Tag Archives: Gear

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Givi TW01 Duffel Bag


Cheryl & I Love dry bags and we use Wolfman luggage right now. 

It’s nice to see other companies getting into the market to show off their gear.  Our Dry bags are essential for touring and we would never go away without at least one large one.  We stow our clothes in there, things that we try not to get dirty while traveling. Here GIVI gives it a try as well.  Anyone have one of these?

Givi TW01 Duffel Bag

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KLIM LATITUDE SUIT 1ST IMPRESSIONS


Sorry that the video is a bit dark and no zooms.  Cheryl is away and I promise our second impressions video will be better done.  Hope this video will provide you all with some useful info and isn’t too painful to watch.

UPDATE:  We sold both suits.  Just turned out they were not fir us, too stiff.

840D Cordura Shell = thick

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ADV LIFE by RAWHYDE


A new website on the web that points ADV riders in the right direction for accessories, where to ride, gear companies who are top-notch, online dealers who have great reputations for their products and customer service.  If you are getting into ADV riding and need info and direction, this is for you.  If you are an avid ADV rider all ready this site is for you too.  As a matter of fact it’s for all of us who love to ride and are in the market for accessories, riding tricks etc.  Check it out….it’s a great bookmark!

ADVLife.us click here!

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MOTOOVERLAND.COM


There is nothing like knowing the owner of a company that makes some really top-notch accessories for ADV bikes.  Dave from Motooverland aka MOD not only is a great rider himself that tests all of his gear but a really nice guy in general.  I rode with him all day at the Dual Sport BC Spring ride on Sunday, March 25th, 2012 and what a respectful leader of a group that was a big as 8 at one time.  Dave lives in Vancouver, BC and takes his time developing key items for bikes that make sense and lasts.  His skid plate, newly re-released tool box, side stand foot print and rear rack are perfect accessories for your bike.  Have a look at his website

MOTOOVERLAND.COM

and see for yourself.  If you have any questions  Dave is good to answer them and he ships all over the place.  See video!

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The Reality Behind TRUST // Klim


We wear KLIM.  WHY?  Watch this video and everything they claim so far we have found to be true.  One thing the video forgot to say is how great their customer service is, how great the warranty is on their gear and how great their gear lasts.  Waterproofness and durability are two things we were looking for when shopping around.  We spent a lot of money on less expensive gear trying to find our way. 

I wish someone would have pointed us into the KLIM direction from the beginning…we would have found a way to save our money.  The Traverse suit, the one we wear right now is not completely off the charts $$ wise but their Latitude, Badlands and Rally suits get up there in price.  Worth it?  depends if you need your gear to be convenient when it comes to waterproofing and breath-ability. If you like your own layering choice as we do KLIM is for you.

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Motorcycle and bicycle helmet use laws


Why not standardize the laws?  Hot topic but we believe in ATGATT

(All The Gear All The Time)

December 2011

  • Laws requiring all motorcyclists to wear a helmet are in place in 20 states and the District of Columbia
  • Laws requiring only some motorcyclists to wear a helmet are in place in 27 states
  • There is no motorcycle helmet use law in 3 states (Illinois, Iowa, and New Hampshire)
  • Some bicyclists are required by law to wear a helmet in 21 states and the District of Columbia
  • There is no bicycle helmet use law in 29 states Continue reading →
KRIEGA FORKS SEAL COVERS
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KRIEGA FORKS SEAL COVERS


One of the best investments we made for our trip this past summer was buying fork seal protectors.  For $25 these little things can save you a lot of inconvenience.  Although we have no proof that using fork seal covers worked, I guess you can say since we never had any issues perhaps they did.

We ran into a few folks where a blown seal halted if not ended their trip.  There are many ideas out there like DIY covers and other brands, but we went with KRIEGA covers.  They fit perfectly on the Triumph Tiger 800XC forks and also looked the part too.

Fork Seals

Increased service life for your USD forks with more effective protection from mud & dirt. Made from NEOSKIN (coated neoprene). Easy fit/clean, no fork disassembly required.

Kreiga Fork Seal Covers

Completely understated, yet so valuable when traveling in general.  Very easy to install and every once in a while we would take them off, rinse them and put them back on.  Every time we hit the gross stuff up North practically the only place on the bikes that stayed “clean” were the forks.

The forks would stay clean even when the bikes were caked in this!

Do you have to buy KRIEGA?  Nope…but when you want something practical that only costs a few bucks but can save you a possible PITA (pain in the ass) situation, some sort of seal cover is in your best interest.

