Product Reviews
This section describes the product reviews (such as motorcycle gear, books, and DVDs) from previous issues. If you would like to order the magazine in which a product appeared, please fill out the subscription form by checking the "Back Issue" box and indicating the appropriate month.
January 2012
CruiserWorks Classic Motorcycle Boots
CruiserWorks, a nationally known purveyor of high-quality motorcycle boots, offers several nicely executed designs. I tried out the Classic Boot model, which combines 1950's styling with modern technology to produce a water-resistant engineer-style boot…
November 2011
Gerbing Microwire Heated Jacket Liner
First of all, I would be less than honest if I didn't admit that I have been a long-time fan of Gerbing's heated clothing. I bought my first heated jacket liner from Gordon Gerbing himself back in 1985, and that 26-year-old liner still works perfectly, though the fabric has become quite frayed from use. Over the years, I tried other heated garments from several manufacturers, but always ended up selling those products off to other riders and going back to Gerbing. My wife and I each bought full-coverage heated riding suits, gloves, and even heated socks from Gerbing, all of which we still own and use…
Steadymate Motorcycle Wheel Chock
Motorcycle wheel chocks come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and prices to fit every kind of budget and installation. Previously I used tubular steel wheel chocks that were inexpensive but not exactly what I thought I wanted. Let's face it—I purchased them because they were cheap, and I didn't really know what I wanted until after I had used them a while. Today, I know I want wheel chocks to serve two purposes: to hold my bike in place during those times when I have to trailer it and to hold my bike upright when I want to perform some routine maintenance. The Steadymate Motorcycle Wheel Chock ($198.99, www.steadymate.com) addresses both needs…
August 2011
Metzeler Roadtec Z8 Interact Tires
Popular consensus states that motorcycle tires can either provide excellent grip or long life. Everything else is just a compromise. While that may have been true when high-mileage tires were made of something resembling volcanic rock, we've entered an era where saying you bought some sticky sport-touring tires isn't an oxymoron…
July 2011
Dirt Bagz Saddlebags—The Rangers
I am a sucker for saddlebags and wonder how I ever lived without them. On my first bike I had none, but I bought a pair of soft saddlebags for my second and third bikes. My fourth bike came with its own set of hard saddlebags and I'd be hard pressed to buy a bike without them nowadays. When I got my dualsport, what do you think was the first accessory I looked into?…
May 2011
Book: Let's Ride
Every once in a while an unsolicited review copy of a new book arrives on my desk, and once the wrapping is off, I just have to laugh. Such was the case when I received Let's Ride: Sonny Barger's Guide to Motorcycling, How to Ride the Right Way—for Life ($23.99). I mean, c'mon, Sonny Barger, founding father of the infamous Oakland Hells Angels, is now styling himself as a rider coach? The same fellow who seemingly refused to wear a helmet for decades is now writing a book on motorcycle safety? Wait, let me sit down. I need to catch my breath…
April 2011
Book: 365 Motorcycles You Must Ride
Call me an antediluvian fusspot (and some do), but I find the current mania for 'list books' to be very annoying. Not only is there an inherently nagging quality about such titles as 1000 Places to See Before You Die and 500 Places to Take Your Kids Before They Grow-Up (and presumably, you die from the stress brought on by all that frantic traveling), but there is also a certain laziness to those books. There is no depth to them, and every item on those lists is glossed over with just the barest of information being given about each entry. It seems that the writers of these books often do the barest minimum of research, and then essentially tell their readers, "Hey, if we caught your interest here, you go do the research and find out for yourself!"…
The RIBZ Front Pack
Riding a dualsport presents challenges other than just learning how to maneuver through and over terrain that's different than what you find on the street. For example, my dualsporting apparel is really made for dirtbikers. In other words, there are no pockets. If I'm riding a dualsport with saddlebags, then I can use them to carry my things, but I would rather carry some things, like my cell phone, on my body—just in case I somehow get separated from my bike. So to carry my phone and other small items on my body, I tried a product called the RIBZ Front Pack ($64.95, www.ribzwear.com)…
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