Your First Motorcycle Gear: The ATGATT Checklist

“Get good gear” is useless advice to a new rider standing in a shop. This is the specific version: the five pieces you need, in the order to buy them, with a real pick for each—no hand-waving. It follows the ATGATT principle (All The Gear, All The Time), because the gear only protects you on the rides you actually wear it.

1. Helmet — buy this first

The helmet protects the one part of you that doesn’t heal, so it comes first and you don’t cut corners on certification. You do notneed a flagship—a certified budget helmet passes the same DOT tests as an expensive one. Our top beginner pick is the Bell Qualifier DLX MIPS, which adds MIPS rotational protection and a self-tinting shield at a budget price. See the full beginner helmet ranking for alternatives, and get the fit right—it matters more than which helmet you pick.

2. Gloves — cheap protection you’ll use constantly

Your hands shoot out to break a fall automatically, so they’re among the most likely parts of you to hit the road—and gloves are cheap. Look for a hard knuckle, an abrasion-resistant palm, and touchscreen fingertips so you’ll actually keep them on. A versatile all-rounder like the Alpinestars SP-8 V3 covers most riding; the gloves roundup has summer and urban options too.

3. Jacket — armor for your torso

A riding jacket does two jobs: abrasion resistance and CE armor at the shoulders, elbows and (ideally) back. Match it to your climate—mesh for heat, waterproof for rain, three-season for everything. See the jackets roundup for a pick in each lane, and remember the back protector is often a separate purchase worth budgeting for.

4. Boots — protect the ankle

The ankle rolls and crushes easily and heals slowly, and sneakers offer nothing against it. A real riding boot adds a TPU ankle brace and a reinforced heel and toe while staying walkable. The boots roundup has a sport-touring and a short sport pick.

5. Riding pants — the lower half

The piece most new riders add last: abrasion protection and hip/knee armor for your legs, from armored jeans to full textile pants. Jeans alone offer almost no abrasion protection in a slide, so this is a real gap worth closing once the first four pieces are covered.

The order matters more than the budget

You don’t have to buy all five at once. Buy in this order, and ride within the limits of what you’re currently wearing until the set is complete. A great helmet with bare hands is a worse setup than a good helmet with gloves. If money is tight, our budget gear setup assembles the whole kit for the least money protection allows.