I've gotten some really good help from this website at different times when I had questions (especially when deciding what gear to buy). I tried to think of a way to give back, and decided to write a review on most of the gear I use. Here it is.
Reviews of some items of motorcycle clothing and gear
1. Fieldsheer Mach 3 Mesh Jacket
I've been very pleased with this jacket. It's well-vented (though it's pretty hot if you're not moving on the motorcycle), and the armor seems good - both dense foam and plastic at the shoulders, elbows, and back, and all the armor is removable - very helpful for washing. One weak spot - the snaps to adjust the tightness at the elbows come undone easily, and I don't think would hold in a major fall. I've had one of them redone with velcro, but it's not as tight as it should be. Fieldsheer may have improved their tightening system on newer models. I've thought about getting the Rockgardn Flak Jacket, which would give chest protection (which the Fieldsheer lacks), and looks cooler, too. I've had one fall (at about 45 mph on a rain-slick road on a very dark night at midnight). It was all kind of dreamlike, but I'm pretty-sure I landed on my right shoulder, but with the Fieldsheer jacket, I didn't feel a thing.
2. Tourmaster Two-Piece Elite Rain Suit
This jacket has been great for keeping rain out and has held up very well in the 2-3 years I've had it. There's one fairly irritating problem - the material used to line the sleeves and legs tends to cling to whatever is put through it, making it somewhat difficult to put on over both skin and many kinds of cloth. It's especially bad with rubber, so much so that I can't put the pants on over my rainboots - the boots stick to the lining and are almost impossible to get through. So I have to put on the rainpants first, then the boots after that, and then pull the pants down over the boots.
3. HJC Symax Flip-face Helmet
I've only had this helmet for about 3 months, but am very pleased with it. A flip-face was necessary for me, since I need to drive with a small smog mask to handle the thick smoke put out by quite a few vehicles here in Thailand. I need to be able to raise the flip-face section to put on my mask (which I hang around my neck) while driving. Also, the HJC Symax has enough room in the front of the helmet for the mask to fit. It's relatively quiet, gives a good field of vision, and seems sturdy and very safe. The thick, dense foam cheekpads give me a slight headache at times, but I'm expecting that will break in as time goes by, and if it doesn't, there's a smaller size of cheekpads that I can order. I got this from New Enough for a great price, with their standard excellent service.
4. Fly Moto Knee Guards
These are light, seem sturdy, and are easy to put on and take off. They attach with three velcro straps, some of which I had to shorten (by cutting and resewing) to fit my skinny legs. I really like the fact that they protect the sides of the knees as well as the front. I think I landed on the side of my right knee when I went down on the rain-slick road (see review on Fieldsheer Mach 3 Jacket), but I had no soreness in my knee (or anywhere else) after that accident.
5. Answer Alpha Air 2006 Jersey
I got this because it came in bright yellow and I wanted a highly-visible color. It seems to vent well, and I'm happy with it.
6. Thor 2006 AC MX Pants
These seem like really good MX pants, are big enough to wear over the Fly Moto Knee Guards I wear, vent well, and have held up well in the 2-3 years I've had them.
7. Treds Rain Boots (http://www.treds.com/)
These boots are very thick, and keep water out well (as long as you don't forget to pull the bottoms of your rain pants over the boot, which I forgot to do once!). The boots go on and off easily. The snaps that close the top of the boot close very tightly, and are difficult to unsnap. I was concerned that they would eventually tear the rubber, which turned out to be true. The snap on on of the boots is tearing away from the rubber now, so I may have to rig up some kind of elastic-band & velcro closure if it tears all the way. I wrote to Treds and told them about the problem, but didn't get much help. The lady who wrote back just said she was pleased that boots had held up as long as they had (???).
8&9. Answer Alpha Air 2006 Gloves and Pro-Grip 4010 Gloves
The Answer Alpha Air gloves are quite thin, and began to come apart after several washings. It seemed certain that they would provide very little protection in a fall in which my hands would slide on the pavement, so I found the Pro-Grips at a store here in northern Thailand. They're thicker - and hotter, but feel a lot safer.
