This pretty old article of mine on riding gear under 50,000 bucks is getting a fair number of views recently, so I thought I’d do an update on the higher value riding gear segment. This will help me combine all the data from my previous few posts as well and close the chapter on what I think is the best riding gear combo for Indian conditions.
The central idea behind each piece of riding gear in this list is simple: Be as comfortable as possible, while being as safe as that comfort level will allow.
High ventilation + high protection does restrict the options you have to buy, but there are still too many to choose from. I decided on the items below after, frankly, a stupid amount of overthinking.
I have bought all of these items, but not been able to use them yet, so this is not a review. Total cost breakup is as follows:
| Item | Cost |
| Scorpion EXO 1400 Carbon Air | 38000 |
| Rev’it Airwave 3 + armors | 29600 |
| Bull-it Tactical | 14000 |
| Sidi Perfomer Air | 13700 |
| Five Stunt Evo Airflow | 5900 |
| Total | 101200 |
1. Scorpion EXO 1400 Carbon Air:
Cost: 38000 INR
Bought from: Let’s Gear Up
The only item that I bought from India, I could’ve bought it from Germany as well with a sexy 10% discount, but that would’ve left me with too much stuff to carry back on the flight, and potential customs troubles. I could’ve bought it directly from the Scorpion importer in India, but I had some old debts to pay to LGU, plus I know them good people personally, which made the process of buying such a ridiculously expensive helmet easy.
It is ridiculously expensive, at least for me. My helmet before this was the 6000 Rupee SOL Metal Man, so that’s quite an upgrade. For what this helmet offers though, and compared to the competition, it feels relatively cheap. You get:
- Ultra light weight carbon fiber shell
- Internal sunvisor
- Airfit system – you can pump air under the cheekpads and get a tighter fit
- Extra dark visor + pinlock insert included
I considered options from HJC and Shoei, but they were way way over my budget. I wanted something lightweight so it would be extremely comfy, and this seemed like the best bet, plus I really wanted to try a helmet with an internal sunvisor.
2. Rev’it Airwave 3
Cost of jacket: 16000 INR
Bought from: FC Moto.de
Cost of replacement armors: 13600 INR
Bought from: FC Moto.de, Louis.de
I have done a bit of overengineering on this jacket, so you’ll have to go to this separate post to see what severe mental retardation looks like.
In short, I have replaced the existing armor, and added other armor to make it as safe as possible, which trying to keep it as ventilated as possible. That wasn’t cheap to do. Level 2 armors on back, shoulders, and elbows, plus level 1 chest protectors alone cost almost as much as the jacket.
3. Bull-it Tactical (also called Bull-it Icon)
Cost: 14000 INR
Bought from: FC Moto.de
I have experienced 2 different riding pants over the last few years, this time I wanted to try what a riding jean feels like.
It’s not easy to buy a riding jeans however, there are a lot of choices, and different types too. My initial plan was to buy the Bikeratti Raven, but then I found this Bull-it Tactical, and it seemed like a good buy.
Broadly, riding jeans come in 2 types:
a. Double layer – Standard outer layer with reinforcement inner layer
b. Single layer – One layer with reinforcement weaved into it
Double layer jeans will typically provide more protection, but less airflow and more weight. The Bikeratti Raven is a double layer jeans, the Bull-it Tactical is single. Since airflow and comfort was more important to me than protection, I decided to go for the Tactical.
The decision to buy this pair of jeans was far more complex than that though, the things in favor of the Tactical were:
- Level 2 protectors on knees and hips included (good impact resistance)
- CE AA rating (good abrasion resistance)
- Great reviews on Revzilla
- Relatively low price
Compared to other options from Rev’it, Alpinestars, or Dainese etc, this is very cheap, especially considering the included armors. The armors however are a bit flimsy, I’m not sure if they’ll actually provide level 2 protection, but hopefully I’ll never find that out. You can read the detailed info about the armors in this post.
It’s not a particularly heavy item as far as riding jeans go, but I wouldn’t call it lightweight either. My standard Levi’s jeans weigh about 500 grams. The Bull-it Tactical weighs around 1100 grams.
I had ordered both the 28 inch and 30 inch waist jeans, the 30 inch one was the right size for me based on dimensions, but because this jean weighs quite a bit more than a normal one, it tends to slide down from the waist. I kept the 28 inch version, even though it’s a super tight fit, because I could wear it without a belt. The single layer design is quite stretchy, so it’s easy to put it on even if it’s on the tighter side.
I got the “slim” fit, and the “short” length version, but it’s neither in reality, the official product photos are borderline fraudulent, even the color is a much darker shade of blue in reality. It’s a bit baggier than real slim fit jeans, and it’s quite a bit long in the legs, I’ll probably have to get it altered so it fits properly with the boots.
4. Sidi Performer Air
Cost: 13700 INR
Bought from: FC Moto.de
I got lucky with this one, both for sizing and price. Bought it during the Black Friday sale and got them at a significant discount. Picked one size up from what the official dimensions suggested, and they are spot on.
Bought them because they have a lot of perforations, so should have some lovely airflow. Went with full-length boots over short ones for the added safety, but didn’t go with MX stye ones for the added comfort, it felt like the perfect middle ground.
5. Five Stunt Evo Airflow
Cost: 5900
Bought from: FC Moto.de
Got these in the Black Friday sale as well, and they fit brilliant. They have a super meshy construction, so should provide plenty of airflow. Also come with palm/wrist sliders, so that should help with the protection.
I have discussed the comfort vs. safety compromise with motorcycle riding gear in this article.
Nice ! I like the jeans and the boots the best..