So I started riding on a bit of a budget. My main concern was getting all of the gear as opposed to great gear. I already have a Joe Rocket Alter Ego jacket. Bought it when I first got the bike. Love it for commuting, very versatile as far as weather goes. Handles anything from the mid 30s with a sweatshirt and up to 80 so far which felt AWESOME when its transformed into its lightweight form. Things to be upgraded were my helmet, gloves, and boots. Here is a quick review on my gloves and helmet which I got in today. I ordered them from Motorcyclegear.com. I guess they were called NewEnough.com at one point. Couldnt say anything better about them. I ordered them at around 3-4am Tuesday morning. Shipped for free that afternoon and got here today, Friday.

AGV Sport Dragon Gauntlets
I was wearing a pair of Sedici Monza gloves that I had picked up at Cycle Gear. Was the best gloves I found there for under $100. They felt pretty good and looked/felt reasonably protective. They were I think around $60. Well now I ordered a pair of these and so far they feel great. Majority of the glove is double stitched. Very comfortable. At a Medium them feel a bit tighter then my other gloves but a good snug tight. Protection seems great. Knuckle and finger protection on all fingers, padded sides of the hands, lots of wrist padding and sliders. Either way a major step up from the gloves I was using. The major kick in the balls...they were cheaper then my other pair at only $56. :banghead
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Joe Rocket RKT-201
I was using the Seven Zero Seven Backlash Helmet. Thought it was a pretty good buy. Fiberglass, lightweight, comfortable, DOT and ECE certified and was about $160 out the door. Its the same helmet as the O'Neil Tirade and Fasttrack 2 helmets. Well I wanted something SNELL certified to start track riding. This helmet feels AWESOME. So comfortable compared to what I thought was good. Had pockets to install speakers into for my communication set. Very light and just feels overall great. Im very happy with it. Build quality feels and looks top of the line. Once again a huge kick in the balls, only $99.
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So long story short. I hate how I didnt know about closeouts and stuff. 100% happy with these purchases. Cant wait to get my boots from STG on Wednesday. I didnt have a whole lot to spend so I went with the Teknic Chicane boots. Hopefully I'll be just as happy with them.

Considering the deals I got on what I bought I dont think I could have done better for not much over $150. Throw in the boots and I think the gears good enough for at least a soon to be track day novice group rider. All I got left is a suit. Stuck between the A* SP-1 and the Speed and Strength suit. Really leaning towards the SS suit because it looks cool and doesnt seem to have any competition like it at under $800. I'll be hitting up STG for that, seem to have the best prices Ive seen anywhere for suits. Im almost ready to get my ass to the track!

Good deal. I've been very happy with my Joe Rocket helmet myself. I was also surprised by how great it feels compared to other similarly priced helmets. Until I bought my $500 Arai helmet, it was the best helmet I'd ever owned. I still use it regularly too. It's so much lighter than other affordable helmets and the padding is a million times better.

As for the suits, there are many out there for $800, but if you're hitting up STG for the suit then you'll be in good hands. Make sure to give Jason a call (don't just order from the website), he'll be able to give you the latest pricing and suggestions on sizing/fitment. I'm sure he'll be here posting up soon anyways.

Oh, and might I recommend a back protector too if you plan on doing track riding. They're not necessarily "required" for Novice, but they should be.