Top to toe riding kit
1 Helmet: Schuberth SR2 £689.99
www.tranam.co.uk This is Schuberth’s flagship race lid and though it’s designed primarily for the track, unlike other brands’ range-toppers, its road-going abilities aren’t compromised. It’s a brilliant road lid. Supremely comfortable, nice and quiet at speed (even on these unfaired behemoths) and the soft lining material makes it extra-nice in cold weather.
Ventilation is excellent, all the vents being easily operated with gloves on. Shame an HJC RPHA 11 is £220 cheaper and does the same job, though.
2 Jacket: Rev’it Sand 3 textile £399.99
www.revitsport.com Rev’it describes its Sand 3 as a go-anywhere jacket and frankly, it’s pretty difficult to argue with that. The outer shell is constructed from a mixture of abrasion-resistant materials, with huge zipped vents, massive front and back pockets, loads of adjusters and numerous other kinky looking straps to attach stuff to.
Underneath all of that are separate removable thermal and waterproof breathable linings, so it’s equally adept in all weather conditions, and the flexible CE Level 2 armour at elbows and shoulders makes it all-day comfy to boot. Good value.
3 Trousers: Rev’it Sand 3 textile £299.99
www.revitsport.com The matching Rev’it Sand trousers don’t disappoint either. They’re equally comfy and feature the same removable liners, huge pockets and vents and the same outer shell as the jacket. It’s not the most expensive of textile suits out there but I’ve never found myself wanting more from it.
4 Gloves: Alpinestars Winter Surfer Gore-tex £129.99
www.alpinestars.com I just can’t get on with big thick winter gloves and that’s where Alpinestars’ new waterproof gloves come to my rescue. They’re made mainly from a stretchy fabric with a leather palm and hard armour on the knuckles. Inside is a layer of Gore-tex and some thermal lining with a midlength cuff that fits under sleeves.
5 Heated vest: Keis X10 £119.99 (vest), £64.99 (battery),
www.keisapparel.co.uk It took me a while to convert to heated kit but once I did, there was no going back. The X10 can either be wired directly to the bike or powered by a rechargeable battery tucked away in an internal pocket. On the lowest heat setting the battery is good for a full day of use; less on higher settings.
6 Boots: Daytona Strive GTX £399.99
www.tranam.co.uk I’ve been using these for three years and they’ve proved themselves to be the best all-round boots I’ve ever tried. Perfect for sports bikes, touring bikes, adventure bikes and everything in-between. They’re waterproof and breathable, can slide under riding jeans yet have a Velcro adjuster on the back, allowing them to fit over leathers too.
Comfy enough to ride or even walk for any distance, and there’s still loads of life left in the grippy sole too. Flawless but very expensive.
7 Keis Heated inner soles £59.99
www.keisapparel.co.uk One of those things you don’t realise you need until you try it. I simply removed the inner soles of my Daytonas and fitted these in their place. There’s a cable that routes from the back of each sole and up the back of each leg, merging into one cable at the waist and plugging straight into the vest. It’s all very neat and despite the cable running up the back of the feet, it’s actually totally unnoticeable after a few minutes of wearing.