Motorcycle clothing/equipment for RTW trip
 

Hi guys,

I'm currently planning a RTW trip, which will hopefully culminate in a departure date in late July. My girlfriend and I are currently looking into the best equipement to buy.

The first thing we need is clothing. My head is swimming after reading so many different articles about the various merits of each brand, so really wanted the advice of people who have been there and road tested the kit.

In my local motorbike shop, they stock Wolf and Furygan. I quite like the look of the Wolf suite, and the prices aren't bad at around 250-300 quid for a jacket. I also like the look of the BMW/Rukka kit, but not so much the price tags. Aerostitch is a no go as I'm based in the UK and would want to try the gear first. I've also been looking at Rev It, Held and Alpinestars online which seem to have some reasonably priced stuff.

Helmet wise I've been considering an HJC Flip Up helmet, as I've had one before and quite liked it. I'm open to consider other brands though.

I haven't even looked into gloves and boots yet!

The list of kit we need goes on and on - communicators, camping gear etc, which I will research in more detail over the coming weeks.

Apologies for making this thread so expansive, but any recommendations on your favourite pieces of kit would be most welcome.

Thanks in advance,

Joel

Held looks like a good compromise in quality/price compared to rukka. Got a couple of pairs of gloves from them, my newest goretex pair I especially like.

If your after a flip helmet have a look at the shark evoline 3. Got some good reviews and can be worn with then chin bar open unlike most flip fronts.

Thanks retryrider,

Funnily enough, my girlfriend and I were just out trying on the Shark Evoline helmet and we both really liked it!

I love the fact that you can keep the visor down - seems like a very effective dual helmet.

Thanks for the info!

Joel

My wife just bought the revit Ventura jacket, and it is really nice. Not goretex, but a seperate winter liner and waterproof liner. Not badly priced either, Euro 260.

I ride with Klim Traverse pants, with knee and hip pads. Absolutely love them and 100% waterproof. I also us Sidi adventure boots, also worth the extra money

My wife rides with alpinestar tech 3. Not waterproof, but she wants the protection. She uses plastic bags to keep her feet dry if it rains.

We both use richa magma gloves. Again very happy with these. Not waterproof either, but we van live with it. Comfortable glove and good for hot weather. Also not too bad in cold, we just came through northern Europe, riding in about 10 deg and it was ok.

Helmets, I use arai viper gt. Very comfortable for my shape of head. A little bit noisy, but nothing to worry me. My wife uses shoei xr1000 and really likes it. Also very comfortable.

Sent from my HTC J Z321e using Tapatalk 2

You may want to decide where most of your riding will be before deciding on gear.
Apart from that, what off-bike activities will you be doing, what's your riding style / speed / hours per day and so on, and what's your comfort level with the protection / comfort / utility trade off?

For example, I wouldn't dream of using an Aerosmith Roadcrafter in the tropics.

Some thoughts / IMHOs: in general I detest waterproof jacket liners as that means the outer shell eventually gets saturated, which isn't good for cold protection and takes days to dry.

For the tropics, mesh gear works well, I prefer the simpler stuff with no liners, and use backpacking shells for rain. Along with a performance fleece jacket / midlayer, the shell and mesh jacket can provide quite good cold weather protection.
I prefer layering with the best available gear to the all in one riding suits. The individual layers can be used off the bike as well.

Some ride in motocross boots, I find them terribly uncomfortable to walk in. For Se Asia and it's low speeds, I find hiking boots to work fine.

Apart from mesh gear, I also use a motocross style compression jacket and leg / knee protectors.

Sent from my Android chinaphone, please excuse the spelling

[QUOTE=tigershel;425405]Y
For example, I wouldn't dream of using an Aerosmith Roadcrafter in the tropics.

