| Author | Message | ||
     Whistler |
As merchandisers for EBR wearables one of our tasks (responsibilities) is to develop motorcycle gear that protects first and foremost but in as comfortable a way as possible. There is a fairly large group working on this project including outside consultants. Some in the group ride and some do not. The gear objectives are straightforward; must have excellent protective qualities, should be comfortable to wear while on and off the bike, be lightweight, be as affordable as possible, represent the EBR brand in the best light possible, and be at least somewhat fashionable to the genre and the general public. There is one other item that has been on the table since day one and that is, how can we make gear that people really want to wear. By that I mean how can the gear be so good that riders are motivated to wear it even if they do not wear gear or rarely wear gear, or habitually only wear some of the gear. Ever since I started riding I have had a motivation to work on rider gear. It is one of the primary reasons I wanted to partner up with EBR for wearables. Well be careful what you wish for because our chance has arrived and we better come through, for lots of reasons. Today one of the group members, an outside consultant and non rider, witnessed a fatal bike accident up close. The young sport bike rider was wearing a helmet but no other protective gear. Tragically he passed away at the scene. I have no idea if gear would have helped in his case. Our group member stayed with the rider while waiting for the ambulance. As the ambulance pulled away slowly the group member called me and the first thing he said was "I get it now". I said "what do you mean"? He said "I get how important it is to make good gear, gear that riders will want to wear, all the time. I get it." It's a long row to hoe. I pray we get it right. We welcome all of your comments and suggestions. Rob | ||
| Oldog |
My sympathies to your consultant, any accident is potentially a grisly thing to watch, today I saw a young man wad up his jeep ...... Good gear is coming, good I need some gloves.. | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
I want some boots that don't look like I stole them from a power ranger, but will save my shins ankles & feet. They also need to be flexible enough to walk around in comfortably, for when I want to stroll around a museum or whatever. Oh & they need to be breathable & waterproof too. Plus they need to be well made & cheap. Just a few contradictions I realise but if the right compromise can be found it'll be great. | ||
| Socalbueller |
I'd like to see some high quality gear from EBR, preferably made in the U.S. since they are an American motorcycle company. I know that is not always possible but I really liked the Buell jackets from Vanson. They set Buell apparel apart from the Joe Rocket grade gear from other manufacturers. Also cheap gear cheapens the brand. | ||
| Velocity |
I second the gloves, how about ridding pants, all that I see guys riding is slider jeans.... | ||
| Pkforbes87 |
Are we talking new gear from scratch? Or a redesign of existing gear from an existing source? (like putting Buell aesthetics on a Vanson jacket) | ||
| Xdigitalx |
A helmet with mini flashing white led on top for day and night riding. I guess maybe your gonna use the zebra-like stripes like on the race bikes?.... maybe duplicate it alittle in some of the clothes and helmet and make the grey-white stripes super reflective. I love the Tourmaster boots I have with the small reflective heel. Gotta make that stuff cool to wear and easy on-off along with the safe part. | ||
| Xdigitalx |
Gotta make that stuff cool to wear and easy on-off along with the safe part.Um I meant to say that that's the hard part! I saw a rider the other day, flourescent green lid, jacket and backpack. Did not look bad at all. Reminded me of that black w/flourescent green trim 1pc leather Geoff's wore last year. It stood out pretty good. | ||
| Mike13 |
I like what Roland Sands designs is doin with there ridding gear. Something along those lines as far as style. Check em out. Also agree with Mr. Grumpy as far as the power ranger look. God I hate that stuff. Gear that is light and functional and can double as normal clothes when your at your destination and off the bike. I've also been looking for a good mechanics style jacket or levi's style denim jacket with decent protection. There use to be a couple of company's making them but can't find them any more. | ||
| Triman023 |
My friend Bill had a head on with an SUV he broke both legs,arms,wrist pelvis and collarbone. He went from coma with brain damage to being himself again with 53 days in the hospital. He was wearing a non armor leather jacket, jeans and tennis shoes and an open face helmet. He was actually lucky to survive. His legs and knees took an awful beating. I would like to see overpants that fit right have 3DO armor and are vented. I have the Olympia mesh pants now but they need to fit better and have more armor. They are ugly but I dont wear them for looks, I wear them because of my friend Bill. | ||
| Fast1075 |
My old Buell Adventure jacket is getting long in the tooth. Something like that would be great. Nice compromise between leather and mesh. I especially like the zip out vent panels for really hot days. | ||
| Fltwistygirl |
"I'd like to see some high quality gear from EBR, preferably made in the U.S. since they are an American motorcycle company." +1. Also, hi viz gear as a color option makes good sense for those of us who want to increase our odds of being seen in traffic. Although I love my black mesh Buell jacket, I'd love it more if it was a different color. | ||
| Teeps |
This calls for some fact to face focus discussion. | ||
| Loki |
I like my Frank Thomas XTii gear. My one criticism is the funky metal shoulder thingies! I dont even think about wearing it, its just natural | ||
| Reepicheep |
