Step 2: The Gear, Part 4 - Riding Gear and Clothing

It's been a few months but I finally have the majority of the camping gear (part 2) and mods (part 3) finished. As the date of our first ride is quickly approaching it's time to move on to the next part of the planning step: riding gear. Now, make no mistake: this is likely the most important step of trip planning and also one of the most tedious so, before beginning, a question that every rider should consider is what the most dangerous part of a trip will be. The answer, while not so obvious to most, is (in my opinion) the squishy bit atop the bike. Yes, you, the rider are the biggest wild-card of the trip. In my years I've seen bikes flip end over end, skid down the highway sideways, bounce in and out of roadside ditches and then, with little or no effort, a handful of tip-ties and an occasional roll of duct-tape, be propped back up again and ridden home. Of course it can get much, MUCH worse but ask yourself which is stronger: the steel, aluminum and plastic that make up your 2-wheeled steed or your skeletal, muscular or integumentary systems? Or, more importantly, which can be more easily replaced? Food for thought...

My 2000 ZX-12R after a run-in with a Suburban

Enter exhibit 1, pictured here. This was my actual motorcycle back in 2008: a rare 2000 Kawasaki ZX-12R, with custom paint and loads of mods. While it may not look like it, my speed at the time this occurred was precisely naught! With both feet firmly planted on pavement, trans shifted to N and arms resting on my chest, stopped comfortably behind an SUV waiting for a red-light, an out of control teen in a clapped out Suburban slams into me at more than 45 mph. The force of the collision snapped my bike's frame in two places like a toothpick, folded it up in half like a piece of origami and then shoved the crumpled hulk, and me, into the aforementioned SUV with a thunderous jolt. Before I could recognize what was happening my body flew upwards and forwards, into the rear windshield of the next victim of this pileup. I landed atop the spare tire of the CR-V right as the amalgamation of the Ninj-burban plowed into the SUV's rear bumper, projecting it forward into the fourth and final victim of this violent mess. The tertiary impact then rolled me off the spare wheel from which I was perched and onto the tarmac below. With all this happening you may be wondering how I'm not currently writing this with a sip-and-puff mouth controller. LEATHER! (Well, that and a shit load of extruded polystyrene, foam rubber, nylon and Kevlar.) That's right, my gear saved my life that day and I walked away with little more than a small gash on my thighs (where they grazed the bikes mirrors on a projectile path forwards) and a series of bruises that made me look like a cross between an eggplant and Smurf. Even though it was a short trip that day, I still had on a full leather jacket with elbow, shoulder and back pads, insulated nylon riding pants with hip and knee pads, full gauntlet carbon-Kevlar gloves, shin-high riding boots with ankle protectors and my trusty AGV helmet: and I'm really glad I did.

Riding is inherently dangerous but, in the words of T. Jefferson, "With great risk comes great reward."  The thrills of a great ride can be better than therapy for many riders. It allows a person to escape life's problems and experience the world in ways that simply cannot be accurately replicated or simulated by other means. The challenge of doing something difficult can be a reward in and of itself. But - alas - I digress, and without being too morbid about the subject there is a solution. Yet, like with nearly all else with this past-time, my height continues to be an obstacle. 

Exhibit 2 - Sizing Chart for "Normal" People

I cannot stress enough how challenging it is to find gear that offers the correct levels of comfort and safety for someone of my proportions. I've spent hundreds of hours searching for equipment that fits, yet, time and time again I've found that the manufactures of riding gear have a narrow-minded interpretation of how humans are built. Enter exhibit 2, one of dozens of sizing charts that arrive at roughly the same conclusion: riders above 6'-5" simply shouldn't exist. And even at the taller end of the spectrum the assumption is that tall people must also be HUGE. As this example from Aerostich shows, in order to be 6'-6" you must also have a minimum of 52" chest and weigh between 250 and 285 lbs! WFT!! Who am I? The HULK?!? If I buy that suit it will still be 3" too short in the arms and legs, and it will give me the unique ability to use my motorcycle to go parasailing!!! To their credit, they do offer "custom" sizes so I sent them a message about their alleged "guaranteed fit" only to get the inevitable response: we cannot accommodate your measurements.

Admittedly I am a bit of an anomaly but, seriously? C'mon!! With the tens of thousands of basketball players out there built just like me a handful of them must also like to ride on weekends. Case-in-point, within the group of people that I ride with there is at least one just as tall as I am - and I don't have that many friends so we're obviously not that rare. It seems, then, that my options are limited to custom-made (read $$$) apparel - at least for the big items.

Without further ado, I'll get off my soap-box of safety and sizing-sorrows and provide a summary of the gear that I've gotten (and/or planned) for this upcoming adventure, plus a little color on the selection process.

