[mail4ajo]

Also what is the accepted and most comfortable riding gear type for our conditions (read always hot). Use is for a sportsbike and for short distances, no touring. Is it mesh, textile or leather with mesh? Want something that has the armor inbuilt.

Does anyone offer custom made jackets and armored pants in India? Looks like sizing could be a big issue for me.

[surjaonwheelz]

As Chennai has no winters, mesh jackets would be ideally the most comfortable one!
- There are in-built pockets where the armours are placed. It can be removed for washing the jacket.
- Usually the elbow & shoulder armours are a grade higher than the back armour.
- CE level armours are used OR branded armours like Knox are used for elbow & shoulder
- Memory foam armours are used for the back, you can always upgrade them as size/shape are standard.
- Separate liners are provided in mesh jackets for rain/cold, sometimes combined in one liner.

As you are in Chennai, you can definitely try 'Spartan Pro Gear'. The Helios mesh jacket would be ideal for your sportsbike. But as they say if it doesn't fit you well then it's of no use! A lot is discussed about Spartan products in this thread, enjoy reading.

For custom fit/design riding gear, I came to know from this forum about 'Biking Brotherhood Gears', Chennai.
https://www.facebook.com/people/Biki...00007589088137

Actual users can comment about quality of BB Gears' products.

Ride safe

[mail4ajo]

Originally Posted by surjaonwheelz

As Chennai has no winters, mesh jackets would be ideally the most comfortable one!

Are perforated leather suits/2 pieces sold in India? Will they help to keep you cool? Also heard of mesh/leather combo jackets.

Do lot of riders use leathers on short rides? Haven't seen many on the street. Always thought a leather suit provides best all round protection and convenience as you do not need anything else.

[aargee]

Originally Posted by mail4ajo

Are perforated leather suits/2 pieces sold in India? Will they help to keep you cool? Also heard of mesh/leather combo jackets

One word - Avoid; but yes you can find from Spartan or Joe Rocket

Originally Posted by mail4ajo

Do lot of riders use leathers on short rides? Haven't seen many on the street. Always thought a leather suit provides best all round protection and convenience as you do not need anything else.

Leather is best in the West, cold countries; here mesh jackets are quite popular & next is textile

[AWD]

Riding gear is as important as head gear, confirming to that please suggest me a good quality Jacket which offers safety & protection & works in hot & humid summers. Dont need water/rain protection & warmth. But high grade Shoulder, Elbow & Spine protection is a must. Budget max 10K.

Also suggest Trousers/Jeans with Knee & maybe hip protection. Again going to be used in extreme summers & rain/water protection not a priority.

How are Vega Jackets & Gloves ? Are they safe enough or just some cheap local/chinese
contraptions!

How is RE stuff, equals in quality to standalone protective gear manufacturers products or just some designer stuff ?

[sagarpadaki]

Originally Posted by AWD

Riding gear is as important as head gear, confirming to that please suggest me a good quality Jacket which offers safety & protection & works in hot & humid summers. Dont need water/rain protection & warmth. But high grade Shoulder, Elbow & Spine protection is a must. Budget max 10K.

Also suggest Trousers/Jeans with Knee & maybe hip protection. Again going to be used in extreme summers & rain/water protection not a priority.

How are Vega Jackets & Gloves ? Are they safe enough or just some cheap local/chinese
contraptions!

How is RE stuff, equals in quality to standalone protective gear manufacturers products or just some designer stuff ?

Spartan Helios suits your requirement to the T. However check RJAYS also. They are slightly better than the Helios. Upgrade the back protector to Knox level 2 and you are all set.

[AWD]

Was searching for good branded stuff, didnt come across any other big manufacturer other than Vega selling stuff online. So purchased Vega Jackets & Gloves. Don't know how good/safe they are but should be comparable to the much talked about brands here, maybe a shade lower but Im just starting off, if it doesnt turn out adequate, will upgrade. Hopefully I dont get to try their affectiveness! As such this gear is for inner-City rides at low speeds.

[theredliner]

Here's a short update on some of my gear,

Spartan Ares gloves - 12 months since purchase. Stitch/seam came off in the left index finger after about 11 months/11000km usage.
This is not the first incident with the gloves. The grip patch on the palm came off under 6 months/6000 km of usage.


I want to get it repaired since I use these gloves only for commute. Will buy new ones for highway runs. Any idea where I can get it repaired?

