Gear Recommendations

[GAR]

Hey all.
I'm needing riding gear having just got a dirt bike. I know how important it is to have the right gear. I took a spill on the street going 80mph and walked away with just a small blister on a finger thanks to full leather, good boots, helmet, gloves.

I'll be riding a bit of everything, trails, street, desert, dirt roads, longer trips. I have a KTM 525 exc that I want to get good use out of and stay safe!

I want a dual sport helmet so I can use goggles and also have a visor. I'll be getting everything, boots, pants, pads...

What gear do you love, can't ride with out, etc? Any brand recommendations?

Also what's the best place around to purchase this stuff? I've heard good things about Rocky Mountain ATV. I would like to try everything on to get a good fit. I don't have an unlimited budget, so I'll probably be focused on mid-grade stuff.

Thanks!
Grant

 

[rholbrook]

Talk to Caleb on here, he will take care of you and can give you some great recommendations

 

[Caleb]

I can get you discounts on some parts from RMATV...however, very little of their gear is available for discounts to their dealers. I'm happy to get you pricing on anything, just send me a PM with part numbers. With that said, pay for a good helmet or two. I'd personally suggest two helmets, a dual sport for when you'll be doing mostly street and a little dirt and one for the dirt where you'll be doing primarily dirt and a little street maybe. Reason being is the shields off road tend to be a pain. If they get dirty, then it's hard to see out of them (it's not like a pair of goggles that don't generally get dirty on the inside of the shield). I'd also strongly recommend a good compression suit and fully body armor. I've done my share of wrecking off road and I can tell you without a doubt that I've wrecked much harder with my body armor than I have without it and I always get hurt much less (or not at all) when I have my body armor on. As for brands, I really really like my Fox helmet, you'd have a hard time going wrong with a Shoei or Arai but they are pricey. Also make sure to try on any helmet you are interested in, even if you still buy online. Everyone's heads are shaped differently so just because my Fox feels great to me, it might be terrible fit for you. Another helmet that I really liked how it felt was the Bell helmets. I'm running Nemeses (not misspelled ) body armor. It's not the best out there, but for the price, it's tough to beat...and I do get a discount on it. Lastly is boots, this is my weak point. I run crappy O'neal Elements. They've worked and have saved my feet many times from my many wrecks, but I also have broken my foot in them as well. I hope to pick up a set of Sidi Crossfires this year, but they're $500 and I don't get a discount Like I said, I'm happy to get you pricing on anything from RMATV, just send me their part numbers. If it's something made by RMATV:

A.R.C. – Riding Apparel
Tusk – Brakes, shifters, kill switches, tools, oil filters, hand guards, nerf bars, clutch kits, etc.
Rider Cargo – Trailer Accessories
Primary Drive – Chains and Sprockets
G-Force – Axles
Raven – Exhaust Accessories
Lexx – Exhaust
Attack Graphics – Custom Decals, Number Backgrounds and Stickers
White Knuckle – Tie Downs

Then I can usually save you a decent amount.

 

[GAR]

Caleb- thanks for the reply. That helps a lot. I think you're right about the dual sport helmet. I have a nice arai street helmet I'll use for mostly street riding and get a decent dirt bike helmet with goggles.
What do you mean by compression suite? I looked into the Nemeses armor and that looks like a good way to go.

Anybody using a neck brace? Seems like a good 'life insurance plan' kinda pricey but might be worth it for that one time you need it.

 

[Vonski]

I have been using a Leatt brace for the last couple seasons and feel its a good investment. There are few that have blamed the Leatt for broken collar bones, as it can transfer the impact/energy (which makes sense, as it has to be applied somewhere). Some of these people have decided not to wear braces due to this, but if its a choice between a broken collar bone or a spinal cord injury, what would you choose? I have only seen one drawback... when approching a steep incline, the brace will only allow you to look upward so far. So, you've got to plan ahead and maybe pick your line sooner than you normally would, ya know?

 

[GAR]

huh, interesting. That explains why I've seen some neck braces advertised with collar bone clearance. Totally makes sense, I agree with you though. Your collar bone can heal, spinal cord? not so much. I definitely want to get one but as they are pricey it will come after boots, armor, etc.

 

[glockman]

I have always like MSR gear. It is relatively inexpensive and holds up really well. I have had some Fox stuff that is nice as well. I have a Fox helmet that I hate. It is not shaped right for my head. Listen to Caleb about trying on helmets before you buy. The HJC's seem to fit my huge square head well. For boots I would highly recommend Alpinestar Tech 3's. They are hard to beat for the price ($199 at RMATV I think).

 

[anderson750]

I have been using a Leatt brace for the last couple seasons and feel its a good investment. There are few that have blamed the Leatt for broken collar bones, as it can transfer the impact/energy (which makes sense, as it has to be applied somewhere). Some of these people have decided not to wear braces due to this, but if its a choice between a broken collar bone or a spinal cord injury, what would you choose?

I have broken my collar bone wearing my Leatte. I will take that over the neck injury any day and I still wear it.

 

[pELYgroso]

for boots, I got thor atv boots. the main difference is that there is decent tread on the bottom which has been very useful in certain situations where my buddies were slipping around in their flat-bottomed mx boots. I found them on sale at rocky mountain for $150-ish. highly recommend!

 

[GAR]

Thanks for all the responses.
I'm stopping by RMATV tomorrow to get some armor and try on boots. I'm liking the alpinestar tech3 or Axo boxer (cheaper) boots. An A/T sole looks appealing for sure.
If anyone has used boots they want to sell (size 10-11) let me know.