Hi All - I'm about to purchase and ride my first Vespa. I was hoping to obtain some advice on what exactly I need in terms of gear and where the best place I should purchase from. I plan on riding all over the tri-state area although mostly in Manhattan to and from work. I think I'm good with what I need for the scooter, but I'm a bit confused on what I need in terms of gloves, jacket, rain gear etc. My boyfriend is a motorcycle rider and tons of gear and hundreds of dollars worth of jackets and pants to protect him and keeps telling me I need it all, but do I really??? I'm not going to be crusing at speeds of 90 mph like he does. Thanks in advance for any and all help! Joy

Your Vespa will probably go around 65 mph. There is very little difference between dropping the bike at 65 and dropping it at 90. Your boyfriend is telling you how to be safe instead of sorry.

Sorry sucks.

You don't have to go around in full leathers but a good pair of leather shoes, a proper seasonal riding jacket and shatterproof glasses are excellent places to start.

I'm sure there's more to come.

CiaoNY wrote:You don't have to go around in full leathers but a good pair of leather shoes, a proper seasonal riding jacket and shatterproof glasses are excellent places to start.

I would add a full-face helmet (flip-ups are a nice compromise IMO), and don't forget decent gloves. Even if you fall over at a full stop, your hands will certainly be involved. Like many folks, when it is HOT and I'm just zipping about the City I might cheat on the jacket, the long pants and even the real shoes, but never the gloves. However, I'm not recommending you do that.

Everyone will encourage you to shop first at local scooter shops:
http://www.brooklynbretta.com/
http://www.vespabk.com/
http://www.vespasoho.com/
http://www.scootersoriginali.com/

They also have stuff at motorcycle shops like Ducati NY:
http://www.corsamotorsportsnyc.com/

Online, there are lots of places, like:
http://www.helmetshop.com/
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/

HOWEVER: Most of the things you can find online you can usually order from a scooter shop if you ask nicely.

P.S. Here's a good post from one of the Club founders about brands and models of protective gear that he recommends. It's worth a read:
viewtopic.php?t=787

You can be standing completely still and a car could hit you launching you off your scooter. Always wear a name brand helmet. I only wear a full face when riding on the highway or in the winter. I have a DOT approved half helmet for the summer, around town rides. I have been hit before and launched in the air. I had one of those brain buckets on, Luckily It worked, but I didn't have gloves on, My knuckles are still slightly deformed and I still have pain in them. I was out of work for over a month because I couldn't close my hand. BUY GLOVES WITH KNUKLE PROTECTION!! There are seasonal jackets, but again, in the summer, I only wear protective jackets while on the highway. I have a nice mesh jacket by joe rocket that lets air flow through.
people that wear flip flops are idiots.
You don't need to spend a crap load of money to be safe. I would spend my money in this order, 1-helmet, 2-Gloves, 3-jacket, 4-boots.
hope that helps

drunknpirate wrote:people that wear flip flops are idiots.

Y'hear that Johnny? He called you an idiot!

yeah Johnny, did ya hear that.huh

What he said:
Helmet
Gloves w/knuckle armor
Jacket with elbow and shoulder armor.
My knuckles are not deformed but the carbon inserts on my gloves are.

... Because (I think I have this percentage right) 95% of two-wheel accidents are the fault of other drivers than the motorcyclist, usually falling into the realm of "Wow, I didn't see him..."

annuit_coeptis wrote:... Because (I think I have this percentage right) 95% of two-wheel accidents are the fault of other drivers than the motorcyclist, usually falling into the realm of "Wow, I didn't see him..."

A recent report concerning the effect of the Congestion Charge for motorists in London, UK, is 'interesting.'

Because motorists do not want to pay to drive through the city, the volume of traffic has decreased dramatically.
Many drivers have taken up PTW's (powered two wheelers) as their mode of transport.
The number of PTW's in the city has increased dramatically.
The number of accidents for all PTW's has decreased dramatically.
There are more bikes, and far less cars and vans in the city, and yet the number of riders being injured has fallen dramatically.
It doesn't take rocket science to see who causes the most accidents and damage to scooter/motorcycle riders.

Wear quality cloth to prevent 'gravel rash,' with quality armour fitted at knees, hips, back and shoulders to lessen impact damage.

As for boots, try and get ones that have non-crushable soles.

I agree, first get a good named helmet, then recommended gloves. When we fall over, the first thing any of us do, is to put our hands out to save ourselves.

I know the experienced riders are aware of these factors, but it is essential that we pass on 'real-world' experience to the new riders.

Hope this helps.

bumping on to the first page for spring

As an addendum to non-crushable soles, go for non-crushable TOES when you can. I bought a very nice pair of composite safety-cap boots which work just fine for the office (provided my pant leg goes over the tops.)

Not the most stylish, but not an ugly/rough-looking pair of shitkickers, either. My feet are warm, and even more importantly, they're safe!

