Class Act

1) Safety
2) Comfort
3) Style

This is the order I use for making my gear choices.  So when I head out next Spring for my cross-country journey, I'll be loaded up with gear that's been acquired with these priorities in mind.

In switching from a cruiser to a dual-sport bike, I joined a new class of riders. You see, within the motorcycling community there are different classes of bike types, and each has specialized types of gear. You can read about the different types here.

Mix, match, and Mojo.

So far, I've managed to avoid committing to one class of gear. What I wear has been a kind of mish-mash; a textile jacket, combined with jeans, leather chaps, and Army swamp boots. But the more I get into touring, the more I find myself gearing up to suit the ride.

My previous bike; the Suzuki Volusia, was a cruiser, but I never bought a leather jacket until last year. Before that, I wore textile jackets. The first was a Fieldsheer Mach 1. Plenty of armor and extremely lightweight. Perfect for summer riding in Virginia. But it wasn't so waterproof or warm, and after a few years got a little snug across the waist. If I have to suck in my gut to zip up a jacket, it's time for a new jacket.

So next I picked up a 3-season Teknic textile jacket. I still have it and up until recently was my primary riding jacket. It's a great cover for tour-style riding. It's really comfortable, and warm and dry. But it's showing its age along the piping. It's also black. Since I tend to be the slightly nervous type, I had been thinking of a replacement for a while with something that's easier to see.

A hornet snacking on the remains of
something during a stop in Kalispell, MT.

The newest jacket I picked up specifically for this trip. The First Gear Kilimajaro is a serious motorcycle jacket. It's all-season and waterproof. Armored. White. Yeah, I know. It's white.

I try to avoid all white clothing because I'm a chronic spiller. Plus, when you're out on the road in the summer, you tend to collide with flying objects; small rocks and bugs. When I traveled last August to Glacier National Park in Montana, the hornets would swarm my bike at each stop--they really honed in on the 'protein' that stuck to the front of my bike. Knowing that I'll be riding into a lot bugs as I cross the country, I full-well expect to resemble a Jackson Pollock painting by the time I hit Iowa.

One last note about jackets: last fall I picked up a BMG leather jacket. Armored and good-looking, I can wearing it on the bike or off (without looking like a doofus). It will stay home for this trip.

For pants, I've been wearing jeans for years. Namely, an extra-long pair of Northeast Outfitters from Dick's Sporting Goods. No padding, but they're long so I avoid the cold breezes up the leg. That was really important with the feet-forward Suzuki cruiser. I tried the waterproof pullovers a couple times; Frog Togs. But they aren't worth the money in my book; always ripping or getting holes burned in them from the engine.

Recently I picked up a pair of cold weather and waterproof Tour Master Venture pants. I like the feel of the armor and extra layers to stay warm. But when I wear jeans under them, the denim and the overpants bunch up behind the knees, which causes a fair amount of discomfort. I have to stretch my legs while riding more often. I still need to try them wearing shorts, and also with the liner removed. I'm already making mental notes for stretch stops along the P2P ride.