Bike helmet and jacket

D

deos

Veteran XV
Im shopping around for my first bike helmet and jacket and I was just wondering about some peoples opinions on what I should be looking for.
I was lookin at the HJC AC-11
2130.jpg

Good helmet? yay? nay?
its also got an option to light smoke or dark smoke the sheild. Would it be smart to tint the sheild or would it just reduce visibility and cause more problems then its worth (the worth being not blinded by the sun and lookin fuckin cool).

I havnt really gotten any idea for jackets yet, I was looking at textile jackets cuz their alot cheaper but should i just spend the extra $$ and get some leathers?
 
deos said:
Im shopping around for my first bike helmet and jacket and I was just wondering about some peoples opinions on what I should be looking for.
I was lookin at the HJC AC-11
2130.jpg

Good helmet? yay? nay?
its also got an option to light smoke or dark smoke the sheild. Would it be smart to tint the sheild or would it just reduce visibility and cause more problems then its worth (the worth being not blinded by the sun and lookin fuckin cool).

I havnt really gotten any idea for jackets yet, I was looking at textile jackets cuz their alot cheaper but should i just spend the extra $$ and get some leathers?
Click to expand...


you can usually swap the shields fairly easy. So you don't have a dark lens when riding at night.
 
deos said:
Im shopping around for my first bike helmet and jacket and I was just wondering about some peoples opinions on what I should be looking for.
I was lookin at the HJC AC-11
2130.jpg

Good helmet? yay? nay?
its also got an option to light smoke or dark smoke the sheild. Would it be smart to tint the sheild or would it just reduce visibility and cause more problems then its worth (the worth being not blinded by the sun and lookin fuckin cool).

I havnt really gotten any idea for jackets yet, I was looking at textile jackets cuz their alot cheaper but should i just spend the extra $$ and get some leathers?
Click to expand...

Thats a decent helmet. How much do they want for it? You can probably knock a good $50 off if you take a solid colour instead of that design.

Get 2 visors. One clear for night-time riding, and one black or heavy-smoked for daytime rides. You can survive with just a clear visor, but it sucks ass on those sunny days, and you're left with an odd oval tan on your face afterwards.

Jackets... the ballistic textile series by Joe Rocket are a popular choice. Its what I use.
 
Im probably gonna get one of these for next summer... just to use on the days and nights when were messing around in parking lots and staying away from highways.

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Its nice to have something like this and just toss a sweater over it.
 
Make sure the helmet fits very snug... I made the mistake of buying a large and forgetting that the liner will compress slightly over time making the helmet fit looser than original. Its noticeable when doing shoulderchecks at speed.
 
KBC VR1

You'll also see that some makes fit you better than others, even in the same sizes. Just avoid trying on the nice Shoei and Arais because the pricetags might level you.
 
ok jacket color wise, should i steer away from all black jackets? or dark colored jackets for visibility reasons? or does that even matter.

2600.jpg

this joe rocket phoenix 3.0 looks pretty nice and definatly fits my budget hah
 
deos said:
ok jacket color wise, should i steer away from all black jackets? or dark colored jackets for visibility reasons? or does that even matter.

2600.jpg

this joe rocket phoenix 3.0 looks pretty nice and definatly fits my budget hah
Click to expand...

In my opinion, the colour means fuck-all... unless the jacket is fully reflective, it wont help other drivers see you at night. You have bright headlights and tail-lights which other drivers will see loooooong before they see the colour of your jacket.

All black is nice. I personally got black with some gray/silver on it, just to match the bike. Next time around Im going all-black.
 
ps, im planning on getting a ninja 500. We'll see how comfortable I am after I take the MSF course, maybe Ill end up getting something with a bit more oomph
 
If you feel comfortable and can honestly say you didnt have a close call at the course (or you did, but you really learned from it) then I'd say aim a little higher than a 500. I bought a new SV650 and Im already used to (and tired of) the speed it has to offer. As far as everything else goes, the bike is waaaaay ahead of my abilities and I can probably ride it for years to come without nearing 80% of its potential, but it just lacks top end balls.

Im gonna be one of the few who will tell you to look for a 600cc supersport as your first bike... ONLY if you really are comfortable after the course, and only if you can honestly say you're not a clumsy person.
 
helmet: hjc's are fine. try to get one with a fog/breath blocker thing. mine doens't have it so i have to keep the visor cracked a little at stops to keep it from fogging up. I would also go with the clear visor, if it's sunny out just grab the sunglasses out of your car. it's pretty easy to ride out and not think about bringing a clear visor for the ride home when it's dark.. but not a problem when you can just leave the shades in your pocket.

can't help with the jacket, i'm wearing a crappy one that i just happened to have. I predict that i'll be getting a decent leather for xmas.

my second helmet:
headshot.jpg

gonna paint it up over the winter :D
 
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