Reviews of some items of motorcycle clothing and gear
1. Fieldsheer Mach 3 Mesh Jacket
I've been very pleased with this jacket. It's well-vented (though it's pretty hot if you're not moving on the motorcycle), and the armor seems good - both dense foam and plastic at the shoulders, elbows, and back, and all the armor is removable - very helpful for washing. One weak spot - the snaps to adjust the tightness at the elbows come undone easily, and I don't think would hold in a major fall. I've had one of them redone with velcro, but it's not as tight as it should be. Fieldsheer may have improved their tightening system on newer models. I've thought about getting the Rockgardn Flak Jacket, which would give chest protection (which the Fieldsheer lacks), and looks cooler, too. I've had one fall (at about 45 mph on a rain-slick road on a very dark night at midnight). It was all kind of dreamlike, but I'm pretty-sure I landed on my right shoulder, but with the Fieldsheer jacket, I didn't feel a thing.
2. Tourmaster Two-Piece Elite Rain Suit
This jacket has been great for keeping rain out and has held up very well in the 2-3 years I've had it. There's one fairly irritating problem - the material used to line the sleeves and legs tends to cling to whatever is put through it, making it somewhat difficult to put on over both skin and many kinds of cloth. It's especially bad with rubber, so much so that I can't put the pants on over my rainboots - the boots stick to the lining and are almost impossible to get through. So I have to put on the rainpants first, then the boots after that, and then pull the pants down over the boots.
3. HJC Symax Flip-face Helmet
I've only had this helmet for about 3 months, but am very pleased with it. A flip-face was necessary for me, since I need to drive with a small smog mask to handle the thick smoke put out by quite a few vehicles here in Thailand. I need to be able to raise the flip-face section to put on my mask (which I hang around my neck) while driving. Also, the HJC Symax has enough room in the front of the helmet for the mask to fit. It's relatively quiet, gives a good field of vision, and seems sturdy and very safe. The thick, dense foam cheekpads give me a slight headache at times, but I'm expecting that will break in as time goes by, and if it doesn't, there's a smaller size of cheekpads that I can order. I got this from New Enough for a great price, with their standard excellent service.
4. Fly Moto Knee Guards
These are light, seem sturdy, and are easy to put on and take off. They attach with three velcro straps, some of which I had to shorten (by cutting and resewing) to fit my skinny legs. I really like the fact that they protect the sides of the knees as well as the front. I think I landed on the side of my right knee when I went down on the rain-slick road (see review on Fieldsheer Mach 3 Jacket), but I had no soreness in my knee (or anywhere else) after that accident.
5. Answer Alpha Air 2006 Jersey
I got this because it came in bright yellow and I wanted a highly-visible color. It seems to vent well, and I'm happy with it.
6. Thor 2006 AC MX Pants
These seem like really good MX pants, are big enough to wear over the Fly Moto Knee Guards I wear, vent well, and have held up well in the 2-3 years I've had them.
7. Treds Rain Boots (http://www.treds.com/)
These boots are very thick, and keep water out well (as long as you don't forget to pull the bottoms of your rain pants over the boot, which I forgot to do once!). The boots go on and off easily. The snaps that close the top of the boot close very tightly, and are difficult to unsnap. I was concerned that they would eventually tear the rubber, which turned out to be true. The snap on on of the boots is tearing away from the rubber now, so I may have to rig up some kind of elastic-band & velcro closure if it tears all the way. I wrote to Treds and told them about the problem, but didn't get much help. The lady who wrote back just said she was pleased that boots had held up as long as they had (???).
8&9. Answer Alpha Air 2006 Gloves and Pro-Grip 4010 Gloves
The Answer Alpha Air gloves are quite thin, and began to come apart after several washings. It seemed certain that they would provide very little protection in a fall in which my hands would slide on the pavement, so I found the Pro-Grips at a store here in northern Thailand. They're thicker - and hotter, but feel a lot safer.
