For my day to day riding, I’ve been wearing my old textile gear until recently. The old jacket and trousers have seen many, many miles in wind, rain and shine. To be honest, they were well past their best and not only did they leak, but I looked like a tramp in them.
The final straw was when the seam on the arse of the textile trousers split.
Design, trends and materials have moved on significantly since I bought my old gear.
Most of the motorcycles I ride these days are naked bikes and I’m not the same guy I was then. I’m older and carry a few more kg’s.
I don’t often ride for just pleasure these days either. I visit customers, so need to be reasonably presentable.
Boots: Tucano Urbano Marty Boots
This was easy. I saw a guy wearing some Tucano Urbano Marty Shoes while I was wearing my old, clumsy sports bike boots recently. Decision made.
These look a bit like leather Converse, casual but smart enough to wear to customers I know.
100% waterproof is a massive bonus and the ankle bone padding works well.
Overall the Marty shoes are great. They look really good, they’re waterproof, strong and well built.
They’re great to wear, not too heavy, although they are reinforced around the heel, ankle and across the front which adds some weight. Superb boots that I’ll wear until they fall off.
CE Certified model – category 2 compliant with EN13634:2017 directive. £129.99
Trousers: Richa Original Jeans
Generally, I’ve always worn textile trousers which are usually bulky and sweaty. Mine were well past their best and the protection wasn’t up to current standards either.
I’ve never tried motorcycle jeans so thought I’d try some Richa Original jeans in black.
These are obviously not waterproof but tick all the other boxes. I’ll probably get some new textile trousers at some point too.
Richa jeans are a mix of denim Cordura, cotton & polyester for the outer so are strong but soft, and have poly-cotton soft lining so are nice and warm too.
Safety stitching is standard everywhere and importantly, they have D3O knee & hip protection should the worst happen.
I actually found these came up a little small, so went for a size bigger than usual. They fit well, are really comfortable and I wish I bought some ages ago.
They’re perfect for day to day riding. I can visit customers as they’re black, and they look great on stuff I’m riding at the moment; Ducati Scrambler, Triumph Street scrambler and the like.
CE certified. £149.99
Jacket: Richa Infinity 2 Jacket
This was a big decision. I ride in all weathers and technology and materials have improved so much since I last bought a jacket.
I chose the Richa Infinity 2 Jacket.
Richa says it’s a four-season jacket and to support that claim, it comes with 2 zip outliners. One is a thermal, quilted liner and the other is a waterproof liner.
I took both out because I find the jacket is fine on its own for me. I have used the waterproof liner a couple of times, but haven’t needed the thermal liner yet. I’m sure I will though.
We’ve been fortunate enough to have had some lovely weather this year. When it’s been hot, the air vent system has been a huge benefit. You can unzip vents to let the airflow through. They are excellent, well placed and really make a difference.
It’s pretty waterproof too. It leaks after a while in continuous rain but it’s really not bad at all, and that’s what the waterproof liner is for.
It’s not a long jacket, it’s more of a hip-length jacket, kind of an in-between sports jacket and touring jacket. That really works for me and looks great.
The Infinity 2 jacket is a quality piece of clothing. Well made and comfortable, helped by the wide range of adjustability.
Armour and protection is a particularly strong point of this jacket. D30 armour sits in the shoulders, back and elbow, extending down your forearm.
As a jacket for all year use, it’s a great buy. Lots of pockets, very comfortable, great protection and it looks good too. £239.99
