reviews
RKA Luggage Review
Made in the U.S.A. Luggage Combo: The RKA Shiloh Road Tank Bag and the RKA Starr II Seat Bag RKA Luggage has been made in the U.S.A. since the early 1980’s. The company now offers a huge line of tank bags, seat bags, saddlebags, bag liners and more. Each luggage piece also comes in a …
Joe Rocket Ballistic 7.0 Pants Review
Crash Tested Overpants for Men and Women The Joe Rocket Ballistic 7.0 textile riding pants offer versatility, protection and bang for the buck. In fact, this pair survived a crash that totaled the bike; more on that below. Also, both men’s and women’s specific versions of the Ballistic 7.0 pants are available. A huge size …
Arai Quantum-X Review
Round Heads Rejoice! The Arai Quantum is back! Round-heads, earth-shaped heads and “bulb” heads finally have a helmet that fits. It’s been a long time — nearly 7 years — since Arai had a “Round Oval” helmet in their U.S. lineup. The last Round Oval helmet offered by the Japanese company was the Arai Quantum II …
iXS Vidar Gloves Review
Gore-Tex, Waterproof, CE Certified “Handschuhe” The iXS “Vidar” gloves may look fairly basic but the details and execution are what make the difference. First off, the Gore-Tex waterproof guarantee is the headliner here. But there’s a lot more than that… The Vidar gloves are not heavily lined, so they’re not necessarily designed for ultra-cold weather. But they are …
HMK Intimidator Gloves Review
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 …
Koso Apollo Heated Grips Review
The Latest in Heated Grips The Koso Apollo heated grips are simple and innovative. The left grip has a built-in controller and on/off switch, which definitely streamlines the installation process. These are the top-of-the-line Koso heated grips with a unique built-in controller. They have five heat levels, controlled by a simple thumb button that has …
2016 BMW C 650 GT Review
Updates Make a World of Difference I’ve been following the evolution of BMW scooters since the BMW “Concept C” was first introduced at the 2010 EICMA show (report). The following year, I published this preview of the new BMW “C” scooters from the 2011 EICMA show. When the BMW C 650 GT and C 600 Sport scooters …
SCHUBERTH C4 Helmet Preview
The New C4 SCHUBERTH has announced the long-awaited update to the popular SCHUBERTH C3 (review). There just aren’t many details about the SCHUBERTH C4, but here are three photos showing a sample of the graphics. SCHUBERTH also hasn’t said whether the C4 will finally get at least one more additional shell size; let’s keep our fingers …
Spidi Ace Leather Jacket Review
Soft and Stylish Retro Leather for Women and Men The very retro Spidi Ace leather jacket is also very popular. It’s available in both women’s and men’s specific sizes and styling in black only. There’s a “blackout” version for both women and men, with blacked-out stripes instead of the “Black/Ice” version with white stripes shown here. …
Spidi Stormy Jacket Review
Warm and Waterproof Street Style for Women The Spidi Stormy H2Out Jacket combines street wear with waterproof motorcycle protection. It has “Urban” style that makes it versatile off the bike as well as on. The jacket is very comfortable, warm, windproof and waterproof, making it an excellent choice for three-season use. It has Spidi style and construction …
SJCAM SJ4000 Review
A Cheap GoPro Clone The SJCAM SJ4000 action camera is a pretty close copy of the GoPro Hero series. But it’s about 1/3 the price. I’m guessing neither GoPro or SJCAM will like that comparison, but there it is. In fact, the SJ4000 is so close in shape, size and format that it fits in …
Snap-On LED Work Light Review
Rugged and Inexpensive Work Light Without the Heat The Snap-On LED Work Light (part number 922261) puts out a claimed 2,000 lumens. It’s nicely made and it’s rugged enough for garage use. The light has 46 LEDs and the output is nice and wide with no hot spots. It’s not quite powerful enough to use …
Weiser LED Turn Signal Review
The Weiser Ultrabrights Extreme LED Turn Signals The Weiser Ultrabrights Extreme LED “arrow head” inserts are a simple and very effective means to upgrade and significantly enhance turn signal light output. The Weiser LED kits are available for many different motorcycle makes and models. Those include Aprilia, Buell, Ducati, KTM, MV Augusta, Moto Guzzi, Triumph, …
Black and Decker Gyro Review
