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Hello all,

Some of you know me already. I am newbie just purchased used KDX 220 and still learning to ride.

What helmet do you recommend and boots? I will be trail riding. My local mechanic wants to order the gear for me, so I went to local store to try some on.

I know I want DOT and SNELL approved.

What is good weight for a helmet? I want to stay within $225.00 price range.
Any recommendation on goggles that cover my eyes glasses?

Thank you all.

It depends on your Max price. I would recommend gaerne's, sidi's, or fox boots.

Helmet wise you can get a good one for about 100 bucks. After that the price goes up for carbon fiber and all the gadgets

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Gear is such a subjective issue. You will find that most items (pants, jerseys, gloves) are similarly priced across brands, and they are all decent. For those items get what fits and you like. The two items that you should be prepared to spend money on are the one that is in the most contact with other objects as you ride (boots) and the one you hope is never in contact with anything (helmet). A good set of boots will last several years if properly cared for (I am still wearing a set of Gaerne MX1 boots that are nearing 12 years, still feel fantastic, and protect me as well as they did on day one). There are many brands, but Gaerne, Alpinestars, and Sidi are among the best. The one item I will never go cheap on is my helmet. Having survived 2 wrecks off-road in which my helmet saved my life (including the last one a few years ago that resulted in 15 screws and 3 titanium plates in my skull) and many years of road racing I can tell you without a doubt that if you come off your bike, you are at some point going to make head contact with good, old Mother Earth...and she can be a hard, brutal bitch! Also keep in mind that helmets should be replaced every few years, or anytime you suffer an impact event. Sounds pricey, but a whole lot cheaper than a casket, or learning to eat solid food, or breathe on your own, or <insert your own traumatic head injury item here>...

bufftester wrote:Gear is such a subjective issue. You will find that most items (pants, jerseys, gloves) are similarly priced across brands, and they are all decent. For those items get what fits and you like. The two items that you should be prepared to spend money on are the one that is in the most contact with other objects as you ride (boots) and the one you hope is never in contact with anything (helmet). A good set of boots will last several years if properly cared for (I am still wearing a set of Gaerne MX1 boots that are nearing 12 years, still feel fantastic, and protect me as well as they did on day one). There are many brands, but Gaerne, Alpinestars, and Sidi are among the best. The one item I will never go cheap on is my helmet. Having survived 2 wrecks off-road in which my helmet saved my life (including the last one a few years ago that resulted in 15 screws and 3 titanium plates in my skull) and many years of road racing I can tell you without a doubt that if you come off your bike, you are at some point going to make head contact with good, old Mother Earth...and she can be a hard, brutal bitch! Also keep in mind that helmets should be replaced every few years, or anytime you suffer an impact event. Sounds pricey, but a whole lot cheaper than a casket, or learning to eat solid food, or breathe on your own, or <insert your own traumatic head injury item here>...

You're story scares the crap out of me. Basically can't be cheap on gear. Thanks,

Why is good boots important? Just asking so that I know.

Wow. Great advice.

I would add to research goggles. Protecting your eyes is important.

-Don't go cheap on goggles either, it's worth the extra $10-20 for Thor ones or the like.
-Jersey/pants I just judge on looks/price, but some do have padding in the knees (my new Thor ones do), and my old Fox pants had padding on the back.
-Helmet have already been discussed, but to pass DOT approval I would assume would be enough so long as it's not a $20 one or something. (for interests sake, I've heard that the Australian standards over here are a lot harder to pass, my helmet has DOT but not Australian standards, only because it wasn't sold here I assume).
-Boots, I think the difference is comfort and just try get ones with a good fit (I still use the first ones I ever had, they're AGV brand and I paid $30 used).
-Gloves, you can decide if you want one with knuckle protection, my Fox ones do because my old KDX didn't have bark busters, does yours? My new KDX does so next gloves probably won't have knuckle guards.
-Highly recommend knee pads, even the cheap FOX titan ones. Elbow pads not as much but are cheap again. And i've had some pretty nasty bruises on my shoulders from hitting branches.

Lastly, NECK BRACE... Buy one. I try and get all my friends to buy them too. I use the cheap EVS something 4 and it's comfortable and I'm fairly sure I've already been very lucky to have it.

goodoboy wrote: You're story scares the crap out of me. Basically can't be cheap on gear. Thanks,

Why is good boots important? Just asking so that I know.

http://www.kdxrider.net/forums/viewtopi ... hilit=ouch

$200.00 boots at 40 MPH


now I own a pair of alpinestar tech10s. retail at 5-600

diymirage wrote: now I own a pair of alpinestar tech10s. retail at 5-600

How do they feel?

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/22 ... erik-boots I was thinking these boots. Did you see my other post regarding the top end?

I get it. They are cheap. After many years of racing/riding, my advice would be to not skimp on boots or helmet. Got a bud with these boots, and all I hear are complaints. Would strongly recommend an articulating heel (sidi or gaerne) . Fwiw

goodoboy wrote:

diymirage wrote: now I own a pair of alpinestar tech10s. retail at 5-600

How do they feel?

http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/22 ... erik-boots I was thinking these boots. Did you see my other post regarding the top end?

