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Mark Hinchliffe·
Gear/accessoriesHelmetsJacketsPantsBootsGloves
··11 Comments·3 min read

What is your favourite motorcycle riding gear?

My favourite riding gear wearing
What is appropriate riding gear

My cupboards are bulging with riding gear I have bought and had given to me for testing over the years, but I always seem to wear the same favourite riding gear.

It’s great to have a bulging cupboard full of boots, jackets and pants, drawers filled with gloves and a rack in the garage cluttered with helmets.

Hover here for best hiking gloves.

It gives me options for all occasions, different types of motorcycles and varying weather conditions.

That also means I am not wearing the same riding gear in every photo when I’m out test-riding the latest bike.

There are also several jackets and helmets that are branded that I can really only wear with that brand of motorcycle.

For example, I’m sure Yamaha wouldn’t be too happy with me if I wore my Indian jacket with one of my Harley helmets while riding one of their bikes.

Despite the wide range of options, when I go for a leisurely ride and am not going to be photographed, I find myself often wearing the same gear because it is the most comfortable.

You won’t see many photos of me in this ensemble, except for the photo at the top of the page.

It consists of Helstons riding gloves (winter Boston and Charly Summer options), a Harley-Davidson Fulton helmet, Harley-Davidson triple-vent jacket, Draggin Razzo jeans and Stylmartin Legend RS boots.

GLOVES

My favourite riding gear
Helstons summer and winter gloves

The French Helstons gloves are made of the softest leather with a high-quality lining that allows them to slip on and off easily and feel ultra-comfortable, even on long trips when normal gloves would start to feel uncomfortable in the palms.

I bought them online and prices vary, but the summer gloves cost £49.99 and the winter gloves £89.99.

There is a design flaw in the summer gloves which have a hole in the back where you get sunburnt, so I had a piece of leather sewn in to close it up.

HELMET

Fulton (left) and Victory Lane
Fulton (left) and Victory Lane

Harley scores two items of gear here, not because of the look, but simply the comfort.

The Harley Fulton helmet only costs $169, but it feels more comfortable and fits my favourite Sena 20S Bluetooth intercom speakers in just the right place without hurting my ears.

I have other helmets, including a $686 Harley FXRG and various Shoei, Shark and even Vozz helmets that cost a lot more, but just don’t feel as comfortable.

I know … what price do you put on your head … but when it gives you hours of comfort without a headache or any pressure points, it makes me a safer rider, particularly on long-distance hauls.

JACKET

Harley jacket - motorcycle myths
I wished I had a Harley Triple Vent jacket back in the ’70s!

The $491 Harley triple vent jacket is simply the best year-round jacket I have yet worn. It’s made of a soft leather with soft armour and features a removable quilted liner that makes it very warm in winter with vents in all the right places for all but the hottest days of summer.

It was designed in a wind tunnel so the vents are in exactly the right place when riding on a big bike with a huge fairing, yet it also seems right on almost any other bike.

Even though it’s made of leather it has a built-in liner that makes it about 90% waterproof.

JEANS

Draggin Razzo protective motorcycle jeans DuPont kevlar

I’ve owned multiple pairs of Draggin jeans and cargos over the years and have absolute confidence that they will protect me in a crash.

However, some of the early designs left me feeling hot and irritated. The early liners were very scratchy. They are now smoother, but still irritating to my sensitive skin.

Some also didn’t have the right cut for my gangly body shape.

But the $289 Razzo jeans, apart from having a quirky name, are the most comfortable for me. They’re not tight yet don’t flap around too much in the breeze.

And best of all they have a mesh liner that keeps the abrasive protective liner away from my skin. They are moderately warm in summer and cool in winter.

BOOTS

boots Footpegs pain - throttle wrist handlebars

Like the Harley jacket, the $349 Stylmartin Legend RS boots are also leather yet waterproof. Even so, they don’t get hot in summer and keep me warm in winter.

When you get off the bike, they look stylish and are comfortable enough for walking around.

  • What is your favourite riding gear? Have you say in the “Leave a reply” section below.
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Mark Hinchliffe
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11 Comments

  1. I found the Shoei range of helmets really fit me well and now really enjoy my Neotech. The flip down visor really helps as I wear glasses and now do not need to take a pair of tinted prescription glasses. That second pair of tinted glasses may cost up to $500.00, so the expense of the Neotech is amortized nicely.