My opinion:
+It was definitely one of the better gloves under 3.5K mark a year back when I bought it, esp. since other brands had many complaints wrt quality.
+Airflow is decent. Hands do sweat if ridden in traffic above 30C for more than an hour or so. Can be worn through out the year in BLR(Except during rains). Hands do get somewhat cold on colder days(below 22-23C).
+Two stage velcro at the gauntlet offers good range of adjustment making it easy to wear and remove.

-Protection is just average. No sliders on the pinky finger and no sliders on the palm at all.
-The palm area (inside) is rough due to stitch threads which makes riding in bumper to bumper traffic somewhat annoying esp. if your palms are sensitive to throttle blisters or something similar.
-Color has faded and turned from black to brownish grey in the upper parts.
-Currently the price has gone up to 3825. I'd say, stretch a bit more and get TBG sport full gauntlet. Those gloves have Knox SPS sliders on the palm and better customer support apparently. What they don't have is two stage velcro adjustment.


Spartan Perseus (knee) limb tubes - 7 months since purchase. Few loose threads have come off, elastic is giving up slowly. The mesh on the back side has started becoming weaker in some areas.

My opinion:
+No alternative in this price point.
+Can be worn to office daily without any one noticing it unless slim fit jeans are worn.
+Does not scratch the tank like external knee guards
+Keeps the knees warm on colder days

-Gets irritating to me personally if worn for more than 2 hours or so. I remove these once I reach office and wear them again in the evening.
-Slides down slowly when walking.
-Quality is average. Doesn't look like it will last more than 1.5 years.


Spartan Helios mesh jacket - 12 months since purchase. Top notch construction.
Not even a single thread has come off, even in the liner. Only the reflective paint has come off in some areas. Will last another 2 years of commute.

My opinion:
+Best jacket under 7k when I bought it. Price has got bumped up by 1k to 7.8k. Still the best all round jacket under 8k IMO.
+Excellent airflow. Can be worn through out the year in BLR. Rain liner is sufficient for rains and winters.
+The stock foam back pad is better than what most manufacturers provide. Upgrading to a better armor makes the protection system even better.

-Elbow armor adjustment system is bad (I have done some jugaad to fix it). But they seem to have fixed it in the newer lots with proper velcro system.
-Difficult to wash. Manufacturer's suggestion is not to soak. Soaking it causes the reflective paint to come off.
- The velcro adjuster at the cuffs has damaged the smooth inner liner of my Ares gloves.
- No 360 zipper for pant attachment. Comes only with an 8" zipper. 360 will be safer on highway runs.


Thanks for reading

[Ricci]

Originally Posted by mail4ajo

Are perforated leather suits/2 pieces sold in India? Will they help to keep you cool? Also heard of mesh/leather combo jackets.

Do lot of riders use leathers on short rides? Haven't seen many on the street. Always thought a leather suit provides best all round protection and convenience as you do not need anything else.

You do get Cortech Latigo suits, Alpinestars Atem/Motegi suits with perforated leather for the chest area at least, probably for the legs as well.

Most bikers will tell you to keep off leather. It depends on your tolerance for heat, as they say , YMMV or Your Mileage May Vary. I asked a few seasoned riders about this, and only one gave the thumbs up for leather. To his credit, he does wear this leathers for all/most of his video reviews.

I have worn 2 piece leathers as late as April and was quite comfortable in them. I feel my textile Cramster K2K is hotter without liner, than the leathers. The leathers are claimed to have heat reflective coating though, so it might help stay cool. Leather is breathable, so that may help too.

[Motard_Blr]

Originally Posted by theredliner

Here's a short update on some of my gear,

...

Spartan Perseus (knee) limb tubes - 7 months since purchase. Few loose threads have come off, elastic is giving up slowly. The mesh on the back side has started becoming weaker in some areas.

My opinion:
+No alternative in this price point.
+Can be worn to office daily without any one noticing it unless slim fit jeans are worn.
+Does not scratch the tank like external knee guards
+Keeps the knees warm on colder days

-Gets irritating to me personally if worn for more than 2 hours or so. I remove these once I reach office and wear them again in the evening.
-Slides down slowly when walking.
-Quality is average. Doesn't look like it will last more than 1.5 years.

...

I'm glad to have read your review of the knee protectors. I was thinking about buying a pair but hesitating because of the lack of reviews. I have been using the Thor Quadrant knee protectors for the last 5 years. They have worked well but they are bulky and not always comfortable. The elastic straps have lost all their elasticity now but the rest of the things still work well.

So the question to everyone is, is there a good alternative to the Thor Quadrant at a similar or slightly higher price point? Practicality is important because it should be easy to wear and remove the protectors.

