Gear Reviews

Matthew Rosenstock

Motoport Atlas Jacket- I love it. Comfortable, durable
and easy to clean by riding in the rain. It is on it's
last legs, so I'll be looking for a new one next year.

HJC LT12 and Shoei RF200 Helmets: Both good. Shoei has
better wind blockout, but the HJC fits my head better.

Alpinestars GPS boots: Awesome. I wear them all day at
work sometimes.

Olympia Palm Gel gloves: Not the greatest for
protection in a crash. No armor or studs. But they are
perforated on the top side and have a gel cushion for
the palm. Very comfortable.

Dave Paper

I ride in an Arai helmet, quantum/e.  A full face helmet.  Jacket is a HJC
jacket, a Cirotech sucker with a removeable interior insulation liner and
removeable/replaceable body armor.   I went down last year in this (while
wearing jeans, thick hiking boots and thin summer riding gloves) combo
around a curve doing about 20, low-sided and slid.  Got up, and rode home.

The jacket and helmet were definately worth it.

The jacket is definately a winter/cold weather riding jacket, and during
the late spring/summer it's sweltering, even with the vents open.  Plenty
of zippered pockets, including some inside the jacket.  After the crash,
there are only scratches on the outside of the leather, it held together
nicely.  When I go to buy a summer jacket (shortly, this being written in
late May), it'll be a HJC if I can find one I like.

Can't say enough about a full faced helmet.  Landed on the upper right
side of my face when I hit hte asphalt, and bounced once or twice.  Can't
imagine how bad that woulda been in a brain bucket or any other openfaced
helmet.  Ouch.  I replaced the plastic visor since it got scratched all
over the right side.  Easy to clean, doesn't require a lot of maintenance.
You can easily wear glasses with this helmet, although you have to take
them on/off when putting on/taking off the helmet.  It's quiet, but I
still wear earplugs when riding.

Jeans are not a good protectant.  Better than nothing, but not much.

Mike Troutman

I love my First Gear Kenya jacket.  Soft armor, removable fleece liner,
plenty of vents.  Good for commuting in stop and go up to the mid
90s.  Great for winter down to the teens.  Work well with a pair of first
gear winter bib pants.  Plenty of pockets and reflective patches.

For boots, I wear leather lace up Sonny's Surplus boots for $25 a
pair.  They last around 18 months, and they are just about perfect.  They
are water resistant, yet breathe very well.

T.B.G.

Aerostich RoadCrafter-2 piece:
Great fit, and nice finish just had to wait to have it made.  With added
zipper and insert for the back, allows more comfort for sportbike riding.
Does a good job of keeping ya warm in the winter time, especially with the
help of an Aerostich electric vest.  WIth all of the vents, it's nice on the
warmer days too.

The pants can be worn alone or can be zipped together with the jacket.  They
have many zippers, so you can access your pant pockets pretty easily.

Aerostitch electric vest: great, easy to use.  Plugs right into your battery
tender plug.  Has a push button opperation, off/on.  For warmer days 55
degrees, it can be reversed for less heat on your body.

Vanson Jacket-perferated front:
Nice summer jacket, a tad on the small size, not meant for taller
individuals.  Arms are 1" too short, yes even when leaned over the bike.  I
really like the armor.  Looks nice, black with the gold VANSON patches.
With conditioner, softens it right up and makes in a comfortable fit.

Vanson Pants:
Great fit, they are made for tall individuals.  They are about 10 years old
and in great shape.  The silky liner is great and helps in comfort for those
long riding days.

Prexport boots:
They fit well and have great protection.  Only cost about $150.  Have used
the feelers on them multiple times.  They allow a good amount of air thru
them so your feet don't heat up alot.  They have good traction when just
walking around too.

Cedric Bernescut

Shoei RF-700 helmet:
Good: solid, easy to use shield mechanism and relatively quiet. 
Bad:The shield does have a tendency to blow open at speed when turning to
look over your shoulder. 

First Gear Scout Jacket:
Good: Warm, with a bazillion pockets.  Can be worn in a non-motorcycling
environment without too many stares. 
Bad: Venting is only adequate on hot days and if you are caught in the rain
it will bleed dye over your clothes.  The leather is a little thin for my
tastes, I will buy a thicker jacket next time.  No provision for armor of
any kind.

Motogear Canyon pants:
Good: Easy on and off over regular street clothes, decent protection for
under $150 and relatively rainproof.
Bad: Absolutely zero venting, you will sweat in these.

Sidi Vertebrae boots:
Good: solid protection for a reasonable price.
Bad: Stiff, takes a little while to get used to them.

Olympia Gel gloves:
Good: Inexpensive light weight gloves which reduce handlebar vibration to a
certain degree.
Bad: Cheap construction, these would not likely survive a getoff and would
require immediate replacement.

Scooter:

Jackets:
1 AGV Rage Full Perf (w/r/b summer jacket) - crashed in and held up great.  Still going strong.
1 HJC (black medium weather jacket) - great jacket.  no crashes.
1 Vanson Bones (black winter jacket) - fully lined, warm and comfy. no crashes.
1 Yamaha R6 non-leather jacket (all season jacket) - really comfortable in hot or cold weather. no crashes.

Pants:
1 First Gear (black) - all around pants.  comfy.  4yrs old & still going strong. no crashes.
1 Teknic (w/r/b/summer) - really great in warm weather.

Boots:
2 Alpinestars (r/w/b & black) - really comfortable boots for on and off bike.  crashed in a previous pair.  they held up great except for a nickel sized hole.  no longer water-proof so, I don't use them anymore.  I'll stick with this brand for a while.

Gloves:
3 Olympias - comfortable and good feel.  crashed in a previous pair and put a hole in the cuff.  other than that, they held up great.  same here.  this brand will be my glove choice for quite a while.  not very expensive but good protection.

Helmets:
2 Shoei RF700's - real comfortable fit and feel.  great visor change system.  crashed in one.  minor scuffs and scratched visor.  replaced visor and still use.
1 Nolan N100 flip-face - real convenient for people who wear glasses.  comfy but not as comfy as my Shoei's.  Shoei head forever.

Suits:
1 AGV Sport 1-piece - just got off of ebay.  worn it 3 times so far.  comfy but a little snug.  need to work on that diet.  ;-)  great suit though for going out at 11pm just to ride.  I wouldn't recommend it for going to the mall. 

Tuan Diep

Helmet:  
HJC CL-12:   saved my life, the shield flew off but sanpped backed into place
afterwards.  The right side and back took the brunt of the impact but was usable
since I had to ride it home.  They are comfortable, effective and cheap but
noisy.  I've never worn another brand so I really can't make comparisons. 

Gloves: 
AGV Prisma:  great fit with good protection along fingers and knuckles.  The
palms were scuffed up in the crash but still good enough to use again.

Jacket:
HJC retro:  hot but otherwise comfortable with vents on back and arms.  I
replaced the standard elbow armor (really just a flimsy piece of foam) with
GP-style stuff (hard plastic over foam) and replaced the standard foam back pad
with the carbon/kevlar back protector from Bohn (a knock-off of Knox).    I
think the new armor worked great since I didn't hurt in those areas that were
protected.  I'm still wearing it.

Pants:
Draggin' jeans: they are comforatble as well and didn't tear at all.
Underneath, I wore Moose riding shorts with hip armor and they prevented a
broken pelvis.  I was bruised in that area for week with the accompanying
soreness. 

Boots:
Sidi Vertabra: a great boot that was scratched but worked like it should.  It
has hard plactic to protect the heel, ankle and back of leg.  My only complaint
is that they tend to squeak when I walk around (those plastic plates in the
back).