It is never too late to understand that the weather here would be a lot different than the one in Spain. Never mind, I love the rain anyway! I decided that it could be a good idea to get a waterproof jacket as well as the helmet (just in case!), and hopefully a pair of gloves, basics one at a really good price.
I went to Honda of Bournemouth to have a look at their clothing range. I first had a look at the helmets, as it is the first piece of the whole gear you need in order to ride a bike! I’ve been told there that they had a great deal going on if you were specifically looking at getting all the gear at the same time.
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| Spada Starter Kit With Short Jacket |
Let me explain this: it is called the Spada Starter Kit. Spada is the brand of the gear and I guess Starter kit means that this is the perfect deal to get if you are a beginner or if you’ve just bought a first bike. Basically, you can get a jacket, a pair of gloves and a helmet for £139.99! Looked like a bargain to me! Well, I stop you right now; you won’t have the choice of the jackets or whatever! Let’s go through the items together.
The Spada jacket is a basic waterproof jacket. I really liked the comfort once it’s on. I am usually a Large but I had to go for a Medium as they are huge! They have a short jacket and a three quarters length one in stock. To be honest with you, I went for the short one. Don’t be afraid, this jacket will perfectly cover your lower back. You can find all the protection you would look for: CE approved elbow and shoulder protectors, foam padding back protector that you could remove if you wanted to and hi-visibility panels. I am pretty sure you could upgrade the jacket with a CE back protector; I’ve been told that it was possible but I don’t know if they sell this in store. You have a double zipper at the front, so that you can ride with your jacket open on really hot days, for a maximum of ventilation!
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| Spada Starter Kit With 3/4 Jacket |
The gloves are from the same brand. They are made of a mix of textile and leather. They are winter gloves, really thick, well insulated and waterproof. I know they will tend to be a nightmare to wear in summer, but as I said, I will be able to wear them winter time anyway. So I am totally convinced that it is not a waste of money. The palm is reinforced with the leather layer on both hands. The thing I liked the best with these gloves was the visor wipe on the left thumb! So useful! I tried both the jacket and the gloves at the same time, in order to be sure that the cuff would be on the jacket and not underneath. I just hate this, I can’t help it!
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| Spada Helmet |
The jacket and the pair of gloves chosen, I had a look at the helmets. In this deal, you don’t have a lot of choice for the colour: plain black or white. They have the same kind of helmet but in nicer designs in the shop too and they said that I could have one of these designs for an extra £10 but I decided not to go for the upgrade and just had the white one. Anyway, this is a basic helmet. For the price, you won’t get a lot of features like the sunscreen visor for example, but it will do its job which is protecting your head. This was exactly what I wanted. It has a pretty good ventilation system at the front (lower and upper ventilation) and a double D-ring (I presume everybody knows this system of double D-ring...well I didn’t!). Just in case it is easy: Hold the "DD" with your left hand, pass the strap through both the "DDs" with your right hand, then using your left hand thumb, split the "DD" into single 'D' so you have one on the left and one on the right, pass the strap under the left D and through the right D and then pull! EASY!
Anyway, this was just a quick review of this great deal. My gear suits me perfectly, and as far as I am concerned, I feel really comfy to get to work. One thing though, I will definitely think of getting a pair of summer gloves sooner than later on their website www.motorbikeplanet.co.uk.
Happy riding mate!
