This is my first post. I look forward to making friends and visiting this site often. I just closed a deal for a yellow 620 late last night (I am so excited!) and so my first order of business is to find some good gear.  I wanted to wait to buy gear until I knew exactly what color bike I was getting. I'm going to go visit cycle gear and maybe my local Ducati dealership later this week. This will kind of be my first bike. I have been using a Scooter to commute in, but the only gear I had for the scooter was a 3/4 helmet... so I need all new gear.

I know fit and safety are most important, but what color jacket and helmet do you think would look good with a yellow Monster?

p.s. I am signed up for a MSF course for next week. I know people will recommend it, so I thought I would go ahead and mention it.

Thank you for your advice and opinions!

pink  


seriously, though... there's nothing wrong with buying gear that you like, regardless of if it matches your bike or not.

 or you could just go for black, which works with everything except night riding  

Welcome and congrats on the new 620!

With yellow, I'd avoid other bright colors (red, blue, green) for the jacket.  I'd suggest some type of black or grey, make sure it's got some reflective stripes or piping on for safety though.

For the helmet you could go brighter if you wanted, maybe something with a fair amount of white in it.   Obviously black would look good but I personally prefer brighter helmets for improved visibility.

Have fun and don't forget to post pictures!

Congrats on your new ride.  Yellow is the fastest color in Ducati! 

Quote from: somegirl on October 05, 2009, 08:49:53 AM
With yellow, I'd avoid other bright colors (red, blue, green) for the jacket.  I'd suggest some type of black or grey, make sure it's got some reflective stripes or piping on for safety though.

For the helmet you could go brighter if you wanted, maybe something with a fair amount of white in it.   Obviously black would look good but I personally prefer brighter helmets for improved visibility.

+1 on what somegirl said.  I limited myself to just black and grey in my gears, just so the yellow of the bike would stand out.  Any more color than that would turn yourself into a circus act.  For night rides, I have a LED blinker clipped to the back of my jacket/backpack for added visibility.  I also have a pair of black texile pants I wear for commuting.  Not seen in the pic. 

Of course, black goes with everything - and that'll give you the widest selection pool for jackets. There are normal yellow jackets (as opposed to high-viz) out there. But the selection will be reduced a lot with the addition of yellow to the palette.

There's a number of helmets with yellow themed graphics, or solid yellow available. If you want safety, there's research saying that having a high visible color like white, yellow or a neon solid color helmet is one of the biggest single things you can do to improve your chances of being spotted. A friend of mine rides a white helmet, and it's very easy to pick him out of a clutch of bikes behind me if we're in a group.

I recommend that if you are going for visibility, you should get what is called a 'helmet halo', Cyclegear sells them for less than $20. it is basically a 1 1/2 inch loop of very reflective material that you stretch around the bottom of your full-face helmet. I have one and my wife says its really bright and is effective getting your attention at night. I also wear all black gear with reflective piping on it, looks like gray piping in daylight, but at night it really lights up.

The Doc

i have the same bike, i say yellow and blue gear always goes with a yellow, they are natural colors that go together.

also as far as jackets, i have a high vis yellow and grey jacket by bmw it works for me, how cool it looks, probably not that much but i dont' care.

just get any gear that bmw sells and it will look good and will go with the bike unless its that ugly powder blue they have, otherwise their stuff is all conservative.

the only colors that don't really go well with yellow are green and red i found. but htat is just me.

Welcome ,( my 2 cents ), I think a Red Helmet would be ok. White is def. good. Full Face only . DOT and Snell approved.

Jacket color if you can , get a good Ducati leather Jacket , one that has armor in the Shoulders and Elbows plus get a good Back Protector. As far as color, try to find one that has bright colors so you have a better chance of being seen by other motorists.

Get yourself a good pair of leather Pants either Ducati or Dainese from the D-Store in San Francisco or Costa Mesa or Moto Wheels or Cycle Gear.

Also a pair of Motorcycle specific protective Boots and Gloves , once again from any of the above mentioned stores.They can answer any specific questions you may have regarding your gear choice.

Last of all and very important....don't try to by the least expensive gear.

When it comes to protective gear .....you get what you pay for . Even if you have to save up get the good stuff.

Dolph       

Thanks everyone for your comments / opinions. I have finished buying gear (for now anyway... I will buy some pants at a later date). I bought an Alpinestar Jacket (B-52), boots (SMX-5) and gloves (Octane S Moto) all of which are black. And a black, yellow and white Z1R helmet.

I have posted photos of my new bike in the introduce yourself forum

Quote from: DoubleEagle on October 10, 2009, 08:17:01 PM


Last of all and very important....don't try to by the least expensive gear.
good stuff.

Dolph       

good call. no one's ever slid down the freeway at 60 mph thinking "I wish I would have bought cheaper gear!"