[AtheK]

Originally Posted by RiderZone

Like you said, it's a highly recommend purchase, and great thing is that Highnote officially imports it, so you don't have to beg foreign friends to carry one

Exactly and the constant discounts that HNP keeps doing, they sometime end up being cheaper in India then getting them from abroad.

[Raghunath Singh]

Hi,

Is there any feedback for this online riding gear and accessories seller webike.in? Looking to buy a Honda riding jacket and wasn't sure about their authenticity, felt this was the right place to check. The website has a .in extension however ships from Japan and the shipping prices are high. Apparently they have a Instagram page with the same name, seems inactive and last post in Apr 2019.

Any help on this will be appreciated, thanks.

RS

[RiderZone]

Can you please share a link to the product you're trying to buy? Seems like a lot of hassle to just buy a jacket, why not just the regular ones made by local/international gear manufacturers that are available everywhere, and can be easily tried before you buy?

[Raghunath Singh]

Originally Posted by RiderZone

Can you please share a link to the product you're trying to buy? Seems like a lot of hassle to just buy a jacket, why not just the regular ones made by local/international gear manufacturers that are available everywhere, and can be easily tried before you buy?

Fair point, I'm definitely getting one that is easily available in India. However, there are times when a product or design gets stuck in your head. In this case it's a Honda branded jacket, nothing flashy about it and that's exactly why I like it. Link below.

https://www.webike.in/products/23981826.html

[RiderZone]

Yeah, that's understandable, sometimes you just want what you want. I can't find any reviews for the India site at all, maybe it's just a front to show the prices in INR and get people interested for shipping via Japan? The Japanese one seems legit. 15000+ bucks for this, plus I assume some custom duties, might be too much of a risk though in my opinion.

[rohitoasis]

Guys, i have been using my Dainese Fogal for my daily riding. It keeps me fairly warm in the cold mornings. Avoids sweaty palms in the summers and once rain soaked, dries overnight as well. Basically all weather. Touch wood have not had to test its protection. But now it is showing its age and i need a replacement.

Last time i was trying to buy this in Revzilla, my payment did not go through for half a dozen tries and had to get a friend in US to buy it and then bring it along when they flew back.

Do we have equivalent gloves fabric available in India. I checked the ones in Spartan and they either show leather which might not be suitable for all weathers like rains and even the the fabric ones read as not suitable for riding in rains.

[mugen_pinaki27]

Hey @rohitoasis, you can check out Lazy Ass Bikers or Big Bad Bikes for some really top class riding gear and motorcycle accessories. Though pricey, the quality and durability of the goods they offer is top notch. Hope this helps!

[surjaonwheelz]

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

My search ended when AutoQueen in Cochin, finally stocked up the Rev'it! Eclipse mesh jacket. I absolutely loved the quality and the fit.

Neil, you should self ban yourself from posting new riding gear posts for some time! Only long term reviews

Great buy, and we discussed it offline. Actually, I wanted to check it out when I was in the Capital region but couldn't make it happen!

Rev'it Eclipse vs RS Taichi Torque vs Furygan Atom Vented

The above trio of mesh jackets interests me currently. Being in the North made me realize when they mention mesh, they mean it. Respect to all who wear riding gear in NCR, it's HOT there! Same applies to South.

All of the above have L1 armor, as standard with imported brands in this range and comes without a back armor stock.

Rev'it fit n finish to vouch for.

RS Taichi has a hard plastic chest armor stock! Later can be upgraded to a CE armor. Textile part seems comfortable but I've not seen it physically so can't comment much.

Furygan has D3O armor all round.

If anyone has RS Taichi or Furygan jackets please share your experience.

Ride safe,
surjaonwheelz

[pjbiju]

Originally Posted by surjaonwheelz

Sports Touring Boots

...
The hunt:
I was searching for boots in the wrong time to be honest. During the 2nd wave of Covid and renewed restrictions. Stocks were very low overall for my size, Spartan didn't have the Forma Freccia in my size.
...
This time I made up my mind to skip the local & affordable import options:
...
These are good options in the 10k range.

Most of the sports and sports touring boots come in artificial leather for lightweight construction and remove imperfections in genuine leather.
...

The pair of boots I tried at store, Shima RSX-6 This pair was shortlisted for the final face off. It had CE rating, fluorescent color but was made in 2019 and imported in 2020 and costed 17.5k Surprisingly this pair was launched at 12k and at that price point it's a steal deal. Notice the similarity with the Solace boots, who inspired whom?
...

The G Evo 5 was perfect for my usage and budget of 15k!

One thing I was clear that was my category of boots, sports touring. Why not sports or touring?
Sports - Too aggressive, costly!
Touring - Lack of structure in the boots, plain looks. Advantages being comfortable & waterproof most of the time!
...