Schuberth E1

Helmet: The brain bucket is arguably the single most crucial companion a rider can choose: so much so, in fact, that 94% of states have thought it important enough to write laws requiring its application for some or all riders. For this component I've selected the Schuberth E1, which is specifically designed for adventure riders. This version is based on the C3 Pro but adds an articulating visor to help keep the mud raining down from my tires (coupled with my erratic throttle control) and landing on the visor. It's also modular, which makes fuel stops and scenic viewpoints less of a hassle as you can omit fumbling for the chin-strap in search of a few precious minutes of fresh air. I also opted for the Bluetooth communication module, the SRC System Pro, so that it syncs with my GPS, MP3 player, phone and my riding partner's intercom. I particularly like this company's approach to communications in that they integrate a high-gain antenna into the helmets shell (not PCB mounted like other systems) and they offer a standard 1/8" TRS headphone jack for those that prefer sound-isolating ear buds or, better yet, molded earplugs with built-in speakers. I'm not a huge fan of having the systems guts embedded into the neck-roll but the ventilation and comfort of this lid are certainly on-par with my Shoei. This portion of the gear ate up a significant chunk of my budget and left me parting with around 750 greenbacks, including the com package and tax but, hey, if it saves my life one day then it's money well spent. Even if I don't have to eventually test it's integrity it is still massively comfortable and will make riding even more joyous.

Base Layers: The next important item would logically be a coat and riding pants but, alas, those items are still in process. Instead, I'll skip ahead to something that will be crucial for colder weather and higher altitudes, particularly when camping: thermal base layers. With most people this wouldn't be a big challenge. There are loads of options out there from the likes of UA, North Face, Colombia and many more but, once again, clothiers don't recognize my existence (and apparently don't want my money). Their "tall" options are for someone who is 6'-2" and who bests my weight by 2-5 stone. 

When it comes to base layers I categorize this into four primary material categories: polyester, cotton, wool or a blend of any or all of the above, each having a variety of pros and cons. Merino wool is fast becoming the most popular option, with superior performance and durability, quick drying, breathable, good moisture wicking properties, anti-microbial, flameproof, static-free and wrinkle resistant. If you plan on being active and sweaty, full of farts, on-fire, near water and looking like a model this is the material for you!! On the downside, it tends to top the charts as one of the most costly materials. Cotton, by contrast, is hydrophilic and has few or none of the properties mentioned above but is quite cost effective and can be more comfortable against the skin. In the middle-ground are the polyesters and other synthetic materials which provide a balance of cost and performance. Yet despite the variety of properties only one of these attributes made any different to me because, ONCE AGAIN, I can't find my size so I had to think outside the box and find something that was affordable so that I could buy two pairs, cut them apart and stitch them back together as one. Fortunately I found a good pair of Field and Stream poly-blend thermal layers on clearance at Academy, bought two pairs and sent them off to my favorite alteration store to have them franken-sewn into something that would fit. The result doesn't look great but whatev's - they're base layers. If you're actually seeing them (outside of the photo shown here) then you're likely going to see a whole lot more than you bargained for... Beware! Once you see it, you can't un-see it! (You've been warned.)

Hats and gloves (and gloves, and gloves...): Next up are a couple of accessories that most people might not think of but may wish they had when in the middle of BFE. A pair of waterproof cold-climate gloves will come in handy when setting up camp in chilly weather. It may seem redundant since you'll likely have a good set of riding gloves but, for a minimal amount of cargo space, I'll keep a pair of Ozero waterproof gloves handy. These are more suited for unpacking gear as they offer more dexterity for finer tasks than ADV gloves and (assuming I'm not a complete knob) should be dry and clean after a hard day of riding. (Nothing worse than cooking or eating with riding gloves and getting smacked in the face with the stench of mud, sweat and gas from well-worn leather at every bite.) Stowed away in my crash-bar bags you'll find a pair of mechanics gloves to keep the mud and grease off of my riding gloves during roadside repairs. While technically part of my toolkit, I'll stow a pair or two of vinyl gloves and a couple of zip-top bags to keep any soiled articles from muddying up the rest of my gear. For headgear, I opted for a Frogg Troggs rain hat in the event that we have to setup in the a squall. This should keep my head and neck dry in a downpour and packs up small enough to be lost in my luggage next to a winter beanie stowed away for colder nights. Wet-weather preparedness also includes a disposable rain poncho for the eventuality that we have to sit out a storm or two. I'd like to say I'll be taking along a durable and reusable nylon rain suit but it would unquestionably be too short for me and therefore largely pointless. The last item in this list includes a good set of water resistant waterproof adventure gloves - which I don't have yet. That search is still ongoing...

Boots: For this I opted for the Forma Adventure boots (size 48 Euro). I've not ridden with these just yet so I'm basing this selection mostly from online reviews. They are taller than typical MC boots and offer good waterproofing on the liner for those deeper puddles and streams. They have double-density soles which should offer good grip on the pegs, plastic shift pad on the toe, plastic front plate for impact resistance, shin and ankle protectors and "unbreakable" plastic buckles that won't snap apart in a crash. Marketing hype?? Maybe - I'm sure I'll find out...

Jacket & Pants: While I'm still searching for custom gear in this category, my fallback option is my trusty FirstGear ADV coat, or a Scorpion Exo system. Neither are technically sized correctly for my frame but come close enough to deal with. Stay tuned as this category develops.

Essentials: Not to be understated, the remainder of the gear list gets rounded out with some of the typical garments. A healthy number of merino wool hiking socks should keep my feet dry and gangrene free. Moisture-wicking underwear to keep undercarriage rot to a minimum, sweatpants for sleeping, a sweatshirt for colder nights, a few cotton Triumph branded T's for the campsite (and to match the BMW-douchebaggery of my riding buddy) and a pair of Duluth Firehose Pants (durable and quick-drying). Could I go without some of this? Sure - maybe - but I'm spoiled and, being new to adventure riding, I gotta make sure to overpack...