autoteach said:
Ok, buying some gear here and have a few questions on a few items. I am doing a 5,000 mile trip and want to make sure I am dialed in.
Boots: Looking at the Kathmandu from Firstgear. size 11 is back ordered, size 10 is not. My question is about the how the boot fits. I have a wide foot, and I sometimes have to compensate with the shoe size (if they aren't available in wides). How do they fit?
Scalarider and helmet: I wouldn't mind updating the helmet, but I feel like I already have a pile of useless (read: same style) helmets hanging around. I have full face helmets, I have dirt, I dont have a modular yet. I love the fit of Bell Star and RS1's, they do not get better in fit than this for me. Any suggestions, or do I go and get a RS1?
cool vest? where are you folks getting yours?
Can't offer you any thoughts or experiences with intercoms, but here's what I like in your other areas...
Boots - I tried a lot over the years, but the best dual-purpose boot I've found are Gaerne Oiled Balance Trials boots. Not as tall or as stiff as MX or enduro boots, but still plenty high enough and stiff enough for great protection. They're truly waterproof, easy to get on and off, have a big enough toe-box, etc. for really wide feet, give great control feel, have incredibly tractive soles, and are the easiest to walk in motorcycle boots I have ever owned in 40+ years of riding. They are also spectacularly easy to take care of, only needing a bit of mink oil every now and then to look great. If you're careful to properly mink oil 'em right out of the box they become almost self-healing, in that if you scuff or scar 'em a bit of rubbing with mink oil and the scuff effectively disappears. I've got more miles on mine than I care to admit, and they still look damn near new (other than being darker - they darken with regular oiling), and the soles wear like iron (yet are replaceable, and Gaerne stocks the soles. They look pretty good, too, and don't *scream* motorcycle boot if you wear 'em under your riding pants or jeans. More info here
http://www.atomic-moto.com/Gaerne-Balance-Oiled-Dual-Sport-Boots_p_79.html and here
http://www.atomic-moto.com/Gaerne-Balance-Oiled-Boots-Review_b_41.html
Helmet - Don't know about any current Bell hats, but I've been through a ton of modulars over the years, and been through a Schuberth C-1, a Caberg, and a Shoei Multitec in the past 8 years. Right now I've got a Schuberth C-3 and I love it. Without question the best modular I've ever owned, and so good on- and off-road I finally sold off my Arai XD. It's quiet, functions wonderfully with only one mod (PM me for details), and has performed flawlessly for two years now. No question in my mind if I had to replace it today I'd go with another Schuberth - either a C-3 or the new C-3 Pro. More info here
http://www.schuberth.com/en/businesssegments/motorcycle.html , and one other cool thing that might appeal to you... You can get Schuberth's own integrated replacement neck collar that has a Cardo Scala Rider system built right in. More info here
http://www.schuberth.com/en/motorcycle/service/src-systemtm.html and here
http://www.webbikeworld.com/r4/schuberth-src/ .
Cool Vest - I think I've tried just about every type of "cool vest" out there. Living in South Texas high heat and humidity is the norm (it was in the mid-90's here today), so you try anything you think might help keep you cool. Two things I've learned about cool vests... One, they don't work worth a damn without enough airflow, which means mesh, period. Anything else, even jackets with lots of vents, and they just don't work well enough to justify their hassle. Second, they're kind of a pain to travel with when you're not wearing them. If they've been wetted down and they you need to pack 'em it can be a real mess as they take a long time to dry out.
Basically I've never found one that was worth using. I just wet down the shirt under my jacket if it gets really *HOT*, and that seems to work equally well with either mesh or regular jackets with vents, plus you don't have to pack or carry anything extra. There are also lots of various shirt materials out there that can help, like the 100% polyester ones. I have some of those, but I really like the 50/50 ones (50% polyester, 50% cotton) better, and that's what I ride in under my jacket all the time. I also like Under Armour's HeatGear boot socks (
http://www.underarmour.com/shop/us/en/mens-heatgear-boot-sock/pid1211106-001). They're terrific in hot weather, wear like iron, pack down to almost nothing, and dry in literally minutes when you wash 'em on the road. I found they even work great in fairly cold weather, too, so they have become my *go-to* motorcycle travel socks. Add some good heat-gear type shorts (I actually use the inexpensive Cycle Gear "Heat-Out" brand or some inexpensive polyester bicycle shorts), some good powder, and you're pretty well equipped to handle hot weather IMHO.
Again, these are just what I have found that works for me. Hope some of the ideas and links help.
Dallara
~