    My other favorite piece is for the DR only. An old pair of genuine RAAF/Army General Purpose (GP) boots for off-road. Cost was zero, nada, zip, the right price. They are not waterproof but I have holes drilled in the bottom to let the water out and the heels modified to fit in with the pivot pegs. At least five years and counting and I have a spare set ready to go when these ones are too worn out.

  3. My Shoei J-Cruise open face helmet with flip down sun visor, love the unobstructed view and that flip done sun visor is so good I couldn’t wear a helmet without one now.

    My new RSD leather jacket is the most comfortable jacket I’ve ever worn, supple and their armour does not intrude on the comfort at all.

  4. It is probably going to cause a bit of hate here, but I love my two sets of boots, two leather jacks and leather riding pants from Aldi. The only thing that has gone wrong is I broke the zipper after two years of hard service which I will be getting fixed soon.
    I also have had Alpine Star Jacket which I love is summer and I have about 5 pairs of Draggin/Drako jeans.
    The only issue I have ever had was a set of Motodry all weather leather boots that quite literally fell apart.
    Shoei Neotec helmet has lasted 4 and a half years and will be replaced soon enough with another.

  5. Rukka jacket: best gear I’ve had in over forty years of riding; completely waterproof (unlike just about every other brand of jacket on the market that makes that claim), good protection, warm when the liner is fitted and very comfortable. Forma boots, Peels leather pants I’ve had for over twenty years and Rukka gloves.

  6. Totally agree bc. Even though I have a couple of other pairs, my Aldi socks have out done themselves…maybe I need to get out more but I think of them as a good omen & love them so much I have sewn the toe holes up keeping them in the game. Come to think of it, pretty well every other bit of kit I wear is in the same bucket. Wish I still had my 80’s Rossi boots that I religiously polished & bone dome Nolan helmet though…NOT!!

  7. My favourite gear is an Aerostitch pair of trousers which are a joy to get on and off, are very well made and protective, and a Cyckesoort woven kevlar jacket which works brilliantly in summer and winter. The reason is that I need to wear a suit underneath and this combination is highly effective. I too have other gear, but nothing yet works as well. My leathers are excellent quality but are used solely for my rare longer rides in good weather. I’m hoping Aldi do their fully genuinely CE tested and compliant gear again this winter. The day of seriously enforced good and appropriate standards and real compliance at point of sale must dawn. My next helmet will be a fully EU standard. It will be cheaper when they finally get on to the shelves after local distributors have exhausted their stocks of older costly-to-comply helmets. I fear the corporate protectionism of a completely unnecessary fresh SAA helmet standard, which will do nothing but boost profits and prices and hold back innovation and choice. We make no helmets. It’s just an LNP ripoff. So if you hear even a hint of it, kill it fast and firmly. It takes our safety backwards not forwards. Anyone with a voice to Standards should remind them that we are firmly committed to adopting an ISO standard if available. Now there is.
    We really need a coherent set of point of sale standards to ensure we get proved gear, and use global standards to cut the costs while maintaining quality and verified performance.
    When this happens I’ll splurge on new gear…

  8. Am loving my full analine Brando from Fiin Moto in Newcastle for this winter but I simply cannot go past Finn Moto Kevlar hoodie for comfort and protection for all but the most coolest of days,check em out at Finnmoto,in my opinion the best quality gear you can buy without getting screwed on price.
    Shoei Neotec lid is also breaking in nicely and I love the amount of airflow you get with the vents open,Sena smh10r also integrates well into this helmet.

  9. Love my hjc is-33 helmet with Sena unit added. Great in the rain or cold. I use it with an Aerostich fleece triangle in the cold. Very easy to slip on and comfortable all day. My pants are Aerostich Darien Lights which I wear year round. I can wear them by themselves, over jeans, or over micro fleece long underwear. I use Speed and Strength Summer gloves that are low cost and functional. In the winter I have Aerostich elk skins with gauntlets and merino wool (I love these gloves). To top it off I have a Speed and Strength Urge Overkill jacket that is low cost. It has held up well though and remains functional. I just ordered an Aerostich windstopper electric vest. Can’t wait to try it. On my feet are Bates Escalantes I’ve had for several years and they do the job. I have my eye on a few of the Forma boot models when the need arises. God Bless everyone.

  10. I love my Joe Rocket 92 jacket. I’m not as big of a leather guy as I used to be, but when the weather permits i’ll take the 92.
    The razzo jeans are a good choice, those things are super comfortable.

  11. I used to own a GXR 600 and I really enjoyed riding it. I mostly wear a black leather jacket for motorcycle riding. It not only save my skin from tanning but also provides protection.

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