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Review


TechSox Boot Socks Review It’s nearing the end of the summer motorcycle riding season here in the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S.A. All of the new-for-2006 motorcycle helmets, clothing and many accessories have long since been released and we’re waiting for the new batch of 2007 goodies. In the meantime, there are a few items …

Stanley Tripod Flashlight Review Very nicely made and a real conversation piece. Also very handy and by the way — it throws a nice, wide and powerful beam. I’m not sure when I first became aware of the Tripod flashlight, but as soon as I saw it I knew I had to have one. We …

Jett Battery Heated Vest for Motorcycling Finally — nice warm heat without wires! This must be the Year of the Heated Vest! And just in time, because the frost is on the pumpkin, as they say, here in the Mid-Atlantic U.S.A. (translation: it’s October and it’s starting to get cold!). The EXO2 StormRider heated vest (review) remains …

A Cooling Neck Wrap for Summer I’ve either been accelerated through time in a wormhole or the fall weather has bulldozed its way in much quicker than I expected. Or, all of the above. Because it seems like yesterday I was riding in mesh clothing and today I’m freezing my buns off. The beautiful fall …

REV’IT! “Scoop” Windproof Vest Review Stylish comfort that works to block the wind. It provides about an extra 10 degrees Fahrenheit worth of protection when riding an unfaired bike in winter. The weather has quickly turned nasty this year. It changed from our typical hot and humid summers to a cold and damp fall seemingly …

Marsee “Teardrop” Tank Bag I found the 20 liter teardrop tank bag by Marsee fits all of my needs. This is the first in a series of improvements to the new 2006 Yamaha FJR1300A in my quest to make it my “Ultimate Sport Tourer”. I elected to start with installing a tank bag because it can be …

Changing the Oil and Filter on a Ducati 1000DS Engine NOTE: See important update regarding recommended oil viscosity (below)  |  New information added regarding the oil pickup screen below We often rant about motorcycle owners who bring their rides to the dealer for the most basic maintenance tasks rather than doing it themselves. The ranting has boxed …

Held “Fresh” Motorcycle Gloves The air is just starting to get that taste of fall and the leaves are beginning to think about leaving town. So it may seem like a strange time to do a review of the Held Fresh summer mesh gloves. I’ve been wearing them for several weeks, but our busy schedules of late …

J&M “Integratr” Motorcycle Intercom If you are considering a portable motorcycle audio system, this would be my first choice of what is available on the market today (2006). There’s a considerable amount of flexibility and options for the unit, and functionally it is considerably better than most of the units I’ve ridden with. J&M Corporation …

A Handlebar Clock For Your Motorcycle The Bike-Watch is a nice addition to a motorcycle if yours does not have a standard clock. Easy to install on a handlebar (if you have room). The batteries are claimed to last 1-2 years. The face reads “Quarz” instead of “Quartz”. Loses a few seconds per month. Claimed …

Oberon Bar End Mirrors Review High quality with custom-made appearance but I couldn’t get one side to stay put. Ducati owners know that buying the bike is just the first step in what is sure to become a wallet-draining extravaganza of customization. The world is full of retailers selling the zillion or so Ducati accessories. …

MotoGP Technology Hardcover: 192 pages ; Dimensions (mm): 270 x 210 Publisher: Haynes Publishing (October 2006) ISBN: 1844253104 Available From: Haynes UK, £25.00 or Amazon.co.uk More:  Kevin Cameron’s outstanding Sportbike Performance Handbook  |  Many more motorcycle book reviews listed on the wBW Motorcycle Book Reviews index All I can say is “Wow!”  Haynes has done a super-fantastic job with the book MotoGP …

Olympia Women’s Perforated Leather Gloves In all my years of riding and pillioning (a new word I just made up!) on motorcycles, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a woman wearing full leathers and race equipment. Not that it doesn’t happen, because I have seen some photos of women at track days who are dressed …

Z1R Eclipse Helmet How time flies! It was just about one year ago since our Z1R ZRP-1 helmet review. We probably wouldn’t have reviewed it, except that Motorcyclist magazine ran a very interesting story on helmet safety and the ZRP-1 scored very highly in their non-standard testing, so we figured we’d have to give it a …

