Adventure Riding Gear or Enduro Riding Gear

[RIDER GUIDER]

Here's my little story and experience from this last weekend on what was supposed to be five days of adventure riding, cut short due to injury.  There's been some general chatter amongst the riders that one particular route was a bit extreme for 'adventuring'  after my incident and another chap toppling his bike over end to end and smashing the front off his Triumph Tiger (I reckon I came off lightly) ... which leads me to asking any of the off road riders here, do you wear full on proper body armour like motorcross gear under your jackets?  Or just rely on the built in thinner back shoulder and elbow knee protection within your jacket/pants? I fell on rocks in a dry river bed which wasn't an ideal landing spot and feel if I'd been wearing heavy duty protection I'd have been uninjured.  Oh and if any of you are thinking about engine guards etc.  DO IT!  They work 

 

  

[TimeMachine]

On 8/31/2021 at 10:05 PM, RIDER GUIDER said:

Here's my little story and experience from this last weekend on what was supposed to be five days of adventure riding, cut short due to injury.  There's been some general chatter amongst the riders that one particular route was a bit extreme for 'adventuring'  after my incident and another chap toppling his bike over end to end and smashing the front off his Triumph Tiger (I reckon I came off lightly) ... which leads me to asking any of the off road riders here, do you wear full on proper body armour like motorcross gear under your jackets?  Or just rely on the built in thinner back shoulder and elbow knee protection within your jacket/pants? I fell on rocks in a dry river bed which wasn't an ideal landing spot and feel if I'd been wearing heavy duty protection I'd have been uninjured.  Oh and if any of you are thinking about engine guards etc.  DO IT!  They work 

 

  

I had a similar experience a few years ago on a TR650 in the sand. My front tire dismounted from the rim and didn't know it till I hit a rocky outcrop and the bike went down like a stone. I cracked a few ribs and everything got painful after that. I was riding on my own on a trail where vehicles might come along once every few weeks so I went into survival mode, forgot about the GoPro that snapped off my helmet, managed to pick up the bike that wasn't too heavy thankfully and with a flat front tire rode back the 20klms to my ute, loaded the bike on the back of the ute and drove 6 hours home.

Earlier this year I tried the whole thing again, on the same trail near the border of South Australia and Victoria with my first sand ride on the T7. My bike wasn't loaded with gear and was setup properly for the job, this time with Tubliss kits in the tires front and rear. I started with some trepidation as you would imagine, but eventually warmed up to the task. The T7 (at fighting weighting with everything removed where possible) actually handles the sand really well and could  have motored that track, but as I was riding alone again I wasn't taking any chances and just there to test the lowest speed I could ride the bike and still maintain control. This video was that ride. I tackle the big sand dune at 8:10.

 

 

[BADDANDY]

I wear ADV gear and replace the soft armor for Enduro plastic covered armor shoulder/elbow pads and back protector inserted into the jacket.  I wear non-armored pants, but wear fully padded riding shorts, plastic covered armored kidney belt, shin/knee brace type pads, and ADV boots.  As you found out the hard way, you need puncture protection offroad.  I do feel a little naked without chest armor though.

[thepointchris]

I don't intend to ride the above type of terrain (not that the highway is safe) for some time, but I do think about the safety/gear choices when I read these topics, they are very helpful. Thanks for sharing.

Chris

[TeabagInsurance]

I haven't done anything too extreme on the T7 (yet) where I felt uncomfortable in my ADV jacket and riding pants, but I have full dirt bike gear from prior. I would likely fully gear up with it if I felt I was really going to be pushing it in rough terrain.

[DT675]

Like @BADDANDY I replace (or install if they didn’t come with any) all the “pads” in my jacket and pants with “armor” (including a CE level 2 back protector) and wear proper above the ankle boots. Also I make sure to wear clothing that is not baggy so it all stays in place if I go down. 

[RIDER GUIDER]

10 hours ago, BADDANDY said:

I wear ADV gear and replace the soft armor for Enduro plastic covered armor shoulder/elbow pads and back protector inserted into the jacket.  I wear non-armored pants, but wear fully padded riding shorts, plastic covered armored kidney belt, shin/knee brace type pads, and ADV boots.  As you found out the hard way, you need puncture protection offroad.  I do feel a little naked without chest armor though.

