Why a Tiger 660 owner buys a complete set of track-focussed riding gear

I couldn't use my old riding boots on other motorcycles like the Triumph Street Triple & some of the smaller machines such as the KTM RC 390 & Kawasaki Ninja 400.

BHPian CrAzY dRiVeR recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Riding Gear Updates: Track wear purchase

Shoutout

Big thanks to the friendly folks at 6kiom, Bangalore - Faiz and Navneeth for helping me out with this purchase. Faiz spent a good deal of time with me trying to explain how the fitment works and checking the fitment for Furygan as well as RS Taichi. 100% recommended to try it out before ordering as the fitment for similar sizes on paper was completely different between the two brands. Thanks to Navneeth for sharing a ton of useful tips from his RACR trainer experience - valuable information for attending track days and also gear purchases. Overall - although this was my first purchase experience with 6kiom - highly recommend it based on my experience.

I was never into structured riding, after getting into big bikes directly from an old Pulsar 180 experience. 40k kms with 650cc machines have taught me to be more mature - but I haven't taken any formal learning sessions to improve my riding skills.

Which is something I'm hoping to do in 2024 and beyond. The focus, hopefully, will be to improve my skills rather than purchase more vehicles - with the garage looking very complete now.

As mentioned earlier - hopefully that target will get a booster start with California Superbike School. Now CSS allows for textile riding gear and also is very lenient as far as the participation conditions go - but I was persuaded by friends and family to play it safe and rent leathers before the event.

However, after speaking to multiple sources, I was not very convinced about the rentals. Different people had different negative experiences with themselves and their friends, some of the common ones being:

• Cleanliness - The suits are rarely cleaned thoroughly between sessions. Just let out to dry! The one you are wearing could have endured a lot many sweaty sessions from other rides.
• Damage penalty - Upon a crash or any damage sustained to the suit. It could result in heavy repair penalties, in which case you pay a hefty price and don't even get the suit to keep.
• Damage disqualification - Heard two cases were damage to the rental suit (like zip breaking off before the sessions) etc resulted in the riders getting disqualified from going on the track due to lack of safety concerns.

Moreover, I hope not to let CSS be a one-time thing and visit the track 3-4 times this year. Hence decided to purchase a riding suit. I had already considered purchasing another riding shoe because the Alpinestars Corosal boots that I have can't really be used on other bikes like the Street Triple 765RS etc and some of the smaller sportbikes like the RC390 and Ninja 400 that I am looking forward to riding soon. Hence this finally ended up becoming a full track gear purchase.

Track gear for a Tiger Sport 660 owner - what am I thinking? Well, too late now! I might as well post it here so the compulsion of public credibility makes me keep my word on this!

Furygan Shifter Gloves

These are the full-gauntlet racing gloves from Furygan, claimed to be made of 100% goat leather on the abrasion points. I selected the black/white theme as with the rest of the gear.

Palm 100% made with goat leather

External protection shells for palm, wrist and metacarpals

Floating Knuckle guard feels well made.

Sticky material on the palm for a better handlebar feel:

Reinforcements on fingers, palm and upper hand. Ring finger and little finger are held together by a bridge for safety during a crash

Forma Ice Pro Flow Racing Boots

Got these track-ready boots as against my original choice - which was the Sport touring Forma Freccia boots. Opted for the black/white theme as with the gloves.

Inside it has a red air mesh lining with polyurethane nylon reinforcements and a polymer padding with memory foam.

Made in Romania:

Vented stainless steel toe slider up front:

Velcro and zip closure (with an elastic panel in the internal ankle area for added comfort and fit)

Personalized Forma double-density rubber sole

F.C.S. (Flex Control System) with incorporated anti-scratch carbon effect bike protection:

A.I.S. (Air Intake System) system:

Rear buckle pump ratchet closure

Decent shin protection:

Furygan Dorsale Chest Racing D3O Protector

To be placed Inside the suit:

RS Taichi GP WRX R307 Racing Suit

Finally coming to the big gun, the leather suit in itself. Some of the features mentioned include:

• New T.I.P.S.(Taichi Impact Protection Slider) on shoulder and knee
• T.R.A.D.(Taichi Racing Active Design) pattern
• Approved CE level 2 protector on shoulder, elbow, and knee
• Neck support on the back to reduce damage caused by falls and support the neck, back and back of the head

Some pictures:

Pictures were shot during a short early morning coffee ride thanks to the holidays availed this week, to break in the new leathers. We took both the Triumphs (Tiger Sport 660 and Street Triple 765RS) out on the ride - but did not document the ride as such because it was pretty uneventful.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.