A balanced Adventure outfit for ~$1000

I've been stalking the forums for about 3 months now, trying to gather the best ideas I can before I go out and buy my first bike, most likely a BMW F650GS Dakar. I'm due to take my MSF in three weeks, and have started to try and come up with a budget for clothing and farkle.

It seems that most people I talk to say that you need to budget $1000 for gear: Jacket, Pants, Gloves, Boots, Helmet. This seems reasonable enough, given that my gear is essentially life & injury insurance. I know I'm going to fall, crash, and burn, so I want to buy the best that I can afford within reason. It seems awful to cheap out on your own life, but at the same time it's hard to reason spending $2000 in gear for a brand new hobby. While I intend to take the Dakar on light trails and such, my safety concern is for the most part concentrated on using it as a commute around Atlanta.

So, the question is, if you had $1000 budget, how would you assemble the best balanced adventure outfit? I'm not averse to buying used or buying off of ebay, in fact, it's a preference. Here's my first attempt at coming around the $1000 budget mark, made almost entirely off of anecdotal input from the advrider.com forums. I'm 6' / 170lbs, for reference.

* Jacket: Motoport Ultra II Kevlar Mesh - $430.00
* Pants: Motoport Ultra II Kevlar Stretch - $300.00
* Gloves: Marsee Race Gloves - $85.00
* Boots: Oxtar Infinity - $170.00
* Helmet: Scorpion EXO-700 - $130.00

Total: $1115

Here are my concerns with my choices:

* Motoport seems like a great vendor, but perhaps not the first choice for newbies as it takes 12 weeks for delivery. I don't want to wait until mid-May for my first ride, and it's impossible to find any Motoport kevlar gear used. Best Adventure Rider Jacket Under $400.00? has pointed me in the direction of trying to find a BMW Savannah or Killimanjaro for cheap.

* I'm still real iffy about which helmet to choose, especially after reading Motorcycle Helmet Performance: Blowing the Lid Off. The Scorpion EXO-700 did not do so well, and the Snell thing doesn't appear to be all that. I'm a europhile, so I would love an ECE certified helmet. The problem is finding a decent helmet/jacket/pants/gloves/boot balance that doesn't blow my budget out of the water. The Arai XD seems well regarded in the forums, but at $400, it would force me to look at a more affordable set of jacket and pants.

As a geek, I'm also a bit attracted to the idea of the Hit-Air/Airprotek Airbag Jackets and Reevu MSX1 Helmet. US pricing doesn't seem to be available for either just yet, however.

Edit: Mention how hard it is to find Motoport gear used.

Consider buying used jacket, boots, pants, gloves & go with a new helmet.
You can save about 50% going the used route. The flea market here & IBMW market place are good places to begin.

Good luck!

http://www.ibmwr.org/market/

I just bought a Scorpian EXO 700 helmet and love it. Super quiet and the best anti-fog shield I've ever used (no fog at 20 degrees F with shield and vents shut tight!) I got the helmet, extra shield and hard foam helmet race case, for just under $200 at the Cycle World IMS in Minneapolis (Hitching Post was the dealer). You might consider contacting Aerostich for any Darien discounts/returns. I live close to the company and they have a rack of discounted items. Really great people to deal with. I love my Darien pants - the most waterproof item I own. I have a Harley FXRG jacket that works great but when its time to replace it I will probably go with the Darien. Good luck with your new bike and way to go buying good gear! Later, Tim

Thanks for the tip. I'll definitely take a look in that direction!

I second the love on the Scorpion EXo-700. Mine works great. I even have an Autocomm installed in it.

As for jacket, I would suggest a First Gear Kilamanjaro. Motorcycle Closeouts is blowing them out for $200. That is less than half what the Motoport costs. Even full retail is only $300. Do a search here for the Kilamanjaro.

I just bought some Acerbis Matrix Air pantsfrom Motorcycle-superstore.com. They were around $120. The material breathes a little but it's 100% waterproof. It comes with CE hard knee armor and a quilted liner. They are going to replace my HT Overpants for most trips to cut down on having to bring multiple pairs of pants.

