Product Reviews

This section describes the product reviews 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.

April 2008

BMW Riding Apparel—Allround Boots, ProSummer Gloves, and the Comfortshell Suit

With a nine-day tour of the Alps planned as chase rider and photographer, I knew the correct motorcycle gear was going to be very important to the success of my mission. Growing up in Europe burned long-lasting memories of how wet it can be, and with our tour spending many days in the Alps, I also knew I needed to be prepared for cold. As a working vacation, I wouldn't have the time to be messing with a separate rain suit, so I decided to go to the best source of motorcycle apparel I know and ask for some advice…

March 2008

Aerostitch Kanetsu Wind Blocker Electric Liner

I have been a fan of electrically heated accessories since the early 1980s, when the purchase of a first-generation electric vest, combined with the Beemer's heated hand grips, allowed riding on those sunny-but-cold days when most bikers were parked in front of their fireplaces. On days when no amount of bundling would allow the hardiest of riders to pass up the first cafe that served hot coffee, that electric vest became an essential piece of my motorcycling gear. (Twenty-five years on, that vest is still warming its third owner after the first two had to move on, being victims of lateral expansion)…

Project Gotham Racing 4 for Xbox 360

In November of 2001, Microsoft released the first iteration of Project Gotham Racing (PGR), an automobile racing video game for the Xbox platform. Developed by the Liverpool-based game developer Bizarre Creations, the game featured a dozen or so different tracks spread around London, New York, Tokyo, and San Francisco. Each player could choose from one of nearly 30 cars, which ranged from the new Volkswagen Beetle to a line-up of Ferraris. But what set PGR apart from the pack was that, in order to advance in the game, players had to both go fast and earn "kudos" for their driving skills. Unlike the many other video racing games crowding the shelves, PGR rewards players not just for going fast, but also for going fast with style…

RKA Sonoman Tank Bag

If only I could carry a purse. Winter riding requires carrying around extra supplies and provisions, meaning one either has to don a backpack or ride around with half-full saddlebags—or so I thought until I tested the 25-liter, three-point Sonoman tank bag from RKA. Some tank bags hold little more than a pamphlet and a cell phone, but the discerning rider knows a big bag makes all the difference. Alas, not all bags are created equal…

January 2008

Powerlet ProForm Heated Gloves

The gas station cashier took one look at me as I came in from the freezing rain and exclaimed, "Oh my God, are you alright?" However, once she grasped my hands and felt their electrified warmth, her concern was dismissed with a careless, "Never mind." This was hardly fair in light of the fact that I had just ridden 150 miles in subfreezing weather and was actually darn cold, but thanks to my Powerlet ProForm Heated Gloves, my hands were nice and warm. (Good thing too, since my Seattle destination was still another 90 miles up a very cold road.)…

Shoei Multitec Helmet

For the past several years, I've been looking for a flip-up helmet for use in my daily riding and touring. While I understand the appeal and convenience of an open-face helmet, my crash testing of helmets has led me to believe that more coverage around the face is better. (I've emerged from those tumbles unscathed, but my full-face helmets' chin bars have been more than a little worse for wear.) Consequently, I've limited my use of open-face helmets to photo shoots where the editor has requested that I wear one, returning to my full-face model as soon as the photographer put the camera away. Still, I find myself wishing for the open-face convenience when I'm traveling and taking my own pictures—or simply trying to talk to people without having to remove my lid. You would think that a flip-up helmet would be ideal for someone like me, but until I tried Shoei's Multitec, every other flip-up I tried had issues that I could not abide for regular use…

November 2007

Alaska Leather Sheepskin Buttpad

Did you know that each of Phoenix, Arizona's police motorcycles include a piece of gear that has nothing to do with flashing lights, radio communication, or carrying capacity of additional citation forms? Every machine—the beloved but soon to be retired Kawasaki, the replacement Harley, and the Honda ST13 now undergoing evaluation—has a seat cover made of fluffy black sheepskin…

HJC FS-10 Helmet

Have you ever gone for a ride when it's cloudy and overcast, only to have it clear up so that you're riding into the blinding sun, wishing you had a tinted faceshield? Or you've gone out for a ride with a tinted shield on, expecting to return before dark, only to find you're stuck out at night, riding slowly with the faceshield flipped up, squinting into the wind, hoping no bugs get in your eyes?…

September 2007

Aerostich Triple Digit Rain Cover

As I said in my Frogg Toggs review (page 34), I don't mind riding in the rain as long as I don't get wet. But even though I had a pair of the Aerostich Triple Digit Rain Covers in my tankbag during a recent storm, I did not put them on. The result was a pair of soggy gloves on soggy hands…

Frogg Toggs Pro Advantage Bib Suit

I don't mind riding in the rain, as long as I don't get wet. To keep dry while riding, I have tried inexpensive rain gear not made for motorcycling which ends up shredding fairly quickly from the wind. I also have tried a lightweight 'motorcycle rainsuit' that did an okay job with light rain but started to seep if I encountered a downpour or had to ride in light rain for more than an hour. When I was planning my June cross-country trip I knew I had to get something better, so I chose Frogg Toggs…

August 2007

Kushitani GPR 5 Gloves

A recently televised public service ad aimed at making car drivers more aware of motorcyclists, makes me cringe every time it runs. It starts by showing a cell phone-dialing driver crossing the center line of a curvy road, then the camera zooms in on the oncoming sportbike rider taking evasive action. Both swerve at just the right time and all is well, yet what jumps out and slaps me in the face is that the rider is geared up like Rossi ready for a GP except he is not wearing gloves!…

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