Riding Gear

[dru_]

Ok, so we've got our scooters, and many of us are new to this wierd, wonderful world of Scooters, where we find ourselves in the no man/woman's land between the 'real' bikes and the sport/sport touring bikes. Now it's time to gear up. Obviously, you've got your helmets, but what about other gear, both on the bike and on you.

Storage seems to be a big one for the scooters, and it looks like the Givi's are the brand for topcases, but what about side cases and saddle bags?

Next up, apparel. Looking around, I see alot of gear that's incredible for protection, but beyond boots, gloves and a jacket, I'm not sure how much of it is necessary for a commuting rider, I mean when I think about a scoot, somehow lowsiding around a corner at 80+ mph doesn't seem like a very high likely hood. More likely, I need to worry about trash from the road, or going down at low speed. Based on that, and weather...

So I'm shopping for some good gear. Right now, I'm wearing a decent protective jacket ( http://www.six-gear.com/track.htm ) and a pair of cheap gloves. Just wearing some good steel toed work boots to protect the ankles. What I'm curious about, is what is the rest of the Buddy community wearing ?

[vitaminC]

I will be wearing the gear from my motorcycle.

Helmet: KBC VR1 , in yellow.

Gloves: some Held gloves, but impatiently awaiting the arrival of my Helimot gloves.

Jacket: from my 2-peice Aerostich Roadcrafter.

Pants: will probably be bad an just wear jeans, though they're not as protective as my Stich pants.

Boots: Some old Triumph m-cycle boots.

Just because you're riding a scooter, don't think that you should scimp on or eliminate gear!

[rickyd410]

So, I'm a newbie to riding as well, and would like to know the importance of over the ankle boots? Is it if you fall you dont get your ankles skinned up? Or is it something else?

[dru_]

I'm not an expert, but the ankle boots are more to protect you from breaking the ankle when putting the foot down in emergency, or even normal situations during deceleration.

[vitaminC]

Like hands, ankles are very hard to surgically repair if broken. So good boots will keep your ankle correctly oriented/protected should you have a spill, reducing your chance of severe foot injuries. Also useful if you happen to drop something heavy (like your scoot) on your foot!

[xkennx]

Like vitaminC noted, just because your on a scooter doesnt mean that it isnt any less danger then being on a motorcycle. The road is still a road, a car's bumper is still a bumper no matter if your on 50cc, 125cc, or 1000+cc's.

I admit from time I just jump on and ride in shorts and tshirt. But if I plan on doing a ride or riding with a group of people I will get geared up.

I usally wear my Icon jacket that can take the pads out, i have an alpinestar jacket but I do not like the high collars.





also make sure you get a set of gloves that fit well. Its not a fashon show and dont buy stuff that just looks cool, make sure its stuff that fits you the right way. To tight and you cant move, to big and it wont protect you.

[AxeYrCat]

I currently ride in a PowerTrip TT jacket like this one:

($99 at RapidRacer.com)

I've got an Xpeed helmet on my melon, but I ordered one of the Shoei TZ-R's -- which, much to my chagrin, are currently back-ordered for a few weeks, at least in the terrifyingly bright 'Pure Orange' color that I ordered.


I have a pair of Olympia gloves like these:



However, I'm an idiot about leggings and footwear: I tend to wear jeans and sneakers.

[dru_]

Right now, I'm using my brother's old race gloves, until I find something that better suits me , and the work boots that I wear actually look and feel safer than the cycle gear that I see. These things are heavy leather with steel reinforced toes, and hard plastic ankle plates in the leather. Between those and the six-gear jacket, I'm in good shape. Gloves are still the struggle. Finding the right glove and the right fit.

So far the ones I seem to be gravitating towards are the longer wrist and reinforced wrist and fingers (I'm a programmer so my hands are a big part of my livelyhood, they must be protected).