Does the "Aerosmith" roadcrafter come with tassles, sequins and cut off arms? LOL

Hi,

Dont forget that the way you look will have a big influence on the way people treat you not only at boarders. If you look like you have come directly from mars, people will treat you like money on legs.
Also in third world countrys the roads are very bad so you dont expect to ride very fast. Then you also dont need all the protection stuff.
I went around africa yust wearing normal jeans and a old army jacked so i did not look more fancy then the local people who then were amazingly friendly to me:

http://afrikamotorrad.de/?report=en_transafrika

While riding around Southamerica i had a nice waterproof motorbike jacked combined with a very light plastic trowses over my jeans. The jacked was nice to have high up at 5000 meters in the rain/snow but too hot to ride wih in Peru, Argentina and Brasil so most of the time it was straped on the bag. To not geting sunburned i was wearing a long sleve shirt like the locals.

Travel save, Tobi

I agree with some of the earlier postings..... keep your gear low profile in looks and fancy logos and don't go with goretex liners.....far better to slip on a waterproof overjacket and trousers. Walking ones pack up smaller than most biker ones. Ditto jacket liners, better to go for a fleece or even better something like Berhaus's Ignite jacket which packs very small, works well as a warm liner and can be worn as an off bike jacket.
Whatever helmet you choose, make sure it has good ventilation as you will be needing it!

[QUOTE=realmc26;425411]Blame my phone. Auto spelling/completion works great...

Sometimes... :-)

Actually, those mods would probably make the Stich a lot more functional. The sequins would make it more visible, especially at night, and the cut off arms would be great in the heat.

Sent from my Android chinaphone, please excuse the spelling

Thanks for the kit suggestions. Unfortunately there seems to be nowhere in my area that stocks Rev It gear ☹

The Klim stuff looks great, but again not sure if it’s available in my area, or even the UK. Would really want to try before buying.

Thanks for the glove and helmet suggestions. Will check them out.


Thanks for the input guys. I’ve combined my response as I think your suggestions have a common theme.

Just to give you a bit of more info. We’ll be riding two up on a GS adventure and will probably be sticking to mostly better roads in Europe. I’m doing an offroad riding course in Wales before we leave so I hope to get more practice/be more comfortable in the dirt by the time we hit more developing countries. We’ll hopefully not be putting in really long days as we have a good amount of time for the trip.

With regard to kit, I’m of the mind that it’s near impossible to have one suit for all weather conditions we encounter. Plus I’m very aware of image. As Tobi points out, I don’t want to be turning up in poorer countries looking like an alien in a spacesuit! Tigershel and JayEss, you make good points, which is why I’m considering now going for the Forcefield protective pro 2 shirt and trousers, and then a basic mesh jacket/jeans combo above. This could then be supplemented with an extra fleece layer in the cold and a waterproof on the top when it rains.

Does anyone have any experience with the forcefield kit?

Thanks,

Joel

The HJC flip lid was very noisy from memory. Might not be useful

I used the shark Evoline II on my last 12 months trip( just got back). It was very heavy nearly 2kg. Keep that in mind as after a long day if buffeting it does make for a sore neck. I still live all the plusses but that one negative is considerable

Gear. I used air mesh gear with over jacket and pants, useless in the rain as I was always cold and wet

I bought some IXC ( i think. Until i get home i cannot confirm)brand from Switzerland. This was expensive and had thermal and goretex liners. I was very dry and eventually crash tested it. It passed with flying colours

As it had many zip up vents and pockets and flaps, when I got to Asia I was comfortable. I was not comfortable in hot and humid SEA but unless I was wearing budgie smugglers only, it would not matter what gear I wore :)

Cheers from Oz
TravellingStrom

You are probably referring to IXS gear. I've had jacket, pants and their Ultra boots in the past and it was excellent in quite a wide range of temperatures. Not good for SE Asia though.

I've got a cheaper but highly rated flip up, a Shoei X11 and a Shoei off road helmet out here.
The flip-up only gets used around town, too heavy, noisy and not enough airflow otherwise.
The Shoei off road helmet flows by far the most air, is very comfortable and very light, but having to wear goggles over glasses is uncomfortable. It's also the noisiest and is literally a pain in heavy rain as the drops strike skin directly.

