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 […]

Book review This is another motorcycle travel story from Geoff Hill author of Way to Go. Previously he rides a Royal Enfield from India to Belfast and now a Triumph from Chile to Alaska with his friend Clifford. I struggled with it initially. The first 1/4 of the story is […]

I am pleased with my Macna Vosges jacket but had reservations about using a similar 3 layer system in riding pants however when I saw the Macna Fulcrum pants at 55% off it seemed too good to pass up. Seems like Macna are leaving the Japan market as all their […]

Part two of upgrading my summer mesh jacket. Quick recap, in part one I decided I was not satisfied with the level of protection my RS Tachi Crossover summer jacket offered. Living and riding here mostly in cooler climate I have become accustomed to wearing more substantial gear than the […]

Despite crashing into a fence when first learning to ride I went on to have a casual approach to protective gear. I think that came from living in sub tropics where it was very hot. Mesh jackets, ventilated gloves, rider jeans and similar items best suited the climate. When reviewing […]

2020 has been the year I updated things in lieu of travelling. I wish it was other way around – I’d prefer to be riding places but besides my somewhat regular camera swapping the rest of my gear is 10-20 years old. My Dryrider summer jacket was over 20 years. […]

I was testing a different brand of visor treatments on this years Autumn cold weather ride. Previously for anti fog I tried that oddly named cat crap wax but as I reported on the old blog years back even if buffed perfectly like the fanboys say is needed the visor […]

With less riding and more idle time this year I took a closer look at my touring gear and noticed a few things could do with being replaced. My Alpinestars Andes jacket is just five years old but in poor condition. Stitching is coming apart, the velcro no longer holds […]