The next question, is a silly one. Where does everyone carry their cell phones while riding? I've got mine stashed in a little snap closable cell phone bag clipped to my helmet hook to keep it from going anywhere. I've seen that alot of the jackets have pockets for them. Thoughts ?

[peabody99]

I am happy to not have access to the phone for once! However, if I must, I have it in the little compartment in front of me on the Buddy.

[AxeYrCat]

My phone stays in my pocket while riding.

Granted, I don't answer it or even look at it, but that's where I keep it.

[BoneGirl]

I actually bought a full armoured Pink Tourmaster Cortech LRX jacket on line ($110.00) but then I found a leather full armored Teknic Venom (white with pink and black) on sale at Iron Pony in Columbus for $70.00 (instead of $300) and had to have it as well. They both have liners that zip out but they are pretty warm during the day. I figure you can go down anytime, anywhere and I don't want to take the chance of leaving too much skin streetside. I admit I have ridden with the Scooter Club in a t-shirt and shorts but feel "naked" after wearing the jackets and jeans most of the time.

[dahuffy]

I'm having a tough time finding a Woman's jacket that's made to fit a "mature" figure.....if you know what I mean.

[Dave R]

I have sold riding gear for over 25 years to both new and experienced riders alike. The one thing that to this day bugs me the most is the attitude I have heard more than once..."I don't need all that gear, I don't plan on crashing" !!!! It is never something you plan on, trust me.. Asking how important it is to protect, ankles, hands, head, legs or feet is crazy ! Which body part can you spare ? Go outside and run and tumble on the pavement in your shorts and no gloves.....how ya feeling ?
OK, off the soapbox...........
To answer the question, please consider always wearing long pants minimum (check out draggin jeans), boots with ankle protection, proper fitting gloves that will not fly off your hands in a tumble, a jacket with built in armor, extra padding at a minimum in critical areas, zipped up. Ane lets not forget your head ! Eyes too !
What I have found is that proper fit is more important than anything.. no matter how good the gear is if it doesn't stay in place when needed (remember now, we don't plan crashes) then it isn't worth a dime..

[soundofsingles]

I just sold my motorcycle and bought a Buddy, so I come to scootering with all of my motorcycle gear. I've also done a lot of cycling and I will say that you can't underestimate the value of a good set of gloves.

The one motorcycle accident that I had was at a low speed (under 25 miles an hour) and I was still scraped up and bleeding under my jeans. Luckily I was wearing a helmet and gloves. So don't skimp on protective gear.

I live in the Southeast and when it's in the hight 90s it's hard to put on a jacket so I bought one from Joe Rocket that's a ballistic mesh material with padding in the elbows and back. It's still kinda hot at stop lights, but as soon as I get moving it's not too bad. Add certainly better than roadrash.

On another note, compared to a motorcyle, the storage space on the Buddy seems cavernous to me. I can actually throw my messenger bag in the underseat storage area while I'm driving.

[ericalm]

Unfortunately, ample protective gear is an expense most people don't consider when buying a scoot; I know I didn't think beyond getting a half helmet. You could easily spend the cost of a Buddy on a good helmet, full gear, luggage and accessories. So I've had to piece together my gear over the past year. For Mrs. Ericalm and her new scoot we're being a bit smarter and gearing her up from day 1. And let me tell you, she's not happy that I won't let ride in heels.

Maybe I'm shallow, but I don't like wearing gear festooned with bright graphics and logos and tend to eschew anything that might make me look like a sport bike rider. Style is a factor on some level but obviously not as important as function. Additionally, I don't have thousands of dollars to spend on gear.

I wear a Joe Rocket Orbit armored textile jacket in the warmer months. It's a discontinued model, all black, available for a mere $49 at newenough.com. New Enough usually has all kinds of gear available at closeout prices.

I can wear a light jacket or hoodie under the Orbit, which also has a zip-out thermal vest. I can also wear the Orbit under my old Johnson Leathers motorcycle jacket or my parka, giving me extra armored padding. My next jacket will likely be a Corazzo bomber, available at many fine stores and Metroscoot.com (when their site actually works). I like the look of that PowerTrip TT, too!

