motorcycle issue

[Pockets]

Ok so here's the situation. I have owned two motorcycles in my 6 years of riding. A 250cc Honda Rebel and a 750cc Honda Shadow Aero. Both upright cruisers.

Two weeks ago today a driver made a left turn in front of me and my good Buddy the Aero is today deceased. Gettin the money from the insurance within a week or so but it looks like the only wheels I will be able to afford is a CBR250R. A sport bike whichever I have never ridden.

I need a new helmet and I know I'll need new gloves, my gauntlets are a bit too loose and bulky for the narrow grips on that bike. My biggest question I guess is does anyone know if the jacket will be an issue? Its the classic style of leather biker jacket and I've had it for years but I don't know how it'll sit with the different body position.



That is almost exactly my jacket except mine has vents in it. It seems to me it wouldn't sit right with the new ride but im not sure and just trying to get an idea of what expenses I might be looking at.

Thoughts? Suggestions?

[mdk]

My roommate has a BMW sportbike, because we're classy like that -- anyway yeah, you're gonna be leaning forwards more and yeah, the jacket's gonna ride up. Two schools of thought.... A, just by wearing any PPE at all, you're a step ahead of the crowd, and if this is only gonna be temporary you're probably going to save yourself a lot of money if you stick with your old gear. B, all it takes is one shitty driver to put you out on the dirt, and apparently you've got at least one in your neighborhood, so take protection seriously if you've got the cash and pick up a new jacket.


B is obviously safer; A is a little more logical. You decide where you're at on that spectrum -- it's probably a money question more than anything else. If you can afford new gear, hell, why NOT pick up a synthetic jacket? It'll look tight, and you'll never have a better excuse. If money's not THAT loose, then hey, ride it around in your current gear for a little bit and see if it really bothers you.


My gut says if you're hitting the pavement, your leather's gonna do just as well as anything else would. It's gonna come down to rider comfort, so.... you know, go see if it's comfortable.

[Pockets]

Very good points all. Yeah I love ny jacket but init becomes a hindrance i'll have to invest in a new one. Little piece of info that might have been useful is the bike is my work. I am a motorcycle messenger and courier transporting legal documents so I practically live in my bike gear. Comfort and wearabikity is definitely a concern. Fund however are also an issue.

I might have to stick with my current gear for a while but I'll absolutely need to save up funds for a more appropriate jacket and gloves.

[mdk]

Well gloves should be easy. I picked up mine for like $30 -- all they cover is the knuckle really, in terms of protection, but I was willing to risk that. I know I know, QUALITY shit is gonna be a lot worse, but if your current stuff isn't cutting it you can get a bandaid solution for pretty cheap to hold you over. But you probably knew that.

[Sanquin]

My gloves cost me around 100 euro's. They're summer gloves, with special (rubber?) padding on the fingers and knuckles, and cover my entire hand. They're very flexible and comfortable.

For the best comfort I'd personally go with full leather summer gloves though. They won't give the best protection, but I've had such gloves before the ones I have now, and they're very good in terms of safety/comfort balance.

As for the jacket. As mdk said it will start riding up against your sides on a sport's bike. So if the jacket only barely fits you, it might be good to get something else. If it's slightly too big for you, then you should be fine.

And the bike...well, good luck with it I guess. It's the bike I had my driving lessons on pretty much. And though it's comfortable enough, I found my back started to ache a little after sitting on it for more than an hour. That, and it's pretty light. I found the power and top speed to be kind of lacking. Especially compared to something like a honda shadow 750 aero.

[Pockets]

Yeah the gloves where another question. If I get gloves to fit the bike they wont work as well with the jacket. I have the big leather gauntlets now that fit over the sleeves. So I've git a lot of figuring ti do here. I've always stuck to cruisers and never wanted to get a sport bike if I could help it. Too easy to get in trouble but the 250cc CBR has the same speed range as my 750cc cruiser so I think I'll be able to keep to a steady range.

Gear adjustments is gonna be the biggest issue. But its just a matter of some time.

---------- Post added at 08:29 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:25 PM ----------

I spend hours on the bike any given day. The Thursday before the crash I did 253 mikes that whole day. And I average around 100-150 miles on any given day. Its not all in one shot. I ride to a location and im off the bike for a little while then off to the next drop or courthouse.

That's another reason I wasn't too thrilled to get a sport bike but I gotta get back ti work for ny families sake and its the only thing the settlement will allow me to get.

[Sanquin]

Like I said, I would invest in leather summer gloves. The big gauntlet ones sound like they're winter gloves. Thick and warm. You have much thinner ones that still give you basic protection, but are usually pretty thin and comfortable. And if you get black ones you can never go wrong, can you? Black pretty much fits with everything.

Considering you have problems with your budget, I'd keep the jacket, and buy new gloves. Personally I'd rather dip into any savings I had to get a bike with some more power in it. Like...450~500cc, but that's just me. Plus, you actually have to have savings for that of course.

[MrMystic]

I've never had a problem with my leathers, on any bike. From what I've found, they're cut about the same as one of those synthetic jackets, (tried one for awhile, sold it) if you keep within the same size, and will ride about the same. Doesn't meant it won't ride up or be uncomfortable, but that if you pick out a similar new jacket, it's going to do the same thing. I know my buddy who went sliding sideways down the highway last fall wasn't very impressed with his synthetic jacket at all.

I'll always stick to leather, and if you have a jacket that fits, I wouldn't worry about it. A 250 CBR isn't going to be that bad for 100 mile trips. It's when you decide you wanna cruise five or six hundred miles at a shot that you miss sitting up and having bags.

[Sanquin]

I have a synthetic jacket. (though might get a leather one if I need a new one) It had special padding on the inside, and otherwise mostly consists of a mesh fabric that lets a lot of the air go through. Great for the summer, but probably not as comfortable as a leather jacket could be after you've worn it for a while.

[MrMystic]

Leather gets hot, no fighting that.

But, serious condolences on your accident Pockets. I just about got clipped by a car on my way home from work late last night. I can't imagine an accident, or how I would deal without my bike. I hope everything works out for you.