Motoport stuff seems to be really nice, but it also seems to be a hundred bucks or so higher than equivalent non custom stuff. And there's the whole 12 week thing.

FWIW Living in the south I can't have a jacket that requires me to stop and put in a waterproof liner (that's usually insulated). It's just too hot here in the summer.

$130 will get you a Scorpion 400, not a 700

The 400 has a plastic shell, the 700 fiberglass and whatever matrix superduper shell

I have a 400 and I won't spend the loot on Arai again.

The Scorpions are very nice helmets and I would not hesitate to buy another

Look at a First Gear Kilimanjaro jacket and save a couple hundred bucks

The Oxtars are great boots. I love mine and you can find them for less if you catch them on sale somewhere

The waterproof claims are accurate, only way water gets in is from the top

Thanks for the motorcyclecloseouts.com tip, it looks like a great resource for a CBOA in training. This looks like it may be what it takes to put me under the $1000.

I've seen the EXO-700's on eBay for $130. I'm actually considering the 400, given the crash test results seemed to be better than the 400's. I'll have to give it some thought, I suppose.

I guess that leaves me with looking for a decent pair of pants then. I'll start by looking at what kind of discounted Aerostich & First Gear stuff I can find.

Thanks!

I think you could do better on prices with the clothing....

I picked up this jacket, and absolutely love it. I've worn it in 25-30 degrees with a thermal shirt and microfleece pullover and been fine, and without the liner in 55+ and been fine. It is also pretty comfy, and moves well.

http://www.motoemporium.com/tourmaster/2006/transition/transition.html

My rationale is that if I love riding, and I do, I will simply upgrade my gear with something more top shelf when it dies. so when this jacket is beat, I'll go with a Rally2 or something in that category.

For pants, I love these....same deal, warm, comfy, and well made.

http://www.motoemporium.com/gericke/cargo_overpant.html

My only bitch is that when you pull the liner, they are no longer waterproof.

I got a great pair of Alpinestars on ebay for less than a hundred bucks.

If you dig European helmets, I stumbled on this site. I haven't used them, but they ship to the US, and the prices aren't too bad.

http://www.designerhelmets.com/index.php

The site I've linked, motoemporium.com, has some of the best prices I've seen on gear. Newenough.com is on par with their prices, but I chose motoemporium, becasue at the time I bought, they had a retail location in NH, so I could try stuff on....good thing too. Riding gear tends to fit a little different than regular clothes.

I hope this helped, and congrats!

Lawyer sure do talk purty, don't he?

And he's right. The Kilimanjaro has been getting very good feedback from what I've seen posted, same for the Oxtar boots. You can kit yourself properly and stay within your budget.

Two things not to skimp on: Helmet and gloves. Make sure that helmet is really comfortable, and doesn't annoy you at all. Gloves? They are your interface with your control of the machine. So being able to have smooth inputs is dependant upon how well they fit. A good amount of your braking feedback plus what your front tire is doing while braking and turning comes from what you feel thru your bars. I spent a year and a half finding just the right set for me, and after riding on them for a month, I went out and bought two more pairs and stored them in my locker for future use. Just wore through the second pair after 7 years, am now breaking in the last set. Time to start shopping again. Good fitting also means less tiring on longer days.

Nice thread Helix.

I'm in almost the exact same situation. I'm going to use my MX stuff where I can but I'm watching this thread with a fine toothed comb.

Ditto on Drif and Mute.

www.newenough.com is also a good resource.

Your taste in stuff will change a bit as you ride and determine what functions you can and can't live without. You can get good deals on First Gear and Joe Rocket that's servicable stuff, as well as higher-end used gear on Ebay. I recommend you spend your pre-MSF time trying stuff on and talking to other riders.

Add to your loot list the Icon Mil-Spec vest, $40-$50. A very nice little investment if you are going to do any riding around cagers, which I suspect you will. It's not as dorky-looking as you'd think and in addition to the visibility, it's got some functional little pockets that make it nice for commuters.

When you try on gloves at a dealership, go over to a bike, sit on it, and try the controls with the gloves on.