For just about everything else, I window shop online then set up an eBay search. This has netted me a great pair of heavy-soled Puma leather boots, gloves, an Ogio backpack and three good helmets, none of which I paid over $50 for. The only thing I haven't been able to buy this way is a full face helmet, because I've yet to find one that fits my freakish head.

[dru_]

Man, this is exactly what I was hoping to get out of this thread, lots of good discussion about gear, and why


Dave, you make a great point, and while I don't wear reinforced jeans, I do wear long pants or jeans every time I ride.

I actually come to scooters from YEARS of riding, and some racing bicycles. I've got the road rash to prove it . Those lessons taught me the importance of good gear. Maybe we should get various owners to start writing up some of their favorite gear for reviews for new riders ?

[Icelander]

I rode for a week with only a helmet and sunglasses, and even if you don't plan on crashing, the right gear makes riding a lot more comfortable. A good jacket, a good pair of gloves, and eye protection makes it even more fun to ride a Buddy.

Besides, I get really great looks from cagers because of my goggles.

Oh, I've got a Joe Rocket Orbit jacket, Olympia gloves and HJC goggles with a Bell helmet. Picked up the first three up for $115 (with shipping) from NewEnough.com, and the last one I bought when I got my scooter.

[dahuffy]

Only a Helmet and Sunglasses didn't you get cold ?

[AxeYrCat]

[Icelander]

Well, I was getting some strange looks from the cagers!

[BoneGirl]

Hey, Deb! Scroll down towards the end and check these guys out at the Scooter Rally we went to a couple weeks ago; now the three of them didn't even have the sunglasses or helmet!! Tee! Hee!

http://scoot.net/gallery/2006/08/rollinthehay/NakD_DaV/

[dahuffy]

Please, always remember to wear your life jacket!

[sunshinen]

Haha! Who needs a Hit Air when you can just wear a lifejacket!! (Hey, they're relatively cheap and bright.)

I agree, I have no ambition to look like a racer and prefer something that at least looks relaxed and casual, which is why I went with the Corazzo hoodie. (Ok, really I'm just a sucker for anything with a hood.) I have never seen metroscoot.com actually up and running, but found Corazzos at http://www.scomo.net/. I ordered it over the weekend and it arrived on Wednesday!

So, I haven't actually worn it on my scoot yet, but here are my out of the box impressions. I think this will be great in moderate-to-cool weather, probably not the best for peak of summer as the only vents are under the arms, but I wore it around the house for a bit last night and never got hot. The hood has sinch straps and the fleece on the inside makes it comfy, cozy. I've supermanned off a mountain bike before, and I have to say, the elbow pads (for other newbies like me, these actually cover the elbow and a good portion of the forearm) are quite comforting. The only downsides are lack of back padding and I can see room for slippage if I'm not wearing something thick underneath, but... I'm tiny.

Any suggestions for good boots for small feet (women's 5.5, European 36) and good gloves for extrasmall hands?

[Sailn]

Thanks for the tip about newenough.com. The closeout prices are pretty good.

[Dave R]

Oxtar Sunray boots for women are a nice choice ! For the vertically challenged, they have built in platforms or risers.... looks like a standard tour boot but gives you a lift ! We stock these and others if you have any questions. We also carry a big selection of riding gear for women

[avidgirl]

Does anyone have any commuter specific gear recommendations? I've got a Corazzo jacket and a full face helment and good gloves but am shopping around for boots and pants (also already have gortex rain suit).

I can't show up at work wearing the same pants and boots each day so I was wondering if there were any types of pants that I could put on over my work clothes? Any boots that look not-so-clunky?

I commute into NYC by train and don't have a facility at my station where I can change clothes, so I'm limited. I also don't want to drag a duffle bag back and forth to work. It gets to be too much when you are at work or commuting for 11+ hours a day.

