Riding gear and helmet.

Hi guys,

Just passed my CBT yesterday and will be going for a YZF r125 in the next few days. Just wanted to know what clothing/gear I need for a bike like this, especially as I will be riding through a roads and dual carriageways. Also, I've been looking for the helmets which have the gold clover behind, as these are approved? Or something, I'm not sure but I've been told they are safer, but I can't find them anywhere? Any help guys?

Thanks.

Go to your nearest bike clothing retailer and try the helmets on.

Do not buy over the net. Sizing is a nightmare.

Helmet, gloves, boots, jacket, trousers.

Like Neil says, buy the helmet new at a shop where you can try it on and get them to help you get the best fit.

Everything else you can get second-hand from ebay or wherever.

Also I'd recommend going top of shin boots rather than the smaller ankle or trainer style

And definitely go try helmets on. Anything you buy in a shop will meet all the neseccary safety standards. There's a lot of talk if a 300 quid lid is better than a 30 quid one and the jury is leaning towards probably not but I'd definitely recommend going for one with a pinlock (two little pins either side of the visor which an insert fits in to make it double glazed and prevents fogging up. Seriously I cannot recommend this enough) and a drop down sun visor is a nice and useful addition!

Hi guys,

Just passed my CBT yesterday and will be going for a YZF r125 in the next few days. Just wanted to know what clothing/gear I need for a bike like this, especially as I will be riding through a roads and dual carriageways. Also, I've been looking for the helmets which have the gold clover behind, as these are approved? Or something, I'm not sure but I've been told they are safer, but I can't find them anywhere? Any help guys?

Thanks.

If you mean this gold badge, it just means that the hemet is approved by the ACU for racing and has passed their stringent tests.

As others have said try them on in a shop to find the best fittments. I prefer the double D strap.

HTH

If you mean this gold badge, it just means that the hemet is approved by the ACU for racing and has passed their stringent tests.

As others have said try them on in a shop to find the best fittments. I prefer the double D strap.

HTH

Stringent test..... What stringent tests would those be then?

The ACU do not conduct tests, the importers/manufacturers simply pay a fee to carry the ACU accreditation. The ACU gold is not worth a dime as far as road riding is concerned, it is just the way the ACU make additional money

EC22/05 is the important mark

If you mean this gold badge, it just means that the hemet is approved by the ACU for racing and has passed their stringent tests.

As others have said try them on in a shop to find the best fittments. I prefer the double D strap.

HTH

 

Stringent test..... What stringent tests would those be then?

The ACU do not conduct tests, the importers/manufacturers simply pay a fee to carry the ACU accreditation. The ACU gold is not worth a dime as far as road riding is concerned, it is just the way the ACU make additional money

EC22/05 is the important mark

Stand corrected.

Helmet £20, Duchinni 429, Numberworth on Ebay. A little known outfit called Fosters in Bristol. These are new old stock, have a 4* SHARP test result, have an inbuilt flip down sun visor, and that price is delivered! Luckily I know my head size.

Clothes 1st gear for Bikes, Somersham, Weise fabric jackets, £30, trousers £20, boots £40, gloves £15! Jacket and trousers have armour in and removable liners.

People will pay £100 for a denim jacket from Next and ride their sportsbike wearing it!

Helmet £20, Duchinni 429, Numberworth on Ebay. A little known outfit called Fosters in Bristol. These are new old stock, have a 4* SHARP test result, have an inbuilt flip down sun visor, and that price is delivered! Luckily I know my head size.

Clothes 1st gear for Bikes, Somersham, Weise fabric jackets, £30, trousers £20, boots £40, gloves £15! Jacket and trousers have armour in and removable liners.

 

All sounds a bit too cheap to me...

Bit too cheap ??

The price isn't the issue there (they were about 100 quid)......the issue is the age of the helmet!

You gotta ask how long has it been sitting on their shelves for them to punt it out at a total loss like that?

If it's 3-5 years then that helmet will have degraded a lot.

If it's 3-5 years then that helmet will have degraded a lot.

No it won't. Helmets do not degrade like they did back in the 60's and 70's. BSI actually put a whole load of helmets on the roof of their building for about 3 years exposed to the elements 24/7. They had a combination of top end and cheap helmets and they were tested every three months. At the end of 3 years there was no noticable degredation.

What causes a helmet liner to degrade is sweat from the rider.

So a helmet that has been stored in a reasonable cool place in its box will not have suffered any problems other than it may have been tried on by several people and this can start the process of mishaping the styrofoam liner, but not significantly.

These are new old stock. Brand new, just old designs. Still 4* SHARP rated sold by one of the oldest names in motorcycling in the UK (Fowlers of Bristol). I save money and if I drop it I won't be swearing like someone with a £200 Arai!

Oh and it has an ACU Gold Stamp as well!

These are new old stock. Brand new, just old designs. Still 4* SHARP rated sold by one of the oldest names in motorcycling in the UK (Fowlers of Bristol). I save money and if I drop it I won't be swearing like someone with a £200 Arai!

Oh and it has an ACU Gold Stamp as well!

Yeah, helmet sounds fine, it's the rest of the gear that sounds too cheap.

These are new old stock. Brand new, just old designs. Still 4* SHARP rated sold by one of the oldest names in motorcycling in the UK (Fowlers of Bristol). I save money and if I drop it I won't be swearing like someone with a £200 Arai!

Oh and it has an ACU Gold Stamp as well!

 

Yeah, helmet sounds fine, it's the rest of the gear that sounds too cheap.

End of line specials! These are Knox armoured jackets and trousers, made by Weise! Not cheap stuff when sold originally, now just end of line and clearance. Like what used to be at the Tail Ender at Peterborough. It is good quality gear at a good price. I would prefer leather, but my shape means I would look like an out of condition sofa and when half a herd has to die to make me look like a Chesterfield then synthetic it is!

End of line specials! These are Knox armoured jackets and trousers, made by Weise! Not cheap stuff when sold originally,

Are you aware that contrary to what many people would have you believe, Weise is not German or some fancy continental brand, it is designed amnd produced by Fowlers themselves and made in Pakistan.

When they first came up with the idea, they wanted a name synonymous with quality, hence the the german sounding name.

Not particularly good quality, but have been a good earner for Fowlers for quite a few years. Cost price direct from the factory is about £12 for a leather jacket. It is quite good for someone buying their first kit.

But the jacket and trousers are not from Fowlers, they are from a clearance specialist in the Fens. I knew Weise were not some fancy European brand and were British designed. It exceeds EU spec so will do me, the Knox armour in it is worth more than I paid for it!

The helmet was direct from Fowlers (who I believe are now the wholesalers for`Duchinni and want shot of all the old helmets).

Thanks for all the replies, the helmet I got is UK regulation approved, got the gloves, jacket and trousers coming in the post!

But the jacket and trousers are not from Fowlers, they are from a clearance specialist in the Fens. I knew Weise were not some fancy European brand and were British designed.

I was not suggesting that you were buying from Fowlers. I was making the point that Weise is made for Fowlers who are themselves a distributor/wholesaler, so the brand can be found at various locations around the country not just in Bristol.

Sorry to dissappoint, but neither do they exceed EU PPE spec. But as I tried to make the point when I did the Fake Britain item on the BBC a while back (but which got edited out) even the cheapest quality well fitting leather is better than some of the alternatives.