FLOATING SYSTEM
The unique Gaerne floating system, allows the foot to move naturally and prevents ankle twisting without compromising flexibility. At the back of the boot, and fixed at two points, it runs inside two slots that limit movement in both directions preventing hyper extension or compression.
...
PS. I've tried my best to provide links of all the models discussed. Not sharing the other boots pictures as you can refer them from the links

Very detailed review surjaonwheelz. I am in a similar predicament. My son and I have been looking for a pair of riding boots (first set). Right now the riding is mostly short weekend rides (100 to 150 km max). So we were looking for a pair of riding boots that would offer a good amount of protection for the feet, ankles and shin, is ventilated and is comfortable for short duration walks etc.

I am not very comfortable in buying the boots without trying it out. So that reduces the options to mostly the local brands (Orazo, BBG, Tarmac, Lone Ranger) and some limited imported ones (Alpinestar, Shima) to try out in Pune.

We tried out the Shima Strato Riding boots. It was quite comfortable and had a good amount of mesh panels for ventilation and was very light weight. At Rs. 18999, they are not cheap. These were also 2021 made. The other Shima models were not available in the size that we wanted (UK 9) and was older stock.

Next tried the Indian brands at Open Road. Liked the Lone Ranger Mohawk adventure boots. It is priced at Rs. 11499 and looks very similar to Forma Adventure boots. The build quality looked good. They are not CE certified but has SAS-TEC ankle inserts. Tried to get some reviews of this product but did not find too much information.

Any idea how good the Lone Ranger Mohawk boots are? There is one

Youtube video

of these boots being tested and the test results look quite impressive in terms of abrasion, resistance to heat, resistance to piercing by sharp objects etc. These boots are supposed to be waterproof (was not really keen on that) and the person who had tested these boots during a summer day says that it did not make his feet sweat. This does not have any shin plate (neither did the Shima) that we were keen on.

Looking at other options that cannot be tried before buying, we liked the following.

Forma Freccia Sport Touring Boots. It is available in size 43. This is currently priced at Rs. 16850.

The Gaerne G-Evolution Five Boots could have been good one I think. But it is not available in the size we are looking for.

Our initial thought was to spend around ~10k. And we will only get the Indian brands with that amount. For the beginner imported ones, we will have to spend at least ~15k.

Do you folks think that the Lone Ranger Mohawk would be a good buy or should we give Forma Freccia a try?

[A350]

Originally Posted by TheVaas

T I know this because I use the Nomad and my wife uses the drifter

Hi,

Could you share your impression of the Nomad and Drifter riding pants ? It seems that you have used other gear earlier, how do they compare ? How are the Level II CE inserts ?

Thanks in advance

[surjaonwheelz]

Originally Posted by pjbiju

Very detailed review surjaonwheelz. I am in a similar predicament. My son and I have been looking for a pair of riding boots (first set).

Any idea how good the Lone Ranger Mohawk boots are?

I would recommend you Falco boots. They're all fresh stock, CE certified with D3O inserts. Their build quality is far better than local brands.

Consider their Atlas 2 model. It may serve you well. The LR Mohawk seems inspired from Falco Marshall boots!

Unfortunately there is no store in Pune to try them but Mumbai has a couple of stores, you can try them if you're visiting Mumbai.

The measuring tape never lies and this pandemic has eased the return process but your money will be locked with them till you find your best fit. Pick up the phone and talk to them.

PS. When I was looking for them they were out of stock due to supply issues.

Ride safe,
surjaonwheelz

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by rohitoasis

Guys, i have been using my Dainese Fogal for my daily riding. It keeps me fairly warm in the cold mornings. Avoids sweaty palms in the summers and once rain soaked, dries overnight as well. Basically all weather. Touch wood have not had to test its protection. But now it is showing its age and i need a replacement.

Havent checked out the Fogal gloves myself, so I cant say this with 100% certainty, but I believe that you should get a similar pair from most riding gear manufacturers. Being in Palakkad, availability to try and buy might be a challenge. But I will suggest that you check out your local Royal Enfield stores, you should be able to find something you like. Else you might have to visit Cochin and check out the stores here. Revit, A* and other brands are easily available here in Cochin. Let me know if you come down this side, I can help.

Originally Posted by pjbiju

I am not very comfortable in buying the boots without trying it out. So that reduces the options to mostly the local brands (Orazo, BBG, Tarmac, Lone Ranger) and some limited imported ones (Alpinestar, Shima) to try out in Pune.

Good decision!

Originally Posted by pjbiju

Our initial thought was to spend around ~10k. And we will only get the Indian brands with that amount. For the beginner imported ones, we will have to spend at least ~15k.

Do you folks think that the Lone Ranger Mohawk would be a good buy or should we give Forma Freccia a try?

