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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.

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September 2010

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…

August 2010

DVD: One Crazy Ride

There is a scene in One Crazy Ride where rider/filmmaker Guarav Jani is faced with the task of getting his over-loaded Enfield motorcycle across a terribly dicey bridge. Over 600 feet long and built high above a swift Himalayan river, the span is constructed of nothing more than wooden planks, some bamboo, and a lot of handmade rope. Since this bridge is not much wider than a footbridge, Jani stops two or three times for a brief moment as he rides across—as if to gather himself before continuing on. Thanks to the camera mounted on the front of his bike, we make the crossing with him. Each time he stops, we breathe. When he sets off again, we don't. It is an utterly breathtaking scene, in the most literal sense of the term…

Klim Adventure Rally Suit

It's hard to get your hands on one, but once you do I guarantee you won't want to let it go. Sold out in their first run, the two-piece Adventure Rally Suit is Klim's bold entry into the adventure suit market. Designed for Dakar and adventure riders alike, the Adventure Rally Suit is remarkably comfortable for long-distance riding. Like the name implies, the suit has been engineered for rally-style riding—meaning hard-core, athletic, long-time-in-the-saddle riding. Best of all, it's waterproof…

July 2010

Motorcycle Camping Made Easy

Every writer who sits down to write an informational book needs to address a few basic issues before they begin. First, who is the intended audience? Is it a broad cross-section of individuals or a narrow slice of a particular group? Also, what is the base knowledge level of the intended audience? Are they bunny slope material or do they have black-diamond knowledge? For example, say you want to write a book on home repairs. Is your audience all first-time homeowners, proficient DIYers, or even licensed contractors? A book written for the latter would surely frustrate the first group, and maybe even the second. However, a manual written to encompass all three groups would run the risk of being redundant for the professional and/or overly technical for the amateur. To put it simply, authors always need to keep their audience in mind as they write. One should never write over their target audiences' head—or under it either. After all, the idea is to inform rather than bore or befuddle…

June 2010

Riding America's Backroads: 20 Top Motorcycle Tours

In the interests of full disclosure, I have a confession to make. I am a total sucker for glossy motorcycle touring books. You know, the ones that have page after page of big and colorful tourism bureau photographs showing lovely roads winding through stunning scenery. When it comes to these things, I am like a trophy wife on a spending spree—I want them all. Come to think of it, such tempters do not even need to be motorcycle-related, but they do need to have velvety black ribbons of pavement swirling off to the horizon, as if beckoning their readers with the soft whisper that says, 'You could, no should, be here…

May 2010

Indian Larry: Chopper Shaman

The photograph on the cover of the new 'biography' of Indian Larry Desmedt is a telling one. (I use the word 'biography' loosely because, well, we will get to that in a bit.) The shot is a close-up of the famed bike builder (who died in a stunt-riding accident in August 2004) sitting on a bike with his hands grasping the shiny chrome apehanger handlebars and with tattoos and skull jewelry clearly visible in all their colorful glory. What is interesting about the shot is not the body art (although that does draw the eye), but rather the look on the subject's face. His brow is furrowed, his lips are set in a grim line, and his eyes are slightly narrowed as they look askance at the camera. He looks skeptical, or maybe even a little angry, as if he thinks that this whole portrait thing might be a bad idea and that no good can come of it…

March 2010

Maximum Control: Mastering Your Heavyweight Bike

Shaquille O'Neal once observed, "Excellence is not a singular act, but a habit. You are what you repeatedly do." While that statement certainly applies to jump shots and fast breaks, it also applies to motorcycling. Just as Shaq did not become a great basketball player without spending hundreds of hours practicing his lay-ups, a good and safe rider does not become so without concentrated focus on his (or her) skills. Hazard avoidance, braking (particularly in emergency situations), and maneuvering at low speeds in tight places are just a few of the skills that should be habitual to every rider, no matter what they ride. However, since we do not have occasion to use them every day (hopefully), these abilities maybe do not get quite the attention they should from motorcyclists busy with work, family, and other distractions…

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