BTW, we have them on our BMW’s now, and although the forks are not inverted they still fit and if needed there are little loops to use cable ties just in case.  Check them out, or at least think about doing something to protect your seals.  You can’t go wrong by doing something and not over looking this area of the bike. 

KRIEGA FORK SEAL COVERS CLICK HERE

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Safe & Enjoyable Winter Riding


Source: Anthony from Revzilla

Safe & Enjoyable Cold Weather Motorcycle Riding

By BoochZilla

Changing Seasons, Changing Gears 

We all know about changing gears on the bike. Up is “up”, and down is “down.” How about that riding skill called changing gears between your ears? Autumn is a great time for riding. Temperatures are moderate and, in many parts of the land, beautiful color tours await. But the change in seasons also brings some different riding conditions that may require some mental gear changes.

Wildlife
As the leaves change and the die-off of summer vegetation occurs, deer, found virtually everywhere in North America, begin to change their feeding habits and move about more. Likewise, it’s their breeding season and is accompanied by an increasing frenzy of activity. In the autumn, in many states, this is compounded by the fact of their being spooked by hunters. The end result is more movement, more activity, and a greater threat to you as a motorcyclist. Change gears and give more thought to the possibility of deer on the road – especially less traveled two-laners and during the post-dawn and pre-sunset hours. The same applies to areas where our even bigger antlered friends (Antelope, Elk, Moose) wander. Cover the brake and give increased heed to those “deer crossing” signs.
Reduced Daylight
Not only are the forest critters in the road more active around dawn and dusk but dawn is arriving later, and dusk much earlier. If you are a year round rider or commuter, chances are increasing that you will be riding in darkness. You may want to make sure that your motorcycle gear (and bike) is up to the challenge.
Is your bike’s charging system performing correctly? Are all your lights working? Maybe it’s time to think again about that auxiliary lighting you’ve been looking at all Summer. Do your riding jacket or pants have reflective strips or panels? If not, why? Time to upgrade perhaps? You’ve been riding all year with sunglasses. What about your nighttime vision? Is the prescription for your glasses or contact lenses up to date?
Bridge Freezes Before Road Surface
We all know this sign or its cousin “Icy Conditions.” We’ve all scoffed at it throughout the warm weather riding season. Now it’s time to take serious heed. Especially in late afternoon, or early evening, as air temperatures fall toward the freezing mark, the ground can and does retain a great deal of warmth. But bridges and overpasses, completely surrounded by the chilled air, may not. The absolute worst is in light drizzle with temperatures hovering right around 32 degrees. The roadway may be simply wet. Bridges can be something far more challenging. And steel open grate bridges are the worst. It may be time to just go home! Also keep in mind that during the early morning hours underpasses can be treacherous when the sun warms the countryside but the underpass remains in the shade and overnight icing fails to melt. Caution is advised.
Focus on the Cold
When the temperature dips, we all feel it. Typically at 60mph you can add a 20 degree windchill to the ambient air temperature while riding. That means that you can go from comfy to cold in a hurry. Cold hands, feet or other parts or the body are just as bad as a poorly fitting piece of gear – they cause discomfort which leads to a loss of focus.
Wearing the appropriate base layers, mid layers, shell and potentially heated gear will greatly improve your chances for riding fun and safety. Also, take into account elevation changes on longer rides and make an extra effort to check the forecast in the cooler temp ranges as a little rain can produce much more extreme riding conditions quickly, than similar conditions at more reasonable temps.
Wet Leaves
Ice isn’t the only slip and fall hazard. All those beautiful fall colors – the photogenic oranges, reds, and browns that cover the landscape eventually fall to the ground as winter begins to exert its hold. As often as not the leaves fall en mass as a rainstorm drives them from the trees and directly into your roadway! And wet leaves can be as slippery as ice! How do we protect ourselves?
With the same methodologies we use to avoid nasty surprises like loose gravel or decreasing radius corners. Remember that it’s always heads up looking as far as possible into the turns and continue to practice what the Motorcycle Safety Foundation calls late apex cornering. You are less likely to run wide, have better visibility into the corner, and there is more margin for error if you simply practice braking a bit earlier, doing all your turning before the apex, and smoothly accelerating after the apex.
Riding into the autumn and into early winter brings some new challenges but they are all manageable if we just mentally change gears and adapt. Do so and you’ll enjoy another great season of motorcycling and you can always beef up your cold weather riding gear as well. Here’s hoping that everyone gets through the fall season without having to take evasive action on freezing or wet leaves to avoid a deer at sunset. Ride safe!
-Jack Broomall

Jack Broomall is a lifelong motorcyclist. His motorcycle adventures have taken him across the North American continent several times, to Alaska, the Alps, the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man. He is a member of the Iron Butt Association and also owns several motorcycle Land Speed Records set at the Bonneville Salt Flats where he is a member of the Bonneville 200 MPH Club. He has been known to do occasional restorations of his favorite bikes from the 1970s and enjoys track days as well.

