[TROOPER]

Originally Posted by TROOPER

So an update on this.

Some minor miscommunication. Gaerne had approved the warranty claim looking at the pics. They just wanted LABs to inspect and ship the boots to Italy.

LABs just sent a one liner mail asking the boots for inspection and didn't mention the warranty approval part. Things snowballed into misunderstandings and my semi rant posts & emails.

Finally on call, Dhaval said they'll be shipping the boot to Italy cause looking at the pics, they're sure the repair cannot be carried out locally. Looking at the boot you'd agree that the whole velcro strip needs replacement. He also mentioned some repairs Gaerne does approve to be carried out locally.

The inspection part was a minor formality. Now only if that was mentioned in the first email.

So I dropped the boots at LABs on Saturday and now starts a max 8 weeks wait for the boots to come back.

Originally Posted by Happysmiles

My experience with BigBadBikes, Banglore.
Got the KLim Adv Goretex Boots when launched.
.....
Surely, this has been my best customer experience ever.

While Gaerne is premium, I can say Klim is super-premium? One repairs stuff in Italy and the other just destroys and replaces

Good to hear your experience with BigBadBikes & Klim. LABs too are quite professional. But that one liner mail spooked me a bit. Haha.

[shyamg28]

Originally Posted by shyamg28

I know nobody asked, but I'm sharing some pics of the TCX Stelvio high rise boots...

I don't know even the ABC of leather maintenance and have never done it in the past. This time however, having paid a grand sum of 17k, I want to make sure these boots last. So I got this - https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/B08...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

And this is how the boots look after -

The Stelvio with the ex (Orazo boots) -




Take it as you will.

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by TROOPER

Some minor miscommunication. Gaerne had approved the warranty claim looking at the pics. They just wanted LABs to inspect and ship the boots to Italy.

LABs too are quite professional. But that one liner mail spooked me a bit. Haha.

This is good to hear and just what I would have expected.

Frankly I've consistently had an absolutely stellar experience with LABS on every possible front, be it on the sales side including technical advice on products as well as the odd warranty issue, where they've generally gone well beyond what I'd normally expect from most retail outlets.

Heck, there are even occasions when I've tried to buy something from them and the owner's reaction has been - you really don't need this because you have xyz item that does the job just as well. Can't think of any other retailer who'd do that frankly.

[Drpaul]

Hi BHPians,
As a commuter who is fortunate to have a good strech of tarmac on the way to work, I was eagerly waiting for the rains to relent to restart biking to work. Now the sun's up and mornings are beautiful. But Wayanad weather, being what it is, one can find rains waiting to surprise you at one bend only to clear up at the next.
My RE jacket didn't come with a rain protection. So after reading from the threads here decided to go for over the top rain coat.
Went to the local bike accessories shop. They had brands like zeel, duckback, real and some even less heard brands. These weren't a good fit and choices were limited, that would go over my XL jacket. These weren't cheap either being more expensive than a rynox one I saw online, which they didn't have stock. Decided to order online though the fit would be a gamble. On the way back, at a local convenient store, found this cheap rain coat. It's just rs100/-.
Being free size it goes over my jacket. But it just covers the upper for me though I think it was intended as below knee length for most. But it worked out as I can tuck it in and then it won't catch wind and baloon out while riding.
It fits in my pannier easily when folded and stuffed in the pouch provided.
It covers my jacket cuffs better than the other expensive ones I saw, which was surprising. Guess the material is so cheap they didn't find it necessary to skimp on a few square cms of it.
It's completely water proof as it does not have any zippers and is to be slipped on over the head.
It should have had a elastic or something at the sleeve end to keep it below the jacket cuffs while riding.
The rain partially hides how rediculous you look in it
So I think I can deal with the rest of the surprise monsoon attacks with this.

[amvj]

Originally Posted by anurag344

I had the exact same problem with most riding pants at Orion Motors. Finally went with Solace Riding Gear. They have their brand store in Banashankari. The Coolpro V3 pants have adjustable knee guards and fit me quite well. I am 5'4" for reference.

