Velocity Gear Motorcycle Armor We’re all amazed that you, our visitors, continue to ask for more motorcycle armor reviews. This is wonderful news, because it demonstrates that webBikeWorlders are focused on safety and performance, which pleases us to no end. So just for you, here’s another interesting piece of armored gear for your consideration. We …

Rev’it Ultimate Pants The Rev’it X-Vent pants were my favorite cool-weather motorcycle riding pants, bar none.  They fit well, they were comfortable and they kept me warm in throughout the cold winter months. There were two features that I wish were different though, and both of these (and more) have been addressed in the new …

It comes with a calibration compliance certificate that certifies the wrench to MIL STD 45662A and ANSI/NCSL Z540-1-1994 with accuracy traceable to the National Institute of Standards and Technology. It’s accurate to ±1% from 20% to 100% of its capacity in either direction.  One percent calculates to plus or minus 0.25 ft/lbs. at its maximum …

BMW Motorcycle Underwear Review Comfortable, breathable and seems to work as advertised. I’ve had mixed feelings on this motorcycle underwear thing. And that goes double when it comes to motorcycle underwear for summer. Sure, the pioneers in the Old West wore Long Johns under their wool bloomers…but what did they know from Coolmax? I mean …

Holofiber Motorcycle Underwear Review Holofiber is claimed to “modify the spectrum of visible and invisible light, interacting with certain wavelengths, and altering them into energy. When Holofiber is worn as clothing, or placed near a person (in a bed sheet or pillowcase) it transmits the altered energy to the body”. Hard to prove, but we …

Motorcycle Repair DVD Yamaha R6 Repair by Sportbike How-To (As of June 2008, apparently no longer in business?) DVD ($59.95) More:  See the wBW Motorcycle Maintenance and Repair page and the directory of all webBikeWorld motorcycle repair articles Sportbike How-To has recently released a motorcycle repair DVD set for the Yamaha R6.  But don’t get put off by the specificity …

BMW GS: A 30-Year Catalog – wBW Book Review BMW GS Adventure Motorcycle: A 30-Year Catalog by Hans-Jurgen Schneider and Dr. Axel Koenigsbeck Hardcover w/jacket: 210 pages Dimensions (mm): 287 x 227 x 23 Publisher: Parker House; (April 2009) ISBN: 978 097 968 917 8 List Price: $50.00 See Also: BMW GS Essential Buyer’s Guide book review. Dual-sport …

Powerful Heat With the EXO StormRider Heated Vest The fabrics used in the EXO StormRider are of high quality and the vest is very nicely made. It’s comfortable and useful whether the heating elements are turned on or off. The special fabric does not use traditional internal wiring, which allows it to provide very even …

RejeX Soil Barrier – Anti-Stain Protection We’ve always been on the search for unique or hard to find motorcycle related products and accessories, and it’s always a kick to find something that fits the bill. In baseball terms, it’s a double when the product is both unique and works as advertised.  An added kick is …

DR650 HID Headlight Conversion The “Bikemaster” brand HID headlight kit is available in several different bulb types. We installed the H4 kit on the Suzuki DR650 (blog) but the steps are the same for every bike. The HID bulb posed no difficulties; it is a direct replacement for the H4. Locating a suitable mounting position for the …

MyFi XM Radio Review Seventy feet is 21.3 meters, or 841.5 inches.  That’s how much wire is used to connect the various accessories of the Delphi XM MyFi radio kit together.  It’s ironic that a device that most people consider to be wireless comes with 70 feet of the stuff. We received one of the …

BMW Boxer From /5 1969 to 1985 Volume 1 – All Airheads With Twin Shocks by: Andy Schwietzer Hardcover: 170 pages Dimensions (in inches): 8.375 x 11.187 x 0.625 Publisher: Bodensteiner Verlag (First published in German 2006; English 2008) ISBN: 978 3 9806631 5 1 List Price: $ 46.00 – € 34.00 – £ 23.00 Retail:  Moto-Bins (UK) …

BMW R90S by: Ian Falloon Foreword by Reg Pridmore Hardcover – 128 pages,  (2006) Whitehorse Press ISBN: 10: 1-884313-56-6 Dimensions (in inches): 8.25×10.0 More:  wBW Book Review Index  |  Book Reviews by Rating  |  Vintage, Classic, Antique Motorcycles Page  |  BMW Page  |  Motorcycle Repair and Maintenance Article Index Ask one of today’s hyper-sportbike riders about the BMW R90S and you’ll …

