Around the World the Hard Way – Mondo Enduro DVD

Ready for your big adventure?  Have you seen enough of Ewan and Charlie going the Long Way here or there that you want to hop in the saddle and leave your cares behind in a cloud of dust? Well, there’s no better place to start planning a big trip than in front of your TV with the Mondo Enduro DVD. This is the story of seven Brits who decided to ride around the world by the longest route in the shortest amount of time on Suzuki DR350s. This is not a Ewan and Charlie adventure by any means. No film crew, no trucks, no satellite phone or FedEx’d parts. This is seven normal guys with small bikes, a few tools, and some camping gear pitting themselves against an aggressive schedule and the great unknown. [Read more]

Speed and Strength Twist of Fate Race Suit

Speed and Strength, one of Tucker Rocky Distributing’s in-house apparel brands, likes to use bold, swashbuckling names for its products, like Moment of Truth, Hang’em High, Call to Arms and Hell ‘n Back. The one-piece leather suit tested here is called Twist of Fate, which seems freighted with dire predictions about the future. Wikipedia says the expression twist of fate means “an unpredicted or random occurrence with far-reaching consequences.” Hardly the sort of monkey I want on my back when testing the limits of traction—or my courage—at the race track. [Read more]

Alpinestars Interceptor and Dragster Jackets and Bat Pants

Alpinestars Dragster jacket and Bat pants, Rider, August 2009

If you’ve turned the pages of Rider or scanned the photos posted on Ridermagazine.com, then you know we most often wear textile riding apparel on the street. It tends to be lightweight and versatile, particularly in terms of water-resistance. Of course, we wear leather on the track since its abrasion-resistance is hard to beat; in fact, most tracks require leather protective gear. Beyond its ability to protect skin from the cheese-grating effects of an asphalt slide, leather blocks wind exceptionally well. And frankly, it just looks cool. [Read more]

Tour Master Rincon Jacket

Last summer I acquired a three-quarter length Tour Master Rincon jacket, and after wearing it once for a 90-something-degree commute, it promptly got stuffed into the closet in exchange for something more lightweight. This past winter I dug it back out and now there’s no way I’d be out there on these 40-degree mornings without it. The only way I’d be warmer is if I were wearing electric apparel—or commuting to work in my car with the heater blasting. [Read more]

7eye Sunglasses

7eye Maestro

Since Day 1, I’ve worn sunglasses when riding motorcycles. (During the day, of course. Wearing sunglasses at night, even if you’re a rock star, is downright silly.) Perhaps that is because my first helmet was a Shoei RF-800 with a clear faceshield. It never occurred to me to buy a tinted shield, especially given the convenience of simply removing my sunglasses when the sun went down. In Rider photo shoots, we typically wear tinted shields because we want to hide the look of terror on our faces when Rich Cox asks us to do twelve more passes on a treacherous, off-camber, gravel-strewn curve…into the blinding sun. [Read more]

Adventure GearLab 6: Platypus Hydration Bags

2-liter Platy Bottle

Water: you gotta have it, so why not make it convenient to carry? Unlike a bag of coffee or oatmeal, your canteen or water bottle takes up as much space empty as it does full. You wouldn’t waste space carrying a can of coffee with just a few grinds rattling around in the bottom, so why tote along a bulky water bottle with just a haze of H2O clinging to its sides? That’s the question that Cascade Designs, makers of flexible, foldable, packable Platypus water containers has been asking and answering for years. Their conformal containers reduce your bulk as soon as you dip into your water stores. [Read more]

Aerostich Banana Guard

Go bananas, B-A-N-A-N-A-S! Admittedly, Aerostich’s Andy Goldfine is a little bananas. He’s got boundless energy and loves to talk. Fortunately, the man who makes superior motorcycle riding gear—and is also the importer of banana guards—is interesting, knowledgeable about motorcycles and enthusiastic. He popped into our SoCal office recently, having ridden his Ducati Multistrada out from Minnesota, “Just to get out of the cold.” [Read more]

Adventure GearLab 5: Bohn Xtreme Armored Shorts

When you go down–and sooner or later, all ADV riders go down–chances are your backside will end up making contact with the ground. If you’re lucky, you’ll roll ninja-style and dissipate your energy evenly, saving you from unpleasant bruises and aches. Or, if you’re like me, you’ll land awkwardly, with flailing arms and a great expulsion of breath…THUD! Some riding pants, like those favored by motocrossers, offer minimal protection for the hip/waist area beyond abrasion resistance. (I have a pair of MX pants, and attached to each hip are not thick foam pads but what appear to be feminine sanitary napkins. On rides, I remove them and attach the TF3 hip pads from my Aerostich Roadcrafter suit!) Others have foam or rubberized pads like those that line the knees, elbows and shoulders. [Read more]

Adventure GearLab 4: EVS RS7 Knee Braces

As I described in my previous post (Adventure GearLab 3: Alpinestars Bionic 2 Protection Jacket), for the most protection and versatility, many ADV riders use heavy-duty armor that is attached directly to their bodies rather than the lining of their jackets or pants. Whereas the Bionic 2 jacket protects my elbows/forearms, shoulders, chest and back, EVS RS7 Knee Braces are designed to protect my knees, thighs and shins. [Read more]

Adventure GearLab 3: Alpinestars Bionic 2 Protection Jacket

Most riding jackets/pants made today–at least the stuff worth paying real American dollars for–includes protective armor, which is usually removable and often adjustable for proper fit. Foam rubber pads made of various materials are located at places where impacts are most likely to occur. For jackets, that includes the elbows, shoulders and back; for pants, it’s the knees and hips. The quality of such armor varies, often in correlation with price and quality of the garment itself. The best stuff is “CE approved,” which means it has met quality assurance criteria established by the European Union. [Read more]

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