Brothers and Sisters of the Fine Forum,
I am at the point where I am ready to purchase the best riding gear I can find. My budget is around $2000. For context, here is a little background about my style and how I ride:
I have been cruiser guy ever since I got my first bike in 2003. Wife and I had one car then so I was commute to work/school guy basically year-round here in Kansas City (tried not to ride in icy conditions). In the time since, I have traversed the country many times logging hundreds of thousands of miles across the U.S., and I have seen a good portion of Canada, including the Canadian Rockies and Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. My buddies know me as the crazy that will knock out thousands of miles a week and 30+ hour stints with sometimes nothing more than a cat nap...maybe. I am not hotel guy, but I am camp on my trips as much as possible guy. Hotel maybe once a week or as needed for safety from extreme weather or fatigue. To say the least, I am distance/longevity guy who finds it hard to find somebody to travel with me that can keep up with my endurance/stupidity.
I have always cruised sunrise to sunset and beyond with mainly cowboy boots, jeans, t-shirt, and no helmet....if I do put on helmet, its a fake novelty-type. Pretty much, for all these years and hundreds of thousands of miles, zero protection. When the weather gets chilly I have a nice classic black leather motorcycle jacket and chaps that I layer up as needed. For rain, if I have to ride through rain, I have gotten by with sub-par rain gear.
But now, 46-years old, I have found an infatuation with sport touring and the Connie specifically (and I look forward with getting involved with COG!). My Vulcan 1600 Classic has about 103,000 miles on it and I sold my Voyager to my brother last year. I am looking at making Connie my long-term and primary way of touring now. I am planning on riding to Alaska and the Yucatan over the next 2-3 years. I think it is time to smarten up and get some gear that will protect me from the elements and provide convenience and safety. I am grateful that I have not had any accidents all these years and miles (including riding THROUGH a deer), but it has been weighing on my mind that I need not push my luck further. Its a combo of mid-life crisis and realizing I am not indestructible (anymore). I enjoy life so much: riding, fishing, playing in a band with my sons, family vacations, etc., and I don't want my quality of life to be diminished because of some kind of freak accident, stupid cager, animal, or momentary lack in judgement. Of course, there is always an amount of risk we accept any time we climb on two wheels, but is seems me wise to start to minimize that risk more than I have done in the past.
So, after many months of researching, here are the options I am considering. Any wisdom and experience with any of these choices would be MUCH appreciated, as I am willing to drop a significant amount of money on gear that can do it all and if I know it will last me a long time. Here is what I am thinking and in no particular order:
1. Klim Kodiak with Aerostich Darien Pants
2. Transit 3 jacket with Aerostich Darien Pants
3. Roadcrafter or Darien 2-piece suit is not out of the question
What I know for SURE unless you all want to try and convince me otherwise, is that I DON"T want a riding pant, but rather an overpant to wear over my jeans/layers. Mainly because I can't wrap my mind around wearing underwear or base layer under that same pair of riding pants for whatever amount of consecutive days. This is probably due to my inexperience/routine with doing such. However, I am always open-minded and willing to learn. Just because I have done it one way for so long, that doesn't mean there are other ways and maybe even better ways of doing things. But I like the idea of being able to rip the gear off quickly and conveniently when I am off the bike, like I would do with my chaps and leather jacket. I would also like something that will work well both with my Concours and my cruiser.
I am not in a big hurry at the moment, and I can make do with what I have for this winter. I have a very knowledgeable Klim dealer here in Kansas City that gave me a great education on Klim gear. Alas, my heart of hearts tells me to wait until Spring before finalizing my decision so that I can ride up to Duluth to check out Aerostich in person.
Thank you so much! I love everything I have learned and continue to learn about COG! I look forward to meeting many of you some day!
-Heath
I am at the point where I am ready to purchase the best riding gear I can find. My budget is around $2000. For context, here is a little background about my style and how I ride:
I have been cruiser guy ever since I got my first bike in 2003. Wife and I had one car then so I was commute to work/school guy basically year-round here in Kansas City (tried not to ride in icy conditions). In the time since, I have traversed the country many times logging hundreds of thousands of miles across the U.S., and I have seen a good portion of Canada, including the Canadian Rockies and Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. My buddies know me as the crazy that will knock out thousands of miles a week and 30+ hour stints with sometimes nothing more than a cat nap...maybe. I am not hotel guy, but I am camp on my trips as much as possible guy. Hotel maybe once a week or as needed for safety from extreme weather or fatigue. To say the least, I am distance/longevity guy who finds it hard to find somebody to travel with me that can keep up with my endurance/stupidity.
I have always cruised sunrise to sunset and beyond with mainly cowboy boots, jeans, t-shirt, and no helmet....if I do put on helmet, its a fake novelty-type. Pretty much, for all these years and hundreds of thousands of miles, zero protection. When the weather gets chilly I have a nice classic black leather motorcycle jacket and chaps that I layer up as needed. For rain, if I have to ride through rain, I have gotten by with sub-par rain gear.
But now, 46-years old, I have found an infatuation with sport touring and the Connie specifically (and I look forward with getting involved with COG!). My Vulcan 1600 Classic has about 103,000 miles on it and I sold my Voyager to my brother last year. I am looking at making Connie my long-term and primary way of touring now. I am planning on riding to Alaska and the Yucatan over the next 2-3 years. I think it is time to smarten up and get some gear that will protect me from the elements and provide convenience and safety. I am grateful that I have not had any accidents all these years and miles (including riding THROUGH a deer), but it has been weighing on my mind that I need not push my luck further. Its a combo of mid-life crisis and realizing I am not indestructible (anymore). I enjoy life so much: riding, fishing, playing in a band with my sons, family vacations, etc., and I don't want my quality of life to be diminished because of some kind of freak accident, stupid cager, animal, or momentary lack in judgement. Of course, there is always an amount of risk we accept any time we climb on two wheels, but is seems me wise to start to minimize that risk more than I have done in the past.
So, after many months of researching, here are the options I am considering. Any wisdom and experience with any of these choices would be MUCH appreciated, as I am willing to drop a significant amount of money on gear that can do it all and if I know it will last me a long time. Here is what I am thinking and in no particular order:
1. Klim Kodiak with Aerostich Darien Pants
2. Transit 3 jacket with Aerostich Darien Pants
3. Roadcrafter or Darien 2-piece suit is not out of the question
What I know for SURE unless you all want to try and convince me otherwise, is that I DON"T want a riding pant, but rather an overpant to wear over my jeans/layers. Mainly because I can't wrap my mind around wearing underwear or base layer under that same pair of riding pants for whatever amount of consecutive days. This is probably due to my inexperience/routine with doing such. However, I am always open-minded and willing to learn. Just because I have done it one way for so long, that doesn't mean there are other ways and maybe even better ways of doing things. But I like the idea of being able to rip the gear off quickly and conveniently when I am off the bike, like I would do with my chaps and leather jacket. I would also like something that will work well both with my Concours and my cruiser.
I am not in a big hurry at the moment, and I can make do with what I have for this winter. I have a very knowledgeable Klim dealer here in Kansas City that gave me a great education on Klim gear. Alas, my heart of hearts tells me to wait until Spring before finalizing my decision so that I can ride up to Duluth to check out Aerostich in person.
Thank you so much! I love everything I have learned and continue to learn about COG! I look forward to meeting many of you some day!
-Heath
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