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As the hot weather has officially cracked here in AZ, I am gearing up for my first attempt at being a true commuter. I’ve been adding to the ‘motorcycle stuff’ closet for the last couple of months and am almost done. I should be good for all conditions except lightning. My aluminum foil beanie does not go on rides with me.

Right now is beautiful weather at about 70-80F. Life is good and should stay good for another month or two. The weather during the day does not change too much. but the morning ride in ambient drops significantly as winter passes.

I just snagged a 2-pc German police suit off of ebay recently for $115 and it should be great for the cold weather stuff. Its a bib and jacket that is insulated and waterproof made by Stadler. I am told these are top notch quality and are about 800 Euros across the pond. It does have a little jackass factor though as its bright green, has enough reflective material on it to make the Aerostich guys jealous, and has “POLIZEI” in big, bold letters across the back. I just need to install some new armor, and its ready to go.

I also have a leather jacket and a kevlar textile jacket for milder temperature days. The leather jacket has a removeable liner and serves as the middle temp jacket. The kevlar jacket is good for any temp above 50-60 depending on the wind protection.

Even though my gloves should probably be replaced, I am good to go with gloves for all conditions.

This leaves boots. All I have is a pair of race boots. They are too tight for comfort riding that I want for commuting. I am looking at “touring” boots and Alpinestars has a boot called the Ridge Waterproof Boots for about $100 online. These look to be quick to get in and out of as well as good (small) for my top-box storage. It would also be nice to be able to walk around in comfort if need be.

So that’s it. I need to buy some boots and armor for the suit, then the gear closet will be fully stocked. Any boot recommendations (even if they aren’t “motorcycle” boots) would be greatly appreciated. Now all I need to do is accumulate enough savings in fuel cost to pay for all the new above stuff!