2008-2009 Winter Waterproof Motorcycle Gloves Review webBikeWorld visitors frequently ask for comparison reviews of various products. But there are several logistical problems with this type of review. These are discussed in this section of the Site Info page and this 2008 winter glove review poses yet another issue. This was initially planned as a single review of …

Tow-Behind Pet Trailer? I remember a long time ago when the automobile manufacturers would give away toy models of their new car line each fall. My brother had dozens and he probably wishes he still had them packed away in the attic because I’m sure they’re valuable collector’s items by now. That marketing concept is …

Blue Away Review Blue Away “Motorcycle Exhaust Blue Remover Cream” didn’t work very well in this trial. The Counterman rang up my order and announced “That’ll be $41.63.” I remember thinking that it seemed like a lot of dosh for an oil filter, a small bottle of Blue Away (2.5 ounces, to be exact) and …

Joe Rocket GPX 2.0 Men’s Professional Race Gloves We’ve been reporting on the evolution of Joe Rocket clothing for several years, watching the quality rise from mediocre to first-rate during that time. I remember not too long ago when buying a Joe Rocket jacket was nearly the social equivalent of buying a helmet at K-Mart.  But …

Protective Mesh for Summer The first thing that caught my eye was the $54.95 list price for these Komodo mesh motorcycle gloves. I tried them on and then did a double- and triple-take at the price tag, which seemed about 30% lower than I expected. “Must be an End-of-Summer sale”, I thought. But it’s not — $54.95 …

Marlin Motorcycle Clock and Motorcycle Thermometer Review It’s not easy to call our new Ducati GT1000 (blog) a hack bike because it simply looks too cool to serve as the webBikeWorld runner. Nevertheless, that’s what it is. Who knows how long it will stay in the garage? Rick’s already got his eye on a Multistrada 620 (blog) No …

KBC VR-2 Motorcycle Helmet I guess I’ve become the de facto KBC reviewer. As soon as we posted our recent take on the KBC VR-3, the emails started pouring in, asking about the KBC VR-2 “Mirage”. We originally thought that the VR-2 was similar enough to the original VR-1 that it wouldn’t be worth the effort of …

Fieldsheer High-Temp Jacket and Pants Review I was hoping to get this review out of the way several weeks ago, back when the weather was at its most sultry. Now that September has arrived with its promise of cooler temperatures, I figured we’d better get this done before it’s too late. If this Fieldsheer jacket …

BMW Motorcycles: The Evolution of Excellence Hardcover: 174 pages Dimensions (in inches): 9.13 x 6.8 x 0.75 Publisher: Whitehorse Press; (September 2006) ISBN: 1884313574 List Price: $29.95 More:  wBW Book Review Index  |  Book Reviews by Rating  |  Vintage, Classic, Antique Motorcycles Page  |  BMW Page  |  Motorcycle Repair and Maintenance Article Index Here we are in 2006 and I have to …

KBC VR-3 Stealth Motorcycle Helmet It seems like ages ago since we posted a review of the KBC VR-1, the first of KBC’s “VR” series of motorcycle helmets. The VR-1 put KBC on the map as a motorcycle helmet manufacturer that offered high-end features at rock-bottom prices. Our conclusion was that the VR-1 offered “excellent value for …

Dri-Duke Moisture Transport Wicking Shirt Review Works under leathers or textile to wick away moisture. You’re looking at what must be the best kept secret in sports clothing. This shirt keeps the wearer cool with “moisture transport” technology. But try to find one! [UPDATE: See below for more information on availability.] We ordered this shirt …

Rev’it Motorcycle Socks Review The Rev’it Moto Touring Socks are probably the highest-tech socks you can buy! Introduction The business of reviewing motorcycle products and clothing never seems to get boring. Just when I start to get jaded, something like this shows up on the doorstep! You’re looking at what has to be the highest-tech, …

