What are the favorites of people for rider protection? I.E. Boots, Chest, Shoulders, Gloves, Knees,...
Buy what fits you, is comfortable to you, and protects you to the extent you want. Asking your questions is like asking a group of 1000 people what they'd like to have for lunch.
What about a body armor? Inside the jacket or separate for more versatility? I assume that this question is in line with the first question, if not please delete this post.
Ok this is what I wear. I remove the armor and wear this underneath. I have some joe rocket pants. I wear these knee armor. And some motocross boots. I have a rain suit to go over all of it. I bring 2 pairs of gloves. Warm heated gloves and dirt type of gloves. So I can set up camp and go riding in warm weather without the hot gear on.
Sorry, I should be more specific. I'll change topic name. ***EDIT*** It wouldn't let me change the topic name. That is what I am interested in. I have zero experience with off road riding and am looking to understand the benefits or shortcomings of armor and what I realistically need when dual sport riding. Under the jersey, over the jersey?
Nice! This what I was wondering. I have a similar jacket with road pads inside. Is that comfortable enough for all day rides? I am guessing yes as you are on a KLR650. Is that the Fox Titan? ***EDIT*** Yeah having that as a one piece unit you can throw on and then wear a jersey or jacket over changes everything. Does it have a number of adjustments so you can fit it all right or do the protectors just lay where they lay? Do the knee armor work with a normal MX style boot or are they to long?
I had looked at something like this below and it was recommended to me. Then I saw some guys/gals wearing stuff with shoulder protection similar. http://www.amazon.com/Fox-Racing-Su...1358801120&sr=8-1&keywords=fox+titan+subframe
Thanks a lot for your view on this! This is exactly what I was thinking as well! Few questions though. Last time I wore those knee protectors I was 12 and running those inline skate things. The knee protecters were held in place with some Velcro. How about your protectors? Are they held in place with just a couple of straps? Is that secure enough? Because I can imagine that it gets loose, or slides when you crash, or if you go on rough roads. I don't really get the pants part. I can see myself riding in your body armor with just a jersey over it, but to wear flimsy pants... I don't know. Why did you choose for your pants?
I got some great advice to go into a store and try everything on. That's what I'm gonna do. I'm just gonna see what fits good and go for the most protection I can thats comfy enough for me. What ever it may be. Thanks everyone for responding. I already have better ideas than when I posted this.
The pants are just basic abrasion protection. Oh I also wear these under the pants. http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/dainese-hard-shorts?utm_source=product&kwd=&adtype=pla&kw={keyword}&gclid=CLSfi7rg-rQCFQioPAod7l8A2w I would like to upgrade to Klim, but can't afford it right now. I bought the pants a long time ago before I truly knew about good gear. The knee pads are held in place well but do pinch a bit under the knee. I am looking to sew some softer stuff on the straps. They are adjusted my velcro and have a quick disconect on the armor. You can see them on the left on the picture. As for them being to long for motorcross boots, they are fine for me, but I am 6'4. The fox titan jacket has adjustability to keep it close to your body.
For multiday trips and local offroad riding I wear the same Fox pressure suit shown above, it's great for layering as temps change throughout the day/trip, and a heated vest with a down inner jacket liner under neath it will take you down to freezing with a decent wind/rain shell. I also use various version of the underpants knee armor similar to what is pictured, the ywork great and provide a secure feeling that your armor will be in the right place if you come off, I have several different pairs and choose based on whether I'm at the track or dual sporting where I do a lot of walking, I find them very comfortable and easy to use for local commuting as well. I have about 342 billion miles on a pair of Troy Lee 7705 underpants hip armor/padded riding shorts, running from real hot to all day wet and cold, these are keepers. Every now and again I step off the bike while it's still going at a pretty good clip and the part that usually hurts days later is around my seat and hips, these combined with my Klim pants provide pretty good coverage and so far I've avoided anything more than bruising and soreness. Leatt has recently come out with a top undersuit armor setup that I intend to have a good look at this spring. I think what gear is optimal has a lot to do with what size and weight of bike and what terrain your riding. One day with a 3/4 length ADV jacket on terrain that included carrying metal panniers up a long hill and then pushing wrestling the bike cured me of that sort of gear.
Yeah I have already experienced that with the soft armor in a pair of built pants from cycle gear. I looked those up. Looks good. I like the idea of the unfder shorts too.
I went to two or three local shops and tried on a bunch of different jackets/pants/boots. Klim, Olympia, BMW, Sidi etc. Living in Denver we have snow/cold in the winter and extreme heat in the summer but not too much rain. So I wasn't really all that concerned about being caught in a cats and dogs downpour, but was more concerned with breathability for summer riding and protection in case I fall. I ended up liking the BMW Rallye 3 stuff the best, the jacket fit me perfectly and all the armor was right where it needed to be and felt very natural. The Klim gear felt high quality, but the fit on me was just a bit awkward. I got lucky and found a like new Rallye 3 suit for sale on the site here and got it for a great deal. Then I went after some boots and after a lot of reading/research and trying on a bunch of different brands the Sidi Adventure Goretex were the ones I bought. I have a very narrow foot/ankle and the Sidi's felt great, my ankle wasn't riding up and down in them. I spent the extra money on the Goretex versions to get the real leather and added breathability of the Goretex so I hopefully won't get swamp foot here in the summer when it hits 100+.
I never thought about checking out the BMW stuff. I'll give that a shot too. I got some Alpinestar Tech 3's that I really like for boots when I am offroad all day. I am considering some less aggresive ones for long distance, multiday stuff because the comfort level isn't there in that regard. So far I have been using the road stuff I got for my commutes that is just cheaper Built stuff from cycle gear. It has been good so far but the protection in the pants is all wrong. Better than nothing for now though. I did try on some Klim pants and wasn't happy with the fit. Quality was outstanding.
