Like you I've ended up going from a jacket to an armoured shirt (in my case an Adventure Spec Supershirt) with a jersey/jacket/rain shell over the top. It is a much more flexible arrangement and also holds the armour in place far better than a jacket would. It is awesome to cruise down the road with just an MX jersey on over the top to get maximum airflow but still know that I'm protected in the result of a crash (the Supershirt also has great abrasion resistance, they claim similar to leather!).
I keep advise of my friend and went for same set up directly avoiding to purchase regular Moto bike jacket, but rather body armor with jersey , regular hiking jacket if needed for rain on top. Thanks for confirming
When I started out it was riding jeans, work boots and Arlen Ness racing leather jacket which weighed about 10kg. My setup is now pretty much the same as yours. Part of my logic is if I have a stack and my armour is attached to my body and not my jacket it's more likely to be and stay where it needs to be. My advice is to get decent gloves though. I like the ones with scaphoid proctection, but decent leather in the palm and at least impact rubber over the knuckles at a bare minimum. If you tear your hands up properly they are an absolute nightmare for a surgeon to peice back together. And that's if you're lucky enough to be near a capital city where the experts generally are.
Totally agree, nice video Josh - moving to wearing body armour is way better even on cool 10-15 degree melb weather. As you said also important ppl prob start out with the standard jacket style and then gradually evolve to what works. i have the Dri rider vortex 2 jacket and pants as my original purchase, I have now evolved to those being removed of all liners and removed of all armour - purely used as top layer protection. i now just wear the leatt 3df airfit body armour + Jersey Jacket on top (no liner or armour - really wind and mild abrasion protection) Leatt Dual Axis knee braces Dri rider pants ontop - again no liners etc. I then carry simple small lightweight waterproof pants and jacket to go over top of everything when needed. Seems most ppl move to waterproofs over top as 99% of time dont need and liners get too hot. If im then using bike non adventure just bit of commuting i use motorbike jeans with knee pads and a couple of other jackets both with inbuilt armour. One Dririder which is basically just mesh and armour once layers taken out Old school MotorDry jacket that has waterproof layer but no thermal layer with armour built in. Joe Rocket Kawasaki more sports bike jacket.
Definitely for us leaving up in Queensland the change over to a bionic jacket, which I did a couple of years ago myself was a game changer and I only really ever wear a big jacket over the top of that now in winter and I’m wearing a motocross jersey up until about April
Good run through mate, I bought all my gear before I even sat on any bike, that way I was committed to actually going through with buying the bike lol... and I ended up buying 2 :), just going through the motions of learning to ride and up skilling now (channel in bound soon) inspired by yourself and Ol Lance... there was a few send backs and swaps though as I had to buy gear online due to no local moto shops where I am... shaka..
Great video. I started out with the exact same Alpine Stars armour as you, and was looking to go to an Adventure jacket. Now I'm going to just do layers. A friend of mine just came off on bitumen with only MX pants and it was not good. They melt like butter. So I'm going to go for some decent pants even if they are a bit heavy and uncomfortable.
Yup. Mx pants disintegrate on tarmac at 35 mph/60kph. I can definitely vouch for that. Luckily my armour stopped the abrasion but I now ride in 600d trousers, with knee guards and crash pants. The Adventure Spec pants feel beefy and ventilate well but my go to riding trousers in cool weather are Alpinestar Venture and in warm weather Klim Dakar.
Great vid Josh, I started trail riding in the early ‘80’s around Toowoomba and only ever wore the body armour under a motocross jersey in summer or added a lightweight enduro jacket for winter. I should go back to that way of thinking now. Even with all the vents open and no liners in a Dririder Vortex, it’s still way too hot for our Qld summers.
thanks Josh - great video and timely as I am looking at body armor at the moment. When I started out, I found good pair of pants and jacket on Facebook market place. I feel its common for people starting out to spend heaps and "wear once and decide they don't like it". Keep living the adventure and making cool content.
