[pushrod]

I'm a big fan of Joe Rocket gear. I wear a Meteor jacket in the Winter and a Phoenix Spring through Fall. Ballistic pants.

I haven't made any big purcchases lately, but some of my buddies have bought helmets and rider gear at metricbikes.com.

Helmets come in an eye-watering variety. A lot of folks say great things about Scorpion, which are relatively cheap and carried by a lot of suppliers. However, they don't make a hat for a "Long Oval" head. ARAI makes a very high quality hat for everyone, but they are 'spensive!

You'll want boots that lace, and cover your ankles. You can buy some pretty decent boots at Sears, etc. Avoid the armored toe boots, as they may not fit under your shifter peg.

Your best bet will be to go to several dealerships and try on the various bits. See how they look, and how they fit. Search the site for helmet and see what folks say about getting the right fit.

As far as killing yourself on a sportbike, remember it isn't the speed that gets you, it's the inability to make the corner or to stop before you hit something.

Rather than wait 'til April for your schoolin', go to either Amazon.com or leeparksdesign.com (his gloves are the [email protected]&t!) and buy his book, "Total Control." $25 extremely well spent. Especially if you read it.

Good luck!

 

[pushrod]

OIS,

Regarding pants: Tonight when you ready yourself for bed, sit on the side of the bed and look at your bare knee. If possible, have a pound of raw hamburger in hand. Compare and contrast.

Lee Parks (yeah, same guy) wrote an article when he was Editor of Motorcycle Consumer News (a b!tchin' magazine, but expensive. No advertising) that talked about whether or not to wear proper gear.

He said something like,"I'm not going to tell you which way to go, but consider this. Most every guy has used a belt or disc sander. Most have managed to accidently touch the grit while the tool was running. You probably remember clearly how quickly it took a chunk of skin. Now, look down the next time you ride down the road. You are looking at a really big belt sander. Imagine a knee, elbow or shoulder hitting that, with all your weight behind it. 'Nuff said!'"

But, at the end of the day, it's all how you manage risk. Sure, riding is dangerous, but so is getting out of bed. Your call. Myself, I tend not to wear riding pants. It's just too hot here most of the time.