Great ideas these ...  I'm definitely going to try fitting some better armor in to my gear now!

[RIDER GUIDER]

16 hours ago, TimeMachine said:

I had a similar experience a few years ago on a TR650 in the sand. My front tire dismounted from the rim and didn't know it till I hit a rocky outcrop and the bike went down like a stone. I cracked a few ribs and everything got painful after that. I was riding on my own on a trail where vehicles might come along once every few weeks so I went into survival mode, forgot about the GoPro that snapped off my helmet, managed to pick up the bike that wasn't too heavy thankfully and with a flat front tire rode back the 20klms to my ute, loaded the bike on the back of the ute and drove 6 hours home.

Earlier this year I tried the whole thing again, on the same trail near the border of South Australia and Victoria with my first sand ride on the T7. My bike wasn't loaded with gear and was setup properly for the job, this time with Tubliss kits in the tires front and rear. I started with some trepidation as you would imagine, but eventually warmed up to the task. The T7 (at fighting weighting with everything removed where possible) actually handles the sand really well and could  have motored that track, but as I was riding alone again I wasn't taking any chances and just there to test the lowest speed I could ride the bike and still maintain control. This video was that ride. I tackle the big sand dune at 8:10.

 

 

EXCELLENT!  Yeh survival mode is good mate.  Don't suppose you found your GoPro on the return trip?  :-)

[RIDER GUIDER]

13 hours ago, TeabagInsurance said:

I haven't done anything too extreme on the T7 (yet) where I felt uncomfortable in my ADV jacket and riding pants, but I have full dirt bike gear from prior. I would likely fully gear up with it if I felt I was really going to be pushing it in rough terrain.

Yeh we weren't expecting anything as extreme as we encountered on this ride, I think I'd have kitted up more if I'd known.  There was some chatter between riders over the next few days that it was a bit too much for certain bikes.  One guy wrote off his Tiger - end to ending it on a long section of deep sand.  Compared to him I came out lucky with broken ribs.

[BADDANDY]

17 hours ago, BADDANDY said:

I wear ADV gear and replace the soft armor for Enduro plastic covered armor shoulder/elbow pads and back protector inserted into the jacket.  I wear non-armored pants, but wear fully padded riding shorts, plastic covered armored kidney belt, shin/knee brace type pads, and ADV boots.  As you found out the hard way, you need puncture protection offroad.  I do feel a little naked without chest armor though.

Armored up in BILT Mesh as worn on the IDBDR last 2 weeks.  Forgot to include BILT Mesh armored gloves too.  I wore Army issue fleece under for cold mornings. Sedici ADV helmet, Light weight moisture wicking microfiber underwear, RMATV boot socks, 9mm on a belt, and a camelback.

Edited September 12, 2021 by BADDANDY

[REDHORSECA]

I have several sets of dirt biking gear. A couple different brands of MX helmets, boots, jersey & pants, knee and chest protectors. More light weight gear for dirt bikes. Not as heavy or as hot. I rarely crash on my dirt bikes.

 

I'll ride with a mix of MX and ADV gear. Usually a KLIM jacket with mostly CE level 2 D3O armor and MX kidney, knee pads, and boots. I've also gone with Leatt full body, neck brace, knee, and chest protector on more hotter temps. With some of TLD new ADV jersey and pants.

 

TLD ADV pants with pockets for cell & wallet plus front and rear vents. I sometimes wear MTB padded riding shorts underneath the pants.

 

 

 

I didn't have the room to bring one of my MX helmets with me on the bike, because I didn't get a chance to install one of the CARDO helmet comms on it. It was a 5+ hour ride each way to Mammoth Lake and our campground. I wanted to listen to my music and Waze. So, I wore one of my older HJC RPHA 70 helmets that I didn't mind getting dusty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 12, 2021 by REDHORSECA

[RIDER GUIDER]

1 minute ago, REDHORSECA said:

I have several sets of dirt biking gear. A couple different brands of MX helmets, boots, jersey & pants, knee and chest protectors. More light weight gear for dirt bikes. Not as heavy or as hot. I rarely crash on my dirt bikes.

