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Thanks. Could you post a few close up photos of the actual gloves on and off your hands?

Sure thing. I'll do it tomorrow.

# Are textile jackets available with the airbag system or, is the airbag system sold separately as a vest?

# If deflated in an accident, can it be inflated, if yes, how much time it would take for them to do the procedure and ship it back to India?

# For added protection, is it advisable to wear an armor vest with a jacket or will it get uncomfortable?

I'll answer your last question first because I recently started to wear an armoured vest under my riding jacket and it was surprisingly comfortable. Keep in mind that all the protectors from the jacket need to be removed else you'll look like a teenage mutant ninja turtle. I use the Alpinestars bionic vest which is a CE 1 chest and back protector with detachable shoulder protectors. It is pretty comfy under a mesh jacket and I have only the elbow protectors in the jacket. I suppose the jacket has become something that I rely on mainly for abrasion and rain protection. As you can see from the pic I have the vest on under my Rynox jacket and I had no problem riding the whole day with it. In summer I'd probably do away with the jacket altogether and wear the bionic along with a separate elbow protector.
Regarding airbag systems, you need to match the airbag with a compatible jacket else it will be like putting seat covers in a car with side airbags. The airbags are powered by a rechargeable battery. I saw them listed on bikegear.in and it will set you back by over a lakh. Should take about 4 weeks for them to get it across to you. I am a bit skeptical about these, though. A good vest-jacket-neck restraint system would probably be just as effective.

I havent come across too many people wearing an armoured vest under a riding jacket and I am unable to see the benefits of this dual approach. If the jacket comes with a certified chest protector (or inserts for one in which you can get an aftermarket one) and a back protector along with the usual shoulder and elbow protection, what advantage would an armoured vest with the jacket on top provide, given that the protectors from the jacket need to be removed, as per your suggestion?

Seen a couple of jackets and don't think there were inserts for chest protection, hence my query.

I have to replace my decade old Joe Rocket riding gear and was in 2 minds. The gears would again be the textile ones as they offer the best compromise.

For dual sport riding this is the best option. If i had to redo my riding gear this is how i would do it:

Layer 1: armoured light weight vest from leatt.
Layer 2: lightweight mesh jacket for abrasion resistance like the klim induction (traditional mesh offers ZERO abrasion resistance)
Layer 3: goretex rain jacket/fleece if cold


Layer 2 comes on when riding on road. Layer 2 comes off and into a small bag when riding the offroad. Layer 3 comes on during rain.

Right now I have a full goretex suit with inbuilt chest armour, but it's very heavy and cumbersome when riding offroad only. Good for months on the road across different weather circumstances though. I would still keep it.

Guys, any feedback for the newly launched Steelbird Blauer helmet.

https://www.financialexpress.com/aut...price/1767866/

I am in market for a open face helmet and contemplating about this model.

Thanks in advance,
-BJ

Why not this jacket, Sheel? I had checked it out last year and really liked it. Unfortunately Rynox didnt have any for sale in my size at that time but they have apparently improved their supply chain situation since then. Feedback from users has been very good.

https://www.rynoxgears.com/products/...orm-evo-jacket

Besides this, there are of course the phoren brands but Im not fully caught up on availability of those products.

Makes sense :thumbs up

Not checked it out in person, but I will say this, please avoid using an open face helmet as you never know when you can fall and seriously hurt your face. These open face helmets are just not safe enough as compared to a proper full face helmet.

I thought I'd put all options to the test before I answered this. As of now I've ridden for over a year with a rynox jacket and over the last weekend ridden about 800km with the armoured vest and jacket combo. For me, personally, the biggest advantage of keeping the Alpinestars vest on was the sense of safety that can only come from having most of my torso ensconced in armour. Most importantly, the centre of the chest is protected and you're not going to get that from a jacket with its smaller divided protectors. Back protection is superior too and in case you slide you're better off with a vest rather than just your jacket. Of course this is not something I've had first hand experience with and I intend to keep it that way.
We rode from Coorg into Kerala and once the weather got warmer I had no qualms about riding with my jacket unzipped halfway down. If I had a smaller gut and separate elbow protectors I'd have taken it off.
An armoured vest is something you'd see a motocross rider wearing and I had my doubts about how long it would be comfortable to ride with but I had the thing on for 9 hrs a day and never once felt the need to take it off.
I did get some good humoured ribbing from my riding buddies about how I had turned up in a blouse but all that stopped when I rode comfortably through coastal Kerala while they stewed inside their jackets.

I will prefer a textile [& mesh if extremely hot] jacket to save me for elements while riding. Bees, heat, dust etc do take a toll. I wanted to know if vest is compatible [in the sense that you don't feel / look awkward] and you are comfortable for a 10/12 hour haul on the saddle.

Thanks, will check it out. Prefer something with better quality, sacrilege to comment w/o actually checking it out, still...I want to get a Dainese or something similar, no alpinestars, as the branding / logo is too prominent.

Armoured vest: have a look at Knox. They have a shirt thats armoured. I think outdoor travel gear mumbai stocks it. Its called urbane. Edit: they dont.

Mesh jacket thats as protective if not more than textile: klim induction. Look no further. Dainese/alpine dont even come close. Klim available in india with bigbadbikes. Look up reviews on revzilla.

And finally get a goretex rain jacket from klim. Breathable and lightweight.

Buy vest first, then try riding jacket over (might need to size up), and goretex last.

Ps: I have a dainese as well.

Good luck :thumbs up

They don't come close in pricing as well. I had forecasted a budget of 35K for both, appears I won't get even the jacket in that. You got to buy protectors separately?

Ya, will need that to buy Klim.

Thank You.

Klim comes with all the protection, but why do you need it with the armoured vest?

I agree it does get expensive. One way out is to look at it as a 5 year outlay and then divide the total purchase price by the number of riding days you will achieve in that period. And then make peace with it.

Do some more research and reading up on different alternatives.

The thing i have noticed when buying gear is, buy once and buy for life (unless you are gaining or losing weight or riding terrain priorities change). Else incremental buying every three years does add up.

You feel just fine and most of the time I was not even aware that I had it on. The belt is wide and seems to reduce back fatigue but this could have been just my imagination. As you said, its always better to have at least a textile jacket on over it to stop dirt and insects getting into the vest. I'll keep that in mind.
Unless you have a V shaped torso and a six pack there is no way you can look impressive with just the vest on. My friends advised me to not drive away the tourists by riding without a jacket over the vest.