Discussion
I did my CBT and theory earlier this year and plan to do my mod 1 & 2 shortly. I really only want a licence so that I can ride a classic bike I have a few times a year and so far I have a motorcycle helmet, gloves and jacket but nothing else. I have boots but they're not motorcycle (sturdy casual, not steels), same for jeans.
Question is, do you think the examiner may frown upon this and it might diminish my chances of passing, or they really don't worry about such things?
Many thanks.
Question is, do you think the examiner may frown upon this and it might diminish my chances of passing, or they really don't worry about such things?
Many thanks.
OP don’t over think it.. Normal jeans (not ripped or damaged) and sturdy boots will be absolutely fine. The examiner is just there to judge whether you meet the minimum standards to be allowed out to develop your skills on your own. Good luck!
Edit.. if you are planning on doing it soon make sure you wear something you’ll be comfortable in i.e. keeps you warm and dry so you keep your focus on the riding (jeans aren’t the best for this). You might also find if you’re in proper kit you feel a bit more confident too.
Edit.. if you are planning on doing it soon make sure you wear something you’ll be comfortable in i.e. keeps you warm and dry so you keep your focus on the riding (jeans aren’t the best for this). You might also find if you’re in proper kit you feel a bit more confident too.
Edited by MDUBZ on Friday 11th November 16:41
MDUBZ said:
OP don’t over think it.. Normal jeans (not ripped or damaged) and sturdy boots will be absolutely fine. The examiner is just there to judge whether you meet the minimum standards to be allowed out to develop your skills on your own. Good luck!
Thanks.With the CBT, theory and DAS I will have spent c. £1200k so I don't want to buy anything just to get through the test unless I have to. I've found some motorcycle jeans but would rather use the boots I already have initially and then upgrade if motorcycling is going to become a more regular thing for me.
12dan34 said:
Thanks.
With the CBT, theory and DAS I will have spent c. £1200k so I don't want to buy anything just to get through the test unless I have to. I've found some motorcycle jeans but would rather use the boots I already have initially and then upgrade if motorcycling is going to become a more regular thing for me.
100% . From memory, I had bought a helmet by the time I did mod 1 and 2, because urghhhh sweaty borrowed helmets, but I borrowed a jacket and gloves from the school to do my test, I wore normal jeans and boots. I only invested in motorcycle jeans afterwards once I knew they would get use. You don’t have to splash out on goretex kit; I just had some cheap waterproof trousers to slide over if the forecast was rain: the last thing you want is to be cold and wet when you need to focus. With the CBT, theory and DAS I will have spent c. £1200k so I don't want to buy anything just to get through the test unless I have to. I've found some motorcycle jeans but would rather use the boots I already have initially and then upgrade if motorcycling is going to become a more regular thing for me.
MDUBZ said:
100% . From memory, I had bought a helmet by the time I did mod 1 and 2, because urghhhh sweaty borrowed helmets, but I borrowed a jacket and gloves from the school to do my test, I wore normal jeans and boots. I only invested in motorcycle jeans afterwards once I knew they would get use. You don’t have to splash out on goretex kit; I just had some cheap waterproof trousers to slide over if the forecast was rain: the last thing you want is to be cold and wet when you need to focus.
Exactly what I needed to know, thank you. I want to get my license but I'm not head over heels in love with motorcycling, yet. If I develop a passion for it then I see that as the time to get some more gear that I really like, rather than cheap stuff just because that's what's expected.You're that far in financially, its worth spending a little more.
Your regular jeans will do but a motorcycle specific set with some armour will be better and can be bought new from not much over £50, add a set of cheap walking overpants in case it rains (£15).
Provided the boots cover your ankles you'll be fine, so ex-army boots are good but not walking boots, but you can get a motorcycle specific pair of boots for £60.
None of this is essential but if you do come off you will glad of it, and as mentioned earlier you will most likely feel more confident and definitely warmer and drier.
Have a look at the J&S Accessories Ltd website.
Your regular jeans will do but a motorcycle specific set with some armour will be better and can be bought new from not much over £50, add a set of cheap walking overpants in case it rains (£15).
Provided the boots cover your ankles you'll be fine, so ex-army boots are good but not walking boots, but you can get a motorcycle specific pair of boots for £60.
None of this is essential but if you do come off you will glad of it, and as mentioned earlier you will most likely feel more confident and definitely warmer and drier.
Have a look at the J&S Accessories Ltd website.
Have you seen this YouTube video?
Top kit, bargain prices: the cheapest way to top-level safety
Helpful clothing advice
Top kit, bargain prices: the cheapest way to top-level safety
Helpful clothing advice
12dan34 said:
MDUBZ said:
100% . From memory, I had bought a helmet by the time I did mod 1 and 2, because urghhhh sweaty borrowed helmets, but I borrowed a jacket and gloves from the school to do my test, I wore normal jeans and boots. I only invested in motorcycle jeans afterwards once I knew they would get use. You don’t have to splash out on goretex kit; I just had some cheap waterproof trousers to slide over if the forecast was rain: the last thing you want is to be cold and wet when you need to focus.
Exactly what I needed to know, thank you. I want to get my license but I'm not head over heels in love with motorcycling, yet. If I develop a passion for it then I see that as the time to get some more gear that I really like, rather than cheap stuff just because that's what's expected.Cheap work jeans from Amazon and a pair of normal boots that covered my ankle.