The Black and Decker Gyro Screwdriver The Black & Decker “Gyro” rechargeable screwdriver is the “World’s 1st motion activated screwdriver that controls variable speed and direction”. It’s an inexpensive and handy tool for working on motorcycles, especially with all the Torx fasteners used today. It takes standard 1/4″ drive bits, including Phillips, flat, Torx, square …
SW-Motech Quick-Lock EVO Daypack
The Convoluted Tale of A Tank Bag for Two Kawasakis Here’s a photo-heavy update on the surprisingly useful SW-Motech Quick-Lock EVO Daypack we first reviewed in 2014. All of the features and details on fitting and installing the Daypack were covered in that review. Also, more details on the SW-Motech Quick-Lock system can be found in the Suzuki …
ROK Straps Review
The Modern, Safer and More Secure Replacement for the Bungee A ROK Strap is an intelligent solution to thedangers of bungee cords. Suffice it to say that bungee cords are dangerous — and a leading cause of eye injuries. If you don’t want to believe that, then at least believe that bungee cords just don’t …
iXS Criton Jacket Review
The Mid-Range, 3-Season Do-It-All iXS is a new name to the U.S. motorcycle apparel scene. The Swiss company traces its lineage all the way back to 1906 and U.S. operations started a couple of years ago. We previewed the introduction of the iXS brand to the U.S. in this report from the 2014 AIMExpo show. iXS is well-known …
Knox Roseberry Jeans Review
Comfort, Protection and Style Roseberry women’s jeans by Knox, the armour specialists, offer protection combined with comfort and style. And that’s everything you want from a pair of motorcycle jeans. I’ve never been a big fan of motorcycle jeans. It seems to me that they try to do two jobs and fail at both: not …
Mustang Seat Review
The Mustang “Wide Tripper” Seat The Mustang Wide Tripper is a nicely constructed aftermarket seat. It’s suitable for all-day touring, cruising the strip or just looking good parked outside the local pub. Two years ago I bought my motorcycle brand new, right off the showroom floor. But before I could ride it home, I had …
Continental Road Attack 2 EVO Review
“Redefines the Limits in Sport Touring” The Continental Road Attack 2 EVO is a sport-touring tire with the grip of a Hypersport tire. The handling is definitely different from other similar motorcycle tires but you’ll quickly adjust. Wet traction and braking with the Road Attack 2 EVO tires is superb and the tires inspire confidence. …
WeeTect Anti-Fog Visor Review
Pinlock Gets A Competitor WeeTect is a new name in anti-fog visor inserts for motorcycle helmets. But WeeTect Inc. isn’t new; the company has been in business since 1993. They manufacture all sorts of eye and face protection products including visors and face shields for motorcycle helmets, safety helmets and more. The company also makes …
Arai Vector 2 Owner Report Helmet Review
The Arai Vector 2: Another Look We first reviewed the Arai Vector 2 in February of 2011. At that time, the Vector 2 was a brand-new update to the original Arai Vector (review) of 2007. The Vector 2 has the Arai “Intermediate Oval” internal shape; i.e., what we call “Neutral” to “Slightly Narrow”. The Vector series has remained as …
SHAD Top Master Mounting Kit
Installing the BMW Luggage Rack and the SHAD “Top Master” Top Case Mounting Kit on a BMW S1000XR The BMW S1000XR is now gone, but there are still some stories to be told. One important subject is the BMW Luggage Carrier (Grid). It didn’t get installed at the factory on this early production S1000XR due …
REV’IT! Enterprise 2 Pants Review
Three Season Pants for Women and Men The Enterprise 2 pants are a good choice for cool and inclement weather motorcycle riding. The pants offer REV’IT! quality and design at a competitive price There are many changes in this second version of the Enterprise pants that separate it from the original not only in design …
Radiantz Puckz LED Brake Light Review
Big, Bold, Round LED Brake Lights I had the Radiantz “Puckz” 2.25″ LED brake/running lights hanging around in the garage for years — literally. I don’t even remember why I bought them or when — could it possibly have been 10 years ago? That could very well be, because Radiantz has been making the Puckz …
License Plate LED Brake Light
Electrical Connection License Plate LED Light I installed an Electrical Connection LED brake and running light bar on the rear of the 2015 Kawasaki Versys 650 LT (Blog) Project Bike. While I was at it, I also installed the pair of Radiantz “Puckz” (pronounced “pucks”) LEDs that Rick had listed in the webBikeWorld Garage Sale. The Puckz have …