Vincent in the Barn Great Stories of Motorcycle Archaeology By: Tom Cotter Hardcover: 256 pages; color and B&W photos Publisher: Motorbooks International (2009) ISBN-13: 978-0-7603-3535-2 Dimensions: 16 x 23.5 x 2.5 cm List price: $26.00 Everyone likes a surprise; good surprises are preferred. And there’s nothing better than a great “barn find”. A “barn find” …

Motorcycle Handbook Paperback: 122 pages Dimensions (in inches): 8-1/2 x 11.0 Publisher: The Bike Yard (1997) ISBN: 0760321140 Price: $20.00CDN + $5.00CDN S/H; $22.00 U.S. incl. S/H I can now recommend three books that should be the minimum required reading for any prospective or new motorcycle owner. They are 1) Streetbikes: Everything You Need To Know by …

The Mod Years – The Rocker Years “Bookazines” Edited by Steven Myatt Published by Mortons Media Group Ltd. £6.99 each Available from Mortons Books (UK) wBW Reviews Home  |  Book Reviews Index More: wBW Vintage, Classic & Antique Motorcycles Not many people outside the UK know about the Mods and the Rockers. I was fascinated by both movements in my …

Barry Sheene 1950-2003: The Biography by: Stuart Barker Hardcover Publisher: HarperCollins UK (August 2003) ISBN: 0007161808 We’ve had this review page up since the publication of Barry Sheene’s biography in 2003, and the book has been sitting on my shelf just as long. I’d come across this page and glance at the book, or vice …

Blood, Sweat & 2nd Gear By: flash gordon, m.d. ISBN: 978-1-884313-63-9 Dimensions (inches): 6 x 9 (15.2 x 22.9 cm) Publisher: Whitehorse Press, 2007 224 pages, B&W sketches and illustrations First things first: Yep, that’s his real name, and it’s spelled correctly. flash gordon, m.d., also known as “Doc flash” has been curing patients and kicking …

Roadgear AirTek Mesh Jacket – AirTek Mesh Pants Can there ever be too many choices for warm weather clothing?  I’m not sure if the “perfect” mesh combo exists just yet, but the evolution of the technology to produce these materials will surely give us more options. The mesh motorcycle clothing phenomenon is relatively new, but …

Sophomore Charm The HJC DS-X1 is the Korean company’s second dual-sport adventure-touring helmet. That is, if you count the HJC CL-XS (review), released in Europe way back in 2006, and featured in many other dualsport helment reviews. And there may have been more in other markets? While it may seem that HJC may have been ahead …

Max Volume and (Slightly) Better Sound Quality The Tork “Maxx” system is a combination set of speakers with a new inline micro-amplifier. It’s similar to the Tork XPro speakers I reviewed 4 years ago. That kit also included the Tork Booster, a much larger amplifier. The Tork Maxx speakers are thinner than the XPro at around 8 …

Motorcycle Gloves by Oregonians? HMK designs and sells outdoor gear, specializing in winter sports like snowmobiling. The company recently started developing a line of motorcycle-related products. The small lineup includes motorcycle gloves and some crossover products such as protectors, backpacks and goggles. There are even a few HMK-branded off-road helmets now available. HMK is an …

Summer Gloves With Questionable Protection I’ve been on a quest. This time, it’s in search of the perfect summer motorcycle gloves. But I’m not sure if the perfect pair really does exist. Sure, there are plenty of textile mesh or perforated leather choices. But I haven’t really found anything that offers the winning combination of protection and …

Max Ventilation With H2Out The new Spidi Ventamax mesh jacket is a summer version of the Spidi Multiwinter H2Out jacket. Both have what we call a 5/8 length. It’s slightly longer than your typical short mesh jacket but not quite 3/4-length. Goldilocks would like it — not too short, not too long, but just right! Spidi calls this an …

Urban Style Gloves Are Waterproof and Comfy The new Spidi Avant Garde gloves are about as comfy as you’ll get in a motorcycle glove. The leather is super-soft sheep and goat hide with dress glove feel. The interior is lined with soft and fluffy micro-fleece, just like ski gloves. But don’t let the looks fool …

2016 BikeVis Bullets in Amber and White BikeVis Bullets are our favorite motorcycle conspicuity lights. They’re easy to install and connect and they use very little juice. But the design ensures that they’re very bright. And you can add a BikeVis PodMod Modulator (review) “twinkler” for each pair of lights for even more conspicuity. We’ve reviewed BikeVis …

The Held Version of the Dual Chamber Glove The Held Air N Dry gloves have an excellent overall construction. They also have the “dual chamber” design we’ve seen before. But this time, it’s a Gore-Tex waterproof chamber on top and a perforated leather chamber on the bottom. That does seem to us as reversed from …