I've had pretty well exactly the same journey. I've got a rack of expensive Klim adventure stuff which I rarely use. In UK we have to be more road biased. My kit is now AS7 boots, knee guards, AS Venture pants, Leatt crash pants, Adv Spec Supershirt, merino base layers and a light, vented Alpinestar water resistant jacket (Hyde). I reckon I'd have saved myself £2,500 or €2900 had I not bothered with the Adventure bollocks and not fallen for the adventure advertising. Still, I've some barely used kit for my road bike and the Klim adventure gear is fine road kit. Layering is the best method I've discovered from cold, wet Wales to the roasting Moroccan Sahara to the changeable Arctic summer in Finland. Us Europeans need a waterproof shell that perhaps you Aussies don't.
What would you say about the Knox urbane pro mk3 jacket and pant (mk2) for the kind of riding you do? I want to get inte to adv riding and got them but not sure that it was the right decision. The fit is okay but the armor seems to quite small to give a good protection. Does pads that you put on separately, like elbow/knee give better protection?
@@g0bi I rate the Urbane Jacket. I have one, which I used on 2 long trips on the TET, I have v1. It's a fine protection layer and can be layered up. I rode in 30 deg celsius in Portugal and it was fine.
@@TheIdlesurfer Thank you for the answer. Have you rated the jacket or hate it? :P Yes it seems to be a good jacket. also tried the pants, very stretchy and comfortable. Like a pair of ordinary pants. Tried Klim Badlands Pro and they are very tiff in comparison. Klims Aero pro protection over knee and hipp are massiv and a lot larger than on in the Knox pants though.
@@g0bi I can't say anything about the trousers, but the jacket is good for mixed riding. Personally, I like chest armour for single track riding in wooded areas. A branch in the chest is a plan with drawbacks. But if I were adventure touring, ie tarmac and jeep trails, I'd go with the Knox. The light grey colour is better in heat than the dark grey ADv Spec. It is also warmer under a windproof jacket than the Adv Spec.
Thank you for sharing your journey Josh. Always love watching your videos... Your updated toolboxes and shelving has really intrigued me. Is that a specific brand or a setup you have crafted together?
Was going to buy a crf250l or rally,then found this channel.Prettt convinced a drz400e is what I'm looking for,looks like it can do pretty much anything,if buying second hand anything to look out for looking at 2018 to 2024,great vids
Not really anything specific. I would just be looking into how it’s been used and looked after. Kms aren’t that important, they can go for a long time if well maintained.
Practically every boot that has "Adventure" in the name, is really just a heavy duty touring boot and not the best choice for technical off road riding. Another sign that boots aren't suitable for technical off roading is the buckle count. With few exceptions, boots with LESS than four buckles won't give you adequate protection off road.
I have that exact helmet, something to note is; I can't wear my poleroid sunnies under the visor because the visor makes them go weird and i can't see properly. 🤔 Thanks for the vid
Fantastic video mate. I'm new to riding and looking to pick up my first bike soon (300L). I love the bionic jacket + jersey on top concept, and despite being a new rider think I'll go with this option over a traditional adventure style jacket as it seems everyone makes the switch eventually. I was just wondering what your thoughts would be for lower body protection in terms of getting an adventure style pant with inside protection or opting for a knee-brace with a MX pant layer on-top? I've also been looking at a few helmets, the Bell MX-9 and Fox V1 have peaked my interest, what are your thoughts on those? Thanks.
@@FastWombat-j6s thanks mate. Ive tried adventure pants but im not really a fan. Although if weather goes bad they are good. I just run mx pants. I don’t have knee braces either, just uncomfortable on big days on the bike. But each to their own. As for helmets I love my bell mx9.
Hey josh, absolutely brilliant video mate really enjoyed that great information cheers for sharing dude you have a great channel keep up the awesome work 👌✔️
Nice mate. A question if I may? The number plate holder, can you tell me what brand that is please? I’m buying a 701 and the big girly thing that’s on it has got to go straight away. Cheers
Great stuff Josh. Im looking into upgrading my pants and was looking at mx style, they offer no abrasion resistance and i cant find anything similar to mx that offers this. Any ideas.
Great video, i never leave the house without my Pod knee braces. They have saved my knees that many times!! I just upgraded to the Revit Nucleus which similar to your Bionic armour but it's also AA rated for road abrasion. It just got released not too long ago. Super comfy.
New follow here josh! Love the content and all your adventure bike knowledge. Was watching back to when you had the T7 but had notice it hasn't had any UA-cam time lately?
