Now that I got your attention, many of us on this board want you to know that it doesn't cost nearly as much as you think to purchase "full" gear.

The reality is, many people spend more money on just a leather jacket and helmet, by making their purchase at an expensive local retailer (stealership), than what is costs to purchase good quality "full" gear.

If you don't know what gear to buy, which brand, and what price to you should expect to pay, this thread is for you!

The question(s) are:
1) What brand should I buy?
2) What should I expect to pay?
3) Where can I find it?

The best way to answer this is to put together a list of what are good deals on the various gear and where you can get them. These examples are not the only brands or stores where you can get good deals. They are simply examples of what you can find.

First thing we need to do is establish what is "full" gear. My definition of "full" gear is: helmet, leather jacket, leather pants, gauntlet style gloves (go over you wrist, not just to your wrist), and riding boots.

Helmet - when many people buy a bike, the first thing they do is run out and buy the most expensive helmet they can afford. A lot of times this $500-$800 purchase completely cleans out their budget and they can't afford to buy all the necessary gear.

You can get a good quality helmet, that passes all the same standards as the high end helmets for much less. Granted it may not be the lightest and may not have all the bells and whistles, but it will work and all of them still look just as cool as the next dude in the really expensive helmet.

Expect to pay: You can pick up a great helmet from $75-$250 depending on the brand and which model.

KBC, HJC, Scorpion to name just a few sell in this range. I suggest purchasing or at least test fitting the exact helmet locally. Most people purchase a helmet 1 or 2 sizes too big because they don't know how they are suppossed to fit. Get a sales associate to help you size it right.

Example: Here is an excellent quality $279.99 helmet on sale for $139.99 Cycle Gear - KBC: VR-2 Flare Chrome Full-Face Motorcycle Helmet

You can go to Cycle Gear Cycle Gear - Motorcycle Apparel, Parts and Accessories locally (off Florida and Fletcher) and try helmets on. They even honor online discounts through the store.

Jacket and Pants - most people think they cannot afford a decent quality leather suit (pants and jacket). And even if you could, many think it would be too hot to wear often. Thanks to Chris (Vader) he let us all in on a great deal on a perforated (meaning it has lots of little holes that allow cool air through) 2 piece leather suit. Due to the weather in Florida, this is really the only leather anyone should buy, perforated. Also having a 2 piece suit that zips the jacket to the pants allows flexibility of being able to take the jacket off while taking breaks or eating at restaurants.

*side note: they tested jeans in a magazine a few years back and rated jeans to be no good at speeds over 30mph, if I remember correctly. If I find the link, I'll edit this message and post it, but please don't think jeans are "safety" gear, because they aren't and are only better than just wearing shorts or dress pants.*

Expect to pay: You can pick up a good quality 2 piece suit online and somtimes at local shops for between $300-$400.

Example: 2 piece perforated leather suit. Internet sale price of $299, normally a $500 suit! Revo Sport 2-Piece Suits

**For those of you that may need "custom" sizing for your jacket/pants, contact SYED Leathers ™ They can get you fitted in any size.

Boots - many people overlook this item the most and just wear sneakers. However this item can be approached really cheaply. Walmart sells decent "boots" of all kinds any where from $20-$80. Even these regular boots are much better than sneakers.

If you want real motorcycle boots, you can find them all over the internet cheap or at a major motorcycle event/race where vendors may set up booths.

Expect to pay: You can find motorcycle boots online from $125-$250

Example: Oxtar racing boots for $161. You can find good deals on several brands for this price. Oxtar SS Performance 2 Motorcycle Racing Boots :: New Enough Motorcycle Apparel

Gloves - this item is a hit or miss. I've seen some people wear gloves and no helmet and others with an expensive leather jacket, gloves and shorts? If you fall/wreck the first instinct you will have is to put your hands out to cushion your fall. Most people need their hands to "work," whatever your job may be. You want to protect them.

Best "type" of glove to buy is a "gauntlet" style glove that goes over you wrist and leaves no "gap" of skin exposed to be injured in the event of a crash.

Expect to pay: You can pick up a good set of gauntlet gloves between $50-$125 depending on the deal available.

Example: Here is a list of Alpinstar gloves cheap. SP-1, SP-2, SP-3 are all great gloves. (Alpinestars Gloves :: New Enough Motorcycle Apparel

Conclusion: Gear is essential to riding. If you are going to ride a motorcycle, it only makes sense to "dress" accordingly. If you were going swimming, you'd wear a swim suit right? If you were going to a wedding, you'd wear formal attire right? You get the idea

So on the low end getting good deals and buying the gear as cheaply as possible you could spend as little as $550, thats right $550 or on the higher end of the good deals spend around $1,000.

If you can't afford to spend $550-$1,000 on gear, then you can't afford your bike and, much less the cost of the hospital bills and the pain and long term injuries that could result. Some of you guys out there may have medical insurance deductibles higher than what it cost to buy all the gear!

So no excuses that you can't afford full gear, because you can!!

Ride safe and remember [b]A T G A T T (All The Gear All The Time)

[b]ATTN: Please do not post in this thread for the sake of posting. I ask that if you are going to post in here, that it would only be a post regarding a link to a good deal on gear for others or a link to a discount store. Pay it foward!