Unfortunately, boots are really expensive. I would advise you to just stay away from a completely unknown brand with no reviews, brand name or proven tests. From your list, the Forma boots look really good.

Royal Enfield has / had a pair of boots that dont offer too much shin protection but would meet your other requirements. They seem perfect for walking around in and short rides, like you mentioned. I remember seeing this in the showroom a couple of months ago, I cant seem to find it online right now. Price was around Rs 7K or so. I would suggest that you and your son can try this out also and then decide.

Originally Posted by surjaonwheelz

Neil, you should self ban yourself from posting new riding gear posts for some time!

You know, I had planned to post only after getting a few thousand kilometers on the odometer. But it so happened, that I got myself another new jacket after I bought the Revit jacket Hence, I pushed myself to write a review of the fantastic Revit mesh jacket.

This time, I didnt plan on buying a new jacket. But lets just say that a fellow TBHPian encouraged me enough to pull the trigger and get myself, what turned out to be, a steal deal. More details later!

P.S - man_of_steel has / had a Furygan jacket as far as I remember. I dont recall which model though.

[pjbiju]

Originally Posted by surjaonwheelz

I would recommend you Falco boots. They're all fresh stock, CE certified with D3O inserts. Their build quality is far better than local brands.

Consider their Atlas 2 model. It may serve you well. The LR Mohawk seems inspired from Falco Marshall boots!
...
surjaonwheelz

Originally Posted by neil.jericho

...
Good decision!

Unfortunately, boots are really expensive. I would advise you to just stay away from a completely unknown brand with no reviews, brand name or proven tests. From your list, the Forma boots look really good.
...

Thank you guys for your inputs. We have now decided to go for the Falco Avantour 2 since that offers the most protection (Rs. 23950). Do you think it is a good choice? Could not find any equivalent model from Alpinestars or Gaerne etc. in size 43 in stock anywhere in that type. Yes, boots are really expensive. Since we really cannot put a price on our health, we should try to get the best protection we can afford and there are a good number of examples from people like you in doing that.

Unfortunately it looks like RE has stopped selling those types of boots now.

[RiderZone]

Originally Posted by pjbiju

Thank you guys for your inputs. We have now decided to go for the Falco Avantour 2 since that offers the most protection (Rs. 23950). Do you think it is a good choice?

I've heard good things about Falco boots. These should be no different. I do see Gaerne boots available direct on LABS website for your size too.

https://www.lazyassbikers.com/collec...boots-2525-001

https://www.lazyassbikers.com/collec...boots-2406-001

Unlike helmets and jackets, it's quite a pain buying good boots in India, everything is ridiculously expensive, and nothing is properly vented. This is why I bought mine from Europe, if you've got some friends/family coming over from US/EU, that would make the choice easier. Sorry if this adds to the confusion!

[Arv1990]

My preference was a good adventure boot which could handle monsoon and slush. For this, I chose the Falco Mixto 3. For 2 years I have abused it enough in almost every given condition available in South India, including some serious off-roading.

Till date, the only issue I faced was the left boot gear lever patch coming off a little on its edge within 5 months of usage. The patch does have a line of stitch around it but that's just for show and the patch is glued on. Thanks to lock downs, claiming warranty was out of the question. Since it was hanging out a bit and I didn't want it to come off completely, I used some cobbler's glue to patch it back in place and has held good for the last 18 odd months.

Pretty standard protection all around with D3O for ankle protection. Real life water resistance/proofing lasts till about 3 to 4 hours of continuous heavy rain which is brilliant in my opinion.

The Mixto 3 is slightly shorter compared to the Avantour 2, I am planning to upgrade as well. Had a small incident during a simple fall where my calf muscle was slightly injured due to the sharp foot peg, a longer boot should cover this. Plus, I have moved on to compression socks which is slightly thicker compared to the regular ones for which I feel I would need to go 1 size up.

Coming to cleaning riding boots, I have not been able to get enough information other than what's mentioned under wash care instructions. As per the wash care instruction, I can barely keep the boots clean. Suggestions on the internet vary from soaking the entire boot in a bucket of water for hours to washing the boot with a jet spray, both of which are sure to damage the boot's integrity. So I came up with the below process :

The exterior is taken care with a simple solution of hand wash (mild amount of Dettol in my case) and water with a soft tooth brush to scrub all over. Once done, the same process is repeated with just plain water. For the inside, I use the same solution, fill up the boots, leave it for 5 minutes to soak and then rinse the boot again and again until there are absolutely no bubbles forming. Then I leave it under the fan to dry off completely. Post this the boots are stored in a well ventilated spot with paper balls and silica gel sachets stuffed inside to maintain its shape/form and to keep the moisture away respectively.