@@_JoshJB_ mmm that's interesting because Ive been pretty set on getting one once I go full licence but if the weight is that bad and I'm not a big guy could be a issue. The thing will spend more time laying down then upright hahah
I’m getting some new gear. It’s for the coming hot weather with expected long and consecutive days/weeks on sealed and unsealed roads. I’m thinking of the body armour, mx pants, jersey combo as the best heat management option. But I keep getting stuck on the issue of slide protection, particularly on bitumen or hard packed unsealed roads at speed. That’s where the jackets are better, but so horribly heavy and hot.
Very interesting and fun. Please research the word, 'pant'. pant as you've used it is not correct. Pants, not pant. The cross-usage in this video of pant and pants is not correct.
You need to relax man. I’m not going to rewatch my own video but pretty sure I would have said pants. And if I didn’t, who cares 😂 Thanks for watching anyway
Great advice, might have to change to the MX jersey under the jacket, do the bitumen ride then get to the technical stuff and wonder my tee-shirt underneath is saturated 👍👍🍻🍻
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Like you I've ended up going from a jacket to an armoured shirt (in my case an Adventure Spec Supershirt) with a jersey/jacket/rain shell over the top. It is a much more flexible arrangement and also holds the armour in place far better than a jacket would. It is awesome to cruise down the road with just an MX jersey on over the top to get maximum airflow but still know that I'm protected in the result of a crash (the Supershirt also has great abrasion resistance, they claim similar to leather!).
I keep advise of my friend and went for same set up directly avoiding to purchase regular Moto bike jacket, but rather body armor with jersey , regular hiking jacket if needed for rain on top. Thanks for confirming
@@PartosAtos you have a smart friend 😉. Thanks for watching 🤙🏼
Great video. Really helpful for people just getting into adventure riding. Thanks
Nice one mate,good run down.
I tend to think of crashing as a kid on a bike, the parts that hit the ground first are hands and knees.
When I started out it was riding jeans, work boots and Arlen Ness racing leather jacket which weighed about 10kg. My setup is now pretty much the same as yours. Part of my logic is if I have a stack and my armour is attached to my body and not my jacket it's more likely to be and stay where it needs to be.
My advice is to get decent gloves though. I like the ones with scaphoid proctection, but decent leather in the palm and at least impact rubber over the knuckles at a bare minimum. If you tear your hands up properly they are an absolute nightmare for a surgeon to peice back together. And that's if you're lucky enough to be near a capital city where the experts generally are.
Good point mate. The hands are one of the first point to hit the grand in a crash too.
Great info mate, couldn’t agree more about the last jacket/vest super handy when the climate is changing!
I have gone exactly the same way. Started with revit suit. Now AS bionic matched with layers depending on heat. Adventure spec etc.
Totally agree, nice video Josh - moving to wearing body armour is way better even on cool 10-15 degree melb weather. As you said also important ppl prob start out with the standard jacket style and then gradually evolve to what works. i have the Dri rider vortex 2 jacket and pants as my original purchase, I have now evolved to those being removed of all liners and removed of all armour - purely used as top layer protection.
i now just wear the leatt 3df airfit body armour + Jersey
Jacket on top (no liner or armour - really wind and mild abrasion protection)
Leatt Dual Axis knee braces
Dri rider pants ontop - again no liners etc.
I then carry simple small lightweight waterproof pants and jacket to go over top of everything when needed. Seems most ppl move to waterproofs over top as 99% of time dont need and liners get too hot.
If im then using bike non adventure just bit of commuting i use motorbike jeans with knee pads and a couple of other jackets both with inbuilt armour.
One Dririder which is basically just mesh and armour once layers taken out
Old school MotorDry jacket that has waterproof layer but no thermal layer with armour built in.
Joe Rocket Kawasaki more sports bike jacket.
Definitely for us leaving up in Queensland the change over to a bionic jacket, which I did a couple of years ago myself was a game changer and I only really ever wear a big jacket over the top of that now in winter and I’m wearing a motocross jersey up until about April
Good run through mate, I bought all my gear before I even sat on any bike, that way I was committed to actually going through with buying the bike lol... and I ended up buying 2 :),
just going through the motions of learning to ride and up skilling now (channel in bound soon) inspired by yourself and Ol Lance...
there was a few send backs and swaps though as I had to buy gear online due to no local moto shops where I am...
shaka..
