6 min read
Motorcycle gear buying: where to start and which guide answers what
A map of ALLR's fifty-one motorcycle gear guides in six groups: helmets, safety standards, complete kits, intercoms, sizing and cross-border buying. Start with a certified helmet that fits, then a complete kit, then compare landed prices. Each row links to the guide that settles one decision.
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ALLR Editorial Team· Price-tracking research
ALLR tracks motorcycle gear prices across 130+ retailers in Canada, the US, the EU, the UK and Australia. This hub orients buyers through the topic-deep guides our team has shipped.
ALLR has fifty-one deeper guides, one for each decision a gear buyer actually faces: which helmet label to trust, what shape your head is, what a complete first kit costs, which intercom to buy, how sizes translate across regions and whether buying from outside Canada is worth the duty. We at ALLR built this page as the map. Read the three-step path below if you are new, or jump to the guide that matches your question.
Every guide, by group
| Group | Guide | Read it to decide |
|---|---|---|
| Start | Beginner kit under CA$1,000 | What a complete first kit costs |
| Helmets | Head shapes | Which brands fit your skull |
| Helmets | Modular vs full-face | What P, J and P/J mean |
| Helmets | Do expensive helmets protect better? | Whether price buys safety |
| Helmets | Lifespan and maintenance | When to replace or clean |
| Helmets | AGV vs Shoei | Which brand is better for you |
| Helmets | HJC vs AGV | Which is better value |
| Helmets | Neotec 3 vs Schuberth C5 | Which flip-up to buy |
| Helmets | AGV K6 S vs HJC RPHA 12 | Sport-touring helmet head to head |
| Standards | Certifications: ECE, DOT, Snell | Which label you need |
| Standards | ECE 22.06 vs Snell M2025 | What each test covers |
| Standards | EN 17092 AAA, AA, A | How to read jacket labels |
| Standards | Back protectors and airbag vests | What to add after the base kit |
| Standards | Canadian helmet laws by province | Which standards each province accepts |
| Kits | Adventure and dual-sport | Textile-first all-weather gear |
| Kits | Women's gear | Re-cut versus recolored gear |
| Kits | Cold-weather gear | Heated kit and alternator limits |
| Kits | Track day gear | What organisers require |
| Kits | Alpinestars vs Dainese | Which brand for jackets, boots, airbags |
| Kits | Gloves: EN 13594 levels | Which glove type and rating |
| Kits | Boots: EN 13634 ratings | Which boot height and rating |
| Kits | Riding jeans and pants | Lined or single-layer |
| Kits | Hot-weather and mesh gear | What to wear in summer heat |
| Kits | Rain gear | Laminated, drop-liner or oversuit |
| Intercoms | Cardo vs Sena | Which brand your group needs |
| Intercoms | Cardo vs Sena by model | Which model pair wins |
| Buying | EU vs US sizing | How sizes translate |
| Buying | Landed cost explained | Sticker price versus total |
| Buying | Local, US or overseas? | Which store type is cheapest |
| Buying | Europe to Canada | Duty, VAT-strip and DDP |
| Buying | Europe to the US | US duty after the 2026 changes |
| Buying | Measure and size a helmet | Which size to order by brand |
| Buying | Gear brands explained | Budget to premium tiers |
| Buying | When gear is cheapest in Canada | When to buy |
| Buying | GST, HST and PST on gear | What tax applies to your order |
| Helmets | Best beginner helmet in Canada | Which first helmet at which budget |
| Kits | Best jacket: textile, leather or mesh | Which jacket for most riders |
| Kits | Best riding jeans and pants | Which pants class and type to buy |
| Intercoms | Cardo vs Sena: which to buy | Which intercom for solo, pair or group |
| Buying | Where to buy gear in Canada | Which stores win, store by store |
| Standards | ECE 22.06 vs DOT | What each helmet label covers |
| Standards | ECE 22.05 vs 22.06 | What changed in the 06 series |
| Standards | Check a helmet is ECE 22.06 certified | How to read the label on your helmet |
| Helmets | ICON helmet lines | Airflite, Airform, Airframe Pro by price and label |
| Helmets | Shark helmet lines | Spartan, Skwal, Ridill, Aeron by price and label |
| Kits | Rukka gear in Canada | Rukka model names, prices and stated classes |
| Kits | Macna gear in Canada | Macna jackets, pants and gloves compared |
| Kits | Joe Rocket gear in Canada | Joe Rocket range and Canadian availability |
| Kits | Spidi gear in Canada | Spidi jackets, pants and suits by class |
| Kits | Helstons gear in Canada | Helstons range and landed prices |
| Kits | Fly Racing gear in Canada | Off-road kit totals by Fly line |
The three-step path for a new rider
- 01Pick a helmet with the right label that fits.ECE 22.06, DOT and Snell M2025 test different things and none is 'best'; the certifications guide says which one your jurisdiction needs and the head-shapes guide says which brands suit your skull. SHARP, the UK government's rating programme, finds no link between price and safety.
