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ADV ProductsADV Riding GearGetting Geared Up – Adventure Motorcycle Gear on a Budget

Getting Geared Up – Adventure Motorcycle Gear on a Budget

Tips from the 'GearChic' on how to get geared up for as little as $500.

Published on 07.22.2014

Investing in adventure motorcycle gear can be an expensive undertaking, especially if you just finished shelling out thousands for your new dream bike. You don’t have to max out your credit cards, but it is important to spend a bit of money to be safe and have the minimum features to keep you covered on your journey.

When riding on the street, safety should always be a priority as well as proper fit. Flexibility and comfort are key when attempting to navigate challenging terrain off-road.

Some of the top brands in adventure motorcycle gear are Klim and REV’IT. But if you think those brands are out of your budget range, there’s hope. There are always websites such as eBay and Craigslist to help stretch your budget with used gear. You can also check out Adventure Riding forums like ADVRider, BMW MOA, and Yamaha Super Ténéré to see if anyone is selling any lightly used adventure motorcycle gear.


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If you find a few affordable used items, then it’s a little easier to justify spending full price on some of the best dual sport boots on the market or a top quality adventure jacket like the Klim Latitude.

For those budget-minded adventure riders that want new gear, you can still get a complete adventure riding outfit for as little as $500 (sans helmet).* Here are my top picks for adventure motorcycle gear you can buy on a budget.

Adventure Pants 

Klim Adventure Pants ($55.38 to $93.49)

Klim Adventure and Dual Sport Pants

Klim makes some great adventure gear that can be very pricey if you are on a budget. But sometimes you can find bargains on their discontinued gear that is being closed out. The Klim Mojave, Chinook and Revolt adventure pants are all discontinued. You’ll find great prices on these high quality pants if you can still find them in your size.
 

Klim Savanna Dual Sport Pants, Women ($189.99)

Klim Womens Savanna Adventure Pants

The Klim Savanna Pants are fantastic dual sport pants for women. These water-resistant pants have large rear vents and adjustable front zippered vents that provide excellent breathability. Reinforced leather panels on the inner leg keep you from melting your pants on the hot exhaust and they also include armor pockets that give you the option to use street armor.
 

Adventure Jackets

Alpinestars CapeTown Drystar, Mens ($179.95)

Capetown air drystar adventure jacket

This jacket features two removable liners, thermal and waterproof. The mesh outer shell is versatile for multiple seasons and climates. Although the Capetown isn’t specifically aimed at adventure riders, it provides good protection with the optional CE rated chest and back protector inserts. For those of you looking for more visibility, the CapeTown is offered in hi-viz yellow. The fit profile on CapeTown is on the more slender side with its longer torso, sleeve length and narrower shoulders.
 

Alpinestars Andes Drystar, Mens & Womens ($249.95)

Alpinestars Stella Andes Drystar Dual Sport Jacket

The Andes has an integrated waterproof membrane and a removable thermal layer. This jacket offers venting, lots of pockets and a relaxed fit. Since the Andes doesn’t have a mesh outer shell, this one will do a bit better for you in cooler riding conditions. As with the CapeTown, this one also provides more protection with optional CE rated chest inserts offered by Alpinestars. The fit profile on Andes is slightly different from CapeTown with more room in the arms but a longer cut to accommodate taller riders. It’s not as slim as the CapeTown, but still falls under the European fit profile.
 

Firstgear Adventure Mesh Jacket, Mens ($251.95)

firstgear adventure mesh jacket adventure gear

The Adventure Mesh Jacket is lightweight and breathable. It features a removable water-resistant liner and a mesh outer shell. Due to its mesh construction, it isn’t as durable as a textile jacket. However, with it’s 250-denier exterior and CE-approved armor at the shoulders and elbows, it should provide adequate protection for light off-road excursions. Given the outer shell, it will work the best in hotter riding conditions during the summer months. The fit profile on this jacket has a more generous cut across the shoulders, chest and arms; a typical American fit.
 

