Tested or reviewed

Just simple words about things I have purchased and bikes I have rented but honest reviews not fake bullshit that fills YouTube.

Alpinestars Atom gloves

I went looking for new summer gloves in Japan and despite 100’s on display in the motorcycle superstore Naps I came away with something from a familiar brand Alpinestars which I later regretted. In Japan there are loads of motorcycle accessory brands I am not familiar with. Some are reputable […]

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Five years with the Yamaha FJR1300

My neighbour always tells me I have seen so much of Japan, which is true, but there remains more here to explore on the remote back roads and so I am pausing to consider if I need to change motorcycles to reach these places and indeed if I want to […]

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Honda CB500X

I have completed three tours of Thailand on the CB500X yet never got around to writing a review of the bike. Honda builds the CB500X in Thailand and it is a common model in the rental fleets in Chiang Mai, often the cheapest option in a big bike which is […]

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Four days with the Yamaha MT-07

There has been much written about the Yamaha MT-07 already but having enjoyed four days touring on this bike I shall add a few thoughts all the same. What struck me first is how compact the bike is, it felt like a toy compared to my QE2 size touring bike. […]

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Tourmaster Cold-Tex 3.0 Gloves

Whilst I try to avoid riding in the coldest weather, Spring or Autumn in Japan can see me out in low teens or single digit temperatures. In that weather none of my existing gloves are up to the task. I turn on my heated grips which are a great assist […]

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Seven days on a Harley Davidson Street 750

I rode a Harley Davidson Street 750 in Oman and UAE for 7 days. This is a small review.I am not going to talk specifications, you can read that in the press release type articles published everywhere. Also I chose to rent a Street 750 purely based on it being […]

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Ten days with the BMW G310

I rode a BMW G310 from Johannesburg to Cape Town for a 10 day tour (link here). This is a small honest report on how I found the bike.Not going to rehash all the specs, heaps of press release type ‘reviews’ already published.Let me first say I chose the bike […]

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Nikwax glove and Gore-tex jacket waterproof treatments

After repeatedly getting wet recently I have come to the conclusion Gore-tex rider gear totally loses its water resistance over time.. Yes I probably am the last person to realise this, I usually am with many things. My experience has been that the gear works exceptionally well the first ride […]

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Non Roll Earplug update

A long time ago I did a earplug shootout where I got two sample packs of different earplugs from the USA earplug superstore. Comparing two dozen different style and makes I came to like the Howard Leight Pilot best. This is a non roll foam ear plug, the design solving […]

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Halvarssons neck gator

I have had this bit of gear for a couple of seasons already and forgot to write about it. Initially I bought this after having lots of drama with my Alpinestars Andes touring jacket in the rain. The neck never seals properly and I found mention by people online a […]

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Under jeans knee protection

I’ve been doing a bit of backpack type riding in SE Asia of late and wanted to improve my protection in case of a fall. A fair bit of my riding has been on scooters at low speed, for this just jeans and footwear and a helmet is about as […]

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Buff Vs Karrimor tube Vs North Face Cover-it

One of the most useful items when motorcycle riding is a neck tube type scarf. In cool conditions they help seal top of your jacket, stop drafts down back of neck that lead to a chill and head colds as well they can be pulled up over your lower face […]

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