Contact

First Time; What to Wear?

by Kathy

Piaggio MP3 500 Scooter

This is me on my first bike - Piaggio MP3 500 scooter. I'm old and fat; not the kind of shape that most clothing fits well.

I don't want to spend a fortune; I might find that this isn't really for me - let my husband ride off by himself. But, I might decide I like it; especially for riding back and forth to town - 18 miles away.

He and I want me to have proper gear to increase the chances of getting up in one piece should I fall down. I do have a good helmet and heated jacket and gloves to keep me warm, and new boots.

But finding an armored jacket and pants that will fit my big tummy and short legs is proving to be difficult. I wear size 18-20 pants (1X) and dresses 16-18 or EL tops (if blousy around hips), my inseam is only 27 inches - my arms are short too, but my "waist" (what "waist") is 42 inches, chest 43 inches, hips 46 inches.

On top of my own unique fitments, it seems that every manufacturer of women's jackets has their own unique size chart - not helpful.

I'll be riding on pavement only and not in really bad weather.

Question: What brands and models might fit me (top and bottom could be different) - synthetic, not leather - and are good for keeping dry, venting in warm weather, and padded for safety?

Comments for First Time; What to Wear?

Click here to add your own comments

CHOOSE THE RIGHT ATTIRE
by: Anonymous

This is late in posting but for the lady's that are looking for such fitment don't rely on female attire, go to the men's and the only difference is left and right buttoning and zippering and most people don't even notice except for the fashion bugs but in biking the only fashion is safety and men's clothing are following the racing styles or just the black leather crowd either way the both offer safety unless your just getting leather from JC penny's ,that doesn't have safety built in . After you shop for a while and check things on the WEB you will be able to see the difference just don't compromise safety for fashion. theirs a co. that sells Kevlar blue jeans I think there called Drag-on -jean's there great for road rash prevention they might have put pockets in them for armor[ yes they do have reg.pockets ] there a little pricey around $100. but a pair of fashion jeans would cost you more, jackets are made for each season a mesh with armor is great for summer but the sizes are limited so you look in the men's and they go to 3-xxx do your research on the web and ck e-bay for a good price and if your one that must try first ck the company on locations near you, then find your best price. Remember ....s#!+..happens in a second ,to give a short story ,the wife and I decided to take a ride on a beautiful summer day we live next to the park highway going to the beach to say Hi to friends just a short run so we said lets just go in our shorts and light helmets [the ones your find at bike shows for $15, hers was a Bell shorty a little more money but not so much protection for the face . We never go any where no matter what the reason or situation were always fully geared ,always full leathers,boots, and full face helmets. We pulled over a while on the beach highway to say Hi to some friends chat a while then started to get back on the highway to return home when the shoulder of the road to the pavement had a rut that couldn't be seen because of the grass the bike skidded due to the grass and High sided the bike with the wife going in one direction and I'm thrown to the ground and the bike crashes on top of me I had to get air evacuated from the beach and a week later I get out with a fractured ankle dislocated shoulder 3 broken ribs ,torn knee tendon and a fractured skull,it took a year to fully recover and had I put on the proper gear I could have just suffered some minor injuries , OH I forgot about the road rash ,I look like fresh steak on 20% of my body,luckily my wife suffered only a scrape on the hand and chin , moral of the story "WEAR YOUR GEAR NO MATTER WHAT!" this accident was estimated at a speed of less than 22mph and not involving other vehicles thank for listening and hope some learn from my mistakes

Another Piaggio Newbie
by: Ev

I hate to change the subject, but I just bought an MP3-500 too and was wondering if you've had any trouble with stopping the scooter since you only have a 27" inseam!!! My inseam is 29" but the Piaggio's is 31" - and I'm really nervous about dumping it (even though it has the 2 wheels in front).... I had an accident 6 weeks ago on a Silverwing scooter and ran into a mailbox that was built on a 5" steel I-beam and broke my left arm and leg! I'm healing really great and am determined to get back on the bike (I'm taking the 2 day Motorcycle safety course next month to get my license), but I'm still really nervous.

How are you doing with yours?

New Enough Dot Com
by: Jenny

I adore this website, but the Teknik jacket that was fifty million sizes too large (wearing a size 16, the size 12 was still too big) was listed on the website as being true to size and then when I talked to the customer service rep, she said that she was the one who tried it on and modeled it and that it was about a size larger.

In general, their information is better then what i find on most websites, though. I always go there first when looking for something for my bike :-)

Clothing Sizes
by: Anonymous

Try Newenough web site. I have bought several things from them and they are great to work with. If you call and talk to them they can help you with sizing on different items. From what I understand, they have a few girls that work there that actually try the stuff on so they know how most of it fits on the sizing charts. Everything I bought fit exactly like they said.

Pants
by: Jenny

If you ordered the jacket from newenough.com, I'd suggest seeing if they have the pants. Their stuff can be a bit hit or miss since they buy a lot of closeout items or overstocks from others, but I always start there. Then I'd go right to the manufacturer's website and contact them for a distributor!

Oh, and don't forget eBay. I've been trolling it for some gear lately. Folks buy bikes and then change their minds and get rid of really new gear or they just like getting new gear regularly or they get gifts they can't return or whatever.

There are a few other motorcycle gear outlets that my husband tends to troll when he needs something, but I can't remember what they are.

I'm going to get Draggin' Jeans in a few weeks. They don't have padding to stop breaks or bumps, but they'll stop road rash if I have an accident. It's not ideal, but I dislike the idea of my hips getting even fatter looking with padding. I'm too vain, I guess!

Ordered!
by: Kathy

Thanks for your response. Based on your experience - I hope it fits! - I ordered the Teknic jacket in size 18. Hope it's too big, that would be an ego boost. Now, where to get the overpants to go with the jacket?????

Any more ideas for a fat short legged old lady?

Teknic?
by: Jenny

I don't own a Teknic jacket. I tried to buy one, but I failed miserably. I ordered a size 16 when I wore a 16. It was huge. I mean, it was seriously huge on me. It had some great adjustment options, but it was huge. I returned it and ordered a 12. It was still huge (I wore a 14/16, and I was way closer to a 14 then a 16 at the time!). I don't know if all Teknic jackets are so over-sized, but I would recommend the Teknic Sevilla Jacket if you're looking for something in a larger size. They had great options for tailoring it to fit (velcro, etc.) as well as vents.

I wear a Joe Rocket Lotus jacket. The sizing seems standard within their brand (I tried on two different styles of the same brand). I chose the size L for my size 14/16 body. I think it comes in a size XL, too, but I didn't need it. I also purchased the liner for chillier days. It's got a great vent system and the sizing options (snaps and velcros) blew me away. Without a doubt, Joe Rocket works best for my body type (serious hour glass, larger tummy then boobs, but large breasts, and hips that just keep on growing!), but the Teknic jacket would have worked well if they'd ever managed to send me something with decent sizing! I mean, seriously, a woman in a size 16 jacket should not have to return a size 12 because she's swimming in it!

Click here to add your own comments

Return to Motorcycle Riding Gear Online.