Ok riders... I need your opinions on apparell that we can sell in our dealership...

[88hatch5_0]

We are thinking about changing up our apparell line. I would like to have a number of brands to choose from and alot of those brands in stock. I know how I feel and I think alot of you feel the same way about ordering parts and accessories.... it sucks. Everyone wants to just go into a store knowing what they want and buy it that day, without having to wait 3 to 5 days to get it.

My question for your guys is, if you were to go into a bike shop, what brands of apparel would you like to choose from?

Icon
Alpinestars
Shoei Arai
Joe Rocket
......others

I know there are others out there and I would appreciate any suggestions. I really like the helmets from Shoei and Arai but lets face it, they are expensive. Yeah I know you are protecting your head and all that stuff, but the reality is people do not like to pay the high price for a helmet. So I am thinking some apparell that is inexpensive, and they are out there with a high quality too.

Basically I just want to have a huge selection of apparell in stock that way it is a one shop stop for all of our customers.

Thanks for your help guys!

[360 Notch]

I dont care if a helmet is expensive... Its worth the money. I buy the best there.


As far as jackets, boots, gloves and such... A-star, RS Tachi are my mains. I do like a few joe rocket items though.

[stunter bob]

get some Scorpion stuff
their new helmets and jackets are very nice..and nobody sells the jackets yet....they would sell like hot cakes if you had them in stock

[360 Notch]

ive always heard the dragon stuff was good and made local.. I dont know any of this for sure.

[89stangGT]

I dont care if a helmet is expensive... Its worth the money. I buy the best there.


As far as jackets, boots, gloves and such... A-star, RS Tachi are my mains. I do like a few joe rocket items though.

helmet pricing doesn't mean it's the safest for your head. Motor Cyclist did plenty of helmet testing (impact tests) and the one that came out on top as the safest was a $80 Z1R helmet, and the worst was a $450 helmet.
The price might mean it's more areodynamic or has more features but not always about safety.
MSF test:
http://www.msf-usa.org/imsc/proceedings/a-Thom-ComparisonTestsofMotorcycleHelmets.pdf

an easier read from motor cyclist:
http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/gearbox/motorcycle_helmet_review/index.html


And, one thing that makes it hard to stock the brands such as Arai and Suomy is that they require the shop to make a minimum order of 12 helmets or so. You can't just order 1, and you can see that gets costly if no one buys them.

[89stangGT]

get some Scorpion stuff
their new helmets and jackets are very nice..and nobody sells the jackets yet....they would sell like hot cakes if you had them in stock

we can't order Scorpion since they're independent and don't use a distributor. We only get the stuff carried by Tucker Rocky, WPS, Parts Unlimited, etc, which is pretty much everything but Scorpion and Fox.

Have you seen the new Icon gear? They just put out some new helmets and also a bunch of new jackets. Gonna be ordering me a new Airframe helmet soon.

[HerBlownSnake]

Icon, HJC, Arai.

Get some girl shit out there for SURE!!!

[gixxerrob]

I say carry what you want. Get some fine ass naked chic's to model them for us when we walk in and you sale anything you carry...

[88hatch5_0]

I say carry what you want. Get some fine ass naked chic's to model them for us when we walk in and you sale anything you carry...


I hope we could sell everything, cause we would need the money to pay all the fines for doing that! LOL

Thanks for the input guys, so keep them coming!

[360 Notch]

helmet pricing doesn't mean it's the safest for your head. Motor Cyclist did plenty of helmet testing (impact tests) and the one that came out on top as the safest was a $80 Z1R helmet, and the worst was a $450 helmet.
The price might mean it's more areodynamic or has more features but not always about safety.
MSF test:
http://www.msf-usa.org/imsc/proceedings/a-Thom-ComparisonTestsofMotorcycleHelmets.pdf

an easier read from motor cyclist:
http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/gearbox/motorcycle_helmet_review/index.html


And, one thing that makes it hard to stock the brands such as Arai and Suomy is that they require the shop to make a minimum order of 12 helmets or so. You can't just order 1, and you can see that gets costly if no one buys them.



I never said the more exp the better just that I didnt care what the price was for protection for my head.

[HobieF3]

We are thinking about changing up our apparell line. I would like to have a number of brands to choose from and alot of those brands in stock. I know how I feel and I think alot of you feel the same way about ordering parts and accessories.... it sucks. Everyone wants to just go into a store knowing what they want and buy it that day, without having to wait 3 to 5 days to get it.

My question for your guys is, if you were to go into a bike shop, what brands of apparel would you like to choose from?

Icon
Alpinestars
Shoei Arai
Joe Rocket
......others

I know there are others out there and I would appreciate any suggestions. I really like the helmets from Shoei and Arai but lets face it, they are expensive. Yeah I know you are protecting your head and all that stuff, but the reality is people do not like to pay the high price for a helmet. So I am thinking some apparell that is inexpensive, and they are out there with a high quality too.

Basically I just want to have a huge selection of apparell in stock that way it is a one shop stop for all of our customers.

Thanks for your help guys!


I think you're off to a good stuff. As far as lower end helmets that don't suck, Soumy and AGV are nice IMO and their visors don't flip up when you look back like so many of the other low end brands. I'll still be sticking with Shoei/Arai though.

Over the years I haven't been impressed with the quality from Icon and Joe Rocket, but you have to sell it. People want that junk. In 8+ years I've seen too many of their zippers fail or stitches break compared to A* and higher end stuff.

Ever think of carrying 661 protective gear in a limited amount? No one has that in stock and I doubt most riders have even seen it.

[Marisa]

I'm very brand loyal and I'll only wear Icon leathers. (They fit the female frame the best.) My helmet is Shoei, my boots are Komodo and my gloves are AlpineStars.