Obviously safety is my main concern so I've got to find gear that I can ride with each day. I would love to hear about the gear that other scooter commuters use.

Thanks!

[vitaminC]

I can't show up at work wearing the same pants and boots each day so I was wondering if there were any types of pants that I could put on over my work clothes? Any boots that look not-so-clunky?

What you want to find are "overpants." As the name implies, these can go on over whatever pants/shorts you happen to be wearing, and usuaully have long side zippers to facilitate easy ingress and egress. You can probably find something for a reasonable price from Joe Rocket; as mentioned above, new enough is a good source for gear.
Something like these might work for you.

For shoes, have you considered just leaving an extra pair at the office? That's what I usually do, though no one would ever ask me for "style" advice!

[angieyou3]

have any of the females here bought male riding jackets? how do they fit? will it protect me the same as buying a female made jacket? I only ask because I cannot stand womens jackets that get smaller at the waist, or have some sort of flare to them. Drives me insane. That is the last place i want to feel restricted, especially when sittin on a bike. I like the look of the corazzo (sp?) a lot and I would like to buy the mens version, but dont know if it will protect me all the same should I lay my bike down (god forbid)

[ericalm]

have any of the females here bought male riding jackets? how do they fit? will it protect me the same as buying a female made jacket? I only ask because I cannot stand womens jackets that get smaller at the waist, or have some sort of flare to them. Drives me insane. That is the last place i want to feel restricted, especially when sittin on a bike. I like the look of the corazzo (sp?) a lot and I would like to buy the mens version, but dont know if it will protect me all the same should I lay my bike down (god forbid)

Unfortunately, a lot of men's jackets are built narrow at the waist and wide at the shoulders. This doesn't feel or look too good on my cylindrical torso. My advice: go to dealers/shops and try them on, then look for better deals online (kind of my m.o. with everything).

As far as protecting you as well as a woman's jacket, I imagine as long as it fits well -- doesn't hang so loose anywhere that the armor or padding moves around and it's all in the proper place -- you should be good.

[BoneGirl]

Shop at local shops if available. When my husband and I were looking for jackets we discovered the armored arms in the men's were quite big and bulky, even when you cinch them close (ex. Tourmaster textile coats). The problem he has is whenever he rides. the jacket arms are so big he can't see in his mirrors. He loves the jacket but it is a pain not being able to utilize the mirrors as well. We have been searching high and low for mirrors but there doesn't seem to be anything yet on the market (but that's a different topic altogether ).

[Dave R]

My advice: go to dealers/shops and try them on, then look for better deals online (kind of my m.o. with everything).

Or you could at least ask your dealer to match or come close in price !
This kind of behaviour is what will eventualy force your "local" merchant to go bye-bye ... what ever they sell ! Kind of nice IMPO to form a face to face relationship with your customer... What happens when they're no longer there to allow you to sneak in and try on the gear that they pay to have on hand conviently for you to "size up" ?? I have to tell you that there are very few dealers out there who are making a fortune in the business, especially not your single line or scooter only stores !! Give your local guy a break, give him some business, give them a chance to be competitive ! 9 times out of 10 they are dealers because they are passionate about what they sell !

[ericalm]

My advice: go to dealers/shops and try them on, then look for better deals online (kind of my m.o. with everything).

Or you could at least ask your dealer to match or come close in price !
This kind of behaviour is what will eventualy force your "local" merchant to go bye-bye ... what ever they sell ! Kind of nice IMPO to form a face to face relationship with your customer... What happens when they're no longer there to allow you to sneak in and try on the gear that they pay to have on hand conviently for you to "size up" ?? I have to tell you that there are very few dealers out there who are making a fortune in the business, especially not your single line or scooter only stores !! Give your local guy a break, give him some business, give them a chance to be competitive ! 9 times out of 10 they are dealers because they are passionate about what they sell !

