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 […]

Some book reviews and a personal update I have been spending a lot of time in hospital so have read a few motorcycle travel books while there. Great Australian Motorcycle Stories is a paperback sold at Australian post offices. It was gifted to me to read while getting treatment in […]

While I am not able to ride I am delving into books about riding and came upon this gem. Sam Manicom has gathered twenty stories from motorcycle authors, overland riders and bloggers. It presents many different styles of story telling but remains a good read all the way through. It […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

I’ve updated from a Nolan N44 EVO to a Nolan N70-2 GT. I might be a bit of a Nolan helmet fan – this is my third. Prior to the N44 EVO I wore a Nolan N43 Air. The N70-2 GT, like my previous Nolan’s is a modular helmet. You […]

I recently picked up a new tank bag to see if this is an answer for carrying my camera gear. I’ve been on a merry-go-round with cameras since I returning to still photography from video. I progress from small pocketable models to bigger models and twice now ended up with […]

Book Review Geoff Hill is an award winning Irish journalist and travel writer who enjoys overland motorcycle journeys. This is his 5th long distance adventure and the most interesting of all his books for me. Geoff sets out to retrace the journey made by the first round the world motorcycle […]