Kaoko Throttle Control for the Kawasaki Versys
Once More With the Kaoko Throttle Control One last time — I promise! We originally reviewed the Kaoko throttle control fitted to a BMW C 650 GT scooter (Blog) After that, we did a second review of the Kaoko throttle control on the Suzuki V-Strom 1000 ABS (Blog). And once more for the special Kaoko throttle control for use with Barkbusters (and …
Touratech Aventuro Mod Helmet Review
A Better E1? The Touratech Aventuro Mod is a dual-sport flip-up motorcycle helmet. It was announced along with the SCHUBERTH E1 (review)at the 2015 AIMExpo (Report). The Aventuro Mod was introduced in our Touratech Aventuro Mod Preview. This is the fourth dual-sport flip-up helmet review published on webBikeWorld. The first helmet in this new and emerging category was …
Bot-Wing Airfoil Review
The BMW GS Turbulence Buster The Bot-Wing airfoil helps to smooth frontal air flow and redirects much of the “dirty” air away for a quieter, smoother and more enjoyable ride. The Bot-Wing is a logical, simple and effective add-on to newer BMW R 1200 GS and GS Adventure motorcycles. Coming from the mind of a …
REV’IT! Outback 2 Jacket Review
Do-It-All Jacket for Men and Women The REV’IT! Outback 2 jacket is versatile multi-season garment. It’s styled for adventure with more of a standard 3/4 jacket length in the front. The Outback 2 includes multiple liners which can be swapped in and out or combined. These cover most weather conditions and the ventilation works well …
Skene P3 Brake Lights Review
Programmable LED Brake Lights The Skene Design P3 LED brake lights are small but powerful. They come with brackets for mounting on the license plate bolts. You can buy the lights separately or with a programmable controller. The IQ-260 controller has 10 different programming modes, accessible at any time. Flash the brake lights 4 times …
Knox Orsa Gloves Review
BOA System and 15-Way CE Protection The Knox Orsa gloves are cool and comfortable for summer, with all the protective features you’d expect from Knox. They’re CE certified to EN13594:2012 for everything from Design and Construction to the pH value of the leather. The certification also includes abrasion resistance; impact resistance with the Knox SPS …
Interphone Tour Review
You Asked For It! The Interphone Tour is the new top-of-the-line Bluetooth 4.2 intercom system from Interphone. It marks a new direction for Interphone, as the Tour is quite different from the Italian company’s previous intercom systems. The new design is available in three versions: the Interphone Tour, Sport and Urban. Each is built on …
Bell MAG-9 Helmet Review
Popular Helmet Integrates the Sena 10S or SMH10 The Bell MAG-9 has been very popular since it was first released back in…was it 2012? It’s an update on the original Bell MAG-8 reviewed on webBikeWorld way back in 2006. The MAG-series was radical when first released but that “peak” is now enjoying great popularity. The new MAG-9 …
SCHUBERTH E1 Review
The C3 Dual-Sport The SCHUBERTH E1 was announced at the 2015 AIMExpo (Report) and described in our SCHUBERTH E1 Preview. Just for the record, the E1 isn’t the first flip-up dual-sport helmet; that award goes to the Caberg Tourmax (review), released in 2013. The E1 is basically a variant of the SCHUBERTH C3 Pro (review), with additional features and a …
Acebikes U-Turn Motor Mover Review
A Folding Motorcycle Dolly for the Garage The Acebikes U-Turn Motor Mover is a unique take on the folding motorcycle dolly or rolling stand. It allows you to move the motorcycle 360 degrees for easy parking in the garage or shop floor. You’ve probably seen similar devices, but the U-Turn Motor Mover has a few …
2016 Bell Star Review
The Three Stars Are Here The 2016 Bell Star was announced at the 2015 AIMExpo (Report) and described in our 2016 Bell Star Preview. The new Bell Star now comes in three different versions: The street/sport version (this review), the Race Star and the Pro Star. Prices range from $449.95 for the street/sport version to (please …
AGV Sport Podium Suit Review
Quality Leather Suit, Reasonable Price The AGV Sport Podium one-piece leather suit hits the sweet spot in price and performance. Though the retail price of $699.00 may not put it in the super bargain class, the asking price is reasonable for what you get. Also, the quality of the build suggests it should last quite …
