Winter Apparel

Well done! You have just passed your bike test now all you have to do is go and get that bike you have been saving for. You sign the paperwork, get the keys… and realise you don't have a helmet, you don't have any gloves and you don't have any boots! Next thing you know the shop has just sold you eight hundred quids worth of clobber! Quite a bit lighter in the money department the bike sits in your garage for the next 12 months because you can't afford to run it.

Not an ideal scenario but a very common one. What do you buy? Where do you buy it? How much should you spend? Talk to your average power ranger and they'll tell you to spend as much as you can every year to keep up with the ever‑changing seasonal race colours! Talk to a Trails or Motad rider and they'll tell you to spend a fortune on armour and motocross boots. Your average custom rider would probably tell you to get two piece leather jeans and jacket with extra tassels. Every BMW rider will tell you to sell your bike get a GS with aluminium luggage and a once piece suit a' la' Long Way round! There is just too much choice.

You first have to assess what you are going to be doing with your new toy, Sunshine rider, winter hack, tourer or leisure? Seeing as we are getting into Winter I'll start with that season and work my way around. I'll mention some of the options and my own personal choices. This is a guide, not an absolute, so neither Motorsickle nor me will accept any liability for you after reading this ok? If you agree that you will not blame Motorsickle.com or it's associates for anything ever in any shape or form, keep reading, otherwise sling yer hook!

Winter – Often a cold wet time (as if you didn't know)

Full face is highly recommended due to pain inflicted by icy driving rain, sleet , hail and snow! Try to get one with anti‑fog and make sure you test it first, many lids claim to be anti‑fog but aren't. You can get anti‑fog visor stickers and sprays which are pretty good. Go for an A‑Class helmet as they are tested to higher standards than the B‑Class lids. If you drop it you should change it.

Slobs lids – I have never paid more than £99 and I have had a few smashes, composite lids are good but bulky and when flipped up they can act like a parachute on your head. Have I changed my lids after dropping them? – No , but that's my lookout not yours. My current lid is a nasty grey full face which cost £40. I know people who use car‑boot sale pisspot lids that have cost under a fiver.

Get heavy duty thick ones, if you can afford it get two pairs because one pair will be permanently soaked. If you are a bit strapped for cash get yourself some summer gloves (usually on sale for under £20) that are too big and wear a pair of cheapo woollen gloves underneath. Armoured gloves are okay if it makes you feel safer but they can be really uncomfortable to break it, especially in the knuckle areas. Remember, despite how often you wear your gloves, they barely see any movement because your grip is static.

Slobs Gloves – I have worn cheap leather gloves with washing up gloves underneath and I have worn rubber gardening gloves in the past! But, for the last 12 months I have been wearing a pair of BMW Kevlar gloves that Jake gave me. Those bastards have taken me 7 months to break in! The best gloves I ever owned had a squeegee rubber sewn into the left hand thumb lining like a windscreen wiper for the visor.

Which ever way you look at it , this is a big purchase. Do you go Leather or Man‑made tear resistant fibre? Leather needs to be treated regularly to ensure it remains waterproof. Leather, if bought at the right grade, is as near as damn it tear proof. Man‑made fibres still have a way to go before being rip proof. Man‑made does tend to be lighter, waterproofed and armoured. That said there is a huge range of armoured Leathers available in all styles these days. Man‑made fibre jackets often have removable lining and armour to suit all weathers. How much should you spend? Up to you really, see below.

Slobs Jackets – I have a heavy leather which cost £2 from a charity shop, an armoured bomber that is 7 years old and cost £65 (now has a knackered zip), a 3/4 length armoured all weather jacket that cost £15 with tags from a charity shop. And a camouflage PVC waterproof that cost £5 from a rally. Shop around, I recently got the missus a summer‑armoured jacket for a £5 at a Salvation Army shop. When the weather is really bad I will wear the 3/4 armoured with the PVC over the top.

Leather or man‑made? (A similar dilemma to the jacket question). Leather is very unforgiving when wet and when dried out after being wet can be a pig to get on, not to mention the fact it takes days to dry! Man‑made all weather over trousers are slip on, slip off and give the option of armour. Often they come with braces for comfort and are the easy option. Leathers will require regular treatment and waterproofs over the top. Armoured Jeans are okay but not good for wet weather unless you have waterproofs over the top. Man‑made fibres require the odd spray of silicon waterproofer or similar (always read manufacturers' instructions on care), this goes for jackets as well as strides.

A pretty essential item and the only safety item that I wear all year round (apart from the mandatory lid). There are a million and one boots to choose from, you need to look at comfort, and practicality, and then style. There is no point in buying non‑flex soled Motocross boots if you are planning a ride into the country followed by a woodland walk. Similarly, combat boots are probably not your best option if you are doing track days, something with titanium studs would be better. The boots should be flexible with additional armour at the ankle to protect the bits that matter (your bones). The boots don't have to be waterproof but, it's bloody uncomfortable riding any distance with wet feet! DM's and combat boots are acceptable boots to wear. never ever use steel toecaps, you are at risk of losing your toes if the boots get crushed. Many custom riders wear engineering boots that are specifically designed for bike use. The important thing is to check the soles regularly, the last thing you want is for the sole to shred or tear and your skin be exposed to the tarmac!

Slob's boots – Cowboy boots, high street Harness boots and Combat boots all make an appearance. I have two rules with boots; 1. They must come well past the ankle in height. 2. The boots must be regularly polished to maintain leather and waterproofing. My last pair of combat boots cost £10 from a rally and lasted 2 years! My last pair of cowboy boots were second‑hand branded from an online auction. The cowboy boots cost £30 and saved my right foot when I took a bad knock last year. ( I have ridden with my feet in plastic bags inside boots when they have leaked).

Scarves, face masks, balaclavas, bandanna's and snoods. These are all valid items and it really is down to personal preference. You do need to make sure that the gap between the lid and the collar of your jacket is filled because winter weather is very, very unforgiving. Any distraction in poor weather conditions is bad and especially annoying when it is something you can mitigate the risk of (freezing neck, needle like rain etc etc).

If you do get carried away with the leather and the dubbing, don't do the bike seat at the same time as the leather trousers. It's like trying to walk across a tiled floor covered with Olive oil! Whatever you choose make sure you maintain it and if buying a cheap lid you should change it fairly regularly… so they say.

• Helmet £40
• Snood thing Free off mate
• BMW Kevlar gloves Free off mate
• All weather armoured Weiss branded £15 Jacket
• PVC Waterproof Jacket from Army Surplus at rally £5
• Leather jeans bought 10 years ago £60
• breathable waterproofs from Army surplus shop £5
• Combat boots (British) like new from Army surplus (just replaced the £10 pair that lasted 2 years of constant abuse) £20
• Total cost £145
• Minus Depreciation of aged goods £85
• Typical annual cost of winter gear £10 for waterproofs and bandannas

A very good place for offers are J&S accessories, I personally have used them for helmets and gloves for years. In fact my leathers and first armoured jacket came from them as well. Online auctions are all right but you don't know what you are getting half the time unless it is second hand(beware the strangely branded mass sell items from the far east). Charity shops are great because they often have no clue as to what they are selling or what the value is. Army surplus are always bloody good value, talk to the owners nicely and they'll do you a good price.