Thank you for the information, but too late. I already ordered the Scott knee protector and got it during the week. It is flexible and able to wear pants on top of this which is a plus in my books. I am not a fan of wearing knee guards outside the pants.

https://sportnetwork.in/pp/motosport...knee-guard9279





I also bought RE boots and they are fine.

https://store.royalenfield.com/amble...-7-brown-olive



Here I am wearing both the shoes and the knee guard.

[Drpaul]

Hi BHPians
My pair of riding gloves came in today. Wore them around the house today. Not yet taken them out for the ride, that will be tomorrow if the sun holds up.

Posting some initial impressions.

Model name - rambler V2 by RE. It costs 1500/-. Went for the full black one. Black and Red, black and green were the other options I saw. Went for XL size, same as my jacket. Felt too tight on the initial try but seems to get better after wearing for some time.

It's pretty comfortable, large part of it is mesh and should help with air circulation. So goes without saying it's not waterproof. But the material feels like it will survive getting wet though the care instructions says -Do not wash. It's only supposed to be wiped with soapy water.

Stiching looks sturdy and durable. So does the velcro. The touch sentive part on both the index fingers( conductive leather as per the label) works reasonably well.

The projections at the fingers are just rubber blocks. I always thought they were for ventilation. I remember seeing metal mesh in them in another pair of riding gloves. However in this pair even the label marks them as "TPR protection".

Over all satisfied with it especially at the price point. Branding is also subtle, can be used by riders using other brand motorcycles.

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by Axe77

Alpinestars SMX 6 V2

Hope your experience has been good with them. I'm totally new to the world of non adventure biking boots. I just got the vented version the SMX 6 V2. To wear with a leather suit for some track outings - maybe even otherwise on some occasions.

Forma Adventure boots

In other news, my Forma adventure riding boots' sole completely opened up on my Spiti ride last week - a common complaint with the Forma quality and hit me at the worst place. All told I don't think it clocked more than 10,000 kms and was purchased in February 2020.

Originally Posted by Axe77

I’m never buying these Formas again - that’s for sure. While I’ve kept the stitched up boot as a back up etc, I’m planning to replace these with the Alpinestar Toucans, which come highly recommended from folks I trust. Hopefully that experience should be better.

The Toucans I had referred to above finally got delivered. Used them for my first weekend ride as well last Sunday. They feel good although I definitely need to get used to their stiffer style and break them in with a few more rides.

Some pics below, for size perspective of the SMX 6 V2 (for track or even street riding) alongside the adventure focused Toucans, for size perspective.

[2StrokeJunkie]

Hey guys,

I'm looking to buy the Raida Rover riding pants. Any feedback on the same? I'm not able to find too many reviews of it online.

Are there good riding jackets that are sold without armour - I already have level 2 armour in my current riding jacket, so I'm thinking I could just switch the armour from my current jacket into the new one? The only reason I would upgrade is because my current jacket does not come with pockets for chest protectors and maybe I've put on some weight :P

Please advise.

[neil.jericho]

Originally Posted by 2StrokeJunkie

Hey guys,

I'm looking to buy the Raida Rover riding pants. Any feedback on the same? I'm not able to find too many reviews of it online.

Are there good riding jackets that are sold without armour - I already have level 2 armour in my current riding jacket, so I'm thinking I could just switch the armour from my current jacket into the new one? The only reason I would upgrade is because my current jacket does not come with pockets for chest protectors and maybe I've put on some weight :P

I havent seen Raida's pants on sale over here.

Royal Enfield does sell its jackets without armour. You can order it on their website. First, do go to a local Royal Enfield store and swap out the existing armour from the jacket and insert the L2 armour that you have. If it is a correct fit, you can go ahead with your online purchase .

[amvj]

I bought Nonoise earplugs sometime ago. During the highway rides, the wind noise is quite severe and I feel the noise might damage the ear drums. These are expensive compared to the industrial ear plugs which are available for 20 to 50 bucks a pair, but these let some sound to the ears which is useful to hear vehicle horn sound etc.



