Off road riding gear

[maxim_X]

I'm new to dirt riding and this summer I'd like to get into it a little more. My job is very physical and injuries will put me out of work. So, I want to minimize my risk with wearing all the gear I can. Right now I have a helmet, elbow pads, shin knee guards an crappy goggles. I'm also wearing old roadrace gloves.

What I'm looking for

- neck brace. I'll probly go with the EVS from the other thread.

- amored jacket. I got my eye on the Thor Mx impact or te fox titan.

- amored shorts. The a* bionic looks nice.

- gloves. I have no idea. All I know is I want the most protection.


If anyone has any first hand experience with any of these items or other recomendations I'd love to hear them.

[Chippertheripper]

Rockymountainmc.com for their closeouts. Most mx gloves are not really too protective, like rr gloves. I have some no-name armor jacket thingy, it's been holding up fine, does the job well. I had some fox shorts for a while also, but washing them bent the armor and they started to chaffe.
And as far as a neck brace, I got nothing. I have yet to see too many woods cats using them.

[KB]

I wear an armor shirt/jacket thing. It is awesome.

Boots are a must!

KB

[Chippertheripper]

Yeah, boots. What size shoe?

[maxim_X]

I got some Garne boots. They are good. I know most woods guys don't wear neck braces but I figure it can't hurt to have a little extra protection. Any of those armor jackets are pretty good?

[union]

I got some Garne boots. They are good. I know most woods guys don't wear neck braces but I figure it can't hurt to have a little extra protection. Any of those armor jackets are pretty good?

I have one. Didnt like it. Padding moved when I needed it most and I ended up with a black arm for a week.

[Pigman]

Buy shin/knee and elbow pads too......

[gregp]

You can get a set of cheap knee guards at any sporting goods store. I just cut and trim them to fit under my pants, and rest on the top of my boots. They are important. You can get an inexpensive pair of Bilt MX gloves from Cycle Gear. A chest/roost protector does not do much, IMO, but I do wish that I had worn mine a few weeks ago (bruised ribs).
From my experience, the most likely areas of injury will be wrists (not much you can do there), feet/toes (good boots are a must), knees (see above), and every once in a while you break a clavicle (again, not much you can do). I rarely, if ever, hurt my elbows, so I don't know where that concern comes from.
Don't even think of riding off road without protecting your head, and your eyes.
Expect to bleed a little bit. A minor hull breach is quite common in the off road world. At 51, my body is pretty scarred up. Who needs ink?

[gregp]

Remember that, unless you are racing MX, the injuries do not necessarily come from outright speed, but from the fall from the height of the machine, often into rocks and sticks. There are studies that indicate the same with bicycling. A fall from 4-6' can be fatal, if you hit your head.
If you are talking about MX, a lot of this goes out the window. Speeds and fall distances can be increased exponentially.

[maxim_X]

I have elbow and knee/ shin pads now. I plan to woods/trail ride with a possible hair-scramble or woods race in the Summer. There is no MX in my future. As far as elbow injury is concerned, I've hit the dirt a lot in my short life from many different things, and my primary impact point is always my forearms and elbows. I'd hate to be out of work from a chipped elbow or something similar.

Anyway I ordered Thor Impact body armor , A*'s armored pants, and an EVS neck brace. While I was at it on amazon I got carried away and got a jersey, pants, gloves and another goggle.

[Chippertheripper]

So you're ready. Is that husky reg'd yet?

[maxim_X]

It's got no street title. I'm gonna reg it off road as soon as I have time off to go to the RMV to pay the sales tax and Fall river to the EP place for an ATV plate. Hopefully next week I'll get a rain day and be able to make it.

