Ladies, this one’s for you!
I’ve had numerous emails over the last couple of months asking about gear, namely jackets, pants, textile vs. leather, and boots. Yes, helmets are of utmost importance, but that’s not what the bulk of the emails are about, because most people already have them. It’s the other stuff!
With the riding season in full swing, and you’re looking to invest in new gear, here are a few choices to consider.
The Bike
The main thing to look at is what kind of riding will you be doing most. And if you have a few types of bikes, and you don’t want a few sets of gear, which is the most versatile. And no, you won’t look odd riding a cruiser in textile pants and a jacket!
But if you plan on touring more, or if you’re just looking for something to ride around town in, or you’re a fan of the track, you certainly have options.
The type of riding you do should determine how fitted your leathers are: tighter is better if you lean more forward.
Photo: Riles and Nelson, Driving
Leather
When you’re looking at leather riding gear, there are a few things to keep in mind. Leather will stretch out/relax and contour to your body over time, so if it’s snug at first, that’s not a bad thing. But make sure you can still breathe!
If you’re a sportbike rider, the closer the jacket fits to your body, the better. I say that because if it’s too big, and there’s extra material around your chest/collar bone area, it’ll ride up on you when you’re leaned over on your motorcycle.
Then again, if you ride more upright, like on a naked bike, it won’t be as intrusive.
Dainese, Alpinestars, Joe Rocket, and OEMs like Harley, Triumph, Ducati and more have their own brands and styles of leather goods; offering fitted and less fitted shapes.
Textile
Recently, I’ve had the opportunity to put the REV’IT Ladies Sand jacket and pants to the test. It was 10 C, pouring rain, and on a three-day riding tour. Needless to say, the conditions were ideal. Yes, ideal! Maybe not ideal for spending hours and hours on a bike, but because it really allowed the gear’s true colours to shine. While I could have put on more layers for extra warmth, I never felt the water penetrate through the jacket or pants’ shell. That’s exactly what you want if you’re caught in adverse
weather.
REV’IT offers great weatherproofing for all kinds of riding styles, so it’s not exclusive to adventure touring, but it certainly is something that deserves a look at.
Available at Pacific Motosports in Richmond(pacificmotosports.com).
Of course, there are more types of textile gear out there at various prices. Manufacturers like BMW, Harley-Davidson, Ducati and more also offer OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) specific/branded gear.
Furthermore, Icon, KLIM, Joe Rocket, and Alpinestars offer non-leather clothing variants.
Armour vs. No Amour
On a bike, I say, the more protection you wear the better.
If you plan on wearing a back protector — which I highly recommend — whether that is something that you insert directly into the jacket or put it on beforehand, keep that in mind when trying jackets on for size. If you can try it on with your jacket, even better.
Furthermore, pants and jackets come with different levels of protection. Some pants have padding in the hips and knees, some don’t have any armour at all.
Onesies!
If you’re a frequent track-day rider, a set of zip together leathers is great. But consider a one-piece suit, or a onesie, as I like to call it!
What are the benefits?
Since there are no “joints” — aka zippers — to keep the pieces together, it’s stronger and is less likely to split apart should a spill occur.
In North America, there aren’t too many purchase-ready suits for women. There are a couple to consider like Dainese or Alpinestars.
However, the cuts tend to be quite straight, meaning, if you have curves, they might not fit properly in the places they should.
In that case, a custom-made suit might just be what you should invest in.
Various riding boots offer higher or lower levels of protection, but make sure your ankles are covered!
PNG merlin archive, Driving
Boots
Have you ever banged your ankle on the side of a door? I have. And even that lightweight tap can be pretty painful.
Now imagine that your bike falls and your ankle is in its warpath.
Ouch.
Wearing boots with any kind of ankle protection is a great way to mitigate pain in that area.
Most women’s riding boots — waterproof or not — will have protection in that area.
There are even certain styles of canvas shoes that are specifically made to be fashionable and functional at the same time.
Take Away
Whether you’re looking for textile, leather, a one-piece suit, boots or more, the take-away point is: gear up, it saves lives!
And because style is very important to women, most gear out there isn’t designed to make you look frumpy, so you don’t have to sacrifice fashion for form.
Take the time to try on various brands and see what fits your budget.
Anything can happen out there and you want to be as prepared as you can be.
Shiftinggearsgirl@gmail.com
Twitter.com/cargirlsgarage