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KLIM’s NEW BADLANDS AND LATITUDE IS SHIPPING


I have posted info about the new KLIM gear before but dealers are now shipping the new Badlands and Latitude ADV suits.  We are HUGE fans of KLIM gear not only because this is a company that listens to the riders who buy their stuff, but it is truly ADV gear, waterproof without liners and extremely comfortable while be made with top quality material.  They also sell long pants sizing as well.

KLIM’s NEWLETTER here

We are not paid employees of KLIM just LOVE sharing what works for us.  We hope the new Latitude will be in our future.  We have been wearing the Traverse for a year now and it has been almost perfect.  We knew the new gear was on the horizon and now that it is here in the flesh, the Latitude seems to really be what we are looking for.  The Latitude simply has hip gators for rider to use and open while sitting to give a little more room.  But for the women out there this is a HUGE addtition because it may allow for we grrls to fit into smaller jacket sizing with using the hip gators all the time.  Plus, the new gear has more pockets than the Traverse.  We need pockets while traveling and this is a nice addition that the Traverse really lacks.

Have a look and if you are lucky to find a dealer who has these in stock, maybe try them on for size. ;-)

BADLANDS

 

Badlands Pants

 

Latitude

 

Latitude Pants

Some say KLIM is too expensive.  I think if we found this gear in the first place we would have saved money in the long run.  We have been through so many brands, types of set up and so far KLIM is the closest to what we need in gear without sacrificing comfort and safety.  

 

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KLIM TRAVERSE – The gear we wore on our Summer Trip


KLIM makes some of the best gear out there for DS/ADV riders.  Well, we think so.  See post from September 23rd, 2011 for the new Badlands and Latitude suits coming this fall. Not cheap gear but looks and feels like this stuff would last a long time.

Info for the grrls out there…this gear can fit us but the new Latitude Suit will fit gals with hips, which we all have better.  if you have a slim figure you would be able to fit into regular sizing but if you have hips like me having waist gators would help.  The Traverse does not have any way to open up the sides of the jacket but the Latitude does.  The new Badlands does not.  Hip gators expands the jacket where a gal might need it.  I am excited that KLIM heard the needs of women and have made at least one suit really unisex friendly and in my case will most likely be able to fit into a medium jacket versus a  large.  As for the pants, again may have to go larger for the hips but I am over what the size is as long as the fit feels good.  Jacket sizing to me means more because right now my Traverse is a bit baggy in the chest because of the larger size I have to wear.

***The Traverse arms seem a bit lean and may feel tight on some bulky folks.  just FYI.


The Traverse treated us very well on our trip and still does in the lovely rain we have been having in the lower mainland near Vancouver, BC.  KLIM gear is so comfortable that we have even gone out to dinner in it after work.  Again, I am not being paid to say this stuff, just sharing our opinions on gear.  One thing I look for when researching bikes, gear and accessories is real reviews from people who have been using the stuff for more than a few hours.  

The Traverse would make a really good dirt bike suit even though we use it everyday.  Not enough pockets for true ADV riding but still 100% waterproof, you can upgrade the armour to D3o, good venting even though it is a Gore Tex shell, love the fact that the layering is up to the rider.  We mainly use just a Gerbing heated liner either plugged in or not as the layer.  No need to stop and put a rain liner in or rain suit over this gear.

So comfy we go out to dinner int he Traverse

We hope to get the new Latitude when it comes out.  More pockets and seems better suited for road touring and ADV riding.  Here is KLIM’S video of the Traverse and it comes in black too now.

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KLIM – New AWESOME Gear coming out this Fall 2011


We wear this stuff and are looking forward to trying out the new gear.  If you don’t like buying gear that has tons of layers and needs a water proof liner or rain gear to go over, then KLIM is the way to go.  No, we are not paid to say this nor to get we KLIM gear for free….just believers!  Choose your own layers and voila….you got yourself gear that can be worn 365 days a year!

One thing is for sure KLIM seems to listen to their buyers because these two new suits really have had a lot of input from people like us and KLIM made changes and look what they have come out with…absolutely the most comfortable gear we have ever worn and we own the TRAVERSE.

And of course the Diamond Suit the Adventure Rally…the most expensice suit KLIM makes.