Adventure Gloves

Alpinestars SMX-3 Air Gloves, Mens and Womens ($49.95)

Alpinestars SMX-3 Air Dual Sport Gloves

Although these are primarily street gloves, they work well as a dual sport glove because they are made with mostly mesh construction and suede microfiber palms. They’re highly breathable and lightweight, but also offer a bit of leather construction for additional durability and abrasion protection in a fall.
 
 

REV’IT Neutron, Mens and Womens ($79.99)

REV'IT Neutron Summer Gloves

The nice thing about the Neutron Gloves is that they’re flexible for men and women.The goatskin palms provide a bit more protection for street riding and the thumb and forefinger provide touchscreen compatibility for navigation. With mesh construction on the top and between the fingers, you’ll get plenty of breathability and ventilation as well for off-road use or summer riding.
 

Adventure Boots 

FirstGear Kathmandu Boots, Mens ($152.95)

Firstgear Kathmandu Adventure Style Waterproof Boots

The Kathmandu dual sport boots utilize a waterproof-breathable Hipora lining. With just two cam buckles, they are easier to get in and out of than your typical motocross style boots. They offer a tall leather upper with shin protection and a reinforced toebox. For an inexpensive boot, they are a good choice for a mixture of street and light off-road riding.
 

TCX Track EVO WP, Mens ($239.95)

TCX Track EVO Adventure Boots

TCX is well known in the motorcycle world for making some of the best riding boots for motocross, road racing and street. The Track EVO boots are CE Certified and offer a polyurethane shin plate, shift pad and ankle inserts. They are constructed with suede leather and a microfiber upper along with a waterproof liner and off-road sole. Although these are also technically a men’s boot, the sizing starts as small as Euro 38 (~US Women’s 7).
 

Alpinestars Scout WP Boots, Mens and Womens ($249.95)

Alpinestars Scout Waterproof Adventure Boots

Although the Scout is technically a men’s boot, it’s offered all the way down to a Men’s 5 (~Women’s 7-7.5). These waterproof dual sport boots offer impact protection in the shin, toe, heel and foot bed. Polyurethane coated leather provides abrasion protection for the street. Its a great option for anyone looking for a comfortable dual sport boot with a bit more height.
 

High-End vs. Budget Adventure Motorcycle Gear

This budget adventure motorcycle gear offers a lot of value for your money and can get you the basic protection you need for adventure riding. It should last you several seasons if you aren’t too hard on your gear. But if your main goal is to get the best possible protection from injuries and the elements, high-end gear made from premium materials like GORE-TEX® may be a better investment for you in the long run.

* Note: Gear costs for this article are based on pricing at time of publishing.

Author: Joanne Donn

Joanne is the founder of GearChic.com, a site dedicated to providing personalized advice about women’s motorcycle gear. Before moving to Philadelphia to work at Revzilla’s gear boutique, she spent the last 10 years working at a motorcycle dealership in San Francisco, selling apparel and motorcycles. When she wasn’t working in the shop, she also gave gear seminars at events such as the Progressive Motorcycle Shows and Horizons Unlimited. You can read more about her and additional gear advice at GearChic.com.

Author: Joanne Donn
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Tyler
Tyler
August 21, 2014 8:42 pm

Worst article on the site. How can you say “gear up on a budget” and then only talk about 2-3 of the most expensive brands of gear? Bonkers. The site is great but take this article down or have someone competent write it.

Carl M.
Carl M.
August 22, 2014 10:07 am

Great deals! And actually appreciate that the recommendations are for high end gear at discount prices. To complain about the fact that the list includes normally expensive brands YET the items listed are clearly budget-friendly is nonsense. And thanks for the tip on those Klim ADV pants!

Motorcycler
Motorcycler
July 18, 2017 3:16 am

A great post with some really nice recommendations. Although, I would’ve liked to see some leather jackets in here too. I’ve seen some great ones for not too much money.

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