My First Riding Gear

Spidi Team Textile Jacket:Almost a year and a half has passed since I bought the Spidi Team textile jacket from Rash. Spidi is an Italian firm and their riding gear is used by Pro-MotoGP riders like Colin Edwards, Shinya Nakano, Gibernau and many more. Team jacket is made from Cordura material which has high strength qualities to protect the rider under major crashes. Though, leather provides the best protection, I bough this because of the understated speeds that we usually do on our Indian machinery, the Indian summers and of course, the cost of leather jackets was an issue for me too. And till date I haven't ever felt that buying this jacket was a mistake, as it has only added to my confidence and has made me Go Faster.

The Team comes equipped with an inner liner for protection against cold and during the rains. Without the inner liner it provides very little protection in case of rains. The elbows and shoulders have detachable CE certified protectors and it also has an arrangement to slip a back protector inside. The clip-stop technique helps in keeping the jacket in place at speeds in excess of 100km/h. The sleeves are removable and this helps a lot in our climate conditions. The two air-vents work fine and allow enough air to pass once I'm on the bike to keep me away from sweating.

*No crashes so far with this jacket on [touch-wood], so cannot talk about its performance under a crash.


Angels Racing "Dry-Ice" Gloves:
Pictures speak louder than text ! Bruised and battered, the Angels Racing gloves were given to us by our office for testing and regular use. And for that very reason I have shown no mercy towards them, unlike my jacket. Using them regularly even for my trips to work and back, I have exploited these gloves to the hilt. But then, these are one of the best fitting gloves that I have come across till date. The fit snuggly on the hands, provide accurate feedback from the bars and most importantly, they protect. Apart from the tacky finish and threads coming off them after rigorous usage, there isn't much for me to complain about them.

AXO Primato Riding Boots:
Latest and dearest addition in my gear- AXO Primato riding boots. Killer stuff! Made out of the same quality leather that the 250cc MotoGP champs use, complete with sliders, air-vents and ankle protection. Anything left to complain? Well yes. I'm not suppose to use them often. Damn ! I bought them as I needed a good pair of boots for our office photo-features as well as my own use. So I bought these boots from the riding gear store located on M.G. Road, Pune, called Dream Sporting Gear. They did cost a bomb, but then safety doesn't come cheap and nor does motorcycling. I cannot enjoy a motorcycle without my two skinny limbs, so I better not take any chances, I thought ! Questions like right or wrong don't cross my mind when it comes to Riding Gear. I love it and I use it for all the right reasons. From going flat-out in Amby Valley to impressing the dames on F.C. But the most enjoyable feature about these boots is the toe-slider. Leaned into the corner, the toe pops out and the slider scrapes the ground giving out sparks and that metal sound. What good fun it is !

SteelBird-GPOne Series Helmet:
My first proper lid that I bought after joining RSA- The Biker Club. After seeing the guys in the club wearing all these funky helmets, I couldn't resist the urge and immediately bought one from Funky's Store on M.G. Road. They had some great variety, but most of it was already present in the club. Also, I like it to be understated, so I bought a simple solid coloured GPOne in Dark Blue. Later, I added some small decals to it and of course, the number 46. After I bought my SPIDI jacket, Spidi decals too made their way up on the helmet. Dark visor was there until I learned it the hard way that it is not smart to have a dark visor on our Great Indian Roads. Poor visibility resulted in a major crash and immediately the dark visor was trashed for a clear one. Though it doesn't look all that great, it definitely serves better than the dark one. I think its more important to see right than look great!