Great video. I started out with the exact same Alpine Stars armour as you, and was looking to go to an Adventure jacket. Now I'm going to just do layers. A friend of mine just came off on bitumen with only MX pants and it was not good. They melt like butter. So I'm going to go for some decent pants even if they are a bit heavy and uncomfortable.
Yup. Mx pants disintegrate on tarmac at 35 mph/60kph. I can definitely vouch for that. Luckily my armour stopped the abrasion but I now ride in 600d trousers, with knee guards and crash pants. The Adventure Spec pants feel beefy and ventilate well but my go to riding trousers in cool weather are Alpinestar Venture and in warm weather Klim Dakar.
Great vid Josh, I started trail riding in the early ‘80’s
around Toowoomba and only ever wore the body armour under a motocross jersey in summer or added a lightweight enduro jacket for winter. I should go back to that way of thinking now. Even with all the vents open and no liners in a Dririder Vortex, it’s still way too hot for our Qld summers.
@@peterc2876 totally agree mate. Armour underneath is way to go in QLD. 👍🏼
Thanks Josh.... food for thought....cheers.
Great video Josh. It's the exact same thing I have gone through over the last 3 years. Ended up at the same spot. We must be doing something right.
Thanks mate. Yea I’m pretty happy with it at the moment 😁
thanks Josh - great video and timely as I am looking at body armor at the moment. When I started out, I found good pair of pants and jacket on Facebook market place. I feel its common for people starting out to spend heaps and "wear once and decide they don't like it". Keep living the adventure and making cool content.
Thanks mate 👍🏼
I've had pretty well exactly the same journey. I've got a rack of expensive Klim adventure stuff which I rarely use. In UK we have to be more road biased. My kit is now AS7 boots, knee guards, AS Venture pants, Leatt crash pants, Adv Spec Supershirt, merino base layers and a light, vented Alpinestar water resistant jacket (Hyde). I reckon I'd have saved myself £2,500 or €2900 had I not bothered with the Adventure bollocks and not fallen for the adventure advertising. Still, I've some barely used kit for my road bike and the Klim adventure gear is fine road kit. Layering is the best method I've discovered from cold, wet Wales to the roasting Moroccan Sahara to the changeable Arctic summer in Finland. Us Europeans need a waterproof shell that perhaps you Aussies don't.
What would you say about the Knox urbane pro mk3 jacket and pant (mk2) for the kind of riding you do? I want to get inte to adv riding and got them but not sure that it was the right decision. The fit is okay but the armor seems to quite small to give a good protection. Does pads that you put on separately, like elbow/knee give better protection?
@@g0bi I rate the Urbane Jacket. I have one, which I used on 2 long trips on the TET, I have v1. It's a fine protection layer and can be layered up. I rode in 30 deg celsius in Portugal and it was fine.
@@TheIdlesurfer Thank you for the answer. Have you rated the jacket or hate it? :P Yes it seems to be a good jacket. also tried the pants, very stretchy and comfortable. Like a pair of ordinary pants. Tried Klim Badlands Pro and they are very tiff in comparison. Klims Aero pro protection over knee and hipp are massiv and a lot larger than on in the Knox pants though.
@@g0bi I can't say anything about the trousers, but the jacket is good for mixed riding. Personally, I like chest armour for single track riding in wooded areas. A branch in the chest is a plan with drawbacks. But if I were adventure touring, ie tarmac and jeep trails, I'd go with the Knox. The light grey colour is better in heat than the dark grey ADv Spec. It is also warmer under a windproof jacket than the Adv Spec.
Thank you for sharing your journey Josh. Always love watching your videos...
Your updated toolboxes and shelving has really intrigued me. Is that a specific brand or a setup you have crafted together?
@@MorganADV it’s a setup called rackit from Bunnings. You can interchange certain bits and pieces. It’s decent enough for what I need
Was going to buy a crf250l or rally,then found this channel.Prettt convinced a drz400e is what I'm looking for,looks like it can do pretty much anything,if buying second hand anything to look out for looking at 2018 to 2024,great vids
Not really anything specific. I would just be looking into how it’s been used and looked after. Kms aren’t that important, they can go for a long time if well maintained.