- 02Buy the whole kit, not just the helmet.Helmet, jacket, gloves, pants and boots, in that order of priority; the beginner kit guide prices three tiers. Check jacket labels with the EN 17092 guide and replace the foam dummy in the back pocket using the back-protector guide.
- 03Compare landed prices before you click.Duty, shipping and brokerage change the ranking. For Canadian riders a Canadian store had the lowest landed price on 61% of 199 popular products in ALLR's 2026-10-05 sample, so check local, US or overseas? before assuming Europe or the US is cheaper.
Buying from outside Canada
Europe strips 19 to 22 percent VAT for non-EU addresses, but Canadian duty (8.5% on helmets, 13% on leather jackets, up to 18% on textile jackets and boots, per the CBSA's 2026 tariff), shipping and FX take much of it back. CBSA's courier thresholds are CA$20 for most countries and CA$40 duty-and-tax-free from the US or Mexico, so almost every piece of gear owes duty. The Europe-to-Canada guide has a worked example where the saving was 3%; US buyers should read the Europe-to-US guide. To price one purchase, use the import duty calculator. Sizes differ between regions, so read the sizing guide before ordering.
Specialist gear, when your riding needs it
- Riding in a group: Cardo's DMC mesh and Sena's Mesh do not interoperate natively, so pick the brand your group owns, then the model. Cardo's Packtalk Pro lists at US$499.95; Sena's 60S Evo at US$459.
- Adventure and dual-sport: textile-first, layered gear; see the adventure guide.
- Female riders: only some brands truly re-cut for women; the women's guide shows how to tell.
- Riding into the cold: a full four-piece heated kit draws about 180 W, which small bikes may not spare; see cold-weather gear.
- Your first track day: organisers have written rules; see the track day guide.
- Already own a helmet: the lifespan guide covers drops, cleaning and replacement, and the modular guide covers flip-fronts.
Browse the catalog
Every guide links to product pages with live landed prices. To browse by category: helmets, jackets, pants, gloves, boots, suits, protection and communication. Prices quoted in the prose are dated snapshots; the product page has the live number, and the method is on the methodology page.
Common questions about the guides
Do I need to read all fifty-one guides before buying gear?
No. A new rider needs three: the certifications guide, the head-shapes guide and the beginner kit guide, about 30 minutes in total. Sizing and cross-border buying matter when you start shopping; the rest are specialist tracks you can skip until they apply.
I already have a helmet. Should I still read the helmet guides?
Skim the certifications guide to confirm your label is valid where you ride, and the lifespan guide if the helmet is over five years old or has been dropped. If it gives you pressure points after 20 minutes, the head-shapes guide explains why.
What is the most-skipped piece of kit?
Pants. Many new riders wear jeans, but riding pants are the cheapest abrasion protection for the hips and knees, and EN 17092 gives them a class label like jackets. The beginner kit guide covers budget options.
Are the prices in the guides current?
Each guide shows a last-verified date. Prices in the prose are dated snapshots; the product pages linked from each guide update through the day, so trust the product page if the two differ.
Do you cover used gear?
No. ALLR compares new gear across retailers. Used helmets in particular have an unknowable crash history, which is one reason the lifespan guide advises buying new.
Sources
- CBSA Customs Tariff 2026: Chapter 65 (headgear)2026-10-21Helmets 8.5%
- CBSA: low-value shipments2026-10-21CA$20, CA$40 and CA$150 courier thresholds
- SHARP (UK Department for Transport): choosing a new helmetNo connection between star rating and price
- Snell Memorial Foundation: M2025 explanatory cover letterStandard
- SATRA: EN 1621 motorcyclist protectorsStandard