I haven't broken them in yet, but out of the box they feel a lit stiffer then the comp5s I had before
I think I replied to your top end post, its in the "new to you bike" thread right ?


in general, when it comes to boots and helmets, buy as much protection as you can afford
even with insurance the deductible I paid to get my ankle patched up would have been enough to buy my bike and all the gear I have

Thanks all,

I got a question on boots decision. The riding I will be doing is mostly trails, not jumping like in motocross (can't see myself 10ft in the air), so do I still need the SG-12 BOOTS which from my research is the best on the market.

Whatever it takes to limit injury to my legs or ankle so I can go to work.

I value my body parts and legs, so I want the best boots that will keep my downtime low and keep me reporting to work.

I wear Fox Comp 5 Offroad boots....
Very comfortable - I don't even know I have boots on, and hiking boot soles for traction...
IMHO I think they're great for trailriding.
http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/fox- ... road-boots

I also just bought a set of these...
http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/answ ... knee-guard
I haven't worn them yet, except for a walk around the yard to test them out when I received them, so I can't comment on how they work for riding but I don't see why I wouldn't like them.
I bought them because I wanted a little more protection than the entry level knee/shin gaurds from Cycle Gear that I was using...
http://www.cyclegear.com/CycleGear/Off- ... 0110_91188

K50X200 wrote:I wear Fox Comp 5 Offroad boots....
Very comfortable - I don't even know I have boots on, and hiking boot soles for traction...
IMHO I think they're great for trailriding.
http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/fox- ... road-boots

Thank you,

Do they protect your ankle, foot well? And protection against rocks and stuff. This is basically what I am looking for. Kind of tuff decision to make.

goodoboy wrote:

K50X200 wrote:I wear Fox Comp 5 Offroad boots....
Very comfortable - I don't even know I have boots on, and hiking boot soles for traction...
IMHO I think they're great for trailriding.
http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/fox- ... road-boots

Thank you,

Do they protect your ankle, foot well? And protection against rocks and stuff. This is basically what I am looking for. Kind of tuff decision to make.

I refer you back to my previous post
the comp5s are what I was wearing when I broke my ankle but they were very comfortable until that point

the boots I have now have a sort or inner skeleton that prevents the ankle from twisting or overextending

just like you I only ride trails but that is where our biggest danger lies, I wear a size 14 so its safe to say my feet stick out a little bit
doesn't take much for the tip of a boot to get caught in a rut, a tree root or behind a rock
that is exactly how I broke my ankle, my foot stopped dead in its tracks and the rest of me kept going at a pace of 40ish miles an hour

I didn't fall off the bike but as the Xray shows, it ripped the head of the fibula off and twisted it back

now, if you feel comfortable with that boot AND you wear a size 14 ill sell you mine, gently used for 100 bucks

diymirage wrote:

goodoboy wrote:

K50X200 wrote:I wear Fox Comp 5 Offroad boots....
Very comfortable - I don't even know I have boots on, and hiking boot soles for traction...
IMHO I think they're great for trailriding.
http://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/fox- ... road-boots

Thank you,

Do they protect your ankle, foot well? And protection against rocks and stuff. This is basically what I am looking for. Kind of tuff decision to make.

I refer you back to my previous post
the comp5s are what I was wearing when I broke my ankle but they were very comfortable until that point

the boots I have now have a sort or inner skeleton that prevents the ankle from twisting or overextending

just like you I only ride trails but that is where our biggest danger lies, I wear a size 14 so its safe to say my feet stick out a little bit
doesn't take much for the tip of a boot to get caught in a rut, a tree root or behind a rock
that is exactly how I broke my ankle, my foot stopped dead in its tracks and the rest of me kept going at a pace of 40ish miles an hour

I didn't fall off the bike but as the Xray shows, it ripped the head of the fibula off and twisted it back

now, if you feel comfortable with that boot AND you wear a size 14 ill sell you mine, gently used for 100 bucks

Yes you right, I want full protection as best a possible. Like you said consider this as insurance protection. I am getting Tech 10 or SG-12

If I wore a size 14 I'd buy them in a heartbeat...
but i don'tride trails @ 40 mph...

K50X200 wrote:If I wore a size 14 I'd buy them in a heartbeat...
but i don'tride trails @ 40 mph...

normally I don't either but it was curvy and tight so I slowed it down a bit ;)

honoustly, I don't know how fast I was going 40 is just a guess...judge for yourself

[youtube][/youtube]

I do know I was going considerably slower after I broke it

diymirage wrote:

K50X200 wrote:If I wore a size 14 I'd buy them in a heartbeat...
but i don'tride trails @ 40 mph...

normally I don't either but it was curvy and tight so I slowed it down a bit ;)

honoustly, I don't know how fast I was going 40 is just a guess...judge for yourself

[youtube][/youtube]

I do know I was going considerably slower after I broke it

I'm sorry that happen to you. Hopefully want happen again.

thanks goodoboy but like Johan Cruijf always said, "elk nadeel heb zijn voordeel"

the wifey was 8 1/2 months pregnant when that happened and it bought me 8 weeks of maternity leave
im sure if I hadn't broken my ankle my job would not have given me the time off so it worked out

funny thing, me and the wifey walked into the E.R. together and they all looked at her and tried putting her in a wheelchair
I had to tell them to cool their jets, it wasn't her turn yet, that wheelchair was mine