URGENT advice needed
 

Hi all,
I'm about to go on a SA - England trip, flying to Durban on Feb 16 if everything goes to plan (I've still got to get a licence before then!). I haven't bought any equipment yet and don't really know what the best choice is out of the vast range of equipment there is available. I've heard of Hein Gericke Turaeg, Joe Rocket and Draggin just from browsing the HU website, but I don't know where to find these products in England (London or Oxford area would be best). If anyone could suggest specific clothing aswell as a helmet and gloves suitable for the kind of trip I'm planning and where to find them I would be very grateful. Thanks loads for any help,

Jasper

For hein-gericke,checkout http://www.hein-gericke.com/hg-shop/...b_frameset.php
For Draggin jeans,checkout http://www.dragginjeans.com.au/stockists/index.htm
Joe Rocket site is www.joerocket.com but that site seems to be down.
The gericke and the draggin site will give you info of your nearest stockist

Hope this helps,

- Use the website to find your nearest shop - should be one close to you - go for a good look around! Don't buy on impulse, just because it's your first shop. Think about staying low key - not attracting attention to yourself.

- I'd recommend the SIDI COURIER boot - basically similar to an MX boot but with only 3 buckles - totally waterproof etc. Try:
http://www.customlids.co.uk/boots-sidi.htm

- best price I got was through an mail order company in wales - some title about sheep?!?

Think about a flip-up full face helmet: like:
http://www.hjchelmets.com/symax_static.html

Plenty on the market and you get the benefit of being able to flip it up when you want to talk to someone - a real curtosy. There are many other types of helmet and locally if you shop around you should get a good deal.

Happy shopping.

BMW stuff is superb - you could get completely kitted out by them in one hit if you're pushed for time. The Rallye or Savanna suits would be excellent for your trip, with Savanna boots and Rally gloves. And a System 4 helmet of course. Go to www.worldofbmw.com to see the stuff and find a dealer.

Jasper,
You can try Motoward in Surbiton http://www.motoward.co.uk/ for jackets, pants, boots and armour.
Bracken had a few good specials on clothing a while back (sorry, I don't have their address, but they are in SW London).
After spending a long while humming and haa-ing over boots, I narrowed it down to the SIDI couriers (Infinity) or the BMW's and went for B'eM's. They are incredibly comfortable and so far worth worth the extra cash I needed to fork out.
If you find a place with a good selection of helmets, let me know as I'll need to get another one before leaving.

I've been through the pain of the gear hunt as well, so if you would like to know anything more, email me.
If you're flying into SA, it may be worth buying some of your stuff out there, I got most of camping gear out there in Aug last year.

Also, have you booked your license already?
After doing my accelerated course with 2 companies last year, the difference in instruction between the 2 was incredible and I will gladly recommend the second if you like.
I failed twice with the first company and after redoing my course with the new company, passed without a single mark on my sheet.

Geoff

Thanks a lot Beer Monster, Tony, Nick, and Geoff, you've been really helpful. I think I'll go to Bracken asap because its relitevly easy to get to, I also found two places in London which sell draggin jeans from the website. I'll also visit the bmw dealer in Oxford to see some of their clothing. I'll write a post to tell you what I decided on when I've got it. Geoff, could you tell me which company to avoid and which to go for with regard to getting my licence. Where did you take your test? Cheers,

Jasper

Hello,
Thanks a lot for all your help on what clothes I should get. In the end I got all my stuff from Bracken and Cheltenham motorcycles - both places had extremely helpful people who gave me a lot of advice. For a helmet I ended up with an Acerbis Impact which is quite a lot over my budget but is so light and such a good fit that I decided it was worth it. I was origionly thinking that I'd save on boots and just wear a pair of old army boots that I had but after talking to the assistant he persuaded me that good boots were a very worthwhile investment. I ended up with a pair of full length Gaerne boots which Im very pleased with as they are really comfortable (and I read a very favourable review of them in Trail Bike magazine just 5 mins after buying them). I got a KTM speed jacket with built in shoulder and elbow pads aswell as a detachable inner lining so i can keep cool. Im very pleased with this also esspecially as it was reduced 110pounds in bracken. I got acerbis thin profile gloves which dont offer a lot of protection but wont make my hands too hot aswell as Pro grip goggles with light sensitive lense and a kidney belt. I decided to save on trousers and just wear jeans with knee pads underneath. Im very happy with all the stuff I've got (although it was expensive) but I guess the real verdict can only come after Ive tried it all out in Africa.