Thanks.

[schakravarthy]

Originally Posted by Motard_Blr

I'm glad to have read your review of the knee protectors. I was thinking about buying a pair but hesitating because of the lack of reviews.

... Practicality is important because it should be easy to wear and remove the protectors.

I've been using the Perseus for a few months now and I must say I find them to be pretty good. Earlier, I had the Cramster Bionic knee guards. I felt pretty uncomfortable with the Cramster right from the word 'go' and when the thing made bad scratches to my Duke's tank, I decided I had enough of them. The Perseus has been pretty good to me. I've worn them for many hours and have never felt uncomfortable. And, no, it doesn't harm the bike's tank in anyway.

To answer your easy to wear and easy to remove part-
Recently, I rode from Mysore to Bangalore as I had to visit a doctor. I was wearing the knee protectors and when the doc wanted to get a look at my knee, I managed to remove the protectors from under my straight fit jeans. That was the first time I was removing them without having my pants down and unsurprisingly, I did find it a bit tough, especially the first one. There was no chance of wearing the protectors again without undressing, so I simply stuffed them into the saddle bag.
The protectors are best worn before wearing your pant. You can secure them properly and once secured, they stay put and are pretty much unobtrusive.

[crazybiker46]

Originally Posted by Chida

Never knew there can be discounts in Dianese gears as well

Is there a price difference? I mean riding gears and helmets are actually cheaper or costlier than it is in India?

Not much difference. I have two HJC CL-16 helmets, one bought from Trivandrum and one from Dubai. Cheaper in Dubai, difference in price was around 50 dirhams (approx 800 rupees). But I have seen LS2 helmets sell for a higher price in Dubai.

Also you can bargain a lot here as there are multiple shops. I got my mesh suit (jacket + pants) for 700 dirhams. Initial quote was 1000 dirhams.

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

They are sitting on a lot of inventory (both bikes and gear) so I wasnt surprised that they were giving discounts.

All those discounted items might be 2012/2013 models. Last year there was a huge discount (50%) on clover products in Yamaha showroom, Dubai when clover stopped production. My clover Q3 two piece leather suit was a steal. Got it for 1300 dirhams.

TCX boots were sold at a huge discount at Ajman showroom. You got to have connections to know these deals.

[Motard_Blr]

Originally Posted by schakravarthy

I've been using the Perseus for a few months now and I must say I find them to be pretty good. Earlier, I had the Cramster Bionic knee guards. I felt pretty uncomfortable with the Cramster right from the word 'go' and when the thing made bad scratches to my Duke's tank, I decided I had enough of them. The Perseus has been pretty good to me. I've worn them for many hours and have never felt uncomfortable. And, no, it doesn't harm the bike's tank in anyway.

To answer your easy to wear and easy to remove part-
Recently, I rode from Mysore to Bangalore as I had to visit a doctor. I was wearing the knee protectors and when the doc wanted to get a look at my knee, I managed to remove the protectors from under my straight fit jeans. That was the first time I was removing them without having my pants down and unsurprisingly, I did find it a bit tough, especially the first one. There was no chance of wearing the protectors again without undressing, so I simply stuffed them into the saddle bag.
The protectors are best worn before wearing your pant. You can secure them properly and once secured, they stay put and are pretty much unobtrusive.

I normally wear my Thor Quadrant protectors over my pants because the pant legs are not loose enough to accommodate the protectors underneath. But with some pants which are loose enough, I can roll up the pant legs up to above my knees, wear the protectors and then roll the pant legs back down. The Quadrants are actually quite comfortable while on the bike. I've worn them for hours without discomfort.

[Urban_Nomad]

Originally Posted by Motard_Blr

I normally wear my Thor Quadrant protectors over my pants because the pant legs are not loose enough to accommodate the protectors underneath.

you are doing it all wrong bud. Wearing these guards over your pants is an absolute no no. These guards do not have a strap for the knee cup and therefore cannot conform to the bend of your knee while on the bike. In case of a get off; you will at best have some shin protection but your knee will be completely exposed

I wear similar guards for my daily commute - Thor Sector. Same principal applies. I beliieve the Quadrant is actually a slimmer design than the Sector so as to fit undernearh street gear or at least a standard pair of jeans

Again; cannot say this enough .... Stop wearing these over your pants. It'll do you no good

[the VTEC guy]

Guys I am planning for Leh-Ladakh in Month of August. Any folks who have been there and done that, I would like to know what should be preparedness from riding gear perspective considering weather, riding conditions etc.
Query is for entire riding gear.