So X11 ends up winning this for me. Flows quite a bit of air, is light and comfortable.

Sent from my Android chinaphone, please excuse the spelling

I just checked and yes it is IXC. After sliding down the road at 80kmh I had no damage to me and a small hole on my bum pants. They also protected me from a few other spills during my journey, highly recommend them

Planning a trip
 

Hi
I am new to this site, I've done a few small europe trips on a bmw s 1000 rr
Now I have really got the itch to do some long trips (not on the s1000) going to get a bmw adrenture with all the knobs on, go a few ideas of where to go and what to see,just really baffled as to all the gear I have to get,I am a sports bike rider so it's all new to me.i want to buy stuff that will last, also I want to camp
Thanks everyone Andrew from manchester

I have been now on the road roughly 16 months.
I use Arai Tour-X helmet (good airflow, but annoying for taking photos because I need to remove helmet every time).
I have 3rd set of summer gloves going on at the moment, sweat and dust eat these gloves really fast.
For riding suit I use Touratech, which is good in the hot places. It also has detachable gore-tex upper jacket for rain and cold areas (they just take quite much space to store).
Under the suit I am using upper body armor and separate knee protectors.
Boots: Alpinestars Toucan goretex boots.

Yes, sounds like a lot, but this gear saved my life or at least saved me from serious injury when I had an accident with a truck in Jawa.

Remember, traffic over here is totally different than in Europe...

I always think that it is better to sweat than bleed...

Safe riding!

I 'd go at it a different way. First decide where you want to ride and then look at the equipment.

I'd also recommend flying to somewhere like SE Asia (Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam et al), renting one of the cheap 125 to 200cc scooters / underbones / motorcycles) that are available for $6 to 10 per day, and head out.
You really don't need much gear for that, a set of throw-over saddlebags, maybe a small backpack or seat bag, a lightweight rain jacket and maybe pants, and basic riding gear, a helmet, MX gloves, mesh jacket and hiking boots will be far more than the locals are using, and probably in line with the speeds traffic moves at.

No need for camping gear as lodging is cheap and available as long as you don't expect western quality hotels. At most, take a mosquito hammock and silk or microfleece bag liner for emergencies.

Clothing can be limited to a few sets of quick drying synthetic shirts, shorts and maybe some long pants, and a set of flip flops or sandals for off the bike.

Then head out for the most remote destinations you can find, catching the small local bancas / ferries across rivers or between islands.

Other destinations for fly and ride adventures are Southern Africa and South America, which are more big bike friendly, but could require more planning and are more expensive.

If you still think you need a fully kitted GS when you get back, you've spent less than cost of carnet / insurance and shipping to do the same trip.
If not, you've just saved many thousands of $$...

For camping, you could start building up a kit using your current bike. I prefer good quality backpacking gear, but not the ultra lightweight stuff which tends to be expensive, not that robust and not very spacious.

For example, the Nemo Losi 3P tent I use now weighs only 1 lb more than the 2P, and the same as my previous 2 man tent, but has almost double the floor and vestibule space. It's 3/4 season capable, but with the extensive mesh inner and two doors has excellent airflow for tropical conditions.
I got it at a 30% discount, so it cost me a fraction of the 'motorcycle' specific tents some on that other adventure forum recommend...

Any good hiking / outdoor shop should be able to give advice on gear, but remember they also need to make a buck, so will tend to push the latest and greatest.

For stoves and stuff, I like basic and cheap. I'm still using a Trangia knockoff alcohol stove that's 25 years old, and packs 2 pots, fry pan, windshield and stand, stove, potholder and lighter into a space not much bigger than 1 of the pots.

Unless I'm camping with a partner, I just use one of the pots or fry pan as a plate, and have an old stainless army cutlery set that fits in the Trangia as well.