Olympia AST Jacket Review Do you find yourself browsing through the racks of gear at bike shops to check out the latest riding apparel? Maybe you’re like me, with a collection of riding jackets filling the closets throughout the house. Each one is designed to cope with a narrow range of weather conditions, but I never seem …

Setup Pegaso Air Vented Boots In the interest of full disclosure, I’ll have to admit right up front that when it comes to vented motorcycle boots, I’m biased. The truth is, I love my Oxtar TCS Sport boots.  They’re comfy and they flow lots of cooling air over my tired ol’ dogs. OK, so they squeak …

Unique SCHUBERTH Open-Face Helmet Helmet With Chin Bar The SCHUBERTH J1 gave me one of the biggest slap-the-forehead “why didn’t I think of that” moments in my life. The J1 is basically an open-face motorcycle helmet with a snap-in hoop, designed to protect the rider’s chin. Leave it to SCHUBERTH to think of something like …

The “Poor Man’s” Carb Adjustment Sometimes, you can get lucky and a simple can of carb cleaner works magic. The Triumph Tiger had been sitting in the dealer’s showroom for several months with a half-full tank of gas when I bought it in the Fall of 2004. The dealer didn’t start it, nor did he …

The Nady MRC-11X and Nady PMC-3x The folks at Nady Systems have produced a trio of small, lightweight motorcycle communication systems, the PMC-2X intercom, the PMC-3X intercom with FM radio and a bike-to-bike communications system called the MRC-11X. The PMC-3X intercom with FM radio is powered by three AAA batteries or the motorcycle’s electrical system …

No-Mar Motorcycle Tire Changer Many of us do a lot of our own motorcycle maintenance and repair. The motivations for this are varied, but cost savings is probably the number one reason. I know it is for me! I’ve been an Automotive Technician for more years than I wish to remember, and it pains me …

Bell Apex Helmet Review The Bell Apex is made with very high quality, it has a comfortable liner, good air flow on the chin but weak up top. The helmet also meets the U.S. DOT standard and it is Snell certified. Like the proverbial Phoenix, Bell Helmets rose from the ashes a few years ago. …

Performance Riding Techniques wBW Book Review Performance Riding Techniques is a fantastic new book. It also shows a new direction for Haynes Publishing. Haynes is most familiar to U.S. motorcycle owners as the publishers of motorcycle repair manuals and guides. Haynes books have been around virtually forever, guiding owners with repair and restoration info on obscure …

Velocity Gear F9 and S1 Gloves Review Nice gloves, loaded with features. Based on our examples, they fit 1/2 to 1 size wider than normal. We get many tips about interesting new motorcycle products and accessories from our visitors. Some of them are dead-ends, and others are golden. The tips, that is, not the visitors! …

Shoei Hornet Japanese Version Our review of the Arai XD was way more popular than we anticipated. And that tells me that there’s a huge market for what we’re calling “dual sport” motorcycle helmets! I’m not sure if it’s the enormous popularity of the BMW R1200GS or the maybe-it’ll-be-here-someday Supermoto fad that drives the interest in this …

Suomy Vandal Helmet Review Well, there goes another theory out the window. Did I once say that fewer helmet appendages would mean lower noise levels? I hereby disavow ever making that statement!  Read on and you’ll learn why. Based on the intelligence I gathered at the 2006 Dealer Powersports Expo in Indianapolis back in February, …

A Mini LED Keychain Light Things have been a little slow around here lately, mostly due to the intolerable weather that has us watching MotoGP video reruns instead of riding. The entire planet seems to be on fire, and the way it’s going, we’ll all have to find a new pastime sooner rather than later. …

Yet Another Motorcycle Battery Charger We last visited the topic of motorcycle battery chargers about one year ago with our review of the Battery Doc. In that article, we mentioned that our three Battery Tenders had been in continuous use since 2000. We’re now half-way through 2006 and the Battery Tenders are still going strong. They’re …

The “Beginner” Shoei? Self-doubt. It’s a terrible thing. I can feel it around here lately because we’re beginning to wonder just what really does make one helmet better than another. For example, just when we thought we had the helmet noise issue all figured out, the Suomy Vandal (review) blew our theories went right down the tubes. The Vandal …