At present, I wear the following, but it's winter gear:

1) Armored waterproof jacket with insulated liner.
2) Armored insulated gloves w/ gauntlets.
3) Safety toe boots
4) Rain pants (mostly to cut down on the wind.)

I feel I should swap out the rain pants for proper armored pants, but I just never get around to it.

For the summer, I swap out a few things, but maintain the same coverage.
1) Perforated jacket, with rain liner rolled up and stored under the seat.
2) Armored ventilated gloves, no gauntlets.
3) Rain pants, under the seat.

My knees are certainly at risk with this setup, and that may ultimately come around to hurt me, but I'm very likely to keep my extremities safe.

(Oh, and let's not forget the full-face flip up helmet, which is worn year-round.)

If you're ridding all year round you should have two jackets. One sturdy leather with armor in all the right pointsfor cold weather, and one mesh type or nylon type with perforations for spring summer. Imagine yourself on your scoot and it's 90+ degrees and the two jacket method starts to sound real good!

BLANKA Dudas' left foot is broken, she spent three days in hospital and after five weeks her half-healed wounds still hurt, but she considers herself lucky.

Had she been wearing the right clothes, or even the right shoes, when she fell off her motor scooter she probably would have been able to walk away. As it is, she's just relieved to be alive.

The erratic driver of a sedan that forced her scooter into a parked car at 50 km/h did not see her until she was thrown chest first onto a St Kilda street.

Her helmet saved her life, but her light runners, jeans and fashionable jacket were no protection from the bitumen.

The impact tore her jacket and jeans and left deep gashes.

Ms Dudas, 36, admits she could have died and wonders what would have happened if it had been warmer and she had been wearing a T-shirt, as hundreds of scooter riders do.

"The clothes helped, but it's just not enough," she said. "It could have easily been worse.

"My jacket had no protection and I was very lucky to have no spinal damage.

"Now I see these girls in long skirts and short sleeves and I think it's nice to be so carefree, but it's better to be prepared."

http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/ ... 21247.html

A.T.G.A.T.T. = All the Gear All the Time. You WILL be tempted to ride in a T-shirt once it gets hot out but believe me, WHEN you go down you will be in for a world of pain. Should this desire arise, lo, feast your noobish ears on my tale of woe and misery:

I was riding down 7th Avenue, around 19th st. when a maniacal, sleep deprived, half mad cab driver decides that he needs to switch lanes without looking. Down I go. Slow motion, sickening roller coaster type fear in the pit of my stomach and BAM, I slam into the pavement and my head BOUNCES very, very hard on said pavement and I can see my bike sliding down the street in front of me in a hail of sparks. Luckily I was only going about 20, so although I am badly shaken I think for some reason that structurally, my body is OK. I get up, shaking...I feel numb and light headed, giddy even... then....the worst pain I have ever experienced above the belt is screaming in my shoulder, it feels like it's in the wrong place, too far forward...when I look down I can see that it is. I collapse on the pavement screaming my fool head off while a crowd gathers round and calls me an ambulance that takes me the 2 blocks to St. Vincents.($550) I am RUSHED into the ER when the nurse is told what happened. I am given morphine, then when that DID NOTHING TO KILL THE PAIN, I am given a dilaudid drip. After about an hour or so I am told my shoulder has been badly dislocated and fractured. High on dilaudid, I am shown an X-ray of my shoulder and it is comically out of place, the seperation and fracture are clearly visible to anyone with an 8th grade understanding of anatomy. They then reset the shoulder and send me on my way($2600) to deal with 6-8 weeks of pain and discomfort, 4 of them in an extremely uncomfortable immobilizer.

So you might say, this is pretty obviously the tale of a fellow who went with cheap gear and is the prime example of what not to buy etc. etc. You would be wrong. I had on a high quality jacket with CE Level 1 rated back, elbow and shoulder armor, Olympia gauntlet gloves with knuckle protectors and a $450 Arai helmet. You lesson here, dear noob, is to think what would have happened had I lowsided like this in regular street clothes...The big chunk of plastic that had ripped off my glove would have been the BONE in my knuckle at the pinky. Strong possibility that I would have lost the use of my pinky for the rest of my life. My shoulder, which was badly fractured and dislocated, would most likely have been SHATTERED had I not been wearing my armored jacket. A cheap helmet would have left me with a severe concussion or perhaps worse.

Protip: gear will not make you invincible but it will severely mitigate the risk of injury WHEN you go down.

Buy the best gear you can afford and RESEARCH it before you buy. Forums like ADV Rider, webbikeworld, and this one are good places to start.