Practically every boot that has "Adventure" in the name, is really just a heavy duty touring boot and not the best choice for technical off road riding. Another sign that boots aren't suitable for technical off roading is the buckle count. With few exceptions, boots with LESS than four buckles won't give you adequate protection off road.
would also add knee guards as an essential
Great protective equipment. Too uncomfortable to wear all day for me personally though.
I have that exact helmet, something to note is; I can't wear my poleroid sunnies under the visor because the visor makes them go weird and i can't see properly. 🤔
Thanks for the vid
Fantastic video mate. I'm new to riding and looking to pick up my first bike soon (300L). I love the bionic jacket + jersey on top concept, and despite being a new rider think I'll go with this option over a traditional adventure style jacket as it seems everyone makes the switch eventually. I was just wondering what your thoughts would be for lower body protection in terms of getting an adventure style pant with inside protection or opting for a knee-brace with a MX pant layer on-top? I've also been looking at a few helmets, the Bell MX-9 and Fox V1 have peaked my interest, what are your thoughts on those? Thanks.
@@FastWombat-j6s thanks mate. Ive tried adventure pants but im not really a fan. Although if weather goes bad they are good. I just run mx pants. I don’t have knee braces either, just uncomfortable on big days on the bike. But each to their own. As for helmets I love my bell mx9.
Mate, good start to your vid. Put you on pause to go to the fridge and get a cold one. Cheers
Thanks 🙏
Hey josh, absolutely brilliant video mate really enjoyed that great information cheers for sharing dude you have a great channel keep up the awesome work 👌✔️
Thanks 🙏
Great insight Josh. Bring a neck warmer when you come down here to the little island mate
Haha! Yes a neck warmer would be handy down there. Thanks mate
Nice mate. A question if I may? The number plate holder, can you tell me what brand that is please? I’m buying a 701 and the big girly thing that’s on it has got to go straight away. Cheers
Great stuff Josh. Im looking into upgrading my pants and was looking at mx style, they offer no abrasion resistance and i cant find anything similar to mx that offers this. Any ideas.
Come to Canada and you’ll see that you need a whole bunch of varying warmth clothing, lol!
@@AT2021Rocker 😂 too cold for me
Great video, i never leave the house without my Pod knee braces. They have saved my knees that many times!! I just upgraded to the Revit Nucleus which similar to your Bionic armour but it's also AA rated for road abrasion. It just got released not too long ago. Super comfy.
Thanks mate 👍🏼
Perfect....
New follow here josh! Love the content and all your adventure bike knowledge. Was watching back to when you had the T7 but had notice it hasn't had any UA-cam time lately?
Thanks! That’s because I don’t have it anymore 😅
@@_JoshJB_ that was short lived. What's the reasoning behind letting it go? Too heavy or just the drz suits you better for the riding you do
@@dylb8801 yes and yes. But also a financial decision. DRZ does everything well enough so it’s the one I want to always hang on to.
@@_JoshJB_ mmm that's interesting because Ive been pretty set on getting one once I go full licence but if the weight is that bad and I'm not a big guy could be a issue. The thing will spend more time laying down then upright hahah
I just used my old Levi’s stuffed with cardboard.
😂
Thanks Josh, do you wear any knee protection when using the mx pants?
Nah no knee protection for me.
No knee armor? Crazy!
Should try the a-stars tech 7 dry star
Tech 7 enduro
You need a colar neck mate.
I’m getting some new gear. It’s for the coming hot weather with expected long and consecutive days/weeks on sealed and unsealed roads. I’m thinking of the body armour, mx pants, jersey combo as the best heat management option. But I keep getting stuck on the issue of slide protection, particularly on bitumen or hard packed unsealed roads at speed. That’s where the jackets are better, but so horribly heavy and hot.
Very interesting and fun. Please research the word, 'pant'. pant as you've used it is not correct. Pants, not pant. The cross-usage in this video of pant and pants is not correct.
You need to relax man.
I’m not going to rewatch my own video but pretty sure I would have said pants. And if I didn’t, who cares 😂
Thanks for watching anyway
Great advice, might have to change to the MX jersey under the jacket, do the bitumen ride then get to the technical stuff and wonder my tee-shirt underneath is saturated 👍👍🍻🍻
Worth a try 👍🏼