Clothing for scooter

Hi I have recently got myself a silverwing fjs 600 2002 and was wondering what sort bike gear is best to wear ? I also own a kawasaki z1000sx and for that I wear all leathers etc but thinking I would look out of place wearing all leather on a scooter or is that just me ? So I'm open to the best advice cheers Mike

For me, same as on the ST1100: regular jeans (and armored shorts), T-shirt, boots, and gloves as well as armored shirt and airbag vest. In cold weather, a proper Kevlar lined, armored jacket and the airbag vest over it all. You won’t look out of place and it’ll help if you did go down- why should you care if you feel others will think it looks out of place? ATGATT for me.

Kevlar jeans with knee pads, leather gloves with some knuckle armor and boots.
Joe Rocket AlterEgo jacket, liner has elbow, shoulder and back armor two season jacket inner part is mesh and great airflow when hot, just zip up the outer part in colder temps.

HJC flip helmet with internal sun visor.

It's rather pointless advising a British rider about what riding gear to wear as US motorcycle clothing brands like Joe Rocket isn't sold in the UK. Others like Aerostich which I've had are are overpriced and now outdated, and Klim which is sold over here is box cut and not styled for European riders. The jacket I have is fine, the matching pants are ridiculous, unless you have thighs like a NFL linebacker.

Erdoc48 wrote:

For me, same as on the ST1100: regular jeans (and armored shorts), T-shirt, boots, and gloves as well as armored shirt and airbag vest. In cold weather, a proper Kevlar lined, armored jacket and the airbag vest over it all. You won’t look out of place and it’ll help if you did go down- why should you care if you feel others will think it looks out of place? ATGATT for me.

Thanks for reply

A lot can depend on the weather also. Obviously in the cold, heavier gear is needed. But for me in the Arizona desert with temps over 110, something has to give. I have a mesh jacket with armor and a cooling vest as needed. And don't forget a good quality and well ventilated helmet is a must!

Warm and dry---scooter same as bike---even with scooter waterproof boots. Over mitts can keep hands warm and dry---i think heated grips may be nice....if they work. To stay warm, feather jacket nice under reg jacket.

GHM-PM wrote:

A lot can depend on the weather also. Obviously in the cold, heavier gear is needed. But for me in the Arizona desert with temps over 110, something has to give. I have a mesh jacket with armor and a cooling vest as needed. And don't forget a good quality and well ventilated helmet is a must!

A cooling vest (evaporative cooling) works fantastic in a dry environment however, in a humid environment, it doesn’t work well at all.

I've been in Canada for the last couple of weeks and the weather has gone from being uncomfortably hot most of the time, to today when it's been raining all day here in Quebec Province.

Considering the steady rain has been torrential at times, I was surprised to see how inadequately equipped for wet weather a large group of middle aged and older Harley riders were around lunchtime today when they stopped at the lakeshore wine bar we were at.

While totally respecting their decision to ride in such abysmal weather, they hardly had any decent rain gear between them. It was all HD branded leather jackets, the odd pair of nylon over pants, and those piss pot helmets exposing the ears and wraparound riding specs.

Some of the wives and girlfriends wore denim jeans that were soaked from the knees down. Mrs M chatted with one of the ladies who said getting soaked was part of the game. After we left them the rain became more heavy and prolonged with a lot of surface water and long stretches of rough temporary road surfaces.

As we were in an area of endless of long roads stretching to the horizon and going up into the mist, then downhill and the same again and again for many miles, I hope the group all got home safely.

If I'd have been out that day, I'd have been wearing fully armoured gear with a two-piece waterproof jacket and pants over them. The hood of the rain jacket under a flip front or open face helmet to seal the neck area,  gloves, and boots. The light weight of the Forza and useful traction control makes wet weather riding a doddle.

Yeah, but all that doesn't look cool when riding your Hog. A little Hypothermia never hurt anyone.

Bigboymikeprice1703 wrote:

... snipped ... I also own a kawasaki z1000sx and for that I wear all leathers etc but thinking I would look out of place wearing all leather on a scooter or is that just me?

First welcome aboard the board Mike. Secondly, I'm an ATGATT rider and I don't care what others think of my riding attire. Over the past few years, I've transitioned to layering my riding gear and it works great for me  affording me the flexibility to have whatever gear on that meets the conditions I am riding in.

I don't care about "style or what's "fashionable" or what others do or think about my riding gear approach. So my opinion is your leathers are fine as long as they work for you and you don't empower the peanut gallery to sway your approach. Having said that ... to each their own

For context, I mostly ride with riders on very large cruisers and I also wear a bright orange, highly reflective construction vest ALL OF THE TIME. No other members of my riding group would ever don a hi-vis vest, of any kind, but they do respect my decision to wear one and the enhanced conspicuity it provides on the road.

For the record, I also carry a two piece, hi-vis rain suit with me at all times just in case it rains while I'm out enjoying my ride.

Welcome, Mike.
I concur with everyone who says ATGATT, even on my NIU electric scooter/moped which has a top speed of 45 MPH.
I tell myself gravel-rash experienced at that speed is exactly the same, whatever the bike.
I don't give a tinker's cuss about what others think; I wear armoured textile motorcycle gear and a bright flourescent yellow Nolan helmet.
In fact, since I moved up here, I haven't experienced any standoffishness from the bikers I see at the seaside. Mind you, I am getting on a bit so they may be humouring me.

Hi Mike, Welcome to the forum.

We are what we wear.
Long live ATGATT!

Add in a Hi-vis Frank Thomas jacket and reflective tape stripes on the tuperware and indicator bleepers, high power LED headlights and I'm good to go!

Be safe, be seen!