Insist on CE rated armor (Pro life, forcefield or Knox is the best)


Wear boots with ankle protection

Never, ever buy a used helmet unless you know the person you are buying it from. The EPS in helmet linings breaks down over time, and with impact. (After smashing into 7th avenue there was only a very tiny nick on my helmet, but the EPS inside is toast). You should also replace your helmet every 5 years. If you think you are saving money by buying a dead stock helmet on ebay you are not. If the helmet is 3 years old, that means it only has 2 years of optimum protection left for your brains.

WEAR GLOVES with hard plastic knuckle protectors. Again, I went down at 20 mph and my knuckle protectors were gouged to hell.

DON'T buy "scooter" gear. We're all going to hit same pavement...and as you can see, you can get BADLY hurt in low speed crashes.

When I get back on the road, I'll be wearing these:



And this:



No more gambling. I had good gear before the crash, but after 7 weeks of not being able to raise my arm above 90 degrees, I am now getting the best of the best.

More crash stories, and the lessons learned from broken bones and scars:

http://www.advrider.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=17

The armor and gear questionaire and tips thread


I think this would be a good time to discuss the following several questions:

1. What armor and gear do you use and wear?

2. What armor and gear do you wish you used?

3. Do you have any tips or advice on armor and gear?

4. Do you have any questions about armor and gear?


Me:

1. Until 1 month ago, I wore:

full face z1r helmet (most basic model at Vespa)
Icon leather gloves from Brooklyn Bretta (basic with a little armor on knuckles and lower finger joint, no padding)
street jacket made with sturdy fabric, jeans, semi tall boots

now:
Rev'it brand Ignition leather/mesh jacket with CE shoulder and elbow armor (no back armor yet)
rev'it leather gloves with stronger armor and padding
same jeans/boots

2. I wish I had more to protect the legs.

3. Please wear proper gloves and a ff helmet - I see a lot of new scooter riders without even these. If you fall and slide 5 feet, in a very very modest accident, I imagine the damage just from that will be very significant.

4. Do you have advice on leg protection? How about during commuting? I would have a hard time rolling up to work in leather pants with armor on them - are there any other things that are worthwhile - like kneepads that skaters use? anything that can be taken off on the street, or pulled over pants?

Please add your responses!

tkchunc wrote:4. Do you have advice on leg protection? How about during commuting? I would have a hard time rolling up to work in leather pants with armor on them - are there any other things that are worthwhile - like kneepads that skaters use? anything that can be taken off on the street, or pulled over pants?

Please add your responses!

My husband and I both wear Joe Rocket OVER PANTS... There's no need to look like mad max walking around in leather pants all day (unless that's allready your style) or be like superman popping in and out of phone booths changing your clothes. The Joe rocket overpants snap on and zipper over your regular daily attire. I've even worn them over a mini skirt with no issues...They take about 35 seconds to put on and take off...they fit over your boots so there's not need to remove your shoes and they fit nicely in the underseat compartment of any scooter I have tried to fit them in. They also are made for year round wear they have patches that unzip to reveal mesh underneath for warm weather riding and a winter/rain liner that zips and unzips...to protect you from the wind, cold and wet weather.

They also have hip and knee protection armor...I couldn't have designed a better set of pants for both function and protection.

Jess knocks it on the head with her 35 second rule.

You can have the most expensive, protective gear in the world however if it's a pain in the arse to put on or wear then you will find every excuse not to wear it.

My predominant rule for buying gear is not that it has level one CE rated armour or knuckle protectors etc.

If I cannot put it on in 20 secs or less and have it feel comfortable riding then I won't buy/keep it.

It might be helpful to think of scootering as a series of rituals. It's a lot different than riding in your car, where you simply get in and go, as-is. Instead, these rituals are all necessary preparation.

Here are three sets to begin with:

Getting ready to ride: putting on all your gear, doing an eyeball check at minimum of all the key parts of your scoot (tires, lights, brakes, gas level, etc.), making sure you have basic essentials like sufficient cash, maps and a charged cell phone, and riding out slowly and deliberately so as not to low-slide on cold tires.

Stopping for gas: putting your kickstand down, shutting off the engine, removing your keys and placing them in your pocket, taking off your helmet, glasses and gloves and placing them all inside your helmet, placing your gas cap in a consistent place, gassing up, returning your gas cap, paying, and putting all your gear back on, etc. I'm always forgetting, for example, to refasten the chin strap on my helmet.

Stopping in general: coming to a firm stop, planting your feet, and only then shifting your head from side-to-side for a traffic check before proceeding. In other words, not trying to cheat a pre-glance for a sloppy "California stop" or to be in any hurry whatsoever.

In nearly all such rituals, gear is critically important, but it's only one component of a methodical, safety-focused mindset. I wouldn't be fighting your boyfriend on this one. Rather, I'd be attempting to get inside the heads of serious riders to learn how they habitually go about "keeping the shiny side up." All riders crash at some point, but the key is reducing these crashes, and their damage, to the minimum possible so you can have more fun riding.

Check out: http://www.gearupproject.org/