One advantage of camping off the S1000, is that you will slowly acquire and test out a compact camping setup without being tempted to go for the ginormous luggage / travel systems that are seen on the 'adventure' tourers all too often.

For gear, I don't find that the bells and whistles do it all adventure riding gear works all that well in the tropics, and no better than a well layered simple riding suit in cold conditions.

I've had the expensive, multilayered, waterproof stuff, and now use either a very simple mesh jacket or compression jacket (MX style) and a cheap and simple enduro pants with zip-off legs and really good venting, for mostly tropical riding.
A simple, very packable, lightweight hiking shell and bicycle rain pants work about as well as anything else to keep the rain out, and breathe very well.

With a few good under/mid fleece layers, the same setup will deal with 99% of the conditions I experienced in colder climates such as the northern US.

I guess what I'm saying is that you already have a bike, you already have some gear, you obviously have a fair bit of disposable income, so get out there and get your feet wet, build up experience and knowledge and a starter kit before spending a ton of money on what could be the wrong direction.

Just an addendum on the gear thing. I've been riding / driving in SE Asia for almost 7 years, and in Southern / central Africa for many years before that.

Nearly all the accidents I've had in SE Asia were covered by a lightly armored mesh jacket or MX compression jacket (better, as it has back, chest, shoulder, elbow and arm hard armor yet is as cool as a mesh jacket), Cordura shorts and over ankle boots. Plus helmet and MX style leg protectors.

Having said that, the other day I was out in ATTGATT, wearing my BMW Santiago boots, and had a bus go over my foot and knock the bike sideways by way of my knee, trying to push me out of the way in traffic.
Likely I would have been OK in a less robust boot, but probably much more bruised.

Also, if I'd been on something the size and weight of a GS instead of a 200 cc dualsport, likely my knee would have been crushed and I wouldn't have been able to keep the bike upright and turn/accelerate a bit to avoid the rest of the vehicle going over my leg and bike.

As a new rider in these conditions, the chances of an accident are extremely high. Slippery, broken roads, lots of stuff in or running across the road anywhere and any time without warning, substandard equipment (cheap tires, poor maintenance and more) and a totally different rhythm and reason to traffic 'rules' and flow.
So you may want to consider the protection perspective as well as climate, at least until you have a year or two experience in local conditions.

In that sense, South Africa is a bit closer to the western norms.

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I would suggest to pick the gear according to the extremes but basically it's almost impossible. With good rain/cold gear you will suffer in heat and the reverse. I handle well heat so I'll go with protection for cold/rain. In heat you can find ways to ventilate even if the gear is not that ventilated (you just unzip the main and you can survive) but in cold+rain you will suffer... A lot.
In my opinion rukka and klim is the best gear available for RTW (both available in uk) with klim being somewhat a bit less waterproof as it is more ventilated (never used one but talked with people who had).
I used revit in my African adventure and hated the waterproof layer system. In Central Asia, Mongolia and Siberia I was feeling so lucky to ride in my rukka gear with no issues regarding waterproofness even after days of rain.
You should also invest in a technical body layer. It will make you handle the heat better, transfer the sweat out of your body etc.
I like having two sets of gloves. Light summer enduro type most of the time and thick goretex in cold/rain.
Boots: I used full enduro in Africa (sg10) and adventure goretex in Asia. I would prefer the second for a RTW. They are more versatile. Easy to walk, waterproof but a bit less protection (which is fine if you understand it's a RTW so you ride accordingly)
I used arai tour x3 and happy with it. Very good quality as it's a premium brand. Crashed badly before leaving to Africa and no damage even if the helmet cracked (it's supposed to) and the back of the head is the most sensitive part. Only rode little with modular (shoei) and not really happy with it (noisy). After all my rides I plan to retire my tour x3 and go with a very light helmet (Airoh aviator is my plan). I don't mind taking the helmet on and off but I do mind the pain on my neck and a 1,6kg helmet is what will cause it. After days and days of long rides you WILL notice the half a kilo difference. The googles/sunglasses combo is also a good idea as your visor WILL scratch and it's more convenient to carry extra googles lenses than an extra visor.
Cheers, John.