I bought it from here:
https://shop.motousher.com/products/...ae581738&_ss=r

https://shop.motousher.com/products/...9d41833b&_ss=r

[Drpaul]

My pair of riding gloves came in today.

A quick update. It has been just under 10 days since the purchase. I would have used it 5-6 times. The rubber "protection" at the little finger has come off. Looks like it's been glued on.

Its purpose is mostly cosmetic I guess. It won't take any aberration from the tarmac.

Not planning to go through the hassle of returning it as I feel replacement will not be any more durable. To be fair I had got the gloves a little wet in the rain. Still like the gloves and feel its value for money. Just going to try super glue.

[F1 Freak]

My absolutely horrible experience with Viaterra gloves

I was looking for a pair of gloves that provided best-in-class protection in a tight budget back in Jan 2021. After a thorough search and discussion with some of the experienced riders, the Viaterra Holeshots were finalized, which were priced at 2800 back then. One of the main reason for choosing them were the Knox SPS sliders that they provided, which nobody did at this price point.

The other options were
1. Rynox Air GT gloves- Got negative reviews from a close friend who was using it.

2. Rynox Tornado Pro 3 - Were out of my already stretched budget at 3250.

So a month or two later bought the Viaterra Holeshots from the official dealer in my city. Fast forward to today, gloves have gone for repairs under warranty 2-3 times already. Twice, the stitching came undone and once the velcro for wrist closure stopped working. The gloves have been used for some 7.5k kms only and haven't been involved in any accidents. Attaching a couple of pics to show the pathetic state they are in right now.

So fellow BHPians. STAY AWAY FROM VIATERRA!!!!

[Doge]

Hi all,
I am looking to get pair of riding jeans, tried out the solace one that retails for around 6.5k. The solace one has level 2 armours for knee and hips and also has top area Kevlar lined. Another option I found was a pair of jeans from royal Enfield called Carapace. They appear to be the same but are corduroy and have no Kevlar. They are also cheaper and hence I am confused.

Any advice on which on to go for? Is it worth spending couple of grand more to get the Kevlar one?
https://solacegears.com/product/grav...orcycle-denim/ The solace one and
https://store.royalenfield.com/ridin...YaApmiEALw_wcB
The RE one.

[Thamps]

Originally Posted by Doge

Any advice on which on to go for? Is it worth spending couple of grand more to get the Kevlar one?
https://solacegears.com/product/grav...orcycle-denim/ The solace one and
https://store.royalenfield.com/ridin...YaApmiEALw_wcB
The RE one.

I got a couple of RE ones for daily use in city rides only. Considering the lower speeds in city, the abrasion resistance can take a back seat i guess. RE jeans has decent protection for hip and knee, but are not adjustable. So the fit is essential. I got the XY armor ones, as the difference was 2k for a pair with XY and D30 armors, and 1k for knox ones. But my past experiences with Knox have not been so good. Also, since i needed more number of jeans, i settled for XY armor ones. From my limited experience, the XY armor may be thicker than D3O, but softer than the Knox ones.
Internet has different opinions on abrasion resistance of Cordura and Kevlar, so cant comment which may be better. Also, RE has not stated the specification of the Cordura used, so one can only hope it will fare better than regular denim. Attaching pics for reference.

[Doge]

Originally Posted by Thamps

I got a couple of RE ones for daily use in city rides only. Considering the lower speeds in city, the abrasion resistance can take a back seat i guess. RE jeans has decent protection for hip and knee, but are not adjustable. So the fit is essential. I got the XY armor ones, as the difference was 2k for a pair with XY and D30 armors, and 1k for knox ones. But my past experiences with Knox have not been so good. Also, since i needed more number of jeans, i settled for XY armor ones. From my limited experience, the XY armor may be thicker than D3O, but softer than the Knox ones.
Internet has different opinions on abrasion resistance of Cordura and Kevlar, so cant comment which may be better. Also, RE has not stated the specification of the Cordura used, so one can only hope it will fare better than regular denim. Attaching pics for reference.

Hi, how long have you had them and how are they holding up? Also do they feel thick or feel like a normal pair?
Thanks for sharing pics and your post, saved me a trip going to check them out