Bought my first bike yesterday.

i got most of my gear from kneedraggers.com. they have good prices and a lot more then most places to choose from. and like the other guy said...dont get a 700 helmet...unless you plan on racing or serious track days. i found that shark helmets are the most comfortable helmets in the 300 price range. cheaper helmets arnt worth it in my experience. they tend to have more flimsy air ducts and weaker peices

 

Someone already posted for New Enough they always have sales. They are really good for jackets, gloves, and boots.
Look at Sportbike track gear; they will have a clearance page on helmets,
Shoei, Arai, Shark, and Scorpion you can pick up a Shoei for less than 400.00 on some models.
Pick a jacket that has good armor, not just the foam stuff, boots are subjective, I would only wear my Alpinestars to the track, and for riding I would wear a set of Magnum Hi-Tech tactical boots with steel toe, I went down with them on and did not sustain any ankle or foot trauma, plus they're light weight, and you can walk around in them when your not riding.
Congrats on the new ride, and keep it shiny side up.
Here are some pictures of a jacket of mine that kept me from getting a bad case of road rash.

 

If you know what you want and already have it sized, then you can shop around online. I use denniskirk.com for parts and some riding gear (gloves and such where fit isn't as much of an issue). I'd get a helmet in person so you can try it on and make sure you have a proper fit. I've had HJC helmets before and they fit great and are fairly quiet. I recently pick-up a KBC hemlet and absolutely love it! It's very comfortable, quiet and cool. Plan on replacing your helmet every 3 years or so and don't drop it or bang it around. Take care of your equipment, it's whats going to save you in a crash. I live in New England so I bought a heavy leather jacket for fall and a mesh riding jacket with padded inserts for the summer.

Nice bike and enjoy the rest of the riding season!

 

Congrats on your new ride.

ATGATT (All The Gear All The Time) is the way to go. Dress for the slide NOT the ride. New enough is and awesome site.

 

screw gear, ride naked.

 

this is where I go. Great deals. Bought my wife a new Joe Rocket Jordan jacket for about $60.

For helmets, I bought mine here:
http://www.helmetshop.com/

I got a Shoei RF1100 helmet for $252 shipped (couple of years ago). The prices listed are the MAP price (manufacturer's advertised price). They cannot advertise below that price. Send them a request for a quote.

For boots, I like the Sidi Strada Evo Air. They have a toe vent that works really well. Plus the boots are light and fairly easy to walk in. You probably won't find them on sale but they're the best boot I've worn.

For gloves, I like the Held Kangaroo skin gloves:
http://www.newenough.com/street/closeouts/last_chance_bargains/held/steve_motorcycle_gloves.html

My jacket is a Motoport Ultra Air 3/4 mesh jacket. Air blows through it real well and it's tough. It's expensive but definitely worth it. The mesh material is very strong (not like a JR Phoenix jacket). The material on mine can scuff lexan.

 

nice.....had a 99 f4 wish i still had

 

To everyone that has replied: A HUGE Thank you! This is alot of very useful information. I've been looking around on all the sites and trying to compare prices but decided that am goin to hold off on buying for now for a few reasons: The riding season here is almost over. Living is Chicago kinda sucks sometimes. The past few days the weather has been in the low 60s and more than likely only gonna get colder. Reason two full coverage insurance for me is about 750, so I think it would make more sense to buy the gear over the off season, have everything I need for next years season and than get the insurance. Once again thank you for the awesome information, and feel free to keep it going if you'd like.

 

I've got a yellow Icon leather jacket that matched my bike, if you're interested I'd be willing to sell it, it's in perfect condition, but since my bike was stolen in Feb, I don't have use for any of my equipment. I also have a helmet and another black alpine stars leather jacket.

 

^PM Sent

 

The end of the riding season might actually be a good time to buy, especially from a dealer. It's a slow time for them when the weather turns bad. You can usually get better deals as they are wanting to clear out stock.

 

So you don't think I could get better deals say around december?

 

No, go looking for equipment at the end of Sept and into October. By December they've already moved all the motorcycle stuff out and restocked the store with snowmobile gear. You'll be hard pressed to find motorcycle gear on the racks in the middle of winter, at least thats the case around here.

 

The comments about not "wasting" your money on high dollar helmets I find to be a bit ridiculous. That's your life. The same goes for most gear - you get what you pay for.

Something to definitely consider is that not all manufacturers gear fits the same. Dainese fits my upper body great - alpinestars lower to mid range stuff is huge in the waist. Try as much stuff on as you can before buying and then call Riders Discount and speak with TJ. You'll be hard pressed to beat some of their deals. They're running a special on the 2-piece A* Octane suit right now for $345 shipped!!!

That's not listed on the site though... gotta call them

Enjoy your bike - do your research on gear - and ride safe, bud

 

Thank you, and so my search continues.

Thank you. and I agree you do get what you pay for. I'm just not intending on spending 1500 on gear since I spent 2600 on the bike. Either way I will end up doing a ton of research as I usually do, and I wouldn't doubt I'll be asking more questions for advice and opinions from the TW members.

 

cool bike. dont kill yourself. or let others kill you.

 

I can't speak for others on here but the high dollar helmets I'd avoid are the ones with the fancy paint job jacking up the price. NEVER compromise on quality, especially for a helmet. You do get what you pay for but to me it's pointless to pay $800 for a $300 helmet with a fancy paint job when you'll have to replace it in a few years anyways. As long as it's SNELL certified, you're getting a good, safe helmet.

 

Gentleman I did some searching around and found a jacket that I like and a helmet. Opinions?

Scorpion Jacket $114.99 - [FONT=&quot]http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/1/1/39/10927/ITEM/Scorpion-Hat-Trick-Jacket.aspx?sst=RR|10927[/FONT]

Scorpion Helmet $109.77 - [FONT=&quot]http://www.motosport.com/motorcycle/product/SCORPION-EXO700-HELMET-RIVET/?catalogId=106079[/FONT]

 

Pretty good reviews on both. I have a scorpion helmet, pretty comfy

 

Do you think that jacket is good for safety?