Re: Preparing before the purchase.
Well congradulations on pursuing one of the most addictive and fun hobby/sport/life-style out there, and your off to a good start on trying to get good gear... but what kind of bike are you looking at, and what kind of riding do you think you would be doing? that is a very important question when selecing gear
Helmet- I personally would go with a helmet that is both DOT and SNELL approved, but I make more sacrifices in comfort for safety than the average rider... SNELL is an idependent European standard of test, so far no modular helmet(full face that flips up) has gotten the SNELL approval, I haven't read into this but my guess is it is from the fact that it must be tested with the front both open and closed, I'm sure when closed it provides all the protection of a full face, but with the conveinance and comfort of a 3/4 helmet when at the gas pump or stuck in traffic... but I think that would be a fine choice, HJC is a great mid-price helmet, and you can always retire it to a passenger helmet if you want a new one in the future.
Jacket- looks like a good one, also check out the Fieldsheer Monza jacket, very similar but a little less expensive
Gloves: i'm a big fan of alpinestars stuff, i have the GP Pro and GP Plus gloves myself, the Tech Roads look like a good choice
Pants: pants look pretty good and nice price, but again also check out fieldsheer's stuff, might want to look at seperate pants/jackets as well as 2-piece suits which zip together
Boots- unless i plan to ride really hard or am on the track I just wear high top timberland dress boots, they held up awesome in my accident, took alot of abuse from the asphalt that would have been nasty had it been my ankles and feet in a pair of tennis shoes, just make sure they cover your ankles and tie them tight, I've seen more than one pair of shoes fly off in an accident