A Flip-up Joins the Lineup The Kabuto Ibuki is a new flip-up helmet recently added to the Japanese company’s expanded lineup. The styling is “flip-up generic”, designed for owners in this market segment, who tend to be more concerned about function over flash. The Ibuki’s upper ventilation system is excellent and among the best of …

The Gloves of August Excellent quality hot-weather gloves with a touch of kangaroo leather and Superfabric. Not the ultimate in protection, but perhaps enough to satisfy. As always with summer gloves, there’s a compromise between ventilation and safety. Held USA is under new management by SCHUBERTH USA. Seems a bit strange but makes a bit of sense also, …

Let’s Reflect on This Mesh Jacket The Joe Rocket Phoenix Ion Jacket is a variant of the long-running and ever-popular Joe Rocket Phoenix mesh jacket (review). Our feeling is that there’s not all that much difference between the standard Phoenix jacket and the Phoenix Ion version. There is one thing though: the “INNOLITE” reflective coating on …

Gore-Tex and Outlast Reporting for Winter Duty The Rukka Imatra gloves pretty much have it all. Gore-Tex? Check. That means they’re 100% guaranteed waterproof. Leather? Check. Nice ‘n’ soft. Doubled on the middle knucks. Knuckle protection? Check. Nice big carbon fiber unit over the mains and TPU cover the first three fingers. Scaphoid palm slider? Check. Secure …

wBW Quick Look: AFX FX-120 Updates We first reviewed the AFX FX-120 (review) in March of 2013. The FX-120 is the company’s top-of-the-line helmet, with a list price of $149.95 for solid colors and $159.95 for graphics. While overall we rated the FX-120 as a pretty good value, the original version of the helmet had a few issues …

Can HJC Improve the IS Formula? The HJC IS-17 is a sort of mashup between the HJC FG-17 (review) and the HJC CL-17 (review). Both of those helmets were reviewed recently on webBikeWorld and many of you asked for an IS-17 review, so here you go. In the U.S.A., the IS-17 trades the Snell certification for an internal …

AGV Numo Evo Flip-up Motorcycle Helmet Review The new AGV Numo Evo flip-up helmet is now the top of the GT range in the AGV helmet lineup. A new AGV Skyline (review pending) is now in the second spot in the GT lineup, moving the AGV Horizon (review) into third position. The AGV Miglia II (review) continues to anchor …

HJC CL-Max II Helmet Review The HJC CL-Max II is a basic, no-frills, flip-up motorcycle helmet. It’s comfortable (for “Round” shaped heads) and the price is right; it can be found for $115.00 in solid colors. One of the big selling points for the CL-Max II is that it is available in a huge number …

The Shoei Open Face Helmet The Shoei RJ-Platinum R is a modern take on an iconic motorcycle helmet design. It’s a popular helmet with touring riders and cruiser owners. The RJ-Platinum R has an excellent build quality. It also has a comfortable interior that is somewhat different from other modern Shoei helmets. The solid-feeling shell …

The Essential Buyer’s Guide by: Dave Orritt Paperback ISBN: 978-1-845845-23-0 Publisher: Veloce Publishing Publication Date: February 2013 60 pages. 195 mm x 139 mm x 4 mm List Price: $19.95/£9.99 Here’s another in the “Essential Buyer’s Guide” series from Veloce Publishing, which includes nearly 100 vehicles, from the Volkswagen Beetle and BSA Bantam to this …

Triumph Production Testers’ Tales   From the Meriden Factory by: Hughie Hancox Softcover ISBN: 978-1-845844-41-7 Publisher: Veloce Books Publication Date: November 2012 160 Pages. 183 Color & B/W Photos. 21×25 cm List Price: $39.95 USD; £19.99 webBikeWorld.com Book Review by “Burn” Hughie Hancox was well-known in the vintage Triumph community as an expert restorer and successful author. …

Triumph Production Testers’ Tales Softcover ISBN: 978-1-845844-41-7 Publisher: Veloce Books Publication Date: November 2012 160 Pages. 183 Color & B/W Photos. 21×25 cm List Price: $39.95 USD; £19.99 webBikeWorld.com Book Review by “Burn” Hughie Hancox was well-known in the vintage Triumph community as an expert restorer and successful author. He started his career at the Triumph factory …

AGV “Blade” Helmet Review The AGV Blade is comfortable, relatively lightweight and easy to wear. It has a different shape than the typical half-helmet or even the “Jet” styled European open-face helmets. The Blade comes in a variety of colors and graphics and it has an excellent finish and comfortable fit. The chin strap has …