(I apologize in advance to all for the following slightly off-topic response, especially if this thread gets hijacked into a debate about where to buy rather than what to buy. Maybe that would be best moved elsewhere.)

I certainly encourage people to purchase from their local dealers when possible and practical. I have purchased scooters from both local scoot-only dealers, Vespa Sherman Oaks and NoHo Scooters, and will be giving NoHo as much business as I can. I refer friends and curious strangers to both shops when asked about my scoot. And yes, it is often worth paying a little extra for something in order to support a local business and to get superior customer service. When I needed an oil filter, I paid $16 at Vespa when I could have got it online for $9. Okay.
Neither local shop has an extensive line of riding gear or apparel, though. While NoHo carries Corazzo jackets, Vespa has none. My best bet was to look online.

So I'm not trying to force local dealers out of business, take money away from them or even push them to lower prices. When I'm ready to buy my Corazzo, I will go to NoHo to do so because not only do I like "the little guy" (and even appreciate the fact that the fast-selling Buddy is itself good competition for Vespa) but also because their prices are fair and comparable to what everyone else is charging. I'd even go as far as saying I'd pay as much as a $40 "premium" for something like this.

I don't support companies such as Wal-Mart and other megachains which I believe intentionally force local buinesses to go under. Maybe this makes me a hypocrite, but I really don't think this is the same thing.

The implication that it's somehow harmful or wrong to try on a jacket or other item in one place then purchase it elsewhere strikes me as odd. People do this all the time with all kinds of consumer goods (electronics, cars, clothing) whether or not the "elsewhere" happens to be online. Is it the online part that you specifically take issue with?

As true as it is that "few dealers are making a fortune," most of us don't HAVE one, including those who can't drop $600 on a Dainese leather jacket or even $300 for a Ducati one. For high-dollar items the price difference between retail and online can be $100 and higher.

In the instance of the leather PowerTrip jacket my wife just bought, most retailers were asking $270 or $250, but we snagged it for $140 at New Enough. They're not exactly the Wal-Mart of rider gear and they allow us to support the forums by giving $1 to ModernVespa.com. Most of my other purchases of this nature are from similar outlets, small dealers in other locales or from individuals on eBay. And I definitely encourage people, even when shopping online, to support sellers active in the scooter community such as MotorSport, ScooterWorks and so on.

At some point we have to make decisions as consumers and, for me, when the potential savings is in the $100 range, I can't afford NOT to take the better deal. Had I dropped a couple grand on gear when I got my Vespa last October it's a pretty sure bet we wouldn't have bought a Buddy from NoHo less than a year later. Saving money on gear is one factor that helps make scooting affordable for me. I'm not trying to employ this twisted logic to suggest that having potential customers buy their gear cheaper online is beneficial to brick & mortar dealers because then they'll come back and buy more scooters. They probably won't.

Unfortunately it's in the interest of consumers to both support local business (dealers), AND to use available tools to find the best deals/prices available. I try to do both, futile as that may be. I also admit that it's one of those problematic issues (like globalization or environmentalism) that I may not ever resolve to my own satisfaction.

[dru_]

My advice: go to dealers/shops and try them on, then look for better deals online (kind of my m.o. with everything).

Or you could at least ask your dealer to match or come close in price !
This kind of behaviour is what will eventualy force your "local" merchant to go bye-bye ... what ever they sell ! Kind of nice IMPO to form a face to face relationship with your customer... What happens when they're no longer there to allow you to sneak in and try on the gear that they pay to have on hand conviently for you to "size up" ?? I have to tell you that there are very few dealers out there who are making a fortune in the business, especially not your single line or scooter only stores !! Give your local guy a break, give him some business, give them a chance to be competitive ! 9 times out of 10 they are dealers because they are passionate about what they sell !

Yeah, unfortunately, some local dealers don't 'get' that either though .

[dru_]

I should mention that I have a 'concept' for a scooter dealership here that I'm going to try if I can get funds together.

