Adventure GearLab 10: Giant Loop Fandango Tank Bag

In the June issue of Rider, Arden “Knobbie” Kysely gave a rave review to a set of Giant Loop Great Basin Saddlebags. As luck would have it, a set of those saddlebags showed up at our office along with a Giant Loop Fandango Tank Bag. I had just exhausted the possibilities of lashing various non-dual-sport-oriented saddlebags and tank bags to my Kawasaki KLR650 for a 3-day ride in the Mojave Desert (click here to see photo gallery). The Great Basin Saddlebags and Fandango Tank Bag were a cinch to install, and they fit perfectly. And their bright yellow color matched a traffic warning sticker that I had just pasted on the KLR’s front fairing that says “student driver” in Thai! [Read more]

Twist of the Wrist II DVD

One of my first assignments for Rider was to attend and review the California Superbike School. My palms got sweaty and my chest tightened at the prospect of riding an unfamiliar sportbike on an unfamiliar racetrack for two days and interviewing the legendary Keith Code. I hadn’t even ridden on a track before! That proved to be a pivotal experience for me. After years of learning to ride through trial and error, Code and his coaches took the mystery out of cornering by breaking it down into a simple—though not necessarily easy—step-by step process. [Read more]

ContourHD1080p Helmet Camcorder

One thing a helmet cam has to be is simple to use, and the ContourHD1080p has that down. This rugged little tube of anodized aluminum starts recording when you slide the long top switch forward and stops when you slide it back. It’s easy to do with gloved hands and built-in stops at either end let you know the job is done correctly. Two small lasers beams let you align the lens to ensure horizontal shooting. Believe me, tilted helmet cam videos are something you’ll only watch once. The lens rotates 192 degrees to compensate for pretty much any mounting situation. [Read more]

Adventure GearLab 9: Klim Stow Away Jacket

There’s nothing like a chilly downpour to dampen your spirits, especially when you’ve planned and dressed for a sun-soaked ride. The folks at Klīm, the dual-sport clothing specialists, have a solution to the sudden shower – their compact Stow Away jacket. It lets you dress for the sun but defend against the afternoon gully washer. [Read more]

CruzTOOLS RoadTech M3 Tool Kit

Tools. Isn’t that one of the things that separates us as motorcyclists from the lower species like, say, politicians? A few days ago a friend of mine called to see if I could get him a tool kit to replace the one that now lay on the side of the road somewhere. A quick look at the CruzTOOLS website  and a just-as-quick telephone call got one headed my way. A RoadTech M3 in this case ($84.95), which is aimed at metric cruiser riders but will work on many types of motorcycles.

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Adventure GearLab 8: Giant Loop MoJavi Saddlebag

Carrying stuff on a dual-sport day ride is easy, right? You toss it in a backpack or bum bag and head for the hills. Or maybe you bungee it to the back or drop it into saddlebags. These conventional methods have worked for years, so why change? Comfort and performance come immediately to mind. I don’t like a big load on my back when I’m riding and don’t want to land on a fat fanny pack positioned to bruise my spine. Having gear strapped on behind hampers my movements and the bike’s handling. Saddlebags aren’t bad, but they also position the load behind the rider. [Read more]

TCX Competizione RS Boots

Tango Charlie X-ray. Totally Cool Xylophone. I don’t know what TCX stands for, but I have come to love their boots. Formerly known as Oxtar—a name that was probably abandoned because it invoked images of livestock drenched in black goo, or because it sounded too much like “Oxcart,” something that is decidedly slower than a motorcycle—TCX is an Italian manufacturer of racing, off-road and touring boots. (See our review of TCX Airtech Gore-Tex Boots.) [Read more]

Clear Shot Cleaning Kit

After April showers bring May flowers, June is bug season. Lately I’ve noticed a thicker than usual crust of splattered bug guts on my bike, my gear and—above all—my faceshield. (Quick: What’s the last thing that goes through a bug’s mind when it hits your windscreen?) On the 900-mile press launch ride for the Triumph Sprint GT, we were plagued by bugs throughout Scotland and England, which turned my Arai into an entomological graveyard. At gas and coffee stops, another editor and I were belles of the ball whenever we whipped out the Clear Shot Cleaning Kit. Everyone wanted a squirt of fluid and a rubdown with the cloths, and they were impressed by the cool all-in-one kit. [Read more]

Update: Asterisk Knee Braces

After my Asterisk Cell Knee Brace blog hit the ether, I heard from Asterisk Sales Manager Darryl Atkins about my comments on not liking the leg sleeves and not using the brace tethers. He noted that the sleeves would not slip down, as I stated they did, if I only took the time to fold the tops over the braces. I took his advice, rode 60 or so sweaty dual-sport miles with the sleeve folded over the braces, and had nary a problem with slippage. [Read more]

Aerostich LP Bag

One of the most memorable and hilarious comedy routines was the late George Carlin’s “A Place for My Stuff.” With his signature irreverent style, Carlin probed right to the heart of the American obsession with accumulating stuff, and our ever-growing need for places to put that stuff. By necessity, motorcyclists pack light. But we still need places to put our stuff: all those geegaws, farkles and doohickeys found throughout fine publications such as the Aerostich RiderWearhouse catalog. And wouldn’t you know it, those clever folks in Duluth, Minnesota, not only offer widgets, but they offer dozens of bags, boxes and containers for those very widgets. [Read more]

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