Well, I bought a bunch of gear for my bike today. I needed a helmet, a jacket, gloves and a pair of boots. You can see all my motorcycle photos in the flickr photo set I created today.
Jacket
Here’s a shot of the jacket I bought:
It’s a summer jacket. In fact, it’s best to not think of it like a jacket at all. Think of it like a shirt with body armor because that’s really closer to what it is. I considered buying a full leather jacket for about a second because they’re ‘classic’ biker gear but then I remembered two things. 1. I live in Georgia, the Devil’s armpit and 2. this bike is going to be my primary means of transportation to and from work. This means that even if it’s hotter than Hades I will still ride it.
A leather jacket would look really really cool but would also be really really hot, causing me, no doubt, to not wear it; or I would wear it but sweat so much I’d dehydrate. What good does a jacket do if you don’t wear it? So the jacket I got is made of very lightweight materials and is virtually one big mesh net. The mesh is a ballistics material that will provide the same protection that leather would if I were to drop the bike, sliding on the asphalt at 50 miles an hour. But unlike leather it breathes very very well.
The jacket also has large areas of ‘protectors’ on the shoulders, elbows, forearms, lower back, rib cage, spine and across the top of the shoulders. Basically, it’s got a ton of extra protection on all the areas that would most likely come in contact with pavement should I take a spill.
I may need to buy a full leather jacket for the winter but I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it. After all, it doesn’t get too cold in Georgia and this jacket has a zip-in waterproof liner which is also a windbreaker. It’ll probably do me good enough into fall but in the dead of winter it might be a little chilly. We’ll see.
Gloves
These gloves rock! Motorcycle gloves are a little on the pricey side but I’d rather be safe than sorry. Besides, it’s not like I’ll ever need more than one pair of these. The carbon fiber across the knuckles makes these gloves look bad. My favorite feature, however, is the angel on the right wrist and the devil on the left. I don’t know why, but it makes me feel deviant in my own little way. Well, as deviant as a pastor can be I suppose. 
Helmet
Standard fare here. Glossy black all around, full face, etc. I was tempted to get a 3/4 helmet instead of a full face because it would allow for more air flow and thus, cooler riding. But in the end I decided that safety trumped comfort and got the full face. After all, if I did ditch the bike and went for a joy ride on my face at 50 miles per hour I’d definitely want something hard and sturdy between my nose and the cement.
So, anyway, that’s some of my gear. What’s not shown here is my boots which are below the calf black leather boots with nylon mesh on the sides and a zipper up the inside of the leg. They’re pretty standard fare too, now that I think of it.
My bike should be ready in a couple weeks and this weekend I go for my motorcycle course. I’ll report on that too, don’t worry.
