My first bike had been laid down at low speeds. I had to put a few new parts into it to make it operable - buuut I bought it from someone I knew, so I knew that it still was in good working condition. As far as gear, I got all my gear on clearance. Jacket, helmet, gloves, for less than $200... I did that bc I didn't want to dish out a ton of money, then find out that I sucked at riding (shutup jrm ) but now I'm looking for new helmet and gloves, so maybe I shoulda bought quality in the first place... ?