I don't really look for specific brands when shopping for gear - except when it comes to my leathers. Other then that it's just what feels good and looks decent.

[JasonRR]

Shift gear is pimp.

- Jason

[HobieF3]

helmet pricing doesn't mean it's the safest for your head. Motor Cyclist did plenty of helmet testing (impact tests) and the one that came out on top as the safest was a $80 Z1R helmet, and the worst was a $450 helmet.
The price might mean it's more areodynamic or has more features but not always about safety.
MSF test:
http://www.msf-usa.org/imsc/proceedings/a-Thom-ComparisonTestsofMotorcycleHelmets.pdf

an easier read from motor cyclist:
http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/gearbox/motorcycle_helmet_review/index.html


And, one thing that makes it hard to stock the brands such as Arai and Suomy is that they require the shop to make a minimum order of 12 helmets or so. You can't just order 1, and you can see that gets costly if no one buys them.


I liked this quote. ;)

"When you build a helmet for this market, meeting the Snell standard is your first, second, third, fourth and fifth concern. You can then start designing a helmet that's safe,"

[89stangGT]

I think you're off to a good stuff. As far as lower end helmets that don't suck, Soumy and AGV are nice IMO and their visors don't flip up when you look back like so many of the other low end brands. I'll still be sticking with Shoei/Arai though.

Over the years I haven't been impressed with the quality from Icon and Joe Rocket, but you have to sell it. People want that junk. In 8+ years I've seen too many of their zippers fail or stitches break compared to A* and higher end stuff.

Ever think of carrying 661 protective gear in a limited amount? No one has that in stock and I doubt most riders have even seen it.

my Fieldsheer jacket lost a zipper. None of my 4 Icon jackets ever have or lost stitching, and one has been down twice and I still wear it. :D I've tried the Shoei rf-1000 and x-11, but didn't like how they felt compared to my icon mainframe.

[360 Notch]

I dont think most people realize all shoeis and arais are made for different shape heads with in the brand.


Shoeis have several helmet types that all fit different.... you can judge all shoeis or arais on how a single helmet fits.

[HobieF3]

my Fieldsheer jacket lost a zipper. None of my 4 Icon jackets ever have or lost stitching, and one has been down twice and I still wear it. :D I've tried the Shoei rf-1000 and x-11, but didn't like how they felt compared to my icon mainframe.

Maybe they've stepped it up as of late. It's been awhile since I've known anyone that's gone down in one. There was that pic not too long ago of the chick who went down on 360 in a kitty jacket with the stitching blown out.

When I started riding I got a Shoei that I still have. I liked their stuff, but switched over to Arai about 4/5 years ago after trying one on. Fit is GREAT. Venting and anti-fog work well, little nosiy though. Over the years I've worn quite a few helmets and Arai is my fav.

[Landon_Liles]

Alpine, Arai, Fox and Thor

[lilvega]

probably half the riders I see around here are wearing shift and icon as far as jackets go. I really hate to see a dealership that carries HJC and Shoei as their only options leaving you with the choice of a 149 dollar helmet or a 450 and nothing in between.

[89stangGT]

I dont think most people realize all shoeis and arais are made for different shape heads with in the brand.


Shoeis have several helmet types that all fit different.... you can judge all shoeis or arais on how a single helmet fits.

shoei makes 3 different full face helmets styles, the rf-1000, x-11, and tzr. all of them fit fairly short since that's how they make them, so, my chin sticks out kinda on a shell that fits my head. Some other companies like Shark and Suomy tend to make a longer shell that goes further down better covering your chin area.


overall, I think we should at least carry some Icon gear and helmets and at least maybe a mix of Rocket, Icon, and A-Star gloves and jackets.

[89stangGT]

probably half the riders I see around here are wearing shift and icon as far as jackets go. I really hate to see a dealership that carries HJC and Shoei as their only options leaving you with the choice of a 149 dollar helmet or a 450 and nothing in between.

HJC has helmets ranging from $80 to $400 (carbon fiber helmets). Most of the bigger helmet brands do. Icon has a new Alliance SSR for $140 that comes with a completely removable liner, then they have the Airframe that ranges from $240-$320, and the Domain that goes up to $410.

[lilvega]

HJC has helmets ranging from $80 to $400 (carbon fiber helmets). Most of the bigger helmet brands do. Icon has a new Alliance SSR for $140 that comes with a completely removable liner, then they have the Airframe that ranges from $240-$320, and the Domain that goes up to $410.

most dealerships I have been in recently have only the cheap HJC's, 100-150 range, and say "we can order whatever you want". If I wanted to wait a week, I would just buy from dennis kirk or wherever for cheaper anyway.

[hotrod66stang]

Fox is the most rapidly appreciating brand right now. They don't offer as diverse a range of products as the other major brands, as they cater to the dirtbike crowd, but they're catching up. Fox "gear" (and even moreso, apparel,) will fly off the shelves. JMO

[Clifton]

Don't care too much about brand as long as the prices are good.

[HobieF3]

"we can order whatever you want"

I know it's tough on a dealer and they can't stock everything, but I just hate it when they say that.

I can order it too, price will likely be better, and it will be shipped to my doorstep. :o

Too many times things have been hit or miss when I order things from a dealer. Someone didn't make the call right away, never called as they said to let me know it had arrived, or they completely forgot to call and order the item all together.

If they have it, I'll buy it, but if it needs to be ordered I just handle it now.

[BlueLT1SS]

other then what has already been mentioned i have always loved and had great success with fieldsheer leather jackets.

[BottleRocket]

Helmets:
Scorpion
Shoei
HJC

Gloves:
AStars
Joe Rocket
Teknic

Jackets:
AStars
Fieldsheer
Joe Rocket
Teknic

Others:
Sidi
AStars boots