Continuing shopping for motorcycle gear stolen by Australia Post I sought a replacement for my Nolan N43 Air helmet. To understand why I would seek this style of helmet I need to help you understand how hot it is living in the tropics. It’s actually too hot to ride here […]

I am replacing all my rider gear which was stolen by Australia Post and am starting from the bottom up. Thinking about boots I was going to buy the very same as those lost. My TCX Explorer EVO GT boots I wore for the last decade have been excellent. Used […]

I have chosen Garmin for my motorcycle navigation since 2008 and have tried various phone navigation apps and Google maps in recent years but found the experience inferior. Unable to see the phone screens in sunlight, unable to operate phone tiny menu items with gloves. Curious about Apple Carplay/Android Auto […]

I’ve never considered an item like this really necessary, and my opinion hasn’t changed so how I ended up trying one is a bit of a long story. Before that if you have not seen this video from Fortnine then I suggest to watch it. Ryan explains in a very […]

I have experienced an engine stall problem on my 2014 Yamaha FJR1300 for a number of years but now seem able to manage the issue. The exact nature of stalling was as follows: Engine from cold starts fine and runs at a fast idle then continues to idle ok at […]

Because summer in Japan is so humid I decided to look at ways to stop my new Nolan N70-2GT helmet from turning into a swamp. The Nolan helmet already has a liner designed to wick away perspiration and has excellent ventilation from its upper air intakes but no helmet is […]

As experienced on a Yamaha FJR1300 I have completed 100,000km touring Japan on my 2014 Yamaha FJR1300 and used a number of tyres over that period. It has been a few years since I last posted my tyre comparison so here is a quick refresh. The tyres used are as […]

Covid-19 might appear to have me at risk of ‘gear creep’ but so many of my rider items were overdue for replacement. I had been foolishly hanging on to poor quality old gear much of which was not even CE1 rated. Since Covid I’ve thrown out my 20 year old […]

Nylon Vs Cloth Nylon mesh jackets are what I have always worn in peak summer or if I am in SE Asia where days are steamy but recently I started to question this choice. In Japan summer is high 30’s with humidity that has you perspiring 5 steps outside of […]

Summer in Japan is crazy humid. I’ve been using mesh jackets but got fed up with how the nylon clings and has no breathability so decided to try a different approach. The Rough & Road cloth summer jacket is constructed of a heavy weight material similar to riding pants and […]

You might think waiting a year to test an item would be a negative – but not when talking about rain gear. I found these gloves in Naps motorcycle accessory shop Yokohama over a year ago and got them for my 2020 touring but last summer was very kind and […]

A milestone reached. I’ve clocked 100,000km touring Japan on my 2014 Yamaha FJR1300. A few notes on the experience so far and my evolving views on what I might ride next. Long Term Ownership Experience The FJR1300 has been a very reliable motorcycle. Problems have been minor but one item […]