Well, the bike is ‘fully loaded’ so no need (or want) to accessorise there at all. But of course there is the ‘essential’ motorbike gear! Now I have every intention of being a fair weather rider only, so I am not looking for heavyweight monsoon tested rain gear (although some sort of shower protection is on the cards). I already have a set of warm and waterproof sheltex textile top and trousers from Heine Gericke that I bought for learning, well it will do as my cold / wet weather gear going forward, but it doesn’t cut the ice for warm weather gear. The Heine Gericke leather gloves I bought are fine for warm weather, but as I know from my recent test ride, they are useless in cold weather. The cheap Heine Gericke half boots that I bought will do fine for everything, so no intention of buying new boots at all. The cheap helmet I bought was fine for learning in, but is not what I want at all for touring on the Harley.
So what is left to buy. Well a decent helmet for one. So I did a trip to Heine Gericke and asked around. I was after a full face helmet that could easily convert to an open faced helmet with an integral visor and ready for an intercom set. I found it in the Nolan! The helmet was instantly comfortable, it fitted everywhere without undue pressure, but snug enough not to wobble around. It is a simple black gloss without garish artwork. It has excellent ventilation and looks like an ideal all rounder for both winter trips in the UK and summer touring in the USA.
The jacket? Well it had to be a Harley Davidson leather jacket. I spoke to Sue in the local HD dealer in Cheltenham and tried a few on. I seem to be ‘trapped’ between a L and an XL in size, it all depends on the style and cut. I was also looking for one that wasn’t too garish, some HD adornment was fine though. After trying five or so on, we finally hit on one that fitted perfectly, snug enough not to slop around, but loose enough to be practical to wear and to allow for the fitting of the optional soft armour. It has some thin fluorescent piping on the front and a large fluorescent skull in similar piping on the back, but it doesn’t look too bad in the daylight – and man is it heavy! Zipped cooling vents pretty much everywhere and a detachable fleece lining – perfect. So I took that, at about £370 with a discount!
Then just yesterday I popped out at lunchtime back to HD in Cheltenham to get an insurance form signed by them, so of course back upstairs to see the lovely Sue and ask about gloves and the Draggin’ Jeans I have heard so much about. Well, they had a decent pair of HD winter gloves in material with separate fleece inner gloves. They fitted properly (not too loose and not too tight, so I took those. In warmer weather, I will wear my existing leather gloves, but these will be great for those cold but clear winter days.
I thought I would try the Draggin’ Jeans. I have heard and read a lot about them. The point is that they are decent jeans with Kevlar lining all along the butt, thighs and knees, so that if you are sliding along the road having parted company from your bike, your normal jeans would wear through in one second, whereas these jeans will last for five seconds or more, so saving you losing your skin on the road. I had concerns that they would be very heavy and badly cut and baggy, such that I would need to get changed immediately I got off the bike. Sue found a 36” waist (yes, I am a 36 now having come down from a 38) and I tried them on. What a revelation! They are without doubt the best fitting pair of jeans that I have ever worn! If I could have specified a custom fit, I simply could not have done better! They were fine in the waist and snug in the butt and along the legs. The length was perfect. Nothing needs altering – nothing! I was told that they made them extra long in the legs and that you would need to have them taken up – well not for me (I am long in the legs anyway). Well another sale for Sue!
So that is pretty much it. I say pretty much, well I still need a snood (collar fleece) to close the gap between the jacket and helmet, probably a Harley one. But the most expensive is that I also need a decent intercom set. I will probably go for a Bluetooth one that is designed to fit perfectly into the Nolan helmet, which itself is pre-configured to accept the kit, it all just clicks into place.
So gear in place – check, insurance in place – check, garage lined up – check, bike in place – well, picking it up on the 4th!