Don't forget a box of foam earplugs.

not to be a motoport cheerleader, but they're more expensive because
1) they're custom made
2) they're kevlar. The other stuff can melt. Not that you're going to ever slide 100 feet on pavement and have it as your next plastic skin graft, but me, i ride on pavement mostly, and would rather just slide and pass on the hot plastic.

Cordura is good stuff, don't get me wrong. It's just like investing. how much do you wanna put into it... calculated risk.

If you're doing offroad, pass on the kevlar, cause you don't really need it unless you sit down on really hot things alot.

Ditto on the note about helmets and gloves. Those will annoy you the most if they're not right.

As for liners going inside pants... they're optional and you can always buy a good pair of goretex slip-on overpants or firstgear ht-overpants which are easier when the rain hits.

good luck

I just don't want to have to ride all day in on and off rain when it's 90 degrees stopping every hour to put on a rain suit. What a pain in the ass.

First

If you've never had a bike :huh have you ridden any???



take the first $1K (or less) and buy a helmet that fits and is comfortable
then buy some gloves same criteria

now go buy a used (abused) dual sport bike

a smallish one like a 175 - 250cc

putt around the yard in first gear, then second

get used to the clutch brake throttle balance things at LOW speed

you will drop it

would you rather drop a $6-8000 NEW bike or a $500 beater?



ok now all the MSF folks pile on and flame away

+1 What he said. As a beginner, you don't need to get a BreakMyWallet as your first bike. They're great bikes but too expensive to fix for a first timer. You do NOT want to drop a BMW. You wouldn't start your teenage kid off in an M3 would you? As for gear, go to the IMS show when it comes to Atlanta next month. There should be plenty of gear vendors there so you can try on the latest and greatest. You may be able to get most of your gear shopping done in one day. Its good to see a newb making a conscientious decision to get quality gear. Good luck and happy hunting.

Flaco, utilizing some of your offroad gear is a good idea. One of my favorite pairs of dualsport riding pants are some Moose MX pants. They're comfortable, and padded. I have a waterproof dualsport jacket, which is great for most weather, but with the matching pants it can get a little warm, even though they breath. I carry some good waterproof rain pants with suspenders. They work great in the rain, but also when it's a bit cooler and I appreciate more of a wind break. With a set of long underwear in the panniers I'm able to ride in most conditions comfortably with some combination. For warm weather I wear my MX gloves quite a bit too.

I don't want to talk you out of a new Dakar 650, but like others said, you will drop it. Something stupid will happen and it will go down. Buy a used bike (even if it's a used Dakar) and learn on it. Put as many miles on it as you can. Sell it in a year when you actually have some riding skills and can handle a bike correctly. You'll get most of your money out of it and can then buy that fancy bike you've always wanted. The MSF course will teach you safety, but they don't teach you how to ride, and they don't give you the experience you need to deal with the random stuff that gets thrown at you on a daily basis of riding.

Again, not to rain on your parade, but I think this advice would come from many riders. Of course, if you're loaded and don't care about dropping an $8K bike, go ahead.


So, I would recommend you try out gear from friends. Get a feel -- do you like the fit of a parka-length jacket? What helmet fits your head best (go on fit -- all are very safe). Do the pants line up correctly on you -- how is the inseam? Check out your local gear store and wear the gear in their store as you drool over the bikes. Grab a clutch and hold it for a while, do the gloves pull against the ends of your fingers? (not good if they do). Do the pants bend easily enough and put the padding in the right place and go low enough or stay high enough on your ankles to keep out winds? Does the neck of the jacket grab you too tight? Do the gloves integrate with your jacket well? Get into riding position to find out all this stuff... Look for stores that offer a 100% satisfacton guarantee.

Also, focus on comfort and safety in your gear, not style. You'll be looking at the road, and your riding buddies should be watching the road, too.

Just my $.02.

Another source: www.motorcyclecloseouts.com

So what do you wear? You don't seem to like inner liners and you don't like rainsuits. I figure it's too hot in Louisiana for a Stich or any totally waterproof jacket since they don't flow much air.

um, guys


I am pretty sure you can drop a Dakar, damned often, without damage to much more than the mirror nut