I borrowed the rest from the training provider.
If you buy cheap kit for your test, you will wish you had saved and bought better stuff in a few months in the sales.
It really is buy cheap buy twice.
The tester didn’t frown on my kit, just had really good pointers on errors I made and riding style.
Freakuk said:
Clearly don't get steel toe capped boots, just get yourself some decent motorcycle boots
Without wanting to drag this too off topic - Sorry but that 'clearly don't get steel toe capped boots' is crap with no real evidence behind it (mythbusters even did an episode on it and disproved the myth of them being toe chopping daemons out to get your tootsies!). Decent quality above ankle work boots and motorcycle boots share a lot of similiar properties in their construction; the only difference really being the lack of shifter feel with steel toes. If you're crashing well enough to break a boot to bend it back and 'get your toes chopped off by the steel toe' you are almost certainly having other bigger issues to worry about- like waving goodbye to a big portion of that leg anyhow! As for gear, you can get a fairly decent set of armoured jeans online for cheap, a bunch of us bough stuff from XLMoto back in summer in their jeans and jacket combo deal. Its decent enough that you can pootle around off the bike in them realitively comfortably too.
Edited by DirtyHarley on Friday 11th November 22:57
black-k1 said:
The steel toe cap is a very effective toe guillotine. In general, foot damage without a steel toe cap is significantly less than with a steel toe cap. Why do you think NO motorcycle boots have steel toe caps?
The toe guillotine is a myth that has been around for donkeys years with no empirical proof behind it. The main reasons motorcycle boots dont have steel toes are: 1. They arent needed! - you generally dont need motorcycle boots to protect your toes from heavy objects falling on them - instead you need abrasion resistance and twist/wrenching movement protection
2. A steel toe boot has a relatively large, tall toe box that doesn't fit well under the shift lever of some sport bikes, which makes getting the 'feel' for shifting difficult at best (as mentioned in my original reply)
3. Steel toe caps get cold quickly!
Am I saying that you should wear them over dedicated motorcycle boots? Absolutely not, what I'm saying is not to shy away from using them if youve got them due to a popular urban myth.
For those interested it was episode 42 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/MythBusters_(2005_...
The old wives tale has even come up on BB before: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
I would personally take wearing a decent set of over ankle steel toed work boots any day over the trainers/loafers/flip flops you see a fair few chaps out and about in. But to each their own and all that.
DirtyHarley said:
black-k1 said:
The steel toe cap is a very effective toe guillotine. In general, foot damage without a steel toe cap is significantly less than with a steel toe cap. Why do you think NO motorcycle boots have steel toe caps?
The toe guillotine is a myth that has been around for donkeys years with no empirical proof behind it. The main reasons motorcycle boots dont have steel toes are: 1. They arent needed! - you generally dont need motorcycle boots to protect your toes from heavy objects falling on them - instead you need abrasion resistance and twist/wrenching movement protection
2. A steel toe boot has a relatively large, tall toe box that doesn't fit well under the shift lever of some sport bikes, which makes getting the 'feel' for shifting difficult at best (as mentioned in my original reply)
3. Steel toe caps get cold quickly!
Am I saying that you should wear them over dedicated motorcycle boots? Absolutely not, what I'm saying is not to shy away from using them if youve got them due to a popular urban myth.
For those interested it was episode 42 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/MythBusters_(2005_...
The old wives tale has even come up on BB before: https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...
I would personally take wearing a decent set of over ankle steel toed work boots any day over the trainers/loafers/flip flops you see a fair few chaps out and about in. But to each their own and all that.
The point about the cold would not explain why summer boots ton't have steel toe caps and the point about being large is not really applicable compared to many MX styled boots.
The fact that NO certified bike boots have a steel toe offering, even at the cheap end of the market where a steel toe would address the stiffness requirements and would remove the VAT as it would be a "safety boot" suggests there's significantly more to this and that there mayh well be validity in the "old wives tail".
I'd say it's also worth noting that even back in the early days of motorcycle protective clothing there were few, if any, steel toe capped motorcycle boots.
Are they better than trainers? Almost definitely, but don't consider them as "safety gear" and they are likely no better, possibly worse, than a decent set of walking boots.
Steel toe caps aside (I would never wear them on a bike, incidentally), I’d argue that motorcycle-specific boots are the most important protection to buy after a helmet.
Lower limbs are the most commonly injured body part in motorcycling: Feet first of suffer the consequences
Lower limbs are the most commonly injured body part in motorcycling: Feet first of suffer the consequences
Edited by Salted_Peanut on Saturday 12th November 13:28
Onelastattempt said:
If you don't want to spend too much money and want good quality gear look for hardly worn second hand items.
I got a RST Tractech Evo 4 jacket and a pair of Alpinestar drystar gloves for £60, guy had only worn them twice due to selling his bike because he was getting divorced.
This. I got an RST Tractech jacket in great condition off ebay for 60 quid, and some practically unused Sidi boots at less than half the new price. Older but still serviceable pairs were available around the £40-60 mark. Oh yes and bought my nephew a set of Richa leather winter gloves for £17. I got a RST Tractech Evo 4 jacket and a pair of Alpinestar drystar gloves for £60, guy had only worn them twice due to selling his bike because he was getting divorced.
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