Off / on road protective gear - opinions of.

Seeing that many more tossers seem to be getting into the Gerlander as well as the Strasser, is it worth getting some opinions going relating to on/off road gear.

I've recently started to convert to more offroad biased gear (boots, rallye suit etc.) but I'm the first to admit that, despite the cost, it has shortcomings for on road use.

There is a huge amount of info here & elsewhere relating to onroad gear, slightly less for offroad gear, and even less still for 'dual use' stuff.

I would be interested to know what boots were being worn by the poor chap who broke his ankle at Steptoe's do (can't remember his name - that personal injury solicitor chap)

Any thoughts?

I'm new both to this site and off-road stuff, but I can tell you that I broke my heel in several places in July whilst on one of BMW's off-road events in Wales. I was wearing a pair of full on enduro boots (hired from them) with the metal tip on the toe. They didn't have any of that plastic armour which seems to decorate so many boots these days but they were heavy duty items. The moral of the story - no matter how good your gear, you can still get hurt.

For the record, I fell off a 650GS and the exhaust landed plum on my foot. I was probably doing no more than 10 mph.

FWIW, I've an Arai Tour X which, apart from the fact that the peak vibrates a bit at speed....much better since I fitted a Laminar Lip....is the best lid I've ever had. It's comfortable, well ventilated and offers excellent peripheral vision.

For boots, I've now been using Sidi Flexforce SRS for a while. Initially, on trying to break them in, I thought I wouldn't be able to brake and change gear in them. The solution was not to try to break them in but just to ride in them. Getting them soaked and then proofing them with Aqueous Nikwax helped to free up the ankles quite a lot. They're still pretty stiff though and have great support for my ankles. See http://www.teamorthopedics.com/boots.html for further info.

As for suits and, indeed, everything else, I can do no better than to refer you to my thread, here.......

And yes, I know that I'd probably be better off with a Rallye 2 suit but they're bloody expensive, I have an aversion to being a clone and besides......my missus hasn't bought me one yet....

Schtum said:

For boots, I've now been using Sidi Flexforce SRS for a while. Initially, on trying to break them in, I thought I wouldn't be able to brake and change gear in them. The solution was not to try to break them in but just to ride in them. Getting them soaked and then proofing them with Aqueous Nikwax helped to free up the ankles quite a lot. They're still pretty stiff though and have great support for my ankles. See http://www.teamorthopedics.com/boots.html for further info.

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Ok, I've read the report, do they say one boot is better than another? Or just that "newer boots" are better than 70's ones

As far as I can see, there is no perfect combination of clothing for proper dual sport riding so it’s always going to be a compromise. I use an old HG rallye jacket with the armour taken out and wear a Dainese armoured body suit underneath, this works quite well. The real problem is the trousers. Leather trousers, although great for crash protection, are just too hot to wear trail riding. I tend to go for HG rallye trousers, a pair of knee protectors and a pair of army Gore-Tex trouser worn over the top. Works well offroad but not too keen on my chances in a road crash. Boots are easier, a big pair of motocross boots – any make will do. I use a 10 year old pair of old Axo’s and they really have served me well both on and off road. Like Schtum says, they’re a pain to brake in but persevere and you’ll get there. IMHO you're asking for trouble riding offroad in road boots.

I wear Tech 4s, SealSkinz socks, UFO body armour, AXO moto x gloves, a Swift touring jacket ( fully armoured) and some Gortex combats over my Tuaregs. Helmet is an M2R with Oakley O frame goggles.