is a little noisy.
Neck - wool buff. Switched to a synthetic one in colder weather. Keeps me warm, limits dust ingress, protects from neck sunburn.
Protection - unlike both Bo and Church, I was in full vented textile gear, top and bottom - an old Sidici set I had for a few years… just in case I had to throw it out at the end of the trip. This gear is “45 mph” gear - it’ll reduce severity of most slide injuries below 45 mph. Has a hole in it from where I tested that theory once. Although inconvenient, the pants protected my legs from tree branches, rocks, sunburn, and most importantly, wind on the knees which from experience makes for an incredibly painful long distance trip experience if you don’t protect the knees. I had considered just using knee pads but I’m glad I didn’t after getting hit too many times in the shins.
Gloves - I also wore summer full finger gloves. Church got some sunburn on his hands.
Boots - the lower it was on my body, the more important the gear was. I have some BMW Motorrad boots that are just… incredibly comfortable.
It may seem extravagant sometimes but good gear encourages comfort and protects. “Enduring” unnecessary difficulty increases fatigue, and encourages mistakes. Things like a good quality seat, good gear, and being comfortable are as much an investment into long distance safety as they are a more enjoyable experience.
One other aspect of the vented textile pants that was handy - after a full day of riding, I’d sometimes duck out to get some food. The vented textile pants have different contact points to the seat; so I didn’t dread getting back on the bike to get dinner, because the bike seat was physically touching different parts of my body. If I had two different sets of pants, changing mid ride probably would have helped with comfort too.