My Stadler Companero works brilliantly in all weathers. I went to Morocco last summer wearing it. When it was 43 degrees celcius in Fez, the mesh armoured sections were heaven sent! Back in France, in some of the worst rain in which I've ridden, the Goretex outer kept me bone dry and warm. Like all the Klim gear, further layers underneath would have kept me warmer when it gets colder.

There are some downsides, however. Firstly, you have to find someway of carrying the Goretex outer parts. Personally, I accept that I will need to find some extra space. Secondly, the more straightforward way to buy it is from Touratech. You CAN buy one straight from Stadler without any TT logos! I rode to Germany for mine. even with the travel costs, it was still cheaper than buying it here in the UK! :thumbup1: Thirdly, and probably the biggest issue, is the price. Ouch! Still, you get what you pay for (more or less), and I intend to get MANY years of use out of it!

Did the OP ever buy any gear? 12-24-11:20
 

Excellent comments tigershel. I did the Asia thing (the first time) in 1992. I brought MX/Enduro gear ...wore road based Moto boots I could walk in, rented a 125cc two stroke enduro and rode all over N. Thailand.
Epic ride and SO CHEAP. I was there in November ... one of the coolest months ... and it was still HOT. But tolerable with very little rain. (always variable).

In Thailand and Cambodia my MX type gear worked out perfectly. Like you say, a simple rain jacket and rain pants do the job in inclement weather and light weight MX mesh gear is the way to go ... with proper armor underneath of course. (shin, knee, hip, back, elbow) add under layers in colder climes.

Most UK travelers I've met (many pass through California and Baja, Mex)
are typically wearing Winter type waterproof gear, heavy, thick jackets and pants ... brutal in any temps over about 80F. Most are over dressed for the temperate climates of the South-Western USA and most of Latin America. You see .. they bought gear while in the UK .. for UK riding conditions (cold with constant rain)

Asia is super HOT and humid. Humidity takes getting used to ... not that easy for folks living in cold climates like UK- Northern EU or Canada.
Many let the high heat/humidity RUIN their trip ... and fly home or bail out of the area.

tigershel, your idea about flying into Asia, renting a bike is brilliant. You can learn so much in just a two week tour. I've done it 2 times and hope to do it again someday.

For UK riders planning a ride and figuring out gear, I'd do a Summer ride down to Spain/Portugal and then over to Morocco. That exposure to heat should be a clue about what compromises need be made and what gear works best.

BTW, on your way South ... go through Andorra and find the best prices and selections on riding gear anywhere in Europe ... and about HALF the price of gear sold in the UK. Spain is also VERY GOOD for gear shopping.

Well done tigershell great post full of info for the less knowledgabable,

Yes you can get KLM gear in uk quite expensive wait till spring go to Lidl & aldi, pick up some cordura jackets & trousers my last one lasted 5 years! at £50 so got more than my monies worth.
you will find you will go to one country & soon realise the gear your wearing is too cold or hot or just not suitable, in LA it seems to be jeans & boots other countrys full gear.

my boots are riding sidi boots but when I went to spain left them at home & wore army high leg boots so could walk around in them when off the bike, next time I went i used my siddies

wear what youre comfy in, but still need protection as alredy stated you have the basic gear alredy, camping is simler go a way for a long week end see if you can stand it if not budget for hostals or b & b some countrys cost more than others, cooking on the Rd I would suggest a multi fule stove (your never run out of petrol !

I use a cleman multi fuel stove, if time go to the Caravan & camping show in Feb at NEC so many tents to look at, remember sleeping bags down are best & pack away smaller but once wet not so good what are you using for panniers? & inner bags I use Exped & laying on the ground your entering a mine field, but it is a learning curve & trial & error if you took everyones idea you would have 20 tents to carry!!