...What to get...

The most important thing (IMHO) to keep in mind is GO WITH WHAT WORKS FOR YOU! Yeah it's cool to have the best brand name, and have it all colour coordinated, but if it's not comfy, you won't wear it, and then it's no good even owning it. Go around to every shop you can think of and try on everything. I tried on helmets that came very highly recommended and found that they just didn't fit my head comfortably, so I ended up going with one that was a way better fit, and it was less than half the price. Good on ya for doing the gear thing first by the way!

haha thx. ppl on this forum told me to buy my gear first and wear it when going to bike school so I become used to it by the time I finish the course. I'm not really hyped up about the brand, but which jacket tends to be the more popular one for their great protection etc. =O

Hey, i'm almost the exact same size as you and a had a hell of a time finding gear that fit properly. Especiallly leather jackets, the arms were always way too loose for my twiggy arms. I had much better luck with textiles but even then a lot ones I tried were uncomfortable as well.

The best fitting textile/mesh I found was Alpinestar Venom Air-flo. It's a pretty good jacket imo, with the liner in it feels quite hefty and seems like it'd protect a lot better than Joe rocket mesh (Phoenix i think) which is just flimsy as hell. The Joe Rockets have adjustable straps on the arms, but even then the jacket overall just seems cheaply made.