I'm going to share since I think it's a good idea, and if someone beats me to it, I can live with it.

The thing about people that ride is that they are a community, and for a shop to go beyond 'making ends meet' and into the 'thriving' category, you need to embrace that community. I think that requires several things to dovetail together.

1) a retail presence that caters to when people ride, not what's convenient to the owner. So, say Tues - Thursday, 11AM - 7PM, Fri 11AM - 9PM, Sat - Sun 7AM - 9PM.

2) the retail presence requires an effective online presence the accurately reflects on hand inventory in the store and is more than a brochure.

3) an online forum that puts customers, riders and staff together, much like this community but more local.

4) organized rides sponsored by the dealer, starting and ending at the dealer (there is a tie in here)

5) gear, gear and more gear. Something that most dealers around here forget is that gear needs replacement more often than the bikes. If you have a good selection and an online presence, you should be able to generate as much revenue on gear, especially last minute gear needed the day of a ride, as you can on bikes.

6) understanding the community aspect, take a page out of Barnes & Noble's book and part of the store is a cafe/deli.

So, here's the basic idea, a shop in the back left quarter for service, about 600sq ft, the bike's on display in the front left quarter half of the store, then the right side of the store is gear, bathrooms, and deli with a little outdoor patio seating out front by the scooter and motorcycle parking.

The idea here is that the deli/cafe becomes a bit of a 'hangout' for coffee & lunch or a light dinner after a ride, or a light breakfast before a ride. This should generate some revenue, as well as provide some community, you might even want to have a couple of iMac's with internet access set up for quick email or forum checks. That should in turn increase pedestrian traffic, which should increase impulse buys on gear, and even impulse buys on the scooters.

The second part of this, is that it becomes a self feeding advertisement, because scooters out an about helps to establish them to potential buyers, and the other things are there to help drive additional revenue.

The problem, as I see it, with most dealers right now is that they are predominantly Motorcycle shops that also sell scooters, or they are Scooter dealers that don't see the bigger picture about the community (at least around here that seems to be the case).

From what I've read, here and elsewhere, there are dealerships addressing some of this, but noone seems to be taking it to the logical next step.

Admittedly, location is a big deal.

For me location seems to be a no brainer, between Hwy 9 and 400N, south of Dawsonville, preferably closer to Alpharetta (where there is more disposable income per capita). This puts the location between the non-highway and highway routes into the north georgia mountains, which is the motorcycle capital of the southeast, for Harley's, Sport Bikes and Tourers. While the Alpharetta, Crabapple, Milton areas are ripe for Scooter rides through the art and antique stores and around by the horse farms in the area.

There is a even a good storefront available right now, the problem is funding it, but I'm working on it.

Starting in small bits is a start though, and since I'm technical in background, I'm starting with what I know. Building up some of the technology pieces that will be needed...

[Valgal20]

Ok, So im new to the scooter world- But should I shave my legs and wear matching underwear to scooter rallys? Because most of the scooter rally pictures Iv seen has atleast one naked person (guy) running about. Is it only tradition for men to stip? Is this volentary? Or is there an official nudist representative for each chapter? Are scooters Intoxicating? Can one be pulled over for scooter intoxication? Are there naked scooter riding contests and what are the rules? Are there any other things I should be warned about?

[ericalm]

Ok, So im new to the scooter world- But should I shave my legs and wear matching underwear to scooter rallys? Because most of the scooter rally pictures Iv seen has atleast one naked person (guy) running about. Is it only tradition for men to stip? Is this volentary? Or is there an official nudist representative for each chapter? Are scooters Intoxicating? Can one be pulled over for scooter intoxication? Are there naked scooter riding contests and what are the rules? Are there any other things I should be warned about?

There actually are some annual nude rides in some cities. Google it if you're really that curious!

Are scooters intoxicating? Yes. And addictive. You get one, then want more. Then other scooter people apply the peer pressure. I got a PM today from someone trying to tempt me with vintage Vespas...