 

I'll ride with a mix of MX and ADV gear. Usually a KLIM jacket with mostly CE level 2 D3O armor and MX kidney, knee pads, and boots. I've also gone with Leatt full body, neck brace, knee, and chest protector on more hotter temps. With some of TLD new ADV jersey and pants.

 

TLD ADV pants with pockets for cell & wallet plus front and rear vents. I sometimes wear MTB padded riding shorts underneath the pants.

 

 

 

I didn't have the room to bring one of my MX helmets with me on the bike, because I didn't get a chance to install one of the CARDO helmet comms on it. It was a 5+ hour ride each way to Mammoth Lake and our campground. I wanted to listen to my music and Waze. So, I wore one of my older HJC RPHA 60 helmets that I didn't mind getting dusty.

 

 

 

 

 

 

GREAT INFO thanks - I'm deffo gonna be spending more on kit 

[REDHORSECA]

3 minutes ago, RIDER GUIDER said:

GREAT INFO thanks - I'm deffo gonna be spending more on kit 

 

I broke some ribs in July '20.

 

I've added the neck brace primarily to protect my collar bones. I already broke one way back in 2000 and it healed all crooked. It's not going to take much to break that one again, if I go down hard on that shoulder.

 

My good ADV friend broke his leg  2 weeks ago on that trip pictured above on the first 5 miles of our ride on Day 1. He is 5X the skill level as I, and was just riding way too fast in our dust cloud to see that the trail we were on, made an abrupt turn. He only knows two throttle positions off and 100% full on.

 

He was able to ride back to camp with another friend. Break camp, load up the trailer and drive the 6+ hours back to Los Angeles to his preferred hospital. He didn't see the doctor until 12 hours after he broke his leg.

[TimeMachine]

5 hours ago, RIDER GUIDER said:

EXCELLENT!  Yeh survival mode is good mate.  Don't suppose you found your GoPro on the return trip? 

Haha, for a few years I had this running joke I would go back out and collect it, and one of the reasons for being out there was to have a look for it. I found the crash area and looked all through the bush with no luck. A grader had gone through and built a windrow of sand on the side of the track at some time since, so I figured it got buried. It was on when I crashed and would have made a good story had I found it.

[RIDER GUIDER]

1 hour ago, REDHORSECA said:

 

I broke some ribs in July '20.

 

I've added the neck brace primarily to protect my collar bones. I already broke one way back in 2000 and it healed all crooked. It's not going to take much to break that one again, if I go down hard on that shoulder.

 

My good ADV friend broke his leg  2 weeks ago on that trip pictured above on the first 5 miles of our ride on Day 1. He is 5X the skill level as I, and was just riding way too fast in our dust cloud to see that the trail we were on, made an abrupt turn. He only knows two throttle positions off and 100% full on.

 

He was able to ride back to camp with another friend. Break camp, load up the trailer and drive the 6+ hours back to Los Angeles to his preferred hospital. He didn't see the doctor until 12 hours after he broke his leg.

CRIKEY - did well to ride back with a broken leg never mind load the trailer and battle that drive!  Top effort!

[RIDER GUIDER]

46 minutes ago, TimeMachine said:

Haha, for a few years I had this running joke I would go back out and collect it, and one of the reasons for being out there was to have a look for it. I found the crash area and looked all through the bush with no luck. A grader had gone through and built a windrow of sand on the side of the track at some time since, so I figured it got buried. It was on when I crashed and would have made a good story had I found it.

YEH and maybe a decent video!  It might get dug up in 800 years or so ... wonder what they'd make of it!

[BADDANDY]

I wear full moto when on my dirtbikes, never had more than a strain, bruise, or scape in 30 years, and boy have I had some flying Wallenda doozies. I think miltary parachute training has something to do with that (PLF).

Edited September 12, 2021 by BADDANDY

[Idarex]

Depends on the ride.  Lately I find I’ve been using MX/Enduro gear most every ride.  It’s getting harder for me to find excuses not to wear the better gear.

[RIDER GUIDER]

7 hours ago, Idarex said:

Depends on the ride.  Lately I find I’ve been using MX/Enduro gear most every ride.  It’s getting harder for me to find excuses not to wear the better gear.

I think this is the way forward mate to be honest.  I'm hoping to be back in the saddle next week and I'll definitely be well protected.