I don't often ride without a light and comfortable spine protector these days either. Good boots are another area where the choices always seem to be kinda limited and the prices kind of high. Not a racing boot, a street boot, and one that could stand up to a kickstarter (for my other bikes) would be nice. | ||
| Slaughter |
Reflective jacket? I'm ready to spend $ as we start into the chilly season. | ||
| Skntpig |
You're going to get a thousand different answers. The key is a nice mix of comfort, protection and style that you can wear all day on or off the bike. I have the RS Taichi mesh armed high protection jacket. I live in FL and the heat puts most riders in the No Gear category. This jacket has CE protection including chest protection and is lightweight and comfortable. It won't replace leather but will work pretty well for one crash. Looking forward to what's coming... | ||
| Hybridmomentspass |
I am with the others that want Buell teaming back up with Vanson. Quality gear rules | ||
| Pnw_uly |
I'd like to see some high quality gear from EBR, preferably made in the U.S. since they are an American motorcycle company. I know that is not always possible but I really liked the Buell jackets from Vanson. I could not agree more with this statement. These new EBR bikes aren't going to be cheap, the associated gear shouldn't be either... | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
These new EBR bikes aren't going to be cheap, the associated gear shouldn't be either... Why not? if the quality is good. Just because the bike is a bit on the exclusive side of the market why should those of us on a tight budget (& lord knows that's a lot of us these days) be priced out of the market to satisfy your exclusivity. If we're going down that road, you'll be asking for EBR underpants & babygro's next. Hmmm, have we seen this business model somewhere else before? (Message edited by Mr_grumpy on September 28, 2012) | ||
| Danger_dave |
Copy what Triumph does. Stylish Safety Garments cut to suit the riding position and 'disposition' of their various bikes. | ||
| Nillaice |
thank you for what you guys are doing, by re-making and bettering riding gear. i do wear the gear that i like most for comfort, protection and style. but i have arrived to this practice by learning mostly from my own mistakes. "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink" great gear will benifit the majority and facilitate protected riders, but it will take rider education (by whatever method)to convince them that they need to spend an extra couple hundred on leather and a quality, new-ish helmet. i hope that this terrible wreck and experience yields something great for others. | ||
| Pnw_uly |
"Why not? if the quality is good. Just because the bike is a bit on the exclusive side of the market why should those of us on a tight budget. . .be priced out of the market to satisfy your exclusivity." I don't prefer to pay more money than required for anything, but if you want superb quality gear, it won't be the least expensive, period. I'd rather pay twice as much for quality Vanson / Olympia / AeroStitch type gear with an EBR logo, than anything from Cycle Gear's (Poorly) Bilt line of offerings. . . But then again, after looking at your fantastically unrealistic requirement for boots, (absolute protection and off-bike comfort?? Really??), I'm pretty sure you won't understand my point anyway. YRMV | ||
| Teeps |
Pnw_uly Posted on Friday, September 28, 2012 I'd rather pay twice as much for quality Vanson / Olympia / AeroStitch type gear with an EBR logo, than anything from Cycle Gear's (Poorly) Bilt line of offerings. . . Agree with poorly bilt stuff; but I part ways on the logo. I would rather "gear" had no logo. I would be willing to pay more to have nondescript gear... | ||
| Britchri10 |
+1 on no logo. I never saw the point in paying my money to advertise someone's product. | ||
| 86129squids |
Whistler- my thoughts and prayers go to your buddy who was with the poor kid... Not to be too OT, but wouldn't it be great if the state DMV would require the licensing process to include an honest, thorough, but not quite grisly video to educate peeps about riding WITH gear? Like it or not, most riders incorporate some sort of "vanity" into their choice of gear- we all know how that goes with the cruiser crowd. Each different subculture of riders (Beemers/Wingers/Ricers/Cruisers) goes at it a different way. Try to appeal somehow to their sens of vanity, if possible. | ||
| Syonyk |
Ways I use my gear that I've found useful & not so useful (so, basically, random thoughts on gear from Syonyk): - Motorcycle boots that are usable for walking around are huge. My fiancee & I both typically walk around in what we ride in when we get somewhere. My riding boots (Gaerne) are pretty good at this, but some aren't. - I love my Tourmaster riding jacket. It's a mesh outer jacket, with a windproof liner, and a warmth liner inside that. It's good from about 20F-100F, and I can throw the liners in my tank bag or a tailbag easily. - Cheap plastic liners are no good. They need to be good quality liners if they're to be useful. - I put reflective striping on my helmet to enhance visibility. | ||
| Team_ruthless |
Armored flip flops | ||
| Hughlysses |
I can't imagine EBR has any interest in producing riding gear that doesn't have their logo on it. If you want no-logo riding gear, there are already plenty of suppliers. +1 to Syonyk's comments- versatile is what I'm looking for; stuff that can be worn at a wide range of temperatures and which can handle rain. | ||
| Ulynut |
For a two piece suit (jacket and pants), I prefer the jacket zips to the pants at least 3/4 way around as opposed to the five inch zipper in the back. Good, high quality full gauntlet gloves. Take a look at what Held is doing with materials/stitching. Palm sliders, scaphoid protection, knuckle protection are all very important. Gloves are the second most important piece of gear you own. I don't care how comfortable my boots are to walk in when I'm high siding at 70 MPH. Make my boots as stiff as needed to protect my only two ankles that I'll ever own thank you. |