[R7]

I've been using a 661 mesh jacket with armor for quite a few years and I'm pretty happy with it. Some of the velcro is just starting to not stick anymore, so I may get a new one soon. I've never had any of the padding move...and I'm one of those guys that hits the ground quite a bit
Good boots and socks are a must. Make sure your socks go up past the knew, it makes wearing knee pads waaaaaay more confortable. Last year was the first time I started wearing knee pads..one of those peices of gear that is hard to get used to wearing IMHO.
Jersey and riding pants are a given, IMHO they don't offer much protection so i've always bought those items based on looks and price.
Helmet, I've used an Arai XD for years and loved it. Way more comfortable for me to not have the goggles sucked to your eyes, and the vision is also better. That being said, I picked up a new HJC offroad helmet last season and a new pair of goggles
Gloves, they are improving slowly and offering more and more protection. I have a pair of Fox hard knuckle gloves that have held up great...but still flimsy compaired to road gloves. A* makes a glove specific for SuperMoto, very similar to roadrace gloves but with no gauntlet. I tried a pair and liked them but on warmer days, your hands get real sweaty

[Chippertheripper]

I think you can pay sales tax at the fr revenue dept office...which is directly across the hall from the dep.

[bstnsboy]

Have you looked @ kevins cycles in norton? I got some gear there they had good prices on clearance stuff too.http://www.kevinscycleracing.com/

[typeone]

did i read Husky? whatcha got?

[Chippertheripper]

Pssst, Clinton:

http://www.nestreetriders.com/forum/...le-2000-a.html

[typeone]

(thanks, Chip)

oh, snap! nice score, welcome to the family bookmark CafeHusky.com if you haven't already

[BLACK SQUIRREL]

did i read Husky? whatcha got?

You should of seen J Dowd ripping his Husky at Crow hill today.

[Chippertheripper]

Dowd is nothing short of amazing. Fact.

[typeone]

can't wait to see him rippin up the 'Wick on the Husky this year... how odd

[breakdirt916]

You can get a set of cheap knee guards at any sporting goods store. I just cut and trim them to fit under my pants, and rest on the top of my boots. They are important.

my knees are constantly banging against the tank and the patella (side bones) on the inside is sore for a couple days after

did you find the knee guards helped here?

I have the knee/shin guards and they only really help from the front...not the side...and it's more shin, and less knee

here's google at work:

these?



these?



these?

[union]

my knees are constantly banging against the tank and the patella (side bones) on the inside is sore for a couple days after

did you find the knee guards helped here?

I have the knee/shin guards and they only really help from the front...not the side...and it's more shin, and less knee

here's google at work:

these?



these?



these?

I ride with a set similar to the middle ones. I have the 661 Kyle Strait ones. Love them. Had the Tomcat version too which are very good but harder to find now. Hard shell over the knee and plenty of padding everywhere else you will need. Should solve the side impact against the tank since there is soft padding there.

The top ones look like they have soft padding. I have a set similar to those as well. I didnt know that is what they had for padding when I ordered them. I would not ride with them especially in the woods where you are likely to have impacts with sharp hard objects like rocks. Might be ok for a soft MX track but I still wouldnt risk it.

I also have a couple of sets similar to the bottom ones. Retired them when I started riding the the 661 stuff. Good protection up front from impacts. If you wear a good MX boot then there is no need for the shin padding on these. It just goes in the boot and makes riding a little uncomfortable for me. No side padding which I believe is what youre looking for.

Personally I would go for the ones in the middle if they have the hard cup over the knee cap. If not then I would suggest the 661 Kyle Strait or Tomcat if you can find them.

[oVTo]

Any recommendations for sites other than rockymountain? I need to get my kid everything, the damn kid keeps getting bigger. If he rides a lot next year maybe I'll upgrade his gear, but for now price is king. There was one site that used to sell stuff in sets - jersey/pants/gloves/boots/helmet, but I can't find it. It wasn't the best quality stuff (HJC lids, Fox boots, etc.), but very good prices.

[tls25rs]

Any recommendations for sites other than rockymountain? I need to get my kid everything, the damn kid keeps getting bigger. If he rides a lot next year maybe I'll upgrade his gear, but for now price is king. There was one site that used to sell stuff in sets - jersey/pants/gloves/boots/helmet, but I can't find it. It wasn't the best quality stuff (HJC lids, Fox boots, etc.), but very good prices.

http://www.motorcyclegear.com/ This is supposed to be the new home of newenough.com

Never mind......took a longer look and it looks like it is all street gear. I know there was a website that OreoGaborio used to use for